William Rufus Shafter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| William Rufus Shafter | |
|---|---|
| October 16, 1835 – November 12, 1906 (aged 71) | |
 Medal of Honor recipient |
|
| Place of birth | Galesburg, Michigan |
| Place of death | San Francisco County, California |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861 - 1900 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Company I, 7th Michigan Infantry |
| Commands | V Corps |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
William Rufus Shafter (October 16, 1835 – November 12, 1906)was born in Galesburg, Michigan and was a Union Army officer uring the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Fair Oaks. Shafter also played a prominent part as a Major General in the Spanish-American War. Fort Shafter, Hawaii, is named for him, as well as the city of Shafter, California. He was known informally as "Pecos Bill"[1] (unrelated to the folk legend Pecos Bill).
Contents |
Shafter was born in Galesburg, Michigan. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War and took part in the Battle of Ball's Bluff and the Peninsula Campaign. He was wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks and later received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the battle. He was captured at the Battle of Thompson's Station and spent several months in a Confederate States Army prison. After his release he led the 17th Infantry, a regiment of the United States Colored Troops, at the Battle of Nashville.
By the end of the war, he had been promoted to brevet brigadier general. He stayed in the regular army when the war ended, and during his service in the Indian Wars, he received his nickname Pecos Bill. He led the 24th Infantry, another United States Colored Troops regiment, in campaigns against the Cheyenne, Comanche, Kickapoo and Kiowa Indians in Texas. In May 1897 he was appointed brigadier general.
When the Spanish-American War began, the United States organized a ground expedition for the island of Cuba. Shafter weighed over 300 pounds (136 kg) and was not fit for the tropical conditions, but he received the appointment anyway, due to his lack of political ambitions. In May 1898 he was appointed major general in the regular army and assumed command of the V Corps and sailed for Cuba. During the Santiago Campaign he suffered from gout. He was forced to be carried around on a door because of his immense weight and his illness.
After winning the battles of San Juan Hill and El Caney, Shafter's forces laid siege to Santiago. The city surrendered on July 17, 1898, bringing an end to the war on Cuba. Sickness and disease plagued the army, and Shafter returned to the U.S. with the V Corps in September. He took command of the Department of California after returning to the U.S. and was in that position when he retired in 1900.
Shafter retired to his sixty-acre farm adjoining his daughter's ranch near Bakersfield, California. On November 12, 1906, he died at his daughter Mary's home from an intestinal obstruction complicated by pneumonia. He was buried next to his wife at the presidio in San Francisco, California.[2]
Rank and Organization:
- First Lieutenant, Company I, 7th Michigan Infantry. Place and Date: At Fair Oaks, Va., 31 May 1862. Entered Service At: Galesburg, Mich. Birth: Kalamazoo, Mich. Date Of Issue: 12 June 1895.
Citation:
- Lt. Shafter was engaged in bridge construction and not being needed there returned with his men to engage the enemy participating in a charge across an open field that resulted in casualties to 18 of the 22 men. At the close of the battle his horse was shot from under him and he was severely flesh wounded. He remained on the field that day and stayed to fight the next day only by concealing his wounds. In order not to be sent home with the wounded he kept his wounds concealed for another 3 days until other wounded had left the area.[3][4]
- ^ Kalamazoo, the Place Behind the Product Pecos Bill
- ^ William Rufus Shafter at Find A Grave Retrieved on 2007-11-08
- ^ "Civil War Medal of Honor Citations" (S-Z): Shafter, William R.. AmericanCivilWar.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Medal of Honor website” (M-Z): Shafter, William R.. army.mil. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- Shafter, William Rufus. The Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved on May 29, 2005.