Oscar Fitzalan Long

Oscar Fitzalan Long
Oscar Fitzalan Long
Born	(1852-06-16)June 16, 1852 Utica, New York
Died	December 23, 1928(1928-12-23) (aged 76) Piedmont, California
Place of burial	Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, California
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1876–1904
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	American Indian Wars
Awards	Medal of Honor

Oscar Fitzalan Long (June 16, 1852 – December 23, 1928) was a United States Army Brigadier General who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor in action on September 30, 1877 near Bear Paw Mountain, Montana. An 1876 graduate of West Point, he served in the Army until 1904.

Education and American Indian Wars

Long was born in Utica, New York in 1852. He received an appointment to West Point, graduating in 1876.^[1] He served most of his Army career in the American West. During the campaign against Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce in the fall of 1877, Long was one of nine men who received the Medal of Honor for valor at the Battle of Bear Paw Mountain.^[2]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 5th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Bear Paw Mountain, Mont., 30 September 1877. Entered service at: Utica, N.Y. Born: 16 June 1852, Utica, N.Y. Date of issue: 22 March 1895.

Citation:

"Having been directed to order a troop of cavalry to advance, and finding both its officers killed, he voluntarily assumed command, and under a heavy fire from the Indians advanced the troop to its proper position."^[3]

Life after the frontier

After retiring as a Brigadier General in 1904, Long moved to Oakland, California and became a businessman. He has a collection of papers on file at the University of California, Berkeley.^[4] Long is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.^[1]

References

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