Alfred Collins Markley (1843–1926) was an American brigadier general who served in 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 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 ...

. He was known for commanding the

24th Infantry Regiment The 24th Infantry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army, active from 1869 until 1951, and since 1995. Before its original dissolution in 1951, it was primarily made up of African American soldiers. History The 24th Infantry Regiment (on ...

during 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 Span ...

and the

Siege of Santiago The siege of Santiago, also known as the siege of Santiago de Cuba, was the last major operation of the Spanish–American War on the island of Captaincy General of Cuba, Cuba. Santiago campaign The primary objective of the American Fifth Ar ...

American Civil War

Markley was born on April 18, 1843, at

Doylestown, Pennsylvania Doylestown is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough population was 8,300. Doylestown is located northwest of Trent ...

as the son of John Sorver Markley and Eliza Collins. His family then moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and Markley spent a majority of his childhood there, attending private and public schools within the city. Markley enlisted in the Union Army on 1861 and was initially assigned to the

25th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 25th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a Three Months' Service infantry regiment which served with the Union Army during the American Civil War. Composed of Pennsylvania First Defenders, the first five companies of men who responded to ...

before being made a corporal of the 52nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment from July 9, 1862, until September 1, 1863. He was then made a sergeant of Company K of the 197th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment from July 11 to September 5, 1864. Markley was then promoted to second lieutenant of the

127th United States Colored Infantry Regiment The 127th United States Colored Infantry was an American infantry regiment which fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War. Staffed by African American enlisted men who were placed under the command of white officers, the regiment ...

on September 9, 1864. Around this time, Markley served at the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

and the Appomattox campaign. After being promoted to first lieutenant on March 5, 1865, he was honorably mustered out on October 20, 1865. Before that however, due to the ongoing

Second French intervention in Mexico The second French intervention in Mexico (), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was a military invasion of the Republic of Mexico by the French Empire of Napoleon III, purportedly to force the collection of Mexican de ...

, Markley accompanied General

Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with General-i ...

's "Army of Observation" on the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

from May to October 1865.

Indian Wars

Markley re-enlisted for service in the Regular Army on June 25, 1866, as a second lieutenant within the 41st Infantry Regiment. He was made an Adjutant from Christmas 1866 until June 14, 1867. He was promoted to first lieutenant on March 31, 1868, and also married Rebecca Conrad Morgan of Willow Grove on April 23, 1868. He was then transferred to the

on November 11, 1869, and was an active participant at the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

from 1867 to 1880. He was promoted to captain on March 20, 1879, and to major of the 11th Infantry Regiment by April 26, 1895. From October to November 1881, he was given command of Fort Reno.

Spanish–American War

On August 6, 1898, Markley was placed back in the 24th Infantry Regiment during the

. During the

, he was given command of the 24th Infantry Regiment after Lieutenant Colonel Emerson H. Liscum was wounded during the battle. He would serve a more major role at the

as he continued to command the 24th Infantry Regiment as well as assisting with medical duties as he would work at the yellow fever camp at Siboney, treating those with the illness and burying the dead.

Later service and years

After the war, he would serve at Fort D. A. Russell and at the Vancouver Barracks and was promoted to lieutenant colonel of

23rd Infantry Regiment The 23rd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. A unit with the same name was formed on 26 June 1812 and saw action in 14 battles during the War of 1812. In 1815 it was consolidated with the 6th, 16th, 22nd, and ...

on August 7, 1900. After the beginning of the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, Markley would be stationed at the

Caraballo Mountains The Caraballo Mountains is a mountain range in the central part of Luzon island in the Philippines, situated between the Cordillera Central, Luzon, Cordillera Central and Sierra Madre (Philippines), Sierra Madre mountain ranges. The mountains s ...

and assist with supply of American forces and was promoted to colonel on October 5, 1901 but returned to the American mainland in July 1902. He was initially stationed at Fort McDowell but went back to

the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...

on October 5, 1905, and was promoted to brigadier general on March 2, 1907, but he retired by his own request on June 9. It was recorded that Markley was living at

Radnor, Pennsylvania Radnor is a community which straddles Montgomery and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located approximately 13 miles west of Philadelphia, in the Main Line suburbs. The community was named after Radnor, in Wales. Radnor i ...

. He died on August 25, 1926, at

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend (Illinois), Riv ...

Awards

Indian Campaign Medal The Indian Campaign Medal is a decoration established by War Department General Orders 12, 1907.

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 and 1913. Although a single service medal, the Philippin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Markley, Alfred Collins 1843 births 1926 deaths People from Doylestown, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania United States Army generals Union army officers People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War