- Daniel Webster Flagler
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Daniel Webster Flagler 
General Flagler at the time of the Spanish-American WarBorn June 20, 1835
Lockport, New YorkDied March 29, 1899 (aged 63)
Old Point Comfort, VirginiaPlace of burial Arlington National Cemetery Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Army Years of service 1861-1899 Rank 
Brigadier GeneralCommands held Chief of Ordnance Battles/wars Civil War
Spanish-American WarRelations Major General Clement Flagler (Son)
Brigadier General Clement Finley (Father in Law)Daniel Webster Flagler (June 20, 1835-March 29, 1899) was a United States Army Brigadier General. He was prominent as the Army's Chief of Ordnance.
Contents
Early Life
Flagler was appointed to the United States Military Academy in 1856. He graduated fifth in the class of 1861 and was appointed a Second Lieutenant of Ordnance.[1]
Civil War
Flagler's first Civil War assignment was to teach drill and ceremony and other basic skills to newly raised volunteers in Washington, D.C. He served as aide to David Hunter in the Manassas Campaign, and fought during the First Battle of Bull Run.[2]
He next served as aide to Irvin McDowell in the defense of Washington.[3]
After serving at the Allegheny Arsenal he participated in Ambrose Burnside’s North Carolina expedition. Flagler took part in the capture of Roanoke Island, the attack of New Bern, and the capture of Fort Macon.[4]
Next assigned to the Army of the Potomac, Flagler took part in the Maryland Campaign, including the Battle of South Mountain. Flagler also participated in the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.[5]
Flagler was assigned to inspection duty at the West Point Foundry in October, 1863 and remained there until May, 1864. He was then transferred to the Army's Ordnance office in Washington, where he remained until June, 1865.[6]
A Captain at the end of the war, Flagler was a brevet Lieutenant Colonel, having received three honorary promotions -- one for valor at New Bern, one for meritorious service at Fort Macon, and one for distinguished service to the Ordnance Department throughout the war.[7]
Post Civil War
Recognized as an expert on developing and producing artillery and other weapons, Flagler continued his Ordnance service after the war, including assignments at the Watervliet, Augusta, Rock Island, Fort Monroe, Fort Union, San Antonio, Frankford, and Watertown arsenals.[8][9][10][11]
In 1877 Flagler authored "A History of the Rock Island Aresenal".[12]
In January, 1891 he was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned as Chief of Ordnance, holding this assignment until his death.[13][14][15]
Death and burial
General Flagler died at the Hygeia Hotel, a resort where he had gone in an effort to recover his health after suffering from rheumatism and other ailments.[16][17][18][19][20] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section West E, Site 147.[21][22] Daniel W. Flagler and his wife are memorialized on one side of the grave marker, and General Clement Flagler and his wife are memorialized on the other.[23]
Family
On September 13, 1865 Flagler married Mary McCalla Finley, the daughter of Brigadier General Clement Alexander Finley. Their children included a daughter, Elizabeth (1866-1939) and a son, Clement (1867-1922).[24]
Clement Arthur Finley Flagler was a career Army officer who attained the rank of Major General as a division commander in World War I.[25][26]
In 1895 Elizabeth Flagler was found guilty of manslaughter after she shot and killed a fifteen year old African American boy, one of several who she fired a pistol at when she observed them stealing pears from her father's garden. Following her conviction she served three hours in the District of Columbia jail and paid a fine of $500. In 1901 she married Doctor George W. MacKean of Nova Scotia.[27][28]
Other
Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island in Washington was named for him. The site is now a state park and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[29][30]
External resources
- Daniel Webster Flagler page, Arlington National Cemetery web site, accessed October 31, 2011
- Daniel Webster Flagler page, Find A Grave web site, accessed October 31, 2011
References
- ^ The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Rossiter Johnson, Editor and John Howard Brown, Managing Editor, published by The Biographical Society, Boston, 1904 Volume 4, (Ericsson-Gwin)
- ^ Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, by George Washington Cullum, published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Boston and New York, Volume 2, 1891, page 814
- ^ Appleton's Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events, published by D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1900, page 601
- ^ Obituary, Daniel W. Flagler, General Order Number 59, April 1, 1899, printed in General Orders and Circulars, published by U.S. Department of War, 1900, page 69
- ^ Magazine article, The Leaders of Our Army, Munsey's Magazine, Volume 19, Number 5, August, 1898
- ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, published by James T. White & Company, New York, Volume 9, 1899, page 249
- ^ Register of the Commandery of the State of Pennsylvania, April 15, 1865 to September 1, 1902, published by the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, 1902, page 183
- ^ Men of the Century, edited by Charles Morris, published by L.R. Hamersly, Philadelphia, 1896, page 265
- ^ Uniforms, Arms, and Equipment: Weapons and Accouterments, by Douglas C. McChristian, 2007, page 48
- ^ The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars, by Spencer Tucker, Volume 1, 2009, page 224
- ^ The Ongoing Civil War: New Versions of Old Stories, edited by Herman Hattaway and Ethan Sepp Rafuse, 2004, pages 80-81
- ^ Title page, A History of the Rock Island Arsenal from its Establishment in 1836 to December 1876, by Daniel Webster Flagler, published by U.S. Government Printing Office, 1877
- ^ Newspaper article, On the Retired List, Mansfield (Ohio) Evening News, January 23, 1891
- ^ Newspaper article, A New Chief of Ordnance, Arizona Republican, January 24, 1891
- ^ Newspaper article, Flagler Chief of Ordnance, Waterloo (Iowa) Daily Courier, February, 5, 1891
- ^ Newspaper article, General Flagler is Dead, Janesville (Wisconsin) Daily Gazette, March 30, 1899
- ^ Newspaper article, General Flagler Dies at Old Point, Atlanta Constitution, March 30, 1899
- ^ Newspaper article, Able Officer Gone: General Flagler, Chief of Ordnance, Dies of Rheumatism, Middletown (New York) Daily Argus, March 30, 1899
- ^ Newspaper article, General Flagler Dead: Army's Chief of Ordnance a Victim of Rheumatism, Austin (Minnesota) Daily Herald, March 30, 1899
- ^ Newspaper article, Gen. Flagler Dead, Popular Chief of Ordnance Closes an Honorable Career, Cedar Rapids Republican, March 30, 1899
- ^ Arlington National Cemetery web site, Daniel Webster Flagler entry, accessed October 31, 2011
- ^ Newspaper article, Funeral of General Flagler, Warren (Pennsylvania) Evening Democrat, April 4, 1899
- ^ Personal observation of the author, September 18, 2011
- ^ The Cyclopaedia of American Biography, published by James H. Lamb Company, Boston, Volume 3, 1900, page 117
- ^ Newspaper article, Maj. Gen. Flagler, War Hero, Son of Former Rock Island Commandant, Dead, Davenport Democrat, May 9, 1922
- ^ Newspaper article, Major General Flagler Dies at Johns Hopkins, Salt Lake Tribune, May 9, 1922
- ^ Newspaper article, Elizabeth M. Flagler a Bride, New York Times, June 13, 1901
- ^ Newspaper article, Day of Penance Ends in Love, The Pittsburgh Press, June 12, 1901
- ^ Washington State Parks web page, Fort Flagler State Park, accessed October 31, 2011
- ^ The Washington Historical Quarterly, published by Washington University State Historical Society, Volumes 8-9, 1917, page 203
Categories:- 1835 births
- United States Army generals
- United States Military Academy alumni
- People of New York in the American Civil War
- American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
- People from Lockport, New York
- 1899 deaths
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