Hugh L. Scott | |
|---|---|
.jpg) General Scott,c. 1908–1919 | |
| Birth name | Hugh Lenox Scott |
| Born | (1853-09-22)September 22, 1853 nearDanville, Kentucky, United States |
| Died | April 30, 1934(1934-04-30) (aged 80) Washington, D.C., United States |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetery,Virginia, United States |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1876–1919 |
| Rank |  Major general |
| Unit |  Cavalry Branch |
| Commands | 78th Division Chief of Staff of the United States Army 2nd Cavalry Brigade 3rd Cavalry Regiment Superintendent of the United States Military Academy |
| Battles / wars | American Indian WarsWorld War I Russian Civil War |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (2) |
Hugh Lenox Scott (September 22, 1853 – April 30, 1934) was aUnited States Army officer. AWest Point graduate of 1876, he served as superintendent of West Point from 1906 to 1910 and aschief of staff of the United States Army from 1914 to 1917, which included the first few months of American involvement inWorld War I.
Hugh L. Scott was born inDanville, Kentucky on September 22, 1853 the son of Reverend William McKendry Scott and Mary Elizabeth (Hodge) Scott.[1] His father was aPresbyterian minister, while his mother was from a well educated family.[2]He was the great-great-great grandson ofBenjamin Franklin.[a] Scott's grandfather,Charles Hodge, was the longtime president ofPrinceton Theological Seminary.[5] His great-uncle wasDavid Hunter, a United States military officer.[2]
Scott grew up in Danville and inPrinceton, New Jersey, where he was educated at TheLawrenceville School.[1] He attendedPrinceton University, before being accepted into theUnited States Military Academy at West Point.[1][6] His great-uncle Hunter helped secure him a position at the academy in 1871.[7]
Scott graduated from West Point with the Class of 1876 (hisCullum number was 2628), and was commissioned in the cavalry.[1] He was initially assigned to the9th United States Cavalry, but three weeks after his graduationGeorge Armstrong Custer and many of his7th United States Cavalry Regiment were killed at theBattle of the Little Bighorn so he was reassigned to the 7th. He was sent toFort Lincoln in theDakota Territory and was briefly quartered in Custer's former home. While there he learnedSioux andsign language.[8]
In 1876, he was sent down theMissouri River with orders to disarmSioux people allegedly armingCrazy Horse. In 1877, he was sent with 10 soldiers and 35Cheyennescouts to determine if the Sioux were forming war parties. Later that year he accompanied a supply train toFort Custer and during his return he stopped to stay with members of theCrow tribe.[9] After his stay, he found he preferred Crowhorses.[10] He was promoted tofirst lieutenant in June 1878.[11]
In the fall of 1878, he was transferred toFort Totten where met and married Mary Merrill, the daughter of GeneralLewis Merrill. They had a son, David Hunter Scott, while in the Dakota Territory. In 1886, he was transferred to Philadelphia to focus on recruitment, which he considered a career setback.[12]
In August of 1889 he was transferred toFort Sill in theIndian Territory. He traveled by train to Henrietta, Texas, before taking a wagon to the fort.[12] While Scott was apprehensive about future relations with the neighboringKiowa,Comanche, andApache, his knowledge of sign language impressed them. The Comanche would call himMolay-tay-quop, or He Talks With Hands. About this time, Scott metI-See-O of the Kiowa tribe who would become a chief intermediary between the various groups.[13]
Scott was placed in command of Troop L of the 7th Cavalry on March 29, 1891, and of a detachment of Indian Scouts on September 18, 1891.[citation needed]
When Scott was given command of Troop L of the regiment in 1891, he had I-See-O serve as hisfirst sergeant. (Infantry regiments designated Company I for their Native American scouts, and cavalry regiments did the same with Troop L.) During theghost dance phenomenon of the early 1890s, I-See-O helped in persuading theApache and Kiowa tribes not to go to war. This action, while serving the interest of white settlers and speculators, undoubtedly also saved the lives of many Native Americans. Scott's gratitude to I-See-O was such that, when he was chief of staff of the army, he allowed for Sergeant I-See-O to remain on active duty for life.[14]
In 1890–91, he was given the responsibility for suppressing the "Ghost Dance" religious movement that swept the Indian reservations and received official commendation for that work. In 1892, he organized Troop L of the 7th Cavalry, composed of Kiowa, Comanche and Apache Indians, and commanded it until it was mustered out, the last Indian unit in the United States Army, in 1897. In 1894–97, he had charge ofGeronimo's band of Chiricahua Apache Indian prisoners atFort Sill,Oklahoma.[1] He was promoted to captain in January 1895, having served as a first lieutenant for16+1⁄2 years. In November 1897, he was attached to the Bureau of American Ethnology of theSmithsonian Institution, where he began preparing a work on Indian sign languages.[11]
