Miles, Nelson Appleton (1839-1925), a noted American military officer, served in the American Civil War, the Indian wars, and the Spanish-American War. He rose to the rank of lieutenant general in the United States Army, the Army’s highest rank of his day, without a formal military education. In 1892, he received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Civil War.
Miles was born on Aug. 8, 1839, near Westminster, Massachusetts. He became a volunteer lieutenant when the Civil War started in 1861. He fought in nearly every battle in the East, suffered several wounds, and won rapid promotion. In 1866, he became a colonel in the Regular Army.
From 1869 to 1890, Miles led campaigns against the major Indian tribes in the West. The Army’s most successful Indian fighter, he defeated the Apache and forced Geronimo, one of their most feared warriors, to surrender in 1886. In 1894, Miles commanded troops sent by President Grover Cleveland to Chicago during the Pullman Strike, a violent labor dispute (see Pullman Strike ). He became Commanding General of the Army in 1895. In the Spanish-American War, Miles led the invasion of Puerto Rico in 1898. In 1901, he was promoted to lieutenant general. He retired in 1903 and died on May 15, 1925.
