John McAllister Schofield (/ˈskoʊfiːld/; September 29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was an American soldier who held major commands during theAmerican Civil War.[1] He was appointedU.S. Secretary of War (1868–1869) under PresidentAndrew Johnson and later served asCommanding General of the United States Army (1888–1895).[2]
John McAllister Schofield was born September 29, 1831, inGerry, New York, the son of the Reverend James Schofield and his first wife, the former Caroline (McAllister) Schofield. His father, a Baptist minister in Sinclairville became a domestic missionary and moved his family (which then included six children and would include 10 who survived infancy) toBristol, Illinois. When John was 12, they finally settled inFreeport, Illinois, where Rev. Schofield became the town's first Baptist minister in 1845, and where he was ultimately buried in 1888.[3]
During theAmerican Revolutionary War, his family consisted of both Patriots and Loyalists.[4] His grandfather at the time was considered below the age to fight during the Revolution. Though, after settling in New York, he fought in the New York Militia during theWar of 1812. His earliest ancestor who arrived in America was Richard Schofield, who came to theMassachusetts Bay Colony from England in 1635.[5]
As a young man John Schofield was educated in the public schools, helped his family farm and build their home, and then surveyed land in northern Wisconsin before spending a year teaching school inOneco, Illinois. Then U.S. Rep.Thomas J. Turner secured John Schofield an appointment to theUnited States Military Academy at West Point. He sold land for travel expenses and reported on June 1, 1849.[6] In his final year at the Academy, while a teaching assistant in the mathematics section, cadet Schofield was accused of allowing others in his classroom to make offensive jokes and drawings on the blackboard. He was dismissed from West Point, but after meeting with Illinois' U.S. SenatorStephen A. Douglas, appealed the decision to theSecretary of War, who referred the matter back to a Board of Inquiry at the Academy. A majority of the review board voted to rescind the expulsion, but one of the two officers who voted to sustain it, cavalry and artillery instructor Lt.George H. Thomas, later became a commander of Schofield during the Civil War. Although Schofield's eventual memoirs did not mention Thomas on the review board, his persistent criticism of Thomas's generalship after the war may reflect this incident.[7] Schofield graduated in 1853, ranking seventh in his class, and was commissioned abrevetsecond lieutenant in the artillery.[8]
Schofield served for two years in the artillery. His first post was atFort Moultrie, South Carolina, which he later noted involved the same guns that were used to bombardFort Sumter in 1861. He then served at various places in Florida during the armed truce with theSeminole Nation, but contracted fevers anddysentery and was ultimately evacuated (with the assistance of futureConfederate GeneralA. P. Hill) and recovered atCulpeper, Virginia.
Upon regaining his health, First Lieutenant Schofield returned to West Point as assistant professor of natural and experimental philosophy from 1855 to 1860. His career seemed stalled, so he took leave (1860–1861), to work as professor ofphysics atWashington University in St. Louis.[6] Several of his brothers had settled inSt. Louis, following the lead of his eldest brother Rev. James Van Pelt Schofield (1825–1898).
When theCivil War broke out, Schofield helped assure thatMissouri did not join theConfederacy. He became a major in the1st Missouri Infantry Regiment and served as chief of staff toMaj. Gen.Nathaniel Lyon until Lyon's death during theBattle of Wilson's Creek (Missouri) in August 1861.[9] Schofield acted with "conspicuous gallantry" during the battle, and decades later received theMedal of Honor for that action.[10]
Schofield was promoted tobrigadier general of volunteers on November 21, 1861. From 1861 to 1863 he held various commands in theTrans-Mississippi Theater. He commanded the District of St. Louis from that date to April 10, 1862, the Military District of Missouri from June 5 to September 24, 1862, and the District of Southwest Missouri to November 10, 1862. He led theArmy of the Frontier from October 12, 1862 to May 30, 1863. He was promoted tomajor general of volunteers on November 29, 1862, at the age of 31, making him one of the youngest major generals in the Civil War.[11]
On September 30, 1862, a Federal brigade suffered a defeat at theFirst Battle of Newtonia in southwest Missouri. BothJames G. Blunt and Schofield rushed toNewtonia, Missouri, with reinforcements and sent the Confederate force fleeing south into Arkansas. The department commanderSamuel Ryan Curtis created the Army of the Frontier with Schofield in command. Blunt led the 1st Division,James Totten the 2nd Division, andFrancis J. Herron the 3rd Division. The army numbered 20,000 men, but probably 14,000 were fit for duty. Schofield's army crossed into northwest Arkansas on 17 October.[12] Blunt's division soon moved west intoIndian Territory where it won theBattle of Old Fort Wayne on October 22.[13] Meanwhile, Schofield with the 2nd and 3rd Divisions occupiedHuntsville, Arkansas.[14] Schofield's troops clashed with forces led byThomas C. Hindman, and the Confederates retreated south on 29 October.[15] On November 4, with the approval of his superiorSamuel R. Curtis, Schofield's two divisions withdrew northeast toSpringfield, Missouri while Blunt's division remained in northwest Arkansas.[16]
He was eventually relieved of duty in the West, at his own request, due to altercations with Curtis.
From April 17 to May 10, 1863, Schofield led the 3rdDivision in theXIV Corps,Army of the Cumberland. He returned to Missouri as commander of theDepartment of Missouri from May 24, 1863 to January 30, 1864.[11] His command in Missouri was marred by controversy after a massacre atLawrence, Kansas, when Schofield refused to allow a posse to pursue the combatants into Missouri. Pro-Union Missourians sent a delegation to Washington, D.C., in October to plead with President Lincoln to dismiss Schofield for sympathizing with pro-Confederate Bushwhacker para-military marauders who were attacking loyal Union citizens. Lincoln backed Schofield's position, attributed the carnage to wartime conditions rather than the commander's inadequacy, and instructed Schofield to respect civil liberties unless assemblies or newspapers were working palpable harm to the military.[17]
In 1864, as commander of theArmy of the Ohio, Schofield participated in theAtlanta campaign under Major GeneralWilliam T. Sherman. Sherman placed him in command of a major operation to break the rail lines in late July 1864. Schofield became embroiled in another controversy prior to theBattle of Utoy Creek, with the commander of the US XIV Corps (Volunteer), Major GeneralJohn Palmer, who resigned rather than serve under Schofield, whom he considered to be of lower rank, but whom Gen. Sherman backed. Schofield with his XXIII Corps and the XIV Corps then spent the month in front of Atlanta and East Point with lackluster results. Sherman resorted to a flanking movement to defeat the Confederates under Hood. Schofield was sent to cut off Hardee's retreat at Jonesboro but failed to move. He became embroiled in a further controversy, when placed under General Stanley commanding the US IV Corps, on August 30, 1864.
Sherman, after the fall of Atlanta, took the majority of his forces on aMarch to the Sea through Georgia. Schofield's Army of the Ohio was detached to join Major GeneralGeorge H. Thomas in Tennessee. WhenConfederate GeneralJohn Bell Hood invaded Tennessee and nearly cut off Schofield's command at Spring Hill, Hood's rash assault to regain momentum at the subsequentBattle of Franklin resulted in a significant defeat. On December 15–16, Schofield took part in Thomas's crowning victory at theBattle of Nashville where Hood'sArmy of Tennessee was decisively defeated, and effectively destroyed as a fighting force for the remainder of the war. However, during the buildup towards the battle Schofield intrigued against Thomas, feeding Grant false information, in order to try to succeed his senior in command.[18] For his services at Franklin he was awarded the rank of brigadier general in theregular army on November 30, 1864, and thebrevet rank of major general on March 13, 1865.[8]
Ordered to operate with Sherman inNorth Carolina, Schofield moved his corps by rail and sea toFort Fisher, North Carolina, in 17 days,occupied Wilmington on February 22, 1865, fought the action atKinston on March 10, and on March 23, joined Sherman atGoldsboro.[19]
After the war,PresidentAndrew Johnson sent Schofield on a special diplomatic mission toFrance, urging withdrawal of French troops inMexico. General Schofield also joined theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, a military society composed of officers of the Union armed forces and their descendants. After retiring from active duty, Schofield served as the Order's commander-in-chief (from 1899 to 1903).
