Assistant Surgeon Leonard Wood was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in 1886 in Arizona Territory during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with U.S. Army. Wood was about 26 years old.
The medal was presented on April 8, 1898, 12 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Major General.
Wood was born on October 9, 1860 in Winchester, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. His Medal of Honor is credited to Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Wood died on August 7, 1927 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 66. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His medal is held by United States Army Engineer Museum, Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
Wood is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Voluntarily carried dispatches through a region infested with hostile Indians, making a journey of 70 miles in one night and walking 30 miles the next day. Also for several weeks, while in close pursuit of Geronimo's band and constantly expecting an encounter, commanded a detachment of infantry, which was then without an officer and to the command of which he was assigned upon his own request.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
How he died
- Manner of death: natural causes
- Cause of death: brain cancer
- Age at death: 66
- Resting place: Arlington National Cemetery
Cause and manner of death: Wikidata.
Other decorations and honors
Besides the Medal of Honor, Leonard Wood received:
Source: Wikidata. Gold chips link to our guide to that decoration.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Philippine–American War, World War I, Spanish–American War, Apache Wars.
Life beyond the battlefield
- Offices held: Physician to the President; Governor-General of the Philippines; Chief of Staff of the United States Army
- Occupations: major general, governor-general, governor, politician, surgeon, physician
- Education: Pierce Academy, Georgia Tech, Harvard Medical School
Source: Wikidata.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →
Timeline
- October 9, 1860Born in Winchester, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
- 1886Act of valor — Arizona TerritoryAge about 26. U.S. Army
- April 8, 1898Medal of Honor presented
- August 7, 1927Died in Boston, MassachusettsAge 66.
- Resting placeArlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia
Biography
Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor-General of the Philippines. He began his military career as an army doctor on the frontier, where he received the Medal of Honor. During the Spanish–American War, he commanded the Rough Riders, with Theodore Roosevelt as his second-in-command. Wood was bypassed for a major command in World War I, but then became a prominent Republican Party leader and a leading candidate for the 1920 presidential nomination.
From the Wikipedia article “Leonard Wood”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
Named in his honor
- Wood-Forbes Mission — commission, fact-finding mission
Further reading
- Medal of Honor Monday: Army Maj. Gen. Leonard Wooddefense.gov · 2021
