Selfless Service

The careers of the senior Army officers at the end of the nineteenth century were highlighted by extreme self-sacrifice and devotion to duty and country, but history has largely forgotten these patriots. One of these officers was Brigadier General Samuel M. Whitside, a distinguished cavalry officer who faithfully served his nation from 1858 to 1902. He commanded at every level from platoon to department for thirty-two of his forty-three years in service, including Army posts such as Camp Huachuca, Jefferson Barracks, and Fort Sam Houston, the Departments of Eastern Cuba and Santiago and Puerto Principe, Cuba, a provisional cavalry brigade, the 10th and 5th Cavalry Regiments, a squadron in the 7th Cavalry Regiment, and a troop and platoon in the 6th Cavalry Regiment. The pinnacle of his career was serving as the Commanding General of the Department of Eastern Cuba before retiring in June 1902 as a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. Despite his many contributions to the Army during his forty-three years of service, most history books record only two events during his career: the founding of Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and his role as a battalion commander at the Battle of Wounded Knee Creek. While these two events are arguably the most noteworthy in Whitside's four decades in the U.S. cavalry, a look at his entire career provides an insight into the great personal sacrifices that the officers and their families made in the frontier Army in the later half of the nineteenth century. This thesis will show that a century after his retirement from the Army, Brigadier General Samuel M. Whitside's lifetime in uniform stands as a hallmark of selfless service to not only his descendants, but more importantly, to all military officers serving and yet to serve.