DuringReconstruction, President Johnson appointed Schofield to serve as military governor ofVirginia and of theFirst Military District. Thus, he oversaw the elections (in which blacks and whites voted) which resulted in theVirginia Constitutional Convention of 1868. When Radicals took over that convention and proposed to disenfranchise former Confederates Schofield voiced concerns about corruption to Congress as well as his commander, GeneralUlysses Grant. Schofield's position was of high importance and sensitivity, due to the region's proximity to Washington as well as Confederate PresidentJefferson Davis's incarceration in Norfolk and awaiting trial under JudgeJohn Curtiss Underwood, who chaired the Constitutional Convention and had close links with Congressional Republicans. After President Johnson forcedEdwin M. Stanton, aRadical Republican who had served asSecretary of War since 1862, to resign, Schofield served as Secretary of War from June 1868 to March 1869.
Schofield was promoted to major general in the Regular Army on March 4, 1869, the same day GeneralUlysses S. Grant was sworn in as president of the United States. Schofield then served for a year as head of theDepartment of Missouri, the Army's second largest military department.
Following General George Thomas' death, Schofield succeeded him in commanding theMilitary Division of the Pacific, the country's largest.
In 1873, Schofield was given a secret task by Secretary of WarWilliam Belknap to investigate the strategic potential of a United States presence in the Hawaiian Islands. Schofield's report recommended that the United States establish a naval port atPearl Harbor.
Starting in 1876 until 1881, Schofield becamesuperintendent of theUnited States Military Academy. A major focus was reducing hazing and increasing professionalism within the academy. In 1878, Schofield drew the ire of Radical Republicans when PresidentRutherford B. Hayes asked him to reopen the case ofMajor GeneralFitz John Porter, who had beenconvicted by a court-martial for cowardice and disobedience at theSecond Battle of Bull Run. Schofield's review board used new evidence from Confederate generals who had participated in the battle, and then found that Porter had been wrongly convicted and that his actions might have saved the entire Union army from complete defeat caused by the ineptitude of Maj. Gens.John Pope andIrvin McDowell.
On April 5, 1880, an African American cadet at West Point,Johnson Chesnut Whittaker, was found bruised and beaten in his cot. He claimed that he had been attacked by fellow cadets, but the administration claimed he had fabricated his story to win sympathy. Whittaker wascourt-martialed and expelled for allegedly faking an assault on himself staged by his fellow cadets. A Congressional investigation into the incident resulted in Schofield's removal from his post as superintendent in 1881.
Schofield then served in theDepartment of the Gulf (1881–82), theMilitary Division of the Pacific (1882–83), theMilitary Division of the Missouri (1883–86), and theMilitary Division of the Atlantic (1886–88). He also went to France to witness military maneuvers there. Gen. Schofield was also the first President of the Army and Navy Club (founded 1885, incorporated 1891).[20]
Upon the death of General Philip Sheridan in 1888, General Schofield, by virtue of his seniority in rank, became the commanding general of theUnited States Army. He supported military professionalism, including subordination to the civilian Secretary of War. Schofield also supported adoption of lineal promotions and initiated performance reviews which limited political patronage considerations from the promotion process.[22] Writing from South Dakota, General Schofield seconded a report of GeneralThomas H. Ruger which urged the federal government to honor treaty obligations with Native Americans.[23]
General Schofield received theMedal of Honor on July 2, 1892, for his actions at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in 1861. During the unrest of thePullman Strike, Schofield worked with President Cleveland in a discreet advisory role.[24][25][26][27] On February 5, 1895, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. Lieutenant General Schofield retired on September 29, 1895, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64.
However, he remained active in government affairs, supportingElihu Root, testifying before congressional committees in support of the Army Reorganization Act of 1901 and the Dick Act of 1903 which established theU.S. National Guard.
John Schofield married Harriet Whitehorn Bartlett, daughter ofW.F.C. Bartlett (Chairman of West Point's Department of Philosophy) and they had two daughters and four sons. Two sons, John (1858–1868) and Henry (1862–1863), died before reaching adulthood. William Bartlett Schofield (1860–1906) survived to adulthood and began a U.S. Army career, rising to Major, as did Richmond McAlister Schofield (1867–1941). After Harriet died in 1888, she was buried with her father and son John in the United States Military Academy Post cemetery.
