Frederick Tracy Dent (December 17, 1820 – December 23, 1892) was an American general.
Early life
Dent was born on December 17, 1820, in
White Haven,
St. Louis County, Missouri. He was the son of Frederick Fayette Dent (1787–1873) and Ellen Bray (
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 ...
Wrenshall) Dent (1793–1857).
He graduated from
West Point in 1843. One of Dent's classmates was
Ulysses S. Grant, who married Dent's sister
Julia. The children of Ulysses and Julia Grant included Dent's namesake,
Frederick Dent Grant.
Career
Dent was assigned as brevet second lieutenant to the
6th US Infantry, served in the Southern campaign during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
, and was brevetted first lieutenant and captain for gallant and meritorious conduct at
Contreras,
Churubusco and at
Molino del Rey respectively.
He served for 16 years on frontier duty, taking part in the
Yakima War, and in March 1863 was promoted to major in the
4th US Infantry and was stationed in
New York to suppress anticipated
riots
A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
. In March 1864 he was promoted to
lieutenant colonel and became
aide-de-camp to General Grant.
On April 5, 1865,
President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
appointed Dent
brigadier general of volunteers to rank from April 5, 1865, but the President did not submit the nomination to the U.S. Senate before his death ten days later, so Dent's appointment was not immediately confirmed.
[Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 720] Eventually, President
Andrew Johnson submitted the nomination on January 13, 1866, and the U.S. Senate confirmed it on February 23, 1866.
Dent was mustered out of the
Union Army volunteer force on April 30, 1866.
On July 17, 1866, President
Andrew Johnson nominated Dent for appointment to the
brevet grade of brigadier general in the
Regular United States Army, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866. From 1869 to 1873 he served as a military secretary to President Grant. He commanded
Fort Trumbull, Conn., in 1875 and the post of St. Augustine in 1881.
He retired in 1883 and lived first in
Washington, D.C., and later in
Denver, Colorado
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, where one of his sons practiced law.
Personal life
Dent was married to Helen Louise Lynde (1836–1922). Together, they were the parents of:
* Margaret Lynde Dent (1854–1921), who married Lafayette E. Campbell (1845–1919).
* John Cromwell Dent (1857–1933)
* Sidney H. Dent (1861–1933)
He died in Denver on December 23, 1892, and was buried at
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.
...
.
[Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .][:]
See also
*
Bibliography of Ulysses S. Grant
References
External links
*
Frederick Tracy Dentat ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website
at
Aztec Club'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dent, Frederick Tracy
1820 births
1892 deaths
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
People from St. Louis County, Missouri
American people of the Indian Wars
United States Military Academy alumni
American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
Members of the Aztec Club of 1847
People of Missouri in the American Civil War
Ulysses S. Grant
United States Army generals