Charles A. Wikoff
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Charles A. Wikoff (1837-July 1, 1898) was a military colonel serving from American Civil War until he became the most senior ranking American Army officer killed in the Spanish-American War[1]
Camp Wikoff in Montauk, New York through which American troops including Theodore Roosevelt returned after the conflict was named for him.
Wikoff was born in Easton, Pennsylvania.
During the American Civil War as a lieutenant for the 15th infantry he was shot in the left eye during the Battle of Shiloh and wore an eye patch throughout the rest of his life.[2]
In 1898 he led the 22nd Regiment of the Infantry from Fort Crook, Nebraska to Cuba where he was transferred to lead the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division of Major General William Rufus Shafter's V Army Corps. During a charge across an open field he was shot in the Battle of San Juan Hill. Within 10 minutes his two successors William S. Worth and Emerson Liscom were also shot before Ezra P. Ewers, the fourth in command, assumed control.
He is buried in Easton.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Col. Charles A. Wikoff profile at 1-22infantry.org Retrieved January 11, 2007
- ^ That Body of Brave Men: The Us Regular Infantry and the Civil War in the West By Mark W. Johnson - 2003 ISBN 0306812460
- ^ Findagrave Profile Retrieved January 11, 2007
