Lieutenant Colonel Stephen L'Hommedieu Slocum (August 11, 1859 − December 14, 1933) was an American
who served in several countries.
Early life
Slocum was born in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
on August 11, 1859. He was a son of Col.
Joseph J. Slocum and Sallie S. L'Hommedieu (1833–1895).
His elder brother,
Herbert Jermain Slocum
Herbert Jermain Slocum (April 25, 1855 - March 29, 1928) was in charge of the 13th Cavalry Regiment during the Battle of Columbus, New Mexico in 1916 where Pancho Villa burned several buildings in Columbus, New Mexico, stole weapons and horses a ...
,
was also a prominent soldier.
His sister, Margaret Oliva "Daisy" Slocum,
was the wife of Sherman Flint.
His maternal grandparents were Alma (née Hammond) L'Hommedieu and
Stephen Satterly L'Hommedieu, the president of the
Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad Company.
Among his maternal family were aunts Mary (wife of
Henry Brockholst Ledyard Jr.
Henry Brockholst Ledyard Jr. (February 20, 1844 – May 25, 1921) was an American soldier and businessman who served as president of the Michigan Central Railroad and the Union Trust Company.
Early life
Ledyard was born on February 20, 1844, at ...
) and Alma (wife of
George D. Ruggles
George David Ruggles (September 11, 1833 – October 19, 1904) was an American military officer who was Adjutant General of the United States Army from 1893 to 1897.
Biography
He was born in Newburgh, New York. His parents died when he was ...
).
His paternal grandparents were Margaret Pierson ( Germain Slocum and Joseph Slocum, one of the pioneer settlers of
Syracuse
Syracuse most commonly refers to:
* Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse
* Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area
Syracuse may also refer to:
Places
* Syracuse railway station (disambiguation)
Italy
* Provi ...
. His aunt,
Margaret Olivia Slocum, was the wife of
Russell Sage
Russell Risley Sage (August 4, 1816 – July 22, 1906) was an American financier, railroad executive and Whig Party (United States), Whig politician from New York (state), New York, who became one of the List of richest Americans in history, rich ...
(from whom she inherited his entire $70 million fortune following his 1906 death).
Career
Slocum was involved in the
Nez Perce War
The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict in 1877 in the Western United States that pitted several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the ''Palouse'' tribe led by Red Echo (''Hahtalekin'') and ...
in 1877, during which he was a volunteer with the
7th Cavalry. He became a second lieutenant in the
18th Infantry
The 18th Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Their origins trace back to 1795, when they were known as the Calcutta Native Militia. Over the years they were known by a number of different names, such as the Alipore Regim ...
in September 1979, and transferred to the
8th Cavalry in 1883, the year he graduated from infantry and cavalry school. He was promoted to first lieutenant in September 1889.
He was stationed in Montana, Texas, the Dakotas, Kansas and Missouri at different times between 1881 and 1905, and was an aide-de-camp on the staff of Brigadier General
David S. Stanley until 1886. He marched with the 8th Cavalry from Texas to Fort Meade, South Dakota, in 1888.
In 1896 he married Laura Garrison in Christ Church Cathedral, in
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
.
In 1899 he was assigned to be the U.S. representative to observe the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...
.
[ ] Between 1899 and 1912 he was at various times military attaché in Lisbon, London, St. Petersburg, Sweden, and Norway, as well as being on detached service in India in 1907. He also was on the General Staff at Manila in the Philippines from 1905 to 1907. He was stationed on
Governors Island
Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk ...
in New York before World War I. He was assigned to United States Embassy in London during World War I and was awarded the
Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country.
Examples include:
*Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...
by the U.S. and was made a
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion may refer to:
Relationships Currently
* Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance
* A domestic partner, akin to a spouse
* Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach
* Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...
by the U.K. government.
Personal life
Slocum was married to Luna Garrison (1864–1928),
a daughter of Daniel Garrison of the
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad o ...
.
He died in Washington at his home, 2201 R Street, and was buried at
Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...
there.
Footnotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slocum, Stephen LHommedieu
United States Army officers
Military personnel from Cincinnati
Honorary companions of the Order of the Bath