American Civil War: Wesley Merritt Born!

June 16, 1834 - Future Union cavalry commander Wesley Merritt (right) is born in New York City. A member of the West Point Class of 1860, Merritt was commissioned as a second lieutenant and ordered to Fort Crittenden, Utah. After brief service in the West, he was recalled following the outbreak of the Civil War. Arriving at Washington, DC, Merritt was an aide-de-camp for Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke, before being assigned to Major General George Stoneman as an adjutant in 1863. In this role, he took part in the Stoneman Raid during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Though the raid was a failure, Merritt was promoted to command the 2nd US Cavalry. Shortly after the Battle of Brandy Station (June 9, 1863), he, along with Elon Farnsworth, was promoted from captain directly to brigadier general. Given command of the Reserve Brigade of Brigadier General John Buford's First Division, Merritt took part in the Battle of Gettysburg. While his men were not engaged on the first day, they took part in Brigadier General Judson Kilpatrick's failed attack on July 3. Following Buford's death in December, Merritt ascended to command of the division. He remained in this role during Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign and later served with the division as part of Major General Philip H. Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah. After fighting at the Battle of Five Forks, he served as Sheridan's second-in-command during the Appomattox Campaign and was appointed one of the peace commissioners following General Robert E. Lee's surrender. With the war concluded, Merritt reverted to lieutenant colonel and saw extensive service on the western frontier. Steadily rising back up through the ranks, he was appointed major general in 1895. When war began with Spain in 1898, Merritt was ordered to prepare units for an invasion of the Philippines. Arriving outside Manila, his man captured the city on August 13. Appointed military governor of the islands, he briefly served before retiring in 1900.

Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress