Robert Bruce McCoy (September 5, 1867January 5, 1926) was an

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lawyer and

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

officer in the early 20th century. He served as a colonel in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and is the namesake of

Fort McCoy, Wisconsin Fort McCoy is a United States Army installation on between Sparta and Tomah, Wisconsin, in Monroe County. In 1909, there were two separate camps named Camp Emory Upton and Camp Robinson; in 1926, these camps were joined together to form Camp M ...

(formerly Camp McCoy).

Biography

McCoy was born September 5, 1867, in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...

, to Bruce Elisha McCoy. Not long after his birth his family moved to the town of

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, in

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

, where his father worked in the milling industry. In 1876, the mill property where his father worked was flooded and the family moved to

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

in order to continue the milling business. While attending high school Robert McCoy was an athlete, distinguishing himself as a leader in school activities graduating from Sparta High School in 1887. After graduating from high school he entered the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, and made the varsity

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team in his first year. In 1890 he left college to play semi-professional baseball at

Ashland, Wisconsin Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat of Ashland County. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 7,908 at the 2020 census, al ...

, later returning to the University of Wisconsin as captain of the varsity baseball team.

Politics

In 1891, he graduated from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

and was admitted to the bar. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, in 1897, McCoy was elected Monroe County Court

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, where he served for 16 years. In 1920, he was elected Mayor of Sparta; he was nominated for

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

, in 1920, but lost.

Military service

McCoy's career with the

Wisconsin Army National Guard The Wisconsin Army National Guard ("Guard") has dual state and federal roles, and is jointly funded and maintained by both governments. Its federal mission is to provide trained units to the United States Army in time of war or national emergenc ...

began in the mid-1890s and continued until his death. He served in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and the

Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

. At the start of

he was commander of the 4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, which he led in

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as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

after it was federalized as the 128th Infantry. After World War I he was instrumental in organizing the 32nd Division Association and served as its founding president. On December 20, 1920, he was commissioned a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and assigned to command the 64th Infantry Brigade. In 1924 he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

as commander of the 32nd Infantry Division (the Red Arrow Division). Among his awards for valor was the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Croix de Guerre.

Founding of Fort McCoy

Following his Spanish–American War service McCoy decided to take the lead in creating a post near Sparta which would be suitable for training Artillery units. He began by buying small tracts and leasing them for grazing, with the proceeds going to finance additional land purchases. One part of the McCoy's land purchases was known as the Sparta Maneuver Tract, with the portion of that tract north of the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

tracks called Camp Upton, named for

Emory Upton Emory Upton (August 27, 1839 – March 15, 1881) was a United States Army General and military strategist, prominent for his role in leading infantry to attack entrenched positions successfully at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House during the A ...

. Another, separate parcel of the land McCoy purchased was called Camp Robinson, named for William W. Robinson, a resident of Sparta who commanded the Iron Brigade in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Death and legacy

McCoy died January 5, 1926 from

pernicious anemia Pernicious anemia is a type of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, a disease in which not enough red blood cells are produced due to the malabsorption of vitamin B12. Malabsorption in pernicious anemia results from the lack or loss of intrinsic fa ...

. In November of that year the Army National Guard post he worked to create was renamed to Fort McCoy in his honor.

Army Distinguished Service Medal citation

Citation: :The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel (Infantry) Robert B. McCoy, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. In Command of the 128th Infantry throughout all the major operations in which the 32d Division participated, Colonel McCoy proved himself a leader of sound judgment and exceptional ability. During the Oise-Aisne offensive he skillfully handled the delicate maneuver of straightening and changing the front on the left bank of his brigade during the attack on Terny-Sorny and later during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. In the attack on the Kremhilde-Stellung he performed another tactical operation of high order in a flank movement which resulted in the taking of the town of Romagne.Military times hall of valor
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Robert Bruce 1867 births 1926 deaths University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Wisconsin state court judges Wisconsin Democrats Mayors of places in Wisconsin United States Army generals National Guard (United States) generals Wisconsin National Guard personnel Baseball players from Wisconsin People from Kenosha, Wisconsin People from Sparta, Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) American military personnel of World War I American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Deaths from anemia