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 [decorative delimiter] Class of 1883

Vol. III
p371
2993

(Born Ind.)

Edwin Alvinº Root

(Ap'd Ind.)

25

Born Kentland, IN.​a

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1879, to June 13, 1883, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Second Lieut., 22d Infantry, June 13, 1883.

Served: on frontier duty at Ft. Lyon, Col., Sep. 29, 1883, to Feb. 26, 1885, — Ponca Agency, I. T., to Aug. 26, 1885, — Osage Agency, I. T., to Oct. 1, 1885, — and Ft. Lyon, Col., to Aug. 30, 1887; under instruction at the Infantry and Cavalry School of Application, Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., to June 29, 1889; en route to company, to Sep. 1, 1889; on leave of absence, to Oct. 11, 1889; and on frontier duty at Ft. Abraham Lincoln, Dak., to –––––.

Vol. IV
p374
[Supplement, Vol. IV: 1890‑1900]

Military History. — Served: With company at Fort Abraham Lincoln, N. D., from Oct., 1889 till Aug., 1890.

(First Lieut. of Infantry, 19th Infantry, Feb. 20, 1891)

— Assistant Instructor, Department of Engineering, U. S. Infantry and Cavalry School, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., from Aug., 1890 to July, 1895 (Honor Graduate, 1889); at Fort Brady, Mich., July, 1895 to May 1, 1896. — Adjutant-General's Office, M. I. D., Washington, D. C., to Dec. 19, 1896. — Fort Wayne, Mich., to April 19, 1898; Mobile, Ala., April 21 to June 4, 1898; Tampa, Fla.,

(Captain of Infantry, July 1, 1898)

(Major and Engineer Officer, U. S. Volunteers, July 16, 1898)

to July 23, 1898. — Engineer Officer of Puerto Rican expedition on staff of Brigadier-General Schwan. — On transport Cherokee en route to Puerto Rico, July 23 to 31, 1898. — Landed at Ponce, proceeded with General Schwan to Yauco, P. R., Aug. 7, and through the campaign in western Puerto Rico; in battle of Hormigueros, Aug. 10, 1898; continued in the field to end of campaign, Aug. 14; returned to Mayaguez, Aug. 15. — Adjutant-General, Western District of Puerto Rico, Aug. 28. — Served at Mayaguez till Oct. 15, when ordered to San Juan, P. R. — Chief Engineer Officer, Department of Puerto Rico, Oct. 20. — Member of Board of Harbor Works, Oct. 27. — Directing Engineer of harbor works, Dec. 18, 1898 to Feb. 15, 1899.

(Assigned to 10th Infantry, Jan. 1, 1899)

— Engineer and in charge of harbor works of San Juan, P. R., to April 17;

(Honorably discharged from Volunteer Service, May 12, 1899)

— On duty in office of Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C., from June 30, 1899 to –––––;

Vol. V
p345
[Supplement, Vol. V: 1900‑1910]

Military History. — Served: On duty in office of Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C., from June 30, 1899 to Sept. 30, 1901; with company at Fort Crook, Neb., Oct. 1, 1901 to March 5, 1902; en route to San Francisco, Cal., to March 9, 1902; en route to Philippine Islands, March 15, to April 12, 1902; disembarked at Malabang, Mindanao, April 29, 1902; on Guassi trail, road building, May 1, 1902; Malabang to Lake Lanao, to May 27, 1902; left Malabang with company for station at Davao and Mati, Mindanao, May 29, 1902, arriving May 31, 1902; commanding Districts of Davao and Makar, to June 18, 1902.

(Regimental Quartermaster, 10th Infantry, Oct. 1, 1902)

— Left Davao, Oct. 10, 1902, for Headquarters, 10th Infantry, at Iligan, arriving Oct. 17, 1902; left Iligan, with regimental headquarters for Cattabato, Mindanao, Feb. 23, 1903, arriving Feb. 27, 1903; installed ice plant and new distilling plant at Cattabato; left Cattabato with regimental headquarters for United States, Aug. 10, 1903, arriving at San Francisco, Sept. 18, 1903; assigned to Cantonment, Presidio, San Francisco, Cal. to July 1, 1904; changed station to Fort Lawton, Washington; arrived there July 3, 1904; resigned as Regimental Quartermaster and assigned to company, Dec. 31, 1904; detailed for duty at Army War College, Oct. 20, 1904

(Major, 19th Infantry, May 25, 1906)

to April 1, 1907; Acting Judge Advocate, Department of California, April 1, 1907 to July 30, 1907; en route to Fort McIntosh, Tex., and in command 2d Battalion, 19th Infantry, to Aug. 4, 1907; in command Fort McIntosh, Tex., to June 15, 1908; at Maneuver Camp, Leon Springs, Texas, June 15, 1908 to Aug. 1, 1908, as Assistant Chief Umpire.

Vol. VI
p357
[Supplement, Vol. VI: 1910‑1920]

(Born Dec. 9, 1860.)

Military History. —

Major, 19th Infantry, May 25, 1906.

