Guys,

Henry was born in Lucas County, in northeastern Ohio, the same county from which my immediate family's roots come. Henry's dad was a specialized carpenter, a job that finally settled him and his son in Indiana. It was while he was in college there that he answered an early call from Abraham Lincoln to help preserve the Union, and he enlisted as an Indiana volunteer. He fought in 22 major engagements during the Civil War, and that included the Battle of Shiloh (where his company suffered heavy losses), the Battle of Chickamauga and the Atlanta Campaign (where he earned and was later awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in action). By the end of the War, 22-year-old Henry was carrying the brevet (temporary) rank of colonel of volunteers.

Since he obviously liked military service and was pretty good at it, Henry accepted a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the regular Army, but not before completing law school at Harvard. He was sent to the southwest to fight in most of the major Indian campaigns there. He eventually joined Mackenzie's Raiders (the 4th Cavalry) as Quartermaster and took part in their victorious fight with warriors from four different tribes in the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle. (I camped with my family in that picturesque and historic canyon in 1986, and we were entertained by college students, who performed for us the musical Texas in an outdoor theatre.)

From that canyon, Henry moved further west, was promoted to the rank of captain and was given command of a troop of the 4th Cavalry. It was then that he was assigned the daunting task of capturing Geronimo. He and his men relentlessly pursued the fierce Chiricahua Apache leader into Mexico's Sierra Madre, wearing campaign hats, moccasins and only their exposed long underwear to help them survive the scorching heat. Covering over 3,000 miles on foot and on horseback, Henry eventually forced the Apache legend and his band to parley and finally surrender in 1886, but he never took any personal credit for Geronimo's demise, claiming that his men (including his scouts) were responsible for the capture. However, Cowboys & Indians magazine recently reported that even "Geronimo himself credited (Henry) for his exhaustive and tireless efforts that had permitted the Apache few safe harbors and little rest."

Not only was Henry known for his tenacious fighting spirit against his Indian adversaries, but he was also compassionate in his dealings with them and earned their respect in both ways. When the Indian Wars ended, he stayed in the Army and continued to be promoted in rank. Given administrative duties for the next few years, Henry concentrated on improving the inner workings of the Army. Of course, war is inevitable, and when the USS Maine blew up in Havana in 1898, our nation went to war with Spain. Henry's combat experience was not overlooked, and he was given a star and the command of a division of 6,000 volunteers. It was his unit that spearheaded the invasion of Cuba. The Spanish were successfully beaten in Cuba, and Henry became the military governor of Santiago.

Though infected with Malaria and given a short break to recover from the effects of the disease, he was soon ordered to the Philippines to help fight in the continuing war with Spain. It was there that Major General Henry Ware Lawton finally lost his life for his country after 38 years of service, becoming the only general officer killed in the Spanish-American War. Lawton, Oklahoma is named for him, as was Fort Lawton (now Discovery Park) in Seattle, a area in downtown Manila and a street in San Francisco. Having become a Hoosier, he also has a memorial statue in Indianapolis' Garfield Park. I read that James Whitcomb Riley wrote a poem about Henry and delivered it when his statue was dedicated in Indiana, but I was unable to locate it for this story. However, I will close with a few lines from one of Riley's other poems, which I think fit Henry nicely: "So when our foes have had their fill, though I'm among the dying, to see the Old Flag flying still, I'll laugh to leave her flying!" I'm glad you liked the Army, Henry. You certainly served us well. Thank you! - Your Bud

   WOWZERS! Thank you, Billy!