Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1836December 3, 1910)
was an American
major general who served in 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 ...
of 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 ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
,
American Indian Wars, and
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 ...
. Following the latter war, he became the first American
Military Governor of the Philippines.
Early life
Merritt was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He graduated from the
United States Military Academy in 1860 and was commissioned a
second lieutenant in the
2nd Dragoons, serving initially in
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
under
John Buford
John Buford Jr. (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was a United States Army cavalry officer. He fought for the Union Army, Union during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of brigadier general. Buford is best known for his actions in th ...
. He became the
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...
for the unit when it was renamed the
2nd Cavalry Regiment.
American Civil War

In 1862, Merritt was appointed
captain in the 2nd Cavalry and served as an
aide-de-camp to
Brig. Gen. Philip St. George Cooke, who commanded the Cavalry Department of the
Army of the Potomac. He served in the defenses of
Washington, D.C., for the rest of 1862.
In 1863, he was appointed adjutant for
Maj. Gen. George Stoneman and participated in Stoneman's Raid in the
Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
He was slightly wounded in the
Battle of Brandy Station; on June 29, 1863, he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers for his "gallant and meritorious service" at Brandy Station and
Upperville. Being promoted directly from captain to brigadier general was an unusual step, even for the Civil War, but Merritt shared this honor on that date with Captain
Elon J. Farnsworth and Captain
George Armstrong Custer.
In the
Gettysburg Campaign, Merritt commanded the Reserve Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps of the
Army of the Potomac. In the initial cavalry actions of the
Battle of Gettysburg, Merritt saw no action; his reserve brigade guarded the lines of communications of the Army of the Potomac. On July 3, 1863, however, he participated in the assault ordered by division commander Brig. Gen.
Judson Kilpatrick on the
Confederate right flank, following
Pickett's Charge. His fellow general, Elon J. Farnsworth, was killed during this futile assault against infantry troops. Merritt took over command of the 1st Division of the Cavalry Corps following the death by typhoid fever of its commander,
John Buford
John Buford Jr. (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was a United States Army cavalry officer. He fought for the Union Army, Union during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of brigadier general. Buford is best known for his actions in th ...
, in December 1863. Brig. Gen.
Alfred Torbert was the initial commander of the 1st Division but was absent ill for most of
Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's
Overland Campaign in 1864, so Merritt acted as commander in his place. He received a
brevet promotion to
lieutenant colonel in the
regular army
A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following:
* a ...
for his actions at the
Battle of Yellow Tavern, the engagement in which Confederate cavalry commander Maj. Gen.
J.E.B. Stuart was killed.
During Maj. Gen.
Philip Sheridan's
Valley Campaigns of 1864, Merritt commanded the 1st Division, Cavalry Corps of the
Army of the Shenandoah. Arriving at the opportune moment, his division routed the Confederate forces at the
Third Battle of Winchester, a deed for which he received a brevet promotion to major general of the volunteers.
Upon his return his Cavalry was deployed across the valley, burning, destroying or taking away everything of value or likely to become of value to the enemy. October 5 his division alone destroyed from Port Republic to Toms Brook 630 barns, 47 mills, 410,742 bushels of wheat, 515 acres of corn not counting private homes. He was second-in-command to Sheridan during the
Appomattox Campaign and was one of several commissioners for the surrender at
Appomattox Court House. He was brevetted major general in the regular army, in April 1865, for bravery at the
Battle of Five Forks and the
Appomattox Campaign.
In June 1865, Merritt was appointed command of Cavalry Forces of the Military Division of the Southwest, commanded by Sheridan. He led the 1st Division of Cavalry to march from
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...
, to
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
, as part of the Union occupation forces on an arduous 33-day 600-mile march between July 9 and August 11, 1865. On January 28, 1866, Merritt was one of a number of brevetted generals mustered out of volunteer service and returned to their pre-war ranks in the regular army.
Frontier duty and West Point
After the war's end, Merritt continued to serve in the cavalry along the frontier. He was appointed
lieutenant colonel of the newly raised
U.S. 9th Cavalry on July 28, 1866, and in July 1867 was sent to command
Fort Davis, Texas, garrisoned by six of the regiment's companies. He was made colonel of the
5th Cavalry on July 1, 1876, which he commanded in the
Battle of Slim Buttes during the
American Indian Wars.
As colonel of the 5th Cavalry, Merritt was a member of the court of inquiry which first sat on January 13, 1879, presided over by Colonel
John H. King of the 9th Infantry, which was convened to consider the behavior of Major
Marcus A. Reno of the
7th Cavalry at the
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota people, Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Si ...
(June 25 to 26, 1876); which resulted in the death of General George Armstrong Custer and over 200 men of the 7th Cavalry.
He served on the frontier until being appointed
superintendent 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 ...
, a post he filled from 1882 to 1887. In 1887, he was appointed brigadier general in the Regular Army. He was promoted to major general in the U.S. Army in 1895.
Merritt was a companion of the Illinois Commandery of the
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
Spanish–American War
After
Commodore Dewey's Asiatic Squadron destroyed Rear Admiral
Patricio Montojo's Spanish Pacific Squadron at the
Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, the United States began to organize ground forces to attack and capture the city of
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. Merritt was placed in command of the newly created
Eighth Army Corps. In June 1898, Merritt and the available troops of the corps departed from
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
for 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 ...
.
When Merritt arrived in Manila, he and Dewey made preparations for the attack on the city. The two intentionally kept
Emilio Aguinaldo in the dark about the plans for the attack because the Americans did not want Aguinaldo's forces to end up in control of the city. Merritt and Dewey made arrangements with
Governor General Fermín Jáudenes, commander of the Spanish garrison, to surrender the city to the American forces after the latter put up a
token resistance. The city fell to the Americans on August 13, 1898, and Merritt became the first American military governor of the Philippines. Merritt was relieved by Major General
Elwell Stephen Otis on August 30 to advise the United States delegation in the peace negotiations leading to the
Treaty of Paris.
Based on his Spanish–American War service, Merritt became a member of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the
Military Order of Foreign Wars.
Family and death
Merritt was married twice. His first wife was Caroline Warren Merritt, who died on June 12, 1893, at the age of 44. She is buried at
West Point Cemetery. Merritt's second wife was Laura Williams Caton, daughter of
John D. Caton,
[ whom he met in the late 1890s, when she was in her mid-twenties. General Merritt and Laura Williams were married in London on October 24, 1898.
General Merritt retired from the Army in 1900 and died from complications of arteriosclerosis in Natural Bridge, Virginia, at the age of 74, on December 3, 1910. He is buried at West Point Cemetery.
]
Portrayal in the media
* Portrayed by Greg Dorris in the Filipino film, '' Heneral Luna'' (2015).
See also
* List of American Civil War generals (Union)
Notes
References
* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
*
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Merritt, Wesley
1836 births
1910 deaths
United States Military Academy alumni
Military personnel from New York City
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
Union army generals
People of the Great Sioux War of 1876
Superintendents of the United States Military Academy
United States Army generals
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
United States military governors
Military governors of the Philippine Islands
19th-century American politicians
Burials at West Point Cemetery