Hugh L. Scott
| Hugh Lenox Scott | |
|---|---|
MG Hugh Lenox Scott official portrait
|
|
| Born |
September 22, 1853 near Danville, Kentucky |
| Died | April 30, 1934 (aged 80) Washington, D.C. |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1876–1919 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Commands held |
Superintendent of the United States Military Academy 3rd Cavalry Regiment Chief of Staff of the United States Army 78th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards |
Army Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Spanish Campaign Medal Philippine Campaign Medal |
| Relations | Gustavus H. Scott |
Hugh Lenox Scott (September 22, 1853 – April 30, 1934) was a post-Civil War West Point graduate who served as superintendent of West Point from 1906 to 1910, and as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1914 to 1917, including the first few months of American involvement in World War I.
Born September 22, 1853 in Danville, Kentucky, he grew up there and in Princeton, New Jersey where he attended The Lawrenceville School. He attended Princeton University, before attending the United States Military Academy.
Scott graduated from West Point in 1876 (his Cullum Number was 2628), and was commissioned in the Cavalry. For some twenty years thereafter he served on the Western frontier, chiefly with the 7th United States Cavalry. He was assigned to the quarters only recently vacated by the widow of George Armstrong Custer. In fact, Scott was sent out to the Little Big Horn battle site to mark gravesites for Custer's men killed in the battle. He also had the opportunity to interview many of the Native Americans who fought on both sides of the battle on June 25, 1876. He saw action in campaigns against the Sioux, Nez Perce, Cheyenne and other tribes of the Great Plains and became an expert in their languages and ways of life. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in June 1878.
About 1889, while stationed with the 7th Cavalry at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Scott made the acquaintance of an Indian scout name I-See-O (Plenty Fires) of the Kiowa tribe. I-See-O enlisted in the Indian Scouts in 1889 and taught Scott Native American sign language and techniques of frontier warfare. When Scott was given command of Troop L of the regiment, he had I-See-O serve as his first sergeant. (Infantry regiments designated Company I for their Native American scouts, and cavalry regiments did the same with Troop L.) During the ghost dance phenomenon of the early 1890s, I-See-O helped in persuading the Apache and Kiowa tribes not to go to war. This action, while serving the interest of white settlers and speculators, undoubtedly also saved the lives of many Native Americans. Scott's gratitude to I-See-O was such that, when he was Chief of Staff of the Army, he allowed for Sergeant I-See-O to remain on active duty for life.
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