Eben Swift (May 11, 1854 – April 25, 1938) was a major general in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who served as the first commander of the 82nd Division, now the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

Military career

Swift was born on May 11, 1854, at

Fort Chadbourne Fort Chadbourne was a fort established by the United States Army on October 28, 1852, in what is now Coke County, Texas, to protect the western frontier and the Butterfield Overland Mail route. It was named after Lt. T.L. Chadbourne, who was k ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Ebenezer Swift and his wife, Sarah. He attended Racine College,

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

, and

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

. He then attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, from which he graduated in 1876. On May 18, 1880, he married Suzanne Palmer (1857–1930), daughter of Brigadier General Innis N. Palmer, and they had five children. Their son, Innis P. Swift also became a major general. One of their daughters, Clara, was the wife of Brigadier General Evan Harris Humphrey.

Career

Swift was initially assigned to the 14th Infantry, and soon transferred to the 5th Cavalry, which he joined in the field during the punitive expedition against the Sioux in July, 1876. He spent several years at posts in the western United States during the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

, including assignments in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Idaho, and Colorado. From 1887 to 1890, he was aide-de-camp to brigadier general

Wesley Merritt Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1836December 3, 1910) was an American major general who served in the cavalry of the United States Army during the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, and Spanish–American War. Following the latter war, he becam ...

. In his memoirs, he observed: "Civilization approached the American Indians with a Bible in one hand and a paper treaty in the other, a bludgeon in her sleeve, and a barrel of whiskey in her wagon, not to mention the blight that goeth unto the third and fourth generation." He took part in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, serving in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

with several volunteer units from Illinois, and advancing from temporary major to temporary colonel and commander of the 4th Illinois Volunteer Infantry by the time he returned to the regular Army in 1899. His early 1900s assignments include director of the Army War College and military observer in Manchuria during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. He commanded the 2nd Cavalry Division on the U.S.-Mexico border during the

Pancho 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, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

. At the start of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was assigned to command of

Camp Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Fort Eisenhower and Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established southwest of Augusta, Georgia in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cy ...

and promoted to brigadier general. He was the first commander of the 82nd Division, which he led from August to November 1917. Considered too old to deploy to a combat zone, he did not accompany the AEF to France. Swift later served as head of the U.S. Military Mission and commander of U.S. forces in Italy and was promoted to major general. Swift was awarded the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Commander) for his service in Italy. He reached the statutory retirement age of 64 on May 11, 1918, but continued to serve until September. In 1919 and 1920, he was recalled to temporary duty as a lecturer on tactics for Reserve Officer Training Corps units at several colleges and universities.

Death and burial

Swift died on April 25, 1938, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He was buried with his wife Susanne at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

.Burial Detail: Swift, Eben
– ANC Explorer

Camp Swift, Texas Camp Swift is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,943 at the 2020 census. Camp Swift began as a United States Army training base built in 1942. It is named after Major General Eben Swi ...

, a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

United States Army training base, was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Eben People from Coke County, Texas Military personnel from Texas United States Army generals American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of World War I United States Military Academy alumni Washington University in St. Louis alumni Dickinson College alumni Racine College alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 1854 births 1938 deaths United States Army generals of World War I United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars