Winfield Scott Edgerly (May 29, 1846 – September 10, 1927) was an officer in the United States Army in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Born in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
in 1846, he attended 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 ...
, graduating in 1870. He served on the frontier through 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 ...
, including the
Battle of the Little Big Horn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the 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 Sioux, Northern C ...
and the
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, involved nearly three hundred Lakota people killed by soldiers of the United States Army. More than 250 people of the Lakota were killed and 51 wounded (4 men and 47 women a ...
; in 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 ...
; in the
Philippine Insurrection
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 ...
; and (briefly) in
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 ...
. He served in several command positions. He was an observer of the Kaiser Maneuvers in Germany in 1907. He was retired as a brigadier general for disability in 1909, was recalled briefly in 1917 and died in 1927. Edgerly is 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.
...
.
Early life and education
Edgerly was born on May 29, 1846, in
Farmington, New Hampshire
Farmington is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,722 at the 2020 census. Farmington is home to Blue Job State Forest, the Tebbetts Hill Reservation, and Baxter Lake.
The town center, where 3,824 peop ...
.
He was the son of Josiah Bartlett and Cordelia (Waldron) Edgerly and great-grandson of Colonel Thomas Tash of the New Hampshire Revolutionary militia.
He was educated in public schools in Farmington, at Effingham Institute, and at
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...
.
On July 1, 1866, he began his studies at the United States Military Academy at
West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...
.
He graduated on June 15, 1870; his rank in his class is 50 of 58 and his
Cullum number is 2361.
Career
Second lieutenant
Edgerly was commissioned as a
second lieutenant in the
7th Cavalry Regiment
The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Irish air " Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated in some of the largest ba ...
on June 15, 1870.
He was assigned on the
frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary.
Australia
The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...
; posts included
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
,
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
;
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...
, Kansas;
Fort Snelling
Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint An ...
,
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 ...
;
Fort Totten,
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...
; and
Fort Abraham Lincoln
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is a North Dakota state park located south of Mandan, North Dakota, United States. The park is home to the replica Mandan On-A-Slant Indian Village and reconstructed military buildings including the Custer House. ...
, Dakota Territory.
He was assigned to several cities in the
American South
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...
, including
Mount Vernon, Kentucky
Mount Vernon is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the seat of Rockcastle County, Kentucky, Rockcastle County in southeastern Kentucky. The intersection of U.S. Route 25 in Kentucky, U.S. Routes 25 and U.S. Route 150 (Kentucky), ...
;
Meridian
Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to
Science
* Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon
* ...
,
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
;
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
,
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
;
Opelika
Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Opelika is ...
,
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
; and
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Mem ...
, Tennessee.
He was assigned to escort the
Northern Boundary Survey on two occasions.
He married Grace Cory Blume on October 27, 1875.
Sioux Expedition

From May to September 1876, the 7th Cavalry, including Edgerly, participated in the
Sioux Expedition. Edgerly was promoted to first lieutenant in the 7th Cavalry effective June 25, 1876. The regiment was engaged in 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 ...
on June 26–27, 1876.
Edgerly was the second in command of Company D, serving under
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 ...
Thomas Weir
Major Thomas Weir (1599 – 1670) was a Scottish soldier and presumed occultist, executed for Zoophilia, bestiality, incest and adultery.
Weir was a Covenanter who professed a particularly strict form of Presbyterianism. His spoken prayers ...
; Company D was assigned to Captain
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 ...
's Battalion.
Prior to the battle,
Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.
Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...
was discussing upcoming events with his junior officers; Edgerly expressed enthusiasm about the possibility of success; Custer replied that success depended on the "young officers."
Edgerly later expressed a concern that he would not arrive at the front before the fighting had ended.
At about 12:15 p.m. on June 25, Benteen's battalion separated as ordered from the remainder of the regiment and proceeded at an angle of approximately 45 degrees from the regiment's route of march; Benteen's mission was to intercept any
Sans Arc
The Sans Arc or Itázipčho are one of the seven subdivision of the Lakota people. They primarily live in the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
Name
''Itázipčho'' is also written ''Itazipcola'' or ''Hazipco'' and is a Lakota ...
warriors who attempted to escape from their village.
The battalion passed through hilly terrain, and Benteen deployed scouts to look for native warriors.
Sometime after 4:00 p.m., Benteen and his battalion encountered Major
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 ...
and his battalion on a bluff now known as Reno Hill. Reno assumed command of the entire force and established a defensive position; at this time neither Reno nor Benteen was aware of Custer's status or location.
A short time later, Weir realized that a large cloud of dust represented Custer's battle and asked Edgerly if he thought Company D should proceed toward Custer; Edgerly responded that it should.
Reno ordered Weir to remain; Weir and Company D did make a short reconnaissance along a ridge to a promontory later called Weir Peak.
As the company was falling back to the enclave, the company farrier was shot out of his saddle; Edgerly refused to rescue him but promised to return later; he never did.
The troopers in the defensive enclave took fire from Native American warriors until late in the evening.
With little sleep, the battalion had fought three separate engagements in six hours.
That night, Edgerly managed to get some sleep, which surprised Reno.
On June 26, Benteen's battalion continued to defend against attacks and parties of volunteers went down to the river for water; the idea of sending a message to ask for help was posed but proved unnecessary when the Sioux and Cheyenne broke camp and left.
The battalion remained in or near its position for an additional night and learned on the morning of June 27 that Custer and the men fighting with him had all been killed.
Edgerly also served as the regimental quartermaster from June 25 to November 14, 1876.
Frontier and Wounded Knee Massacre
After the Sioux Expedition, Edgerly continued his service on the frontier; postings included Fort Abraham Lincoln (twice) and Fort Totten in addition to protecting the stagecoach road between Fort Abraham Lincoln and
Deadwood
Deadwood may refer to:
Places Canada
* Deadwood, Alberta
* Deadwood, British Columbia
* Deadwood River, a tributary of the Dease River in northern British Columbia
United States
* Deadwood, California (disambiguation), several communit ...
, Dakota Territory and general scouting duties.
From November 1878 to April 1879, Edgerly served as a witness at the court of inquiry at
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, into Reno's actions at Little Big Horn; Edgerly was recalled twice during the proceedings.
After the inquiry, Edgerly returned to frontier duty, including supervising the ordnance depot and Fort Abraham Lincoln, service at
Fort Yates
Fort Yates is a city in Sioux County, North Dakota, United States. It is the tribal headquarters of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and county seat of Sioux County. Since 1970 the population has declined markedly from more than 1,100 residents, a ...
, Dakota Territory and a period inspecting cavalry horses.
He served as a recruiting officer from January 1883 to October 1884.
He was promoted to captain in the 7th Cavalry on September 22, 1883.
In 1881, Edgerly and his wife had their only child, Winifred, who died at age three and one-half during 1885.
Edgerly commanded Company G, 7th Cavalry during the
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, involved nearly three hundred Lakota people killed by soldiers of the United States Army. More than 250 people of the Lakota were killed and 51 wounded (4 men and 47 women a ...
on December 28, 1890. One of his non-commissioned officers was Sergeant
Frederick E. Toy, whom Edgerly recommended be awarded 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 bravery displayed while shooting hostile Indians." The wording was changed on the final citation of Toy's award.
After Wounded Knee, Edgerly was assigned to other posts in the west. He was assigned professor of military science at Maine State College during the 1895–1896 school year. His next assignment was duty with the
National Guard of New Hampshire and as the U.S. mustering officer for New Hampshire from approximately Summer 1896 until June 1898.
Spanish–American War
Edgerly was promoted to
lieutenant colonel,
U.S. Volunteers on June 8, 1898, and concurrently appointed as
inspector general. Edgerly was assigned to the 2d Army Corps from June 25, 1898, until its disbandment; during that period he served as inspector general and acting inspector general (in that order) and for several months as commissary of musters.
While serving as a lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Volunteers, Edgerly was promoted to major of cavalry,
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 ...
, July 9, 1898, and was transferred to the 7th Cavalry Regiment on January 5, 1899. He was honorably discharged from the Volunteers on April 12, 1899.
Edgerly was assigned to Cuba in November 1899. In January 1900, he was serving as a major with the 7th Cavalry Regiment at Columbia Barracks in Quemados, Cuba.
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the
10th Cavalry Regiment
The 10th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Formed as a segregated African-American unit, the 10th Cavalry was one of the original " Buffalo Soldier" regiments in the post–Civil War Regular Army. It served in combat during ...
on February 19, 1901, but served as a squadron commander of the 7th Cavalry until May 1902. He performed inspector general duties and investigated Spanish war claims. He returned to the U.S. for duty with the 7th Cavalry from July 1902 to February 1903. He was promoted to colonel in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in April 1903. He commanded
Fort Myer
Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army Military base, post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and ...
, Virginia until December 1903, leaving that post for duty in the Philippines.
Philippine Islands
Edgerly served in the Philippines from February 1904 until January 1907. During this period, he commanded Camp Wallace de Union, Camp Stotsenburg and Camp McKinley. He was promoted to
brigadier general on June 23, 1905.
Final years
After he returned to the U.S., Edgerly commanded the
Department of the Gulf
The Department of the Gulf was a command of the United States Army in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, Civil War.
History United States Army (Civil War)
Creation
The ...
from March to July 1907 after which he was detailed to observe the Kaiser Maneuvers in Germany.
He was assigned to various boards in Washington, D.C., after returning from Germany. He then commanded 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 ...
and the
Cavalry and Artillery School. Edgerly began a leave of absence on September 29, 1909; the leave ended with his retirement for disability in the line of duty on December 29, 1909.
Memberships
*The New Hampshire Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution
The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...
.
[
*The Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.][
]
Later life and death
When he retired from the Army, Edgerly returned to New Hampshire. After the U.S. entry into 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 ...
, he served as a member of a military emergency board in New Hampshire and commanded a mobilization camp in Concord, New Hampshire from July through September 1917, his last active service. He died on September 10, 1927, and is buried in 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.
...
, Arlington Arlington most often refers to:
*Arlington, Virginia
**Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery
*Arlington, Texas
Arlington may also refer to:
Places Australia
*Arlington light rail station, on the Inner West Light Rail in S ...
, Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
; he was survived by his wife who resided in Washington, D.C.
Awards
References
External links
*Henry Holden
Recommendation for MoH at Little Bighorn
Biographical article
Photo of Edgerly and TR
District of Columbia
group photo 1872
Death - Army Register
Observer status
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgerly, Winfield Scott
1846 births
People from Farmington, New Hampshire
United States Military Academy alumni
American military personnel of the Indian Wars
People of the Great Sioux War of 1876
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army generals
1927 deaths
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Battle of the Little Bighorn