Elwell S. Otis

Elwell Stephen Otis (March 25, 1838 – October 21, 1909) was a United States of America General who served in the Philippines late in the Spanish-American War and during the Philippine-American War.

Biography

Otis was born in Frederick, Maryland on March 25, 1838. He attended the University of Rochester, where he was a member of the (now defunct) Iota Chapter of St. Anthony Hall aka the Fraternity of Delta Psi. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1860 and was practicing law during the first year of the Civil War.

Civil War

During the American Civil War Otis was appointed captain in the 140th New York Regiment. He fought at the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. On December 23, 1864 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of his regiment. At the Battle of Spotsylvania the regiment's colonel was killed and Otis assumed command. He fought in all the battles of the Overland Campaign. During the Siege of Petersburg, he assumed command of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division in V Corps leading it into action at the battle of Peebles' Farm. During this battle he was severely wounded effectively ended his field career during the Civil War. He was promoted to brevet brigadier general of volunteers for actions at the Chappell House (battle of Peebles Farm). Otis eventually recovered and was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 22nd U.S. Infantry in 1867.

Indian Wars

Otis continued serving in the army during the Indian Wars as part of the 22nd U.S. including campaigning in Montana in the aftermath of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. On February 8, 1880 he was appointed colonel of the 20th U.S. Infantry. On November 28, 1893, he was appointed brigadier general in the regular army. He later commanded the Department of the Columbia and the Department of Colorado.

Philippine-American War

On May 4, 1898, he was appointed major general of volunteers and was sent to the Philippines with reinforcements for General Wesley Merritt. Otis assumed command of the Eighth Army Corps, replacing Merritt, who had become the military governor of the Philippines. Merritt served as military governor only briefly before he returned to the United States. On August 28, 1899 Otis was appointed Military Governor for the Philippines.

He also continued in command of Eighth Corps during the Philippine-American War. He conducted the U.S. Army during the battle of Manila in 1899 and during the first phase of the insurrection before fighting turned primarily to guerrilla warfare.

• Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_(1899)
• Reference: Wikipedia

Otis's response when Emilio Aguinaldo tried to stop the war by sending an emissary to General Otis to appeal for an end to the fighting in the Battle of Manila was, "fighting, having begun, must go on to the grim end."

Otis also oversaw many of the first atrocities of the Philippine-American War by American soldiers:

"The conduct of the Washington Volunteers has been the subject of special investigations for some time. They deny wanton burning or cruelties. And still there are strong indications that they practised these infractions to some extent."

Later life

He was relieved of command in 1900 and replaced by Arthur MacArthur Jr., the father of Douglas MacArthur. He returned to the United States and commanded the Department of the Lakes. He was appointed major general in the regular army in 1906.

Otis was a skilled general and able administrator. However, he was generally disliked by his subordinates and peers and received harsh treatment in the press. He was known as "Granny" by his troops because of his age and graying hair. On the other hand, Rudolph Rau writes of Otis' work in the Philippines that "He delegated no authority, was pompous and fuzzy, and inspired few". He died in Rochester, New York on October 21, 1909 from painful angina.

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Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. He was one of the few citizen-soldiers of the Civil War to remain in the Army after the conflict and rise to high rank. He was commissioned as an officer in the 140th New York Volunteer Infantry, in August 1852, and rose to Lieutenant Colonel and commander of the unit. He was brevetted Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865 for his conspicuous gallantry at the Battle of Chappell House, Virginia. A lawyer before the War, he was offered a spot in the post-War Regular Army, despite the fact he had no formal military training. General Otis flourished in the Regular Service, rising to Major General. He commanded troops in the Spanish-American War, as is best known for his being named Military Governor of the conquered Philippine Islands from 1898 to 1900. Originally interred in a plot in Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York, he was re-interred at Arlington National Cemetery in 1929.

Bio by: Russ Dodge

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 25 2020, 15:23:56 UTC