Edward John McClernand (December 29, 1848 – February 9, 1926) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

brigadier general who was a recipient of 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 valor in action near the

Bear Paw Mountains The Bears Paw Mountains (Bear Paw Mountains, Bear's Paw Mountains or Bearpaw Mountains) are an insular-montane island range in the Central Montana Alkalic Province in north-central Montana, United States, located approximately 10 miles south of ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

on September 30, 1877. An 1870 graduate of

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 ...

, his career spanned 42 years, as he served in the army until his retirement on December 29, 1912.

Early life and the western frontier

Edward John McClernand was born in

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city and the county seat of Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,616 at the 2020 census, down from 19,446 in 2010. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the Illinois Sc ...

, on December 29, 1848. He spent his early school years in Jacksonville and Springfield before graduating from

in 1870. His first assignment was to Ft. Ellis, Montana with the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in 1870, beginning nearly 30 years in various cavalry assignments primarily in the American West. His actions at Bear Paw Mountain,

on September 30, 1877, resulted in his being received the

on November 27, 1894. He returned to the east coast in 1879 as a Tactical Officer at West Point, returning to the frontier with assignments in Montana, California, and Washington starting in 1883.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Bear Paw Mountain, Mont., 30 September 1877. Entered service at: Springfield, Illinois. Birth: Jacksonville, Illinois. Date of issue: 27 November 1894. Citation: "Gallantly attacked a band of hostiles and conducted the combat with excellent skill and boldness."

Later career

McClernand fought in 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 ...

, serving in the

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

campaign. He later saw service in the

Philippine Insurrection The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, commanding the 1st Cavalry Regiment. He was promoted to brigadier general shortly before he retired from active service on December 29, 1912. He was recalled to active duty the next day, serving as president of the Cavalry Board until 1914. He lived in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

, where he wrote "With the Indians and the Buffalo in Montana", for the ''Cavalry Journal'' in 1925. He died on February 9, 1926, and was buried in Section 3, Lot 1931-SW of

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

.Arlington National Cemetery
/ref>

Personal life

Edward John McClernand's father was Major General

John Alexander McClernand John Alexander McClernand (May 30, 1812 – September 20, 1900) was an American lawyer, politician, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was a prominent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician in Illinois and ...

, commander of the XIII Army Corps in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. His mother was Mrs. Sarah Dunlap McClernand. He married Ms. Sarah Pomp (1857–1926), who is buried along with him at Arlington.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:McClernand, Edward John 1848 births 1936 deaths United States Army generals United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Military Academy alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor