Genealogie Wylie » Capt. USA 7th Cavalry George David Wallace [OSRCWl RoseHlBu]1 (1849-1890)

Persoonlijke gegevens Capt. USA 7th Cavalry George David Wallace [OSRCWl RoseHlBu]1 

• Ook bekend als W1737.
• Hij is geboren op 29 juni 1849 in York District, South Carolina.
• Hij is overleden op 29 december 1890 in Wounded Knee, South Dakota, hij was toen 41 jaar oud.
• Hij is begraven in Rose Hill Cemetery, York County, South Carolina.
• Een kind van Alexander Stuart Wallace en Nancy Lee Ratchford
• Deze gegevens zijn voor het laatst bijgewerkt op 26 december 2013.

Gezin van Capt. USA 7th Cavalry George David Wallace [OSRCWl RoseHlBu]1

Hij is getrouwd met Caroline M. Otis.

_UID2500E1DFD8859C4AB3C8E04CE2E663110B57

Zij zijn getrouwd op 12 oktober 1882 te St. Pauls Episcopal Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, hij was toen 33 jaar oud.

Kind(eren):

1. Otis Alexander Wallace  1889-1890

Notities over Capt. USA 7th Cavalry George David Wallace [OSRCWl RoseHlBu]1

Name Prefix: Capt.
Capt. Wallace served with the U. S. Army 7th Cavalryunder Major Reno.
He was the only officer killed in the Battle of Wounded Kneeand is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in York proper in SC.
Many publications have been issued about George D. Wallace.

Excerpt from the June 1996 Quarterly of the York Co, Genealogical and Historical Society, p 26:

John McIntosh(of the SC Dept of Archives and History) is seeking funds for the erection of amarker near the Rose Hill Cemetery (York) grave of Captain George D. Wallace.
The text will read: " Born in 1849 near York, 1872 West Point graduate. In 1876 he served as 1st Lt. (7th Cavalry) under Major Marcus Reno at the Little BigHorn battle, just four miles away from Gen. George Custer's Last Stand. His battle reports/testimonies are invaluable to historians. He was probably only S.C. native at this battle. Killed in 1890 Wounded Knee, S.D. conflict (grave isapprox. 110 feet from this marker)".

YORK COUNTY OFFICER RODE WITH CUSTER
By John D. Mackintosh

One of the forgotten figures of York County's wealthy past who bears remembering is George D. Wallace of the fabled U.S. Seventh Cavalry. He served as one of General George A. Custer's officers and took part in the Battle of Little Big Horn,
fighting on a hill top near where Custer was making his last stand. Wallace's journey to the Little Big Horn began with his birth on a farm near York in 1849. His father was Alexander S. Wallace, a Unionist slave-holder opposed to secession. After the war, in the first election held, the elder Wallace was elected to Congress in Washington as a Republican. That same year his son George entered the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. There he proved to be as good a student as he had been in York, graduating near the top of his class.

In the early 1870s he began his military career as the second lieutenant for Company G of the Seventh. In the summer of 1876, Custer launched his last campaign with Wallace serving as the officer of the march, recording information on conditions encountered and marching times while on the route of the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians. On the approach to the Little Big Horn encampment of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, Custer split his force of 600 men, Wallace ending up under Major Reno. Reno attacked the massive Indian village but retreated before stiff resistance. Meanwhile, Custer led over 210 men against the Indians further downstream. There, he and all his followers were wiped out. Four miles away the remnants of Wallace's company fought off repeated onslaughts, the steep Montana terrain blocking their view of Custer's Last Stand. They survived until relief arrived two days later. One officer wrote after the battle that Wallace seemed to possess a presentment of the coming disaster, recording Wallace's statement that "I believe General Custer will be killed" after their normally robust commander appeared downcast at a meeting of officers. Indeed, Wallace narrowly escaped death himself, having ridden near Custer up until the forces were divided. He joined Reno only after the entreaties of his former West Point roommate persuaded him to do so. Approximately a month after the battle, the Yorkville Enquirer printed excerpts of a letter from Wallace to his father in which he described the action: "Our noble regiment is almost obliterated; but a merciful God has spared a few of us. Of the five companies that were with Gen. Custer, not a single one is left to tell the story of the massacre. We entrenched outselves and kept the indians off."

The years after what is now known as the "Great Sioux War" saw additional military service in the high plains. Wallace was briefly involved in the pursuit of Chief Joseph's Nez Perce tribe as they unsuccessfully fled toward Canada. In 1882 he married Caroline Otis of St. Paul, Minnesota. His service records reveal that he was encountering respiratory problems and thus spent increasingly more time in the east seeking medical treatment. He was also promoted to Captain at a time when advancement in the small peacetime army was infrequent and slow.

Late in 1890 at Wounded Knee, South Dakota the Seventh Cavalry again faced off against the Sioux. This time they were supervising the disarming of warriors who had been caught up in the "ghost dance" religion, a faith in which the participants believed that by dancing they could cause their ancestors to return and banish the whites. Some of the braves resisted turning over their valuable weapons and and opened fire on the Seventh.Wallace was among the first to fall, the only officer killed that day. What started as a battle soon turned into a massacre as the inexperienced, frightened troopers fIred at everything that moved. Wallace's body was shipped home by train and he was buried in York's Rose Hill Cemetery on January 6, 1891. Shunned in his life time due to his Unionist family, his funeral brought the town to a halt as most citizens paid their respects. Wallace is now remembered as the only South Carolinian to have fought at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, a battle that has assumed legendary proportions in both American history and

YCGHS -- MARCH 1995 -- Page 1

folklore. His violent death provided a dramatic link between that struggle and the other best-known engagement of the western Indian wars, Wounded Knee.

INSCRIPTION ON WALLACE TOMBSTONE, ROSEHILL CEMETERY
"In Memory of Capt. George D. Wallace, Seventh U. S. Cavalry
Born June 29, 1849
Killed in Battle With Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, December 29, 1890
"He Like a Soldier Fell, Friends, Comrades and Country United in Mourning the Loss of an Officer whose Life Reflected Honor on His Native State."Thy Willbe Done, Oh Lord'"

Ironically, Wallace's grave is located only a few hundred feet from the small tombstones of eight Union soldiers who died in York during Reconstruction occupation. The inscriptions on three of these are for members of his Seventh Cavalry (Adolphus Cash of Company D, Sam L. Brown, and G. H. Whittemore of Company L) who were serving there at the very time Wallace began his own tenure with Company G in Laurens County in 1872 after graduation from West Point. Company L was later wiped out with Custer at the Little Big Horn.

================
WRC writes:

1667 George David Wallace, b 29 June 1849, d 29 Dec 1890 at battle of Wounded Knee. In Rose Hill Cern, York, S. C., a marker reads "In memory of Capt. George D. Wallace, Seventh U. S. Cavalry Born June 29, 1849 killed in battle with Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee, South Dakota Dec 29, 1890". m Carrie O. Their ch is 16671 Otis Alexander or Alexander Otis Wallace (under 14 years of age in 1890). George Wallace was the first Southerner to graduate from West Point after the War between the States 14 June 1872,
p 138 Register" of Graduates. William McCaslin Brice (166543) has the epalets of George D. Wallace.
In York Co Courthouse, York, S. C., Case 102, File 4815, is the record of Capt. George D. Wallace, b 29 Dec 1890 without a will, R. M. Wallace, adm. Carrie O. Wallace
of County of Ramsey, state of Minn., was appointed guard­ian of Otis A. Wallace, minor under 14 years of age, on 10 July 1891. R. M. Wallace, A. S. Wallace, and J. A. Ratch­ford were bond for admr. A. S. Wallace's son R. M. Wal­lace on 27 Jan' 1891. He had $1500. in goods in St. Paul, Minn. In 1971 I (WRC) wrote the Clerk of Court in St. Paul, Minn. John L. McKenzie, Clerk of Probate Court of Ram­sey Co, Minn., replied in Apr 1971 as follows: "I have; made an examination of our probate index and I am unable
to find any record of any probate proceedings for George
D. Wallace or Carrie O. Wallace (Caroline O. Wallace). I do find a guardianship file of Otis A. Wallace but there is nothing in that record that would be of assistance in deter­mining the whereabouts of said Otis A. Wallace or of any of his descendants. . .. The file number of the guardianship is 5913". Later he examined the microfilm record of the original file and found no other information other than that the value of the property to, the ward was $4,0000., no rec­ord of uncles, grandparents in S. C.
Some one in the family said that the State Historical Society of North Dakota had three letters written by George Wallace. The Archivist Frank E. Vyzralek sent me copies of the let­ters which Claire Brice Rushin (166545) sent. The first is as follows: "Memphis Tenn. Mar\23rd 1873 Dear Brother I suppose you are waiting for me to give some account of

