Walter S. Grant (January 24, 1878 – March 3, 1956) was a career officer in the

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 ...

. He served from 1900 to 1946 and attained the rank of major general. Grant was a veteran of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and his awards included the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...

and

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

. A native of

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

, Grant graduated from the

United States Military Academy 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 ...

at West Point in 1900 and began a long career with the

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

branch. He served in 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 ...

and

China Relief Expedition The China Relief Expedition was an expedition in China undertaken by the United States Armed Forces to rescue United States citizens, European nationals, and other foreign nationals during the latter years of the Boxer Rebellion, which lasted ...

in the early 1900s, and was a longtime aide-de-camp for several department commanders. A 1915 graduate of the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

, Grant performed duty on the Texas-Mexico border during the 1916

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

. During

, he served on the operations staffs of the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

headquarters in France, as well as several divisions and corps. During the

Occupation of the Rhineland The Occupation of the Rhineland placed the region of Germany west of the Rhine river and four bridgeheads to its east under the control of the victorious Allies of World War I from 1December 1918 until 30June 1930. The occupation was imposed a ...

, he was chief of staff for I Corps. After the First World War, Grant's assignments included command of

Fort Adams Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island, Newport, Rhode Island, that was established on July 4, 1799, as a Seacoast defense in the United States#First System, First System Coastal defence and fortification, coas ...

, Rhode Island and the

13th Cavalry Regiment The 13th Cavalry Regiment ("13th Horse") is a unit of the United States Army. The 2nd Squadron is currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, as part of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. History The 13th Cavalry Regimen ...

. During the 1930s and early 1940s, he was commandant of the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

, and commander of the Philippine Division,

Philippine Department The Philippine Department (Filipino: ''Kagawaran ng Pilipinas/Hukbong Kagawaran ng Pilipinas'') was a regular United States Army organization whose mission was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. On 9 April 1942, duri ...

and

Third Corps Area Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

, and received promotion to major general. He reached the mandatory retirement age of 64 in early 1942, but remained on active duty for

and served a member of the War Department Personnel Board. In retirement, Grant resided in Washington, D.C. He died at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the United States Army, U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in Washington, D.C., it served more ...

on March 3, 1956, following an extended illness. Grant was buried at

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, West Point, New York (state), New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Continental Army s ...

Early life

Walter Schuyler Grant was born in

on January 24, 1878, the son of Chauncey Lewis Grant Jr. and Martha (Schuyler) Grant. Grant was a member of New York's prominent Schuyler and Scribner families; he was a descendant of

Philip Pieterse Schuyler Colonel Philip Pieterse Schuyler or Philip Pieterse (1628 – 9 May 1683) was a Dutch-born landowner in New Netherlands and progenitor of the senior line of the American Schuyler family. Early life Philip Pieterse Schuyler was born in Amsterda ...

and his grandmother was the sister of Charles Scribner. Grant's grandfather, George W. Schuyler, served as

New York State Treasurer The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York (state), New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities ...

, and his uncles included army officer Walter S. Schuyler and diplomat

Eugene Schuyler Eugene Schuyler (February 26, 1840 – July 16, 1890) was a nineteenth-century United States, American scholar, writer, explorer and diplomat. Schuyler was one of the first three Americans to earn a Ph.D. from an American university; and the firs ...

. Grant attended Ithaca Graded School, and was an 1894 graduate of Ithaca High School where he was both class president and commencement speaker. In 1895, he obtained an appointment to the

at West Point. He attended Charles Braden's

Highland Falls Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,684 at the 2020 census. The village was founded in 1906. It is part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie– Newbur ...

preparatory school for prospective cadets, then began attendance at the academy in 1896. Grant served in leadership roles as cadet corporal, first sergeant and captain until 1900, when he was returned to the ranks after taking part in protests against the academy's attempt to change the treatment of lower classmen by those in the upper classes. Grant graduated in 1900 ranked 18th of 54 and received his commission as a second lieutenant of

. Among his classmates who also attained general officer rank were Upton Birnie Jr.,

Archibald H. Sunderland Archibald Henry Sunderland (December 2, 1876 – October 31, 1963) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Philippine–American War and World War I, he attained the rank of Major general (United States), major general an ...

and

Augustine McIntyre Jr. Augustine McIntyre Jr. (July 19, 1876 – September 6, 1954) was a career officer in the United States Army. A member of the Field Artillery branch, he was a veteran of the Philippine–American War, World War I, and World War II. He attained th ...

Start of career

Grant was assigned to the

6th Cavalry Regiment The 6th Cavalry ("Fighting Sixth'") is a regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviation ...

, and was immediately posted to the

Philippines 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 ...

to take part in the

and the

, which was the U.S. response to 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 ...

. In the Philippines, he was credited with the August 1901 capture of Martin Cabrera, a leader of the anti-U.S. insurgency. Grant was promoted to

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 February 1901. After returning to the United States, Grant was assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, and served as aide-de-camp to Brigadier Generals William August Kobbé and Camillo C. C. Carr, successive commanders of the

Department of Dakota A subdivision of the Division of the Missouri, the Department of Dakota was established by the United States Army on August 11, 1866, to encompass all military activities and forts within Minnesota, Dakota Territory and Montana Territory. The Dep ...

