Albert Leopold Mills (May 7, 1854 – September 18, 1916) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

who was a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

for valor in action on July 1, 1898, near

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. An 1879 graduate of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, he served in the Army until his death in 1916. Following his service in

, he was appointed superintendent of West Point, jumping in rank from

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. His final posting was as the chief of the Division of Militia Affairs, a precursor to the National Guard Bureau.

Early life and Spanish–American War

Albert L. Mills was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He was appointed to West Point, graduating with the class of 1879. He joined the 1st United States Cavalry after graduation, serving on the American frontier, alternating between being a cavalry instructor and participating in the conflicts with the Plains Indians. In 1886, he was posted as an instructor at the

Citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. I ...

. Mills receive a promotion to

in 1889. After the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

began in 1898, he was promoted to a captain of volunteers, and served as assistant adjutant general of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. He received the

for his bravery at the

Battle of San Juan Hill The Battle of San Juan Hill, also known as the Battle for the San Juan Heights, was a major battle of the Spanish–American War fought between an American force under the command of William Rufus Shafter and Joseph Wheeler against a Spanish fo ...

near

Santiago, Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains ...

, on July 1, 1898. Though shot through the head, and temporarily blinded, he continued to command his men. He was absent from duty until August 1898 while recovering from the effects of his wounds.

Medal of Honor citation

"Distinguished gallantry in encouraging those near him by his bravery and coolness after being shot through the head and entirely without sight."

Postbellum

After recovering from his wounds and returning to duty,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

appointed him as the superintendent at West Point, a posting that advanced him from his Regular Army rank of first lieutenant to the rank of

. He served as superintendent until August 1906, receiving a promotion to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in January 1904. During his long term at West Point, he initiated numerous changes, including suppression of hazing, and the expansion of the size of the academy. After the academy, he served in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and as president of the Army War College at the

Washington Barracks Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Cha ...

. He later served as chief of the Division of Militia Affairs from 1912 to 1916, being promoted to

in July of the latter year. General Mills was struck ill and died suddenly while serving as chief of the Militia Bureau, on September 18, 1916. Mills is buried at the

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the eastern United States, on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and ear ...

at the United States Military Academy.

Personal life

Mills married Ms. Alada Thurston Paddock of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

on November 15, 1883.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Albert Leopold 1854 births 1916 deaths American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Military Academy alumni Burials at West Point Cemetery Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau Spanish–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor Superintendents of the United States Military Academy

Early life and Spanish–American War

Medal of Honor citation

Postbellum

Personal life

See also

References