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Class of 1877

Vol. III
p293 2710

(Born O.)

Matthias Walterº Day

(Ap'd O.)

Born Mansfield, OH.a

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1873, to June 14, 1877, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Additional Second Lieut., 10th Cavalry, June 15, 1877.

Served: on leave of absence and awaiting orders, June 15, 1877 to Jan. 12, 1878; and on frontier duty at Ft. Concho, Tex., and Scouting, Jan. 12 to June 18, 1878, — en route to and at Ysleta, Tex., and Scouting,

(Second Lieut., 9th Cavalry, Mar. 1, 1878)

to Apr., 1879, being engaged with Mescalero Indians at Cornuda Mountains, Apr. 16, 1879, — at Ft. Bliss, Tex., to Aug., 1879, — Ft. Bayard, N. M., and Scouting, to Jan. 9, 1880, being engaged in Fights with Apaches, Sep. 18, 29, and 30, and Oct., 1879, — Ft. Stanton, N. M., and Scouting, to Dec. 11, 1881, being engaged in Fights with Apaches, Jan. 12, Feb. 17, and Feb. 28, 1880, — Ft. Elliott, Tex. (leave of absence,

(First Lieut., 9th Cavalry, Aug. 21, 1883)

Oct. 20, 1883, to Jan. 30, 1884) to Feb. 29, 1884, — Ft. Reno, I. T., and Scouting (Rifle Teams and leave of absence, Aug. 6, 1884, to Jan. 20, 1885), to May 4, 1885, — commanding Indian Scouts, June 11, 1885, to July, 1886, and engaged with Geronimo's Band in Sonora, Mex., Aug. 7 and Sep. 22, 1885, — Ft. Niobrara, Neb., to Oct. 17, 1887, — and Ft. Robinson, Neb. (Rifle Teams, Aug.‑Sep., and leave of absence, to Nov. 14, 1888), to –––––.

Vol. IV
p292 [Supplement, Vol. IV: 1890‑1900]

Military History. —

(Brevet Captain, Feb. 27, 1890, for gallant services in actions against Indians during the attack on Geronimo's stronghold in the Sierra Madre Mountains, Mex., Aug. 7, 1885, and in the Terres Mountains, Mex., Sept. 22, 1885.)

Medal of Honor

for bravery in action against hostile Apache Indians at Las Animas Cañon, N. M., Sept. 18, 1879, in singly advancing into the enemy's line and carrying a wounded soldier of his command on his back down a rocky trail under a hot fire, after he had been ordered to retreat; while serving as 2d Lieutenant, 9th Cavalry.

p293 Served: (Regimental Quartermaster, till April, 1891) (Distinguished marksman, 1891) In the field at Pine Ridge, S. D., in Jan., 1891.

(Captain of Cavalry, 9th Cavalry, April 21, 1891)

— Commanding Troop A, Indian Scouts, from April to July, 1891. — Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Mount Union College, Alliance, O., Sept. 1, 1894 till Sept. 1, 1895. — On riot duty, with 9th Cavalry, at Butte, Mont., July, 1894. — Commanding Troop B, at Fort Duchesne, Utah, from Nov., 1895 till Aug. 28, 1897. — General recruiting service at Cleveland, O., from Oct., 1897 till April 26, 1898. — Commanding Troop L, 9th Cavalry, since Dec. 1, 1898; at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., till April 28, 1899. — At Fort Brown, Tex., to May 21, 1899. — Commanding post, Fort Brown, and in charge of all Staff Departments, May 21, 1899 to –––––;

(Lieut.‑Colonel, 1st Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, May 9, 1898)

Commanding regiment from organization, April 26, 1898, till muster‑out, Oct. 21, 1898.

(Honorably mustered out of Volunteer Service, Oct. 22, 1898)

Vol. V
p269 [Supplement, Vol. V: 1900‑1910]

Military History. — Served: Commanding Company B, Apache Scouts, March, 1885 to March, 1886; (Fort Brown, May 21, 1899) to Nov., 1899; commanding Fort Wingate, New Mexico, till June, 1900; Philippine Islands, Province Albay Luzon, till May, 1901.

p270 (Major, 15th Cavalry, Feb. 28, 1901)

— Commanding Benicia Barracks, California, till Dec., 1901; P. I., Province Laguna, Luzon, till June, 1902; Military Governor, Davas,º till July, 1903; Supervisor Philippine Census; General Recruiting Service, New York City, Nov. 1, 1903 to Nov. 1, 1905; Fort Ethan Allen, Vt., till Oct., 1906; commanding Santa Clara, Cuba, till March, 1907.

(Lieut.‑Colonel, 6th Cavalry, Jan. 19, 1907)

— Fort Meade, S. D., till Sept., 1907; commanding Camp Overton, Mindanao, Oct. 7, 1907, till July 6, 1908; engaged in fight with Moros under Ampuanagus at his stronghold at Ilian Dumaludu, R., near Lake Lanao; under Colonel Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class. T. F. Davis, 18th Infantry, April 10, 1908; serving with 2d Squadron, 6th Cavalry, 1st Battalion and M. E. P., 18th Infantry and Constabulary; D. S. at Sea with Captain Siquors' Squadron, Bamboo Fleet in Sulu Sea, chasing Fikiri pirates, during June and until July 2, 1909; returned to U. S., Jan. 12, 1910, which time Ib have been stationed at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 12, 1910 to –––––.

Vol. VI
p246 [Supplement, Vol. VI: 1910‑1920]

(Born Aug. 8, 1853.)

Military History. —

Medal of Honor.

Lieut.‑Colonel, 6th Cavalry, Jan. 19, 1907.

At Fort Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 12, 1910, to Feb. 11, 1911 (on leave of absence, Feb. 2 to March 31, 1910; at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., commanding regiment at maneuvers, Sept. 16 to Oct. 14, 1910; commanding regiment, Oct. 14, 1910, to Feb. 11, 1911);

(Colonel of Cavalry, March 21, 1911)

at Fort Riley, Kans., taking special course at Mounted Service School, March 28 to June 15, 1911; at Fort Des Moines with 6th Cavalry, June 16 to 25, 1911; at San Antonio, Texas, with 9th and 11th Cavalry, to Aug. 8, 1911; at Fort Des Moines, commanding post, Aug. 10 to Dec. 6, 1911; on leave of absence, Dec. 7, 1911, to Feb. 28, 1912.

Colonel, U. S. A., Retired, Feb. 28, 1912,
At His Own Request, After Over 30 Years' Service.

Since retirement, resided at San Francisco and at Los Angeles, Cal.

Vol. VII
p147 [Supplement, Vol. VII: 1920‑1930]

Military History: —

Medal of Honor.

Colonel, U. S. A., Retired, Feb. 28, 1912,
At His Own Request, After Over 30 Years' Service.

Died, Sept. 12, 1927, at Los Angeles, Calif.: Aged 74.

Portrait and obituary in Annual Report, Association of Graduates, for 1932.

Buried, San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, CA.

Thayer's Notes:

a Col. Day's birthplace is from his AOG obituary.

b Sic. This first-person slip in the compilation of the Register entry is conclusive evidence for what is already obvious enough thruout: that (at least in Volume V) the entries were to a large extent compiled from reports submitted by the principals themselves.

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