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myself. We arrived here Monday 10th. I found Pa waiting for me. He got into Chattanooga nine hours after I had left. He spent the day there and then came here. We came by
way of Nashville and he came by the M & C RR.
I had a very pleasant trip, but had plenty of work to amuse me. The night we got to Columbia McIntosh took
sick and had to lie in bed the next day. I had to look after
the horses and men and make all the arrangements for get­ting away. I succeeded very well for the first attempt. At
1 P. M. I received notice that cars were ready and that we would start by three if I would have baggage forage and stock loaded. I performed my part of the contract but we did not start until 4 P. M. The remainder of the trip I had charge of everything. Mc took care of his wife. I never new be­fore how much a soldier could steal. Nearly every station that we came to a dog pig or something else would be taken and I would have to search the train for them. I went
through the train seven different times between Augusta and Atlanta for one dog. And then I did not find it. I don't know what was done with it. There are six companies here and
we expect one more to-morrow (Capt. Thompson). We have a very nice camp on the eastern side of the city. All the single officers live in camp. We get meals at the Hotel.
We leave here in three detachments on the 3rd, 5th, and
7th of Apr. We go by boat to Cairo thence by rail to Yank­ton. The remainder to Ft. Randall will be marched. Two companies (D & H) go on the Boundary Survey. The bther ten will be along the Northern Pacific R. R. Genl Custer thinks there will be some very hard fighting this summer.
He is in command here and will command the Regt during the Summer campaign. I like him very much. Pa left here yesterday for Washington. I think he is very well pleased with his trip. The officers had Pa a little frightened here. Hale told him I was about to fall in love with a young widow
at the Hotel but I finally got him convinced that I was not.
I like Memphis much better than any place I have served in yet. We are known here as soldiers not Yankees. Ben is with me. is doing very well. Your Brother G. D. W."
The following is on the typed copy also"Ken This letter was written by George D. Wallace who signed the other letter.
He, so Claire says--was her great uncle. He was a We st Pointer and we have one of his school books and pasted in

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the front is his name 'Cadet G. D. Wallace'. Also pasted in is an invitation to 'The hops to be given by the Corps of Ca­dets every Monday Wednesday and Friday Evening during
the encampment (Camp McPherson). The invitation is dated West Point, N. Y. 5th July 1869. The book is Bartlett's Philosophy - Acoustics and Optics. Publishers were A. S. Barnes & Co 111 and 113 William Street (corner John) 1868. Sterotypers L.P. Jones & Co. 183 William Street. Printers G. W. Wood 51 John st. Cor Dutch"
The second letter was written from "Fort A. Lincoln D. T. June 14 1874" to "My Dear Mother One more week has rolled away since I last wrote to you. I have not received any letters since I last wrote.
We are now making preparation for our summer cam­paign and our time in garrison is growing shorter every day. By this day week we will be in tented field and will not have much use for houses for some time to come. On the 20th
we move into camp. We will stop about five miles below
the post and will remain there till the 25th. This is done in order to get everything in field order. After staying in Gar­rison as long as we have done it requires some little time
to get everyone to understand just how much they have to
do and the way to do it promptly. We expect to be gone
about sixty days but can return sooner if necessary. When we once start we bid goodbye to civilization until our return. The country to which we go is unknown to white man and
there will not be any means of communicating with the out­side world. One or two scouts may be sent back but no one will be able to communicate with us. If I have an opportu­nity of sending any mail back I write to you but I may not be able to do so until the expedition returns. Our expedition
will make a pretty big show but not so large as the one we
had last summer. This year we have ten companies of cav­alry, two of infantry and I will have command of fifty Indian scouts. There will be two Gatling guns along. We will have about one hundred and twenty wagons. The Infantry is taken along to guard the train and allow the Cavalry to cut loose
and explore the country or chase the Indians to their summer resorts. Each officer will be allowed one valise and that must not weigh over twenty-five pounds. The ladies of the Garrison will remain there during our absence.
Give my love to sis Mag and all others at home. I will

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Iwrite again before leaving. Your son Geo. D. Wallace
2 Lieut 7 Cavalry Compy Scouts"
In The Custer Myth by Co!. W. A. Graham these pp have reference to Lt. Wallace: 135. 138. 181. 192. 195. 198.209. 211. 215. 268. 270. 273. 274. 276. 278. 293. 294. 300. 305. 308. 315. 318. 323.342 and possibly others also. Lt. George D. Wallace was Lt. in Troop G of Major Reno's Battalion on march between the Rosebud and the Little Big Horn on 22
June 1876. Lt. Wallace was found by Col Reno after the en­gagement and was with only three men left. At the Reno Court of Inquiry in 1879. the Wallace itinerary showed a dif­ferent time of events of the Little Big Horn affair than others. Waldin stated that the Wallace and Varnum account was prob­ably more accurate than his recollections. The account was the sworn testimony of Lt. Wallace in the Reno Court of In­quiry. The author of The Custer Myth noted that the report of Lt. Wallace's official itinerary was the most accurate record. A Capt. Carter discredited Lt. Wallace's testimony as to being able to see colors at a distance of a half mile and also discredited other officers. All the references with the exception of Capt. Carter show that Wallace was an officer
of .character and integrity who performed his duty well. He survived the battle of the Little Big Horn.
Records show that he was made 1st Lieut 4 Sept 1876.
On 18 Feb 1886 he was appointed Captain in the 7th Regiment Cavalry at Fort Buford. Dakota.
California Joe Noted Scout and Indian Fighter by Milner and Forrest on the p facing 290 has a picture of General Custer with the staff of the Seventh Cavalry and their wives. Fort Abraham Lincoln. Dakota Territory. 1875. with Second Lieutenant G. D. Wallace shown in the picture. The book also gives an account of the Battle of Little Big Horn.
About ten days before George was killed. he wrote the follow­ing: "Pine Ridge Agcy S. D. December 19. 1890 My Dear Father. Your letter of Dec 12 was received yesterday and found us in about the same fix as when I last wrote. We are busy not doing anything. just waiting for the order to advance. The troops have been gradually encircling the Northern side of the Bad Lands and must be pretty well in position by this time. Genl Miles the Division Commander is now in Rapid City and will direct the move when he has everything in place in fact I was told he telegraphed Genl Brooke. who is here to

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move to-day. but the latter asked for a few days delay. as the indians here have sent out five of their men to make a last appeal and were to have sent 300 of their bands today
to bring them in but I don't think they could get that many volunteers. So we look for an order to move at any moment. Since I last wrote one band of 180 lodges have come in but there are still about 250 lodges out.
The indians claim many of these are anxious to come in but the bad indians will not let them leave. We have used our spare time to draw and equip our men with the best clothing the Government can furnish.
The Q. M. Dept has been pretty prompt. This was not an Army Post but in a month supplies of all kinds from Maine to California from Dakota to Texas have been rolling in. Our Regiment from San Francisco is sixty miles East
of us and from New Mexico is on the North and others from nearer points are scattered around us. There are more Regular Troops in South Dakota than were ever before as­sembled in such a small space. The Regular Army was a very small speck in the late War but from it came the mci'­terial to make the officers of Volunteers. hear from Car­rie nearly every day. She seems to be getting along pretty well. I am glad you sent her some money for I am really keeping up two houses. I have to live here yet keep up the same expense at Riley. The feeding of one more in a family is not noticed. Then I had to get heavy clothing or freeze. Write to her often. With much love I am Your Son Geo. D. Wallace"
From the National Archives is this copy of a telegram: "Rapid City, S. C., December 29, 1890. To Adjutant Gen­eral, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C. General Brooke telegraphs Forsythe reports that while disarming Big Foot's band this morning fight occurred. Captain Wallace and five soldiers killed. Lieut. Garlington and fifteen men wounded. The Indians are being hunted up in all directions; none
known to have gotten their ponies. General Brooke also re­ports that many of the you.ng warriors that were going out from camp in Bad Lands to agency have gone towards For­sythe. All troops have been notified. Co!. Forsythe had two battalions Seventh Cavalry and Hotchkiss gun. Other troops are in close pr oximity. (Sgd) Miles, Commanding." "1st Indorsement. Headquarters of the Army, Washington,

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Dec 30, 1890. Respectfully submitted to the Secretary of War for his information. (Sgd) J. M. Schofield, Major Gen­eral Commanding. "
Another telegram is also in the file from the National Ar­chives: "Chadron, Neb., Dec 30, 1890. Adjutant General, U. S. A., Washington, D. C. I reported yesterday the statements as received from Colonel Forsythe through Gen­eral Brooke. I am now informed that the loss in that affair were Captain Wallace, 7th Cavalry, and 25 men killed, and Lieut. Garlington and 24 wounded; also Lieut. Hawthorne, 2d Artillery, wounded; about 3,000 Indians were at or near the agency at the time; are now away. Some will return. About 500 men now belong to the hostile element. I expect to be at the agency tomorrow morning, and will report more in detail. (Sgd) Miles, Major General Commanding. "
Capt. Wallace thus lived his life and evidently was well thought of by many.

16671 Otis Alexander Wallace or Alexander Otis Wallace, b after 1876 as he was under 14 years of age in 1890. I (WRC) have been unable to find more about him.

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