Nelson A. Miles

Nelson A. Miles
Nelson A. Miles as Commanding General / General-in-Chief of the U.S. Army, 1898
1st Military Governor of Puerto Rico
In office
July 25, 1898 – October 18, 1898
PresidentWilliam McKinley
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byJohn R. Brooke
Commanding General of the U.S. Army (General-in-Chief)
In office
October 5, 1895 – August 8, 1903
PresidentGrover Cleveland
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded byJohn Schofield
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born(1839-08-08)August 8, 1839
Westminster, Massachusetts, (United States)
DiedMay 15, 1925(1925-05-15) (aged 85)
Washington, D.C., (United States)
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia)
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Mary Hoyt Sherman
(m. 1868; died 1904)
Alma materTaylor University
AwardsMedal of Honor
Signature
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1861–1903
RankLieutenant General
Unit
Commands
Battles/wars

Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was a United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War (1861-1865), the later American Indian Wars (1840-1890), and the Spanish–American War, (1898). From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding General of the United States Army (General-in-Chief), before the office was transformed into the current Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army in 1903.