Born at Jacksonville, Illinois, on December 29, 1848, the son of Major General John A. McClernand, XIII Army Corps in the Civil War, and Sarah (Dunlap) McClernand. He was educated in Jacksonville and Springfield, Illinois and graduated from West Point in 1870.
He was appointed Second Lieutenant, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, June 15, 1870, and then promoted through the ranks to Brigadier General on August 27, 1912. He was breveted First Lieutenant, February 27, 1890, for “gallantry in pursuit of Indians and in actions against them at Bear Paw Mountains, Montana, September 30, 1877.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor, November 27, 1894, for “most distinguished gallantry in action against Nez Perces Indians.”
Served in the Santiago Campaign, Spanish-American War, and later in the Philippines during the Insurrection there.
He retired from active service on December 29, 1912. He lived in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he wrote “With the Indians and the Buffalo in Montana,” for the Cavalry Journal in 1925.
He died on February 9, 1926 and was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Sarah Pomp McClernand (1857-1926) is buried with him.
Edward John McClernand of Illinois.
Appointed from Illinois, Cadet, United States Military Academy, 1 September1866 (36)
Second Lieutenant, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, 15 June 1870
First Lieutenant, 9 May 1879
Captain, 24 March 1890
Lieutenant Colonel, Assistant Adjutant General of Volunteers, 9 May 1898
Colonel, 44th U. S. Volunteer Infantry, 17 Aug 1899
Honorably discharged from Volunteer Service, 30 June 1901
Major, 12th U.S. Cavalry, 2 February 1901
Assigned to the Adjutant General's Department, 28 February 1901
Breveted First Lieutenant, 27 February 1890 for gallantry in the pursuit of Indians and in action against them in the Bear Paw Mountains, Montana, 30 September 1877;
Awarded the Medal of Honor 27 November 1894 for most distinguished gallantry in action against hostile Nez Perce Indianas at Bear Paw Mountain, Montana,
30 September 1877 in command of a troop attacking a band of hostiles and conducting the combat with excellent skill and boldness while Second Lieutenant, 2nd U.S. Cavalry
McCLERNAND, EDWARD J.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Bear Paw Mountain, Montana, 30 September 1877. Entered service at: Springfield, Illinois. Birth: Jacksonville, Illinois. Date of issue: 27 November 1894.
Citation:
Gallantly attacked a band of hostiles and conducted the combat with excellent skill and boldness.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard