Luther Rector Hare (August 24, 1851 – December 22, 1929) was an officer in the 7th U.S. Cavalry, best known for participating in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Hare was born in

Greencastle, Indiana Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It is located near Interstate 70 approximately halfway between Terre Haute and Indianapolis in the west-central portion ...

to Silas Hare and his wife Octavia Elizabeth Rector. His family moved to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in 1853. He 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 ...

in 1870 and graduated 17 June 1874, joining the 7th Cavalry later that year. By the time of the

Great Sioux War The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred in 1876 and 1877 in an alliance of Lakota people, Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. The cause of t ...

, he was a second lieutenant in Company K (Lt Godfrey Commanding), serving in the battalion commanded by Capt.

Frederick Benteen Frederick William Benteen (August 24, 1834 – June 22, 1898) was a military officer who first fought during the American Civil War. He was appointed to commanding ranks during the Indian Campaigns and Great Sioux War against the Lakota peopl ...

. During the June 1876 expedition to the Little Bighorn River, Lieutenant Hare was on detached service assisting Lt. Charles Varnum with the Indian scouts, being appointed assistant on the evening of the 24th of June. During the siege on Reno's Hill, he served as Maj.

Marcus Reno Marcus Albert Reno (November 15, 1834 – March 30, 1889) was a United States career military officer. He served in the American Civil War where he was a combatant in major battles, and later under George Armstrong Custer in the Great Sioux War a ...

's adjutant, since Lt. Benjamin Hodgson had been killed during the retreat from the woods. Hare later gave testimony at the subsequent Reno Court of Inquiry in 1879. Hare participated in the

Nez Perce War The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict in 1877 in the Western United States that pitted several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the ''Palouse'' tribe led by Red Echo (''Hahtalekin'') and ...

(1877),

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 ...

, and Philippine American War, notably in the recovery of captured US forces following the Battle of Pulang Lupa.Hare was awarded two Silver Star (medal)s and cited "for gallantry in action against insurgent forces at San Jacinto, Luzon, P. I., Nov. 11, 1899," and again "for gallantry in action in the pursuit of superior forces of the enemy under the insurgent General Tinio in Northern Luzon, P. I., Dec. 4‑18, 1899, through a most dangerous and difficult country, through hardships and exposure, thereby forcing the enemy to liberate 22 American prisoners held by him, Dec. 18, 1899." He also commanded U.S. forces on the island of

Marinduque Marinduque (; ), officially the Province of Marinduque, is an island province in the Philippines located in Southwestern Tagalog Region or Mimaropa, formerly designated as Region IV-B. Its capital is the municipality of Boac, the most popul ...

, where he instated a policy of civilian internment. Hare retired on medical disability in July 1903, but served several stints on active duty after that, retiring for the final time in February 1919. Hare died at Walter Reed Hospital in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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. ...

, in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hare, Luther 1851 births 1929 deaths People from Greencastle, Indiana People of the Great Sioux War of 1876 United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni American people of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Battle of the Little Bighorn