Fred Winchester Sladen (November 24, 1867 – July 10, 1945) was career

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 ...

officer who rose to the rank of

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 ...

and became Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. He was a son of English-born

Joseph A. Sladen Joseph A. Sladen was an officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, he received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the 1864 Battle of Resaca. He continued to serve after the Civil War, and took part in severa ...

(1841-1911) and Martha F. Winchester. The elder Sladen met with

Cochise Cochise (; Apache: ''Shi-ka-She'' or ''A-da-tli-chi'', lit.: ''having the quality or strength of an oak''; later ''K'uu-ch'ish'' or ''Cheis'', lit. ''oak''; June 8, 1874) was leader of the Chihuicahui local group of the Chokonen and principa ...

in the company of General

Oliver Otis Howard Oliver Otis Howard (November 8, 1830 – October 26, 1909) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the Civil War. As a brigade commander in the Army of the Potomac, Howard lost his right arm while leading his men agains ...

, and was awarded 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 his service in the American Civil War.

Early life

Sladen was born on November 24, 1867 in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

, the son of Joseph Alton Sladen and Martha (Winchester) Sladen.

Education

Sladen received his appointment to the US Military Academy from the State of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, graduating 27th out of 54 in his class of 1890.

Military career

Sladen began his military career commissioned an officer in the

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

branch upon graduating from the US Military Academy. From 1911 to 1914 he was Commandant of Cadets. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Sladen served as commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade, part of the Third Infantry Division. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

and the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for his wartime service. On October 14, 1918, learning that his brigade's advance had stalled near Ferme de la Madeleine, France, Sladen proceeded three kilometers to the front lines under heavy enemy fire to investigate. Discovering that the battalion commander had been killed, he took direct command himself and was able to resume the attack. 111-SC-23759 - NARA - 55207128 (cropped) (cropped)

111-SC-23759 - NARA - 55207128 (cropped) (cropped)

He served in the Army until his retirement on November 30, 1931. He achieved the rank of Major General and was the 32nd Superintendent of US Military Academy from 1922 to 1926. He later served as Superintendent of

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack ...

from 1931 to 1932.

Personal life

Sladen married Ms. Elizabeth Lefferts of

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 ...

on October 8, 1903 at the Church of the Holy Incarnation on Madison Avenue. One of Sladen's groomsmen was another future West Point Superintendent,

William D. Connor William Duncan Connor (March 24, 1864 – November 20, 1944) was a Canadian-born American politician and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1907–1909. Early life Born near Stratford, Canada West, Connor moved with his pa ...

. Their son Fred Winchester Sladen Jr. was a West Point graduate and decorated battalion commander during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

who retired as a

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 ...

Death

Sladen died in

New London, New Hampshire New London is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College. The town center, where 1,266 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as th ...

on July 10, 1945.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sladen, Fred Winchester 1867 births 1945 deaths United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Massachusetts United States Army Infantry Branch personnel American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Commandants of the Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy United States Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army generals Superintendents of the United States Military Academy Burials at West Point Cemetery