JOHN McALLSTER SCHOFIELD (September
29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was a soldier during the Civil War and later served
as Secretary of War under Presidents Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant and
Commanding General of the United States Army.
Schofield secured an appointment at the United States Military Academy
at West Point. He reported on June 1,
1849. In his final year, he was accused
of allowing others in his classroom to make offensive jokes and drawings on the
blackboard. He was dismissed but after meeting with U.S. Senator Stephen A.
Douglas, appealed his decision to the Secretary of War and ultimately was
reinstated. Schofield graduated in 1853, seventh in his class, and was
commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the artillery, where he served for
two years.
When the Civil War broke out,
Schofield and his brothers helped assure that Missouri didn’t join the
Confederacy. He became a major in the 1st Missouri Infantry Regiment
and served as chief of staff to Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon until Lyon’s death
during the Battle of Wilson’s Creek in August 1861. Schofield acted with
“conspicuous gallantry” during the battle and decades later received the Medal
of Honor. Schofield was promoted to
Brigadier General of volunteers on November 21, 1861 and to major general on
November 29, 1862. On April 17, 1863, he
took command of the 3rd Division in the XIV Corps of the Army of the
Cumberland. His command in Missouri was
marred by controversy after a massacre at Lawrence, Kansas, when Schofield
refused to allow a posse to pursue the combatants into Missouri. Pro-Union Missourians
sent a delegation 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. In 1864, as commander
of the Army of the Ohio, Schofield participated in the Atlantic Campaign under
Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman.
Schofield became superintendent of
the United States Military Academy from 1876 to 1881. On April 5, 1880, an
African American cadet at West Point, Johnson Chesnut Whitaker, was found
bruised and beaten in his cot. He claimed he had been attacked by fellow cadets
but the administration claimed he had fabricated is story to win sympathy.
Whitaker was court-martialed and expelled. A congressional investigation resulted
in Schofield’s removal from his post as superintendent in 1881.
Offering a one-page 5 x 8 ALS on U.S.
Military Academy, West Point, NY, June 28, 1878, to Maj. Gen. Curtis, Judge
Advocate, U.S.A. Washington, DC.
“Dear Major, I take pleasure in complying
with the wish of your nephew conveyed in your note of June 26th.
“Very Truly yours
“John Schofield
“Maj. Genl U.S.A.”
Light toning, folds. Overall
excellent.
Everything we sell is
guaranteed authentic forever to the original buyer. We also offer a 30-day
return policy. If you discover a problem or are dissatisfied with an item,
please contact us immediately. Our goal is to please every customer. We
are pleased to be members of The Manuscript Society, Universal Autograph
Collectors Club, The Ephemera Society, the Southern New England Antiquarian
Booksellers and the Preferred Autograph Dealers and Auction Houses. [M 102]