Nelson Miles Autograph “Lt. General Nelson A. Miles”

Nelson Miles Autograph “Lt. General Nelson A. Miles” - Inventory Number: AUT 124

Born: August 08, 1839 in Westminster, Massachusetts

Died: May 15, 1925 in Washington, District of Columbia

During the Civil War, Miles (1839-1925) distinguished himself at Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville and was made Brigadier General (1864) and Major General (1865) of Volunteers. Miles was custodian of Confederate President Jefferson Davis at Fortress Monroe (1865-1866). Remaining in the Army as a Colonel, he helped subjugate the Sioux in Montana and in 1877 destroyed the village of Chief Crazy Horse. In the same year he defeated and captured Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé. In 1886, as Commander of the Department of Arizona, he accepted the surrender of the Apache under Geronimo, and during 1890 and 1891, he suppressed another Sioux outbreak. On July 25, 1898, during the Spanish-American War, he landed in Puerto Rico, occupying the island until August 13th when Spain surrendered. Miles was the last person to hold the office of Commanding General of the United States Army; it was abolished by Congress after his retirement in 1903 and replaced with the office of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He received a few delegate votes for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1904. Miles was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1900, so this note must have been signed between then and his 1903 retirement. Miles offered to serve again in World War I, at nearly 80 years of age, but President Wilson declined to accept the offer.

Comes housed in 8 x 14 riker display case with red velvet and descriptive card.

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Inventory Number: AUT 124