Wilber Elliott Wilder

Wilber Elliott Wilder
File:Wilber E. Wilder (U.S. Army Medal of Honor recipient).jpg Wilder in 1918 as commander of the 168th Infantry Brigade, 84th Division.
Born	(1857-08-18)August 18, 1857 Atlas, Michigan
Died	Governors Island, New York
Place of burial	Fairlawn Cemetery, Ridgefield, Connecticut
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1877–1920
Rank	Brigadier General
Unit	4th Cavalry Regiment
Commands held	5th Cavalry Regiment 84th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Indian Wars Spanish–American War Pancho Villa Expedition World War I
Awards	Medal of Honor

Wilber Elliott Wilder (August 18, 1857 – January 30, 1952) was a United States Army Brigadier General who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for rescuing a wounded soldier under heavy fire.

Education and army career

He married Violet Blair Martin, of the prominent Throop-Martin family of "Willowbrook" near Auburn, New York, on April 16, 1884. They had a son, Wilber, and a daughter, Violet. In 1886 he was a key figure in negotiating the surrender of the Apache chief Geronimo. While an Army Captain, he served as acting superintendent of Yellowstone National Park from March 15, 1899 - June 22, 1899. He also served in Spanish–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving graduate of the Academy. He died in Governors Island, New York but was residing in Ridgefield, Connecticut at the time.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Horseshoe Canyon, N. Mex., 23 April 1882. Entered service at: Detroit, Mich. Birth: Atlas, Mich. Date of issue: 17 August 1896.

Citation: Assisted, under a heavy fire, to rescue a wounded comrade.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

External links

• Home of Heroes