Henry Ware Lawton
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Major-General Henry Ware Lawton |
Henry Ware Lawton (1836-1899) was a highly respected U.S. Army officer who served with distinction in the
Civil War,
Apache War,
Spanish-American War and was the only U.S. general officer to be killed during the
Philippine-American War. The city of
Lawton, Oklahoma takes its name from General Lawton.
Lawton was born on
March 17,
1836 in
Maumee, Ohio a moved to
Fort Wayne, Indiana shortly after. He was studying at the Methodist Episcopal College when the
Civil War began.
Lawton left school to join the 9th Indiana Volunteer Regiment. He and his regiment fought at the
Battle of Shiloh. After the battle he was promoted
captain in the volunteer army and fought at the battles of
Stones River and
Chickamauga. He was awarded the
Medal of Honor during the
Atlanta campaign. He was a
brevet colonel at the end of the war.
After the Civil War he studied law at
Harvard University for a while before returning to the army. He first served under
Ranald S. Mackenzie in the southwest. He was appointed
captain in the regular army. In 1886, he led the expedition that captured
Geronimo. In February 1886, he was promoted
lieutenant colonel in the regular army.
In May 1898, he was appointed
brigadier general of regulars and assumed command of the 2nd Division,
V Corps which was being sent to
Cuba. He forces were engaged in the
Battle of Las Guasimas but played a smaller role. His division was sent to take the
Spanish fortress at
El Caney. In the following
Battle of El Caney, Lawton's division suffered heavy casualties but eventually took the city and linked up with the rest of the U.S. forces on
San Juan Hill for the
Siege of Santiago. Once
Santiago fell, Lawton served as military governor of the city before being relieved due to drunkenness, a stain on his otherwise distinguished military record.
With the fighting against the
Spanish over, Lawton was transferred to the
Philippines to command the
1st Division,
VIII Corps during the
Philippine-American War. There, he played a significant part in the military victories during the first part of the war, scoring victories at
Santa Cruz and
Zapote Bridge. He was able to inspire troops by his personal leadership and successfully incorporated tactics learned while fighting Indians in the
American West.
His competency and military achievements made for bad relations between him and the VIII Corps commander,
Elwell S. Otis. Despite this, Lawton was very popular among his men and the general public and was so well-respected in the Philippines that his image appeared on Filipino currency during the 1920s. After the
Battle of San Isidro, a letter arrived at the VIII Corps headquarters with the message:
"Otis. Manila: Convey to General Law[ton] and the gallant men of his command congratulations on the successful operations during the past month, resulting in the capture this morning of San Isidro". The letter was signed by President
William McKinley.
During the
Battle of Paye, Lawton, as usual, was in the midst of the fighting and was killed by a Filipino sharpshooter, ironically under the command of a general named
Licerio Geronimo. He was the highest ranking American officer to fall in battle in either the Spanish-American or Philippine-American wars.
The California Military Museum