In May 1898, after the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, he was appointed major of volunteers and assistant adjutant general of the 2nd and 3rd Divisions, I Corps. In March 1899 went to Cuba as adjutant general of the Department of Havana, with the rank of lieutenant colonel of volunteers.[11]
In May 1900, he became adjutant general of the Department of Cuba and remained in that post until May 1902.[1] During that time, he served for a time as acting governor and took an active part in the transfer of government into Cuban hands. He was promoted to major in theRegular Army in February 1903 and served as military governor of theSulu Archipelago,Philippines, in 1903–06 and also commanded troops there, taking part in various skirmishes, reorganized the civil government and institutions.[11] During this assignment he received twoSilver Star citations for gallantry in action.[1]
In August 1906, he was named superintendent of the United States Military Academy, a post he held for four years with the temporary rank of colonel.[6] He was promoted to permanent lieutenant colonel in March 1911 and to colonel in August of the same year. He then commanded the3rd United States Cavalry Regiment in Texas, engaged in settling various Indian troubles.[11]
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In March 1913, Scott was promoted tobrigadier general in command of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, still posted to the Southwest. He won a special commendation for his skillful handling of Navajo disturbances at Beautiful Mountain, Arizona, in November 1913. He was named assistant chief of staff in April 1914 andchief of staff of the United States Army from 1914 to 1917, including the first few months of American involvement inWorld War I. He was promoted to major general in April 1915.[11] He continued to act in a diplomatic role with Indians and Mexican border officials in the Southwest, settling problems with the Paiutes of Utah in March 1915 and recovering property "confiscated" byPancho Villa in August.[15]
From February to March 1916, Scott served as ad-interimsecretary of war but his energies were directed more toward preparation for possible U.S. entry into World War I. He was very influential in winning early acceptance among civil officials of the notion of conscription.
From May to August 1917, after the officialAmerican entry into World War I, he was sent to Russia as a member of the Root Mission, led byElihu Root, with the intention of keeping Russia in the war.[16]
He retired at the statutory age of 64 on 22 September 1917 and was succeeded as chief of staff byTasker H. Bliss.[11] Scott was immediately recalled to active duty.[17] He served stateside and became commander of the78th Division atCamp Dix, New Jersey, in December and of Camp Dix again in March 1918.[11] His services during the war resulted in him being awarded theArmy Distinguished Service Medal.[18]
Scott retired finally in May 1919 and served on theBoard of Indian Commissioners from 1919 to 1929 and was chairman of the New Jersey State Highway Commission from 1923 to 1933.[11] In 1928, Scott published an autobiography,Some Memories of a Soldier, a memoir of his 41 years in the United States Army.[11]
Scott died in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 1934, and was buried among many other family members in Section 2 ofArlington National Cemetery.[19][17][20]
There is a large bas relief memorial plaque in his honor in the Washington National Cathedral. His papers are held by the Library of Congress[21] and Princeton University.[22]
The various Army bases previously named for Confederate generals received those names on Scott's watch as Chief of Staff, but his involvement in this decision was minimal as it took place during his participation in the Root Mission to theRussian Provisional Government.
General Scott appears as a character inThe Friends of Pancho Villa (1996), a historical novel byJames Carlos Blake.
United States Military Academy Cadet – class of 1876
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
No pin insignia in 1876 | Second lieutenant | Regular Army | 15 June 1876 |
 | First lieutenant | Regular Army | 28 June 1878 |
 | Captain | Regular Army | 24 January 1895 |
 | Major | Volunteers | 12 May 1898 |
 | Lieutenant colonel | Volunteers | 17 August 1899 |
| Major | Regular Army | 25 February 1903 |
 | Colonel (temporary) | Regular Army | 31 August 1906 |
| Lieutenant colonel | Regular Army | 3 March 1911 |
| Colonel | Regular Army | 18 August 1911 |
 | Brigadier general | Regular Army | 23 March 1913 |
| Major general | Regular Army | 30 April 1915 |
| Major general | Retired List | 22 September 1917 |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Superintendents of the United States Military Academy 1906–1910 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1914–1917 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General 78th Division January–March 1918 | Succeeded by |
Leaders of theUnited States Army | ||
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| Senior officers / commanding generals |   | |
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