John Schofield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Schofield
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| Commanding General of the United States Army | |
| In office August 14, 1888 – September 29, 1895 |
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| President | Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland |
| Preceded by | Philip Sheridan |
| Succeeded by | Nelson A. Miles |
| 28th United States Secretary of War | |
| In office June 1, 1868 – March 13, 1869 |
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| President | Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Edwin Stanton |
| Succeeded by | John Aaron Rawlins |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John McAllister Schofield
September 29, 1831 Gerry, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 4, 1906 (aged 74) St. Augustine, Florida, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States• Union |
| Branch/service |  United States Army• Union Army |
| Years of service | 1853–1860 1861–1895 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1876–1881) Army of the Frontier Department of the Missouri XXIII Corps Army of the Ohio |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War • Battle of Wilson's Creek • Atlanta Campaign • Battle of Utoy Creek • Battle of Franklin • Battle of Nashville • Battle of Wyse Fork |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
John McAllister Schofield (September 29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was an American soldier who held major commands during the Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War under Presidents Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant, and Commanding General of the United States Army.
Schofield was born in Gerry, New York, and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1853. He served for two years in the artillery, was assistant professor of natural and experimental philosophy at West Point from 1855 to 1860, and while on leave (1860–1861) was professor of physics at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Death and legacy
General Schofield died at St. Augustine, Florida, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His memoirs, Forty-six Years in the Army, were published in 1897. He is memorialized by the military installation Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Prior to his death, Schofield was the last surviving member of Andrew Johnson's Cabinet.
Today, Schofield is remembered for a lengthy quotation that all cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point and the United States Air Force Academy are required to memorize. It is an excerpt from his graduation address to the class of 1879 at West Point:
The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an army. It is possible to impart instruction and give commands in such a manner and such a tone of voice as to inspire in the soldier no feeling, but an intense desire to obey, while the opposite manner and tone of voice cannot fail to excite strong resentment and a desire to disobey. The one mode or the other of dealing with subordinates springs from a corresponding spirit in the breast of the commander. He who feels the respect which is due to others cannot fail to inspire in them respect for himself. While he who feels, and hence manifests, disrespect towards others, especially his subordinates, cannot fail to inspire hatred against himself.
– John M. Schofield
Images for kids
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John Schofield during the Civil War
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Schofield official portrait
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Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864