. In 1905, he was posted to the Philippines with the 3rd Cavalry, and he was assigned as aide-de-camp to Major General Charles L. Hodges, who successively commanded the Department of the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...

in the Philippines, and the Department of Dakota and

Department of the Lakes The Department of the Lakes was a military department of the United States Army that existed from 1866 to 1873 and again from 1898 to 1913. It was subordinate to the Military Division of the Atlantic and comprised posts in the Midwestern United Sta ...

in the United States. He was 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 ...

in March 1911. After his promotion, he performed duty with the 3rd Cavalry on the Texas-Mexico border. In 1914, Grant completed the Army School of the Line as an honor graduate. He next served with the

9th Cavalry Regiment The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was part of what was known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The regiment saw combat d ...

Camp Harry J. Jones Camp Harry J. Jones was an encampment of the United States Army. Located near Douglas, Arizona, it was active during the Pancho Villa Expedition and World War I. History The United States Army established a camp near Douglas, Arizona in 1910, o ...

, Arizona, then the 3rd Cavalry at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a United States Army, U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam", it is named for the first president o ...

, Texas. In 1915, he graduated from the

, after which he was detailed to the

Signal Corps A signal corps is a military branch, responsible for military communications (''signals''). Many countries maintain a signal corps, which is typically subordinate to a country's army. Military communication usually consists of radio, telephone, ...

. As commander a company in the 1st Telegraph Battalion, then commander of the battalion, he performed Texas-Mexico border duty during the

. From February to June 1917, he was assistant Signal officer on the staff of the

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. ...

Continued career

With the army expanding for

, Grant served on the operations staff at the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

. On August 5, he was promoted to temporary

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 ...

, and lieutenant colonel, after which he was assigned to the operations section (G-3) on the staff of the

in France. During his service on the AEF staff, Grant took part in the

Battle of Cantigny The Battle of Cantigny, fought May 28, 1918, was the first major American battle and offensive of World War I. The U.S. 1st Division, the most experienced of the five American divisions then in France and in reserve for the French Army near th ...

. As a member of the 2nd Division staff, he participated in the Battle of Château-Thierry. While on the 42nd Division staff, Grant was a participant in the Champagne–Marne campaign. As a member of the First Army staff, he was a participant in the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12 to 15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States again ...

. While a member of the I Corps staff, Grant took part in the Meuse–Argonne offensive. He was promoted to temporary Colonel (United States), colonel in August 1918, and at the end of the war he was serving as First Army's deputy chief of staff. After the war, Grant served as I Corps chief of staff during the U.S.

. Grant received the

for his wartime service. The citation read: After returning to the United States in early 1919, Grant was assigned to the War Department staff. In March 1920 he was reduced to his permanent rank of major. In July 1920, he was promoted to permanent lieutenant colonel. In 1921, he was posted to the Command and General Staff College, where he served as an instructor, chief of the faculty's command section, and assistant director of the school. In 1923, he began attendance at the

, after which he remained at the school as an instructor, then was assigned as director of the school's command section. From July 1926 to June 1927, Grant was director of the War Plans Division on the army staff. He was then assigned as executive officer of the 3rd Cavalry at Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont. When the Great Vermont Flood of 1927 took place in early November, Grant helped coordinate federal participation in relief efforts, for which he was commended by the commander of the First Corps Area. In 1928, he was assigned to command the regiment's 1st Squadron. In January 1929, he was promoted to permanent colonel and assigned to command

, Rhode Island; during the summer of 1929, he commanded the Citizens' Military Training Camp that was held at Fort Adams. In September 1929, he was assigned to command the

at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Later career

In July 1931, Grant was assigned as chief of staff for the First Corps Area in Boston. From January 1934 to March 1935 he commanded the

at Fort Oglethorpe (Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia), Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. In April 1935, he was assigned as assistant commandant of the Army War College. In March 1936, Malin Craig was assigned as Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and Grant was promoted to Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general and named to succeed Craig as commandant. From July 1937 to March 1938, he commanded the New York Port of Embarkation. He then returned to the Philippines, where he was assigned to command the post at Fort Stotsenburg. In October 1938, Grant was promoted to major general. From October 1938 to July 1939 he commanded the Philippine Division, and from July 1939 to June 1940 he was commander of the

. After returning to the United States, he was assigned to command the

, where he served from June 1940 until January 1942, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 64. As the army expanded following U.S. entry into

, Grant was recalled to active duty the day after his official retirement, and he served as a member of the War Department Personnel Board until May 1946, when he retired for the second time. Grant received the

to recognize his wartime service. Grave of Walter Schuyler Grant

Grant's additional awards included the Philippine Campaign Medal, China Campaign Medal, Mexican Border Service Medal, World War I Victory Medal (United States), World War I Victory Medal with four World War I Victory Medal (United States)#Army Battle Clasps, battle clasps, Army of Occupation of Germany Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. His foreign awards for the First World War included the French Legion of Honour, Legion of Honor (Officer) and Belgian Order of Leopold II (Officer).

Retirement and family

In retirement, Grant was a resident of Washington, D.C. He died at

on March 3, 1956. Grant was buried at

. In 1910, Grant married Marjorie Commiskey of Brooklyn. They were the parents of four children. Sons Walter and Philip both attained the rank of colonel in the army. Son Francis was an operations executive with United States Lines. Daughter Marjorie was the wife of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Hugh M. Exton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schuyler, Walter Scribner 1878 births 1956 deaths American people of Dutch descent Schuyler family Military personnel from Ithaca, New York Military personnel from Washington, D.C. United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College faculty United States Army War College faculty United States Army generals American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Officers of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Order of Leopold II Burials at West Point Cemetery 19th-century United States Army personnel