At age 60, in Keokuk, Iowa in June 1891, Schofield remarried, to 27-year-old Georgia Wells Kilbourne, with whom he had a daughter, Georgiana.[28] Georgia Wells Kilbourne was a native of Keokuk, Iowa. She was the daughter of George Kilbourne, and was named Georgia for her father. She attended school in New York, and afterwards studied abroad. Her mother, Mrs. Kilbourne, and her younger sister, Miss Emma Kilbourne, spent a part of the year at her Washington home. Emma Kilbourne devoted much of her time to reading and study.[29]
During his military career, perhaps because of his reformer image, Schofield was dogged by accusations of favoritism toward family members. His brotherGeorge Wheeler Schofield (1833–1882) also became a brevet Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers during the American Civil War, originally volunteering with the 1st Missouri Volunteer Infantry in November 1861 and promoted to Captain in the 1st Missouri Light Artillery after theSiege of Vicksburg, and rising to command the 2nd Regiment Missouri Volunteer Light artillery and ultimately being commissioned as a Major in the Regular Army after the Civil War and serving in the 10th Cavalry and later the 6th Cavalry on the Western Frontier, and for whom the .45 caliber Smith and Wesson Schofield revolver was named. Another brother Charles Brewster Schofield (1849–1901) graduated from West Point in 1870. C.B. Schofield later served as his Gen. J.M. Schofield's aide during the Indian Wars from 1878 to 1885. After rising to the rank of Captain during the Spanish–American War, he died of a heart attack in Matanzas, Cuba in 1901 and was also buried at Arlington National Cemetery. While Gen. John Schofield was in charge of Military District No. 1 in Virginia, his brother Elisha McAllister Schofield (1835–1870) was the assessor for the City of Richmond, Virginia and was among many killed on April 26, 1870, as a result of the infamous collapse of the balcony at the State Capitol during a session of the Virginia Court of Appeals. His son in law, Brig. Gen.Avery D. Andrews and his wife Mary Campbell Schofield Andrews are also buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Before his death, Schofield became the last surviving member of Andrew Johnson's cabinet. His memoirs,Forty-six Years in the Army, were published in 1897.[30] General Schofield became an honorary companion of theMilitary Order of Foreign Wars.
General Schofield died atSt. Augustine, Florida on March 4, 1906. He is buried atArlington National Cemetery.[31][8]Schofield Barracks, Hawaii are named in his honor.
Today, Schofield is also remembered for a lengthy quotation that all cadets at theUnited States Military Academy at West Point,The Citadel,Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, and theUnited States Air Force Academy are required to memorize. It is an excerpt from his graduation address to the class of 1879 at West Point:
The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an army. It is possible to impart instruction and give commands in such a manner and such a tone of voice as to inspire in the soldier no feeling, but an intense desire to obey, while the opposite manner and tone of voice cannot fail to excite strong resentment and a desire to disobey. The one mode or other of dealing with subordinates springs from a corresponding spirit in the breast of the commander. He who feels the respect which is due to others cannot fail to inspire in them respect for himself. While he who feels, and hence manifests, disrespect towards others, especially his subordinates, cannot fail to inspire hatred against himself.
— John M. Schofield
Rank and organization:
Citation:
The medal was recommended by Schofield himself when he was interim U.S. Secretary of War (1868–69). Historian Benson Bobrick is critical of this and notes the vagueness of the details in the citation.[10]
General Schofield was posthumously entitled to theCivil War Campaign Medal and theIndian Campaign Medal. Both medals were created in 1907, a year after Schofield died.
| Insignia | Rank | Date | Component |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Brevet Second Lieutenant | July 1, 1853 | 2nd Artillery |
| Second Lieutenant | August 31, 1853 | 1st Artillery |
 | First Lieutenant | March 3, 1855 | 1st Artillery |
 | Major | April 26, 1861 | 1st Missouri Infantry |
 | Captain | May 14, 1861 | 1st Artillery |
| Major | June 26, 1861 | 1st Missouri Artillery |
 | Brigadier General | November 21, 1861 | Volunteers |
 | Major General | November 29, 1862 | Volunteers |
| Brigadier General | March 4, 1863 | Volunteers |
| Major General | May 12, 1863 | Volunteers |
| Brigadier General | November 30, 1864 | Regular Army |
| BrevetMajor General | March 13, 1865 | Regular Army |
| Major General | March 4, 1869 | Regular Army |
 | Lieutenant General | February 5, 1895 | Regular Army |
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Schofield, John McAllister".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 345–346.
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