At Fort McIntosh, Texas, commanding Post, Aug. 4, 1907, to June 1, 1909; (at Leon Springs, Texas, Assistant Chief Umpire at Maneuver Camp, June 15 to Aug. 1, 1908); at Washington, D. C., on General Staff and in charge of Military Information Division, Army War College, June 6, 1909, to Jan. 1, 1911; at Chicago, Ill., Chief of Staff, Central Department, to Aug. 16, 1911; on leave of absence to

(Lieut.‑Colonel, 15th Infantry, Sept. 6, 1911)

Nov. 15, 1911; en route to San Francisco, Cal., and to Philippines to Jan. 5, 1912; at Fort William McKinley, P. I., commanding 15th Infantry, to March 12, 1912, when transferred with regiment to Tientsin, China; at Tientsin to Feb. 16, 1913; en route to Manila to Feb. 27, 1913; at Manila to Sept. 23, 1913; (Surveying Officer for City of Manila; commanding Cuartel de España and battalion of 13th Infantry, May 1 to 23; commanding Cuartel de España, one battalion of Philippine Scouts and Department of Luzon, May 23 to July 19); en route to Tientsin, Sept. 23 to Oct. 19, 1913; at Tientsin to November, 1914; en route from Chin Wang Tao to San Francisco, Cal., Nov. 12 to Dec. 18, 1914; at Washington, D. C., to

(Colonel of Infantry, Feb. 7, 1915)

Feb. 18, 1915; at El Paso, Texas, commanding 16th Infantry, Feb. 23 to July 1, 1915; at Plattsburg Bks., N. Y., commanding 30th Infantry, July 4, 1915, to May 12, 1916; en route with regiment to Mexican border, May 12 to 16, 1916; halted at San Antonio, Texas, to June 15;  p358 Eagle Pass, Texas, with regiment, June 16, 1916, to Jan. 23, 1917; (during a part of this time commanded a Provisional Brigade of 30th Infantry, two regiments of National Guard of Maryland and later, a Brigade of two regiments National Guard of Kansas and one regiment, National Guard of Vermont); at Springfield, Ill., Senior Inspector-Instructor, 12th Provisional Division, National Guards of Illinois and Indiana, Jan. 26 to Sept. 6, 1917; (Annual Inspector, National Guard of Nebraska, Feb. 18 to April 25; at Omaha, Neb., examining candidates for First Officers Training Camps, to May 10; inspecting Divisional cantonment sites in Illinois to June 6, selecting Camp Grant at Rockford, Ill.; inspecting regimental Hdqrs., Illinois and Indiana National Guards, to June 20; mustering into Federal service National Guard of Michigan, July 15 to Aug. 3, and National Guard of Indiana, Aug. 5 to 26); at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., commanding Post and attached to 11th Infantry, Sept. 7, 1917, to June 8, 1918; (in September, 1917, there were in the Garrison, the 10th, 45th and 46th Regiments of Infantry, 2nd Training Camp Officers, Hospital Corps Training Camp, Ambulance Companies, Field Hospitals, Truck Trains, etc., in all about 18,000 officers and men; by last of November, all had been sent over seas except 10th Infantry, retained to garrison post and to guard cantonments; in April, 1918, cantonments again used for organizing Engineer regiments); en route to Philippines to Aug. 6, 1918; at Fort William McKinley, P. I., commanding 1st Philippine Provisional Infantry and Post, (station of 3 regiments), to Dec. 6, 1918; at Manila, commanding Department of Philippines, to Jan. 20, 1919; returned to command of Fort McKinley, Jan. 20, 1919.

Vol. VII
p200
[Supplement, Vol. VII: 1920‑1920]

Military History. —

Colonel of Infantry, Feb. 7, 1915.

At Fort William McKinley, P. I., commanding Post, Jan. 20, 1919, to Apr. 22, 1920; in China, on detached service and on leave of absence to May 26; at Fort William McKinley, to Dec. 15, 1920 (commanding 1st Regiment, Philippine Scouts, to Aug. 8); at Schofield Bks., Hawaii, Jan. 5, 1921, to Mar. 9; en route  p201 to San Francisco, Calif., commanding 21st Infantry Brigade, to Mar. 17; en route to Camp Grant, Ill., to Mar. 26; on leave of absence to Apr. 27, 1921; at Indianapolis, Ind., with Organized Reserves, State of Indiana, and Chief of Staff, 84th Division, Organized Reserves, to Aug. 29, 1922.

Colonel, U. S. A., Retired, Aug. 29, 1922,
For Disability Contracted in Line of Duty.

Civil History: — Author of Root's Military Topography and Sketching and collaborated Beach's Military Field Engineering.

Vol. VIII
p65
[Supplement, Vol. VIII: 1930‑1940]

Military History: —

Col., Ret., Aug. 29, 1922.

Vol. IX
p47
[Supplement, Vol. IX: 1940‑1950]

Military History: —

Col Ret 29 Aug 22.

Died, Apr. 1, 1943, at Indianapolis, Ind.: Aged 82.

Portrait and obituary at West Point Association of Graduates.º

Buried, Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, IN.


Thayer's Note:

a Col. Root's birthplace is from the WPAOG memorial article.


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