Eli Lundy Huggins (August 1, 1842 – October 22, 1929) was an American Brigadier General and author who 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 his actions during the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States of America and Republic of Texas agains ...

. He was also the commander of the 8th Volunteer Infantry Regiment 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 ...

Family

Eli was born on August 1, 1842, at

Schuyler County, Illinois Schuyler County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 6,902. Its county seat is Rushville. History Schuyler County was formed in 1825 out of Pike and Fulton counties. It is named fo ...

as one of eight children of the Reverend Alexander and Lydia Huggins (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Pettijohn). His family became one of the first to settle at Nicolet County, Minnesota with his parents becoming missionaries at

Lac qui Parle Lac qui Parle is a lake located in western Minnesota, United States, which was widened by the damming of the Minnesota River. The dam was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. It was reconstructed in 1996. "Lac qui Parle" is a ...

and

Traverse des Sioux Traverse des Sioux is a historic site in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Once part of a pre-industrial trade route, it is preserved to commemorate that route, a busy river crossing on it, and a nineteenth-century settlement, trading post, and missi ...

. While stationed at Alaska, Huggins had formed a relationship with a woman from Alaska of possible Inuit or Russian descent with their only son, Zenoah Alexander Huggins.

Military career

After briefly attending

Hamline University Hamline University ( ) is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1854, Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota, the first coeducational university in the state, and is one of five Associated Colleges of th ...

, Huggins dropped out and enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the

2nd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry The 2nd Minnesota Infantry Regiment was a United States Volunteers, Minnesota USV infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment went on to campaign in the south and especially distinguish itself at the ...

in July 1861. He was promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

in 1862, and was captured at the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

, but released the following year. In March 1865, he was commissioned

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 se ...

in the

1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment The 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment was a Minnesota USV artillery regiment during the American Civil War. Service The 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment mustered in at St. Paul, and Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in O ...

, before mustering out the following September. Thanks to a recommendation by congressman

William Windom William Windom may refer to: * William Windom (politician) (1827–1891), U.S. representative from Minnesota * William Windom (actor) (1923–2012), his great-grandson, American actor See also * William Windham (disambiguation) {{hndis, Wi ...

, Huggins was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the 2nd Artillery Regiment in February 1866, and regained his wartime rank by the end of the year. While in the army, he attended Mankato Normal School now called

Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 145,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

from 1872 to 1875. He was then promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in April 1879. In October 1882 he was assigned as Assistant Inspector General in the Department of the Columbia. He was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in January 1897, and served as aide-de-camp to general

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was a United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War (1861–1865), the later American Indian Wars (1840–1890), and the Spanish–American War, (1898). From 1895 to 1903 ...

until Miles' appointment as Commanding General of the Army. At the outbreak of the

, Huggins was appointed

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

of the 8th US Volunteer Infantry in May 1898. After the war he reverted to his pre-war rank and served with the 6th US Cavalry in the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

. He was again promoted to colonel in November 1901 and received command of his old regiment, the 2nd Cavalry. During the Filipino–American War, Huggins served as the Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. He was finally promoted to brigadier general on February 22, 1903, and retired the next day.

Career as an author

Huggins also published several works and books throughout his life with his first work being an article titled ''Men and Things in Alaska'' that was published in the periodical, The Citizen Magazine. He has been credited with over 31 works of various genres in his name with his most famous one being titled ''Winona, A Dakota Legend and Other Poems'' in 1890.

Post-retirement

Following his retirement, Huggins became a real-estate investor in the

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

, living at Muskogee with his sister, Jane Sloan Huggins Holtsclaw. He could also speak various languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Sioux. By 1910, he lived at

Mission Valley, San Diego Mission Valley is a wide river valley trending east–west in San Diego, California, United States, through which the San Diego River flows to the Pacific Ocean. For planning purposes the City of San Diego divides it into two neighborhoods: Mi ...

but had moved to East San Diego, California, in 1920. He was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Captain, 2nd U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: Near O'Fallons, Mont., April 1, 1880. Entered service at:

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. Birth: Schuyler County, Ill. Date of issue: November 27, 1894.

Surprised the Indians in their strong position and fought them until dark with great boldness.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huggins, Eli Lundy 1842 births 1929 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Union army soldiers American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Hamline University School of Law alumni People from Schuyler County, Illinois United States Army generals Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California) Military personnel from Illinois People of Minnesota in the American Civil War People of Illinois in the American Civil War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion American military personnel of the Philippine–American War