Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/475

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

WOOD


WOOD


rsylvania regiment, September 7, and was sta- tioned in Canada, 1776. He subsequentlj^ returned to his plantation in Georgia. He was a member of the council of safet\' and was deputed with two others by St. John's pai'ish to request of the com- mittee of correspondence at Charleston, S.C, " permission to form an alliance with them and to conduct trade and commerce according to the act of non-importation to which they had already acceded." Although the application was declined, the parish commissioned Dr. Lyman Hall (q.v.) to represent them in the Continental congress, to which Joseph Wood was elected a delegate in January, 1777, and re-elected in February, 1778. He died in Sunbury, Ga., in 1789.

WOOD, Leonard, soldier, was born in Win- chester, N.H., Oct. 9. 1860; son of Charles Jewett and Caroline E. (Hagar) AVood. He attended the public school and Pierce academy, Middle- boro, Mass., and was graduated from Harvard college, M.D., 1884. He was house sur- geon at the Boston city hospital, 1883-84, commencing regu- lar practice in Bos- ton, 1884; was ap- pointed assistant sur- geon, U.S.A., Jan. 5, 1886, and accepted the office Aug. 11, 1886. He partici- pated as a line officer in Captain Lawton's successful expedition of 1886 against the Apaches under Gero- nimo, receiving a congressional medal of honor for his distinguished services. He resumed his medical practice in Bostcn, and was married, Nov. 18, 1890, to Louise A. Condit, daughter of John Condit Smith of Washington, D.C. He was promoted captain and assistant surgeon, U.S.A., Jan. 5, 1891, and at the outbreak of the war with Spain, recruited at San Antonio, Tex., the 1st U.S. volunteer cavalry (subsequently known as the " Rough Riders ") , of which he was appointed colonel. May 8, 1898, and Tlieodore Roosevelt lieutenant-colonel. For his gallant ser- vices at Las Guasimas, June 24, and San Juan Hill, July 1-3 (where he commanded two brigades of General Wheeler's cavalry division) Colonel Wood was promoted brigadier-general, July 8, 1898, accepting the commission July 18, 1898. After the surrender of Santiago, July 19, 1898, General Wood served as military governor of the city until Dec. 13, 1899, being officially appointed to the command of the department of Santiago, •Oct. 9, 1898. He was promoted major-general of


/i^ubv\A^ C\rtnr/{


volunteers, Dec. 9, 1898, and was honorably dis- charged from the volunteer service April 13, 1899. He was reappointed the same day; was made military governor of Cuba, Dec. 13, 1899, and in his official position restored order and prepared the inhabitants for civil rule, which was inaugu- rated on the island at noon on May 20, 1902, when the Cuban flag took the place of the Stars and Stripes over the capitol building and the mili- tary forts. Governor Wood withdrew the U.S. troops from the island the same day. and him- self took passage on board the U.S. S.C. Brooklyn for the United States. His commission as brig- adier-general, U.S.A., was dated Feb. 4, 1901, and he was subsequent!}' nominated to the rank of major-general, U.S.A.

WOOD, Thomas John, was born in Murfrees- boro, Ky., Sept. 25, 1823; son of George T. and Elizabeth (Helm) Wood; grandson of William J. and Elizabeth (Twyman) Wood and of Charles and Sarah (Crutcher) Helm, and a descendant of Lieut. Thomas Helm of the Virginia line, Revo- tionary service. He graduated at the U.S. Mili- tary' academy in 1845, and was assigned to the topographical engineers and served on the staff of General Taylor in the war with Mexico; took part in the actions at Palo Alto, Resaca De La Palma, and Monterey; was transferred to the 2d Dragoons, Oct. 19, 1846, and promoted 2d lieu- tenant, Dec. 2, 1846. He was brevetted 1st lieu- tenant for gallantry at Buena Vista, Feb. 22, 1847, and transferred to General Scott's army in the conquest of the City of Mexico. He became 1st lieutenant, June 30, 1851; captain, March 3, 1855; major, March 16, 1861; lieutenant-colonel, May 9, 1861; colonel, Nov. 12, 1861, and brigadier-general of volunteers, Oct. 11, 1861. He was married, Nov. 29, 1861, to Caroline E., daughter of James A. and Caroline (King) Greer of Daj'ton, Ohio. He com- manded the 6th division, Army of the Ohio, at Shiloh, April 7, 1862, in the siege of Corinth, and in Nortliern Alabama and Tennessee, operating against Forrest's cavalry. In Buell's army, he commanded the 6th division, 2d corps in the march to Nashville and Louisville; in the battles of Perryville, Oct. 8, 1862, and in the pursuit of Bragg to the Cumberland mountains. He com- manded the 1st division of the left wing occupy- ing the extreme left of the Federal line at Mur- freesboro, with orders to push the enemy back through the town, but was prevented Iw disaster to the right of the Federal line. He was wounded at the battle of Murfreesboro, Dec, 31, 1862. and on sick leave Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, 1863. At the battle of Chickamauga he commanded the 1st division, 21st corps, and after the disaster to the right took his position on Snodgrass Hill and held it to the end of the fight, having his horse killed under him and being struck twice in the day's fighting.