Abraham Kerns Arnold (March 24, 1837 – November 23, 1901) was a

U.S. Cavalry The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguou ...

officer during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and, while a captain in the 5th U.S. Cavalry, received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for leading ''"a gallant charge against a superior force of the enemy, extricated his command from a perilous position in which it had been ordered"'' against Confederate forces at Davenport Bridge, Virginia, on May 10, 1864.

Early life and education

Born in

Bedford, Pennsylvania Bedford is a borough, spa town, and the county seat of Bedford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Harrisburg, the state capital, and east of Pittsburgh. Bedford's population was 2,865 at the 2020 census. History ...

, Arnold entered

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

and graduated with the class of 1859 as a brevet Second Lieutenant in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 15

Career

Participating in campaigns against the

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

while stationed in

Fort Inge Fort Inge was a frontier fort in Uvalde County, Texas, United States. History Established as Camp Leona on March 13, 1849, Fort Inge was garrisoned intermittently until March 19, 1869. The fort served as a base for United States Army troops ass ...

, Arnold held a distinguished service record during the

. Promoted to first lieutenant in April 1861, he served as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the

5th Cavalry Regiment The 5th Cavalry Regiment ("Black Knights") is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service on March 3, 1855, as the Second Cavalry Regiment. On August 3, 1861, it was redesignated as the 5th Cavalry Regiment following an ...

. He was cited ''"for gallant and meritorious services"'' at Gaines' Mill and Todds Tavern, brevetted to captain and major after both engagements respectively. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Davenport Bridge leading his regiment in a cavalry charge against superior Confederate forces to rescue men under his command and preventing their capture. In June 1869, he was promoted to full major of the

6th U.S. Cavalry The 6th Cavalry ("Fighting Sixth'") is a regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviation ...

. By early 1879, he was directing operations against the

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

s in southeastern Arizona, accompanying an expedition into

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

later that year in pursuit of renegade Apaches to Lake Guzman. As acting assistant adjutant general to General Orlando B. Willcox, Arnold would also take part in the

Battle of Cibecue Creek The Battle of Cibecue Creek was an engagement of the Apache Wars, fought in August 1881 between the United States and White Mountain Apaches in Arizona, at Cibecue Creek on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. After an army expedition of scouts ...

on August 30, 1881. As a lieutenant colonel in 1886, he would also fight in the expedition against the

Crows The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) is a series of remote weapon stations used by the US military on its armored vehicles and ships. It allows weapon operators to engage targets without leaving the protection of their vehicle. ...

of the North Plains the following year. He would hold a number of command posts during the next twelve years, including a term as commander of the Cavalry and Light Artillery School (1895-1898), and was promoted to colonel in 1891. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, Arnold accepted a field commission as brigadier general of volunteers and led 2nd U.S. Division of the 7th Army Corps in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

from January 16, 1898, until April 1, 1899. After the war, he reverted to his permanent rank of colonel in command of the

1st U.S. Cavalry The 1st Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army regiment that has its antecedents in the early 19th century in the formation of the United States Regiment of Dragoons. To this day, the unit's special designation is "First Regiment of Dragoons ...

in May 1899. General Arnold was a Companion of the California Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

Death and legacy

He retired on March 25, 1901, and died several months later in

Cold Spring-On-Hudson, New York Cold Spring is a village in the town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census. It borders the smaller village of Nelsonville and the hamlets of Garrison and North Highlands. The cen ...

, on November 23, 1901. His grave can be found in the Cemetery of Saint Philip's Church

Garrison, New York Garrison is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet in Putnam County, New York, Putnam County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown, New York, Philipstown, on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the U ...

. Arnold Hall at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

, Kansas, where he served as commandant of the Cavalry and Artillery School and the Army post, was named in his honor.

Bibliography

* ''Notes on Horses for Cavalry Service'' (1869) * ''A System of Exercises and Gymnastics for Use in School of Soldier Mounted'' (1887) * ''The Cavalry at Gaines' Mill'' (1889) * ''Special Report on Combined Manoeuvers at the Cavalry and Light Artillery'' (1896)

References

* ''Appletons' Annual Cyclopædia and Register of Important Events of the Year, 1902''. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1902. * ''The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge''. Albany: J.B. Lyon Company, 1918. * Gilman, Daniel Coit; Harry Thurston Peck and Frank Moore Colby, ed. ''The New International Encyclopædia, Vol. II''. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1902. * Thomas, Joseph. ''Universal Pronouncing Dictionary of Biography and Mythology, Vol. I – AA to HER''. Philadelphia: J.P. Lippencott Company, 1908. * Thrapp, Dan L. ''Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography: In Three Volumes, Volume I (A–F)''. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1988. *

Early life and education

Career

Death and legacy

Bibliography

See also

References

Further reading