Arizona republican., 1898-05-03
COLONEL WOOD.
Captain Baldwin's Description of the
 Commander of the Cowboys

As the people of Arizona are very l much interested in Col. Leonard
 Wood, who is to command the regi-
 ment of volunteer cowboys from Ari-
 zona, Captain John A. Baldwin, U. s. A., has given a brief description of 1 him.
 1 Col. Wood was born in New Hamp- shire, and is now about 36 years old, and entered the United States army as
 surgeon in 1886. As surgeon he is
 one of superior ability, having per formed a number of most important,
 difficult and scientific operations suc-
 cessfully
 His first military service was in Ari
 zona in the Geronimo campaign in 1886, and that only few months after
 he was commissioned in the army.
 After Captain Crawford of the Third
 cavalry was killed by Mexican troops
 while in pursuit Of Geronimo, Captain
 Lawton, Fourth cavalry, when General Miles succeeded General Crook in command of the department of Ari-
 zona, was selected to command the troops that hunted down and forced
 Geronimo to surrender. part of
 Captain LawtCn's command was in fantry and the officer in charge be- coming inexperienced for service by sickness, Surgeon Wood, who was the
 medical officer with Lawton, volun- teered to command these men in addi- tion to his duties as surgeon. AL though a mounted officer, Surgeon Wood discarded his horse and marched on foot at the head of his men, shar- | ing every hardship on many long and difficult marches in the burning sun, | over the rough and rugged Sierra 1 Madre mountains, and when camp
 would be reached at night, attended
 as surgeon to the physical wants Of
 all the men of the entire command. | This brilliant, difficult and arduous service first attracted General Miles attention to Surgeon Wood.
 1 After General Miles captured Ge-
 ronimo in 1887, Surgeon Wood, who
 was present participating in the cap
 ture, was selected by General Miles l for further field service, and again in 1888 he secuted over Arizona in com
 mand of cavalry detachment locating
 heliograph signal stations to surround
 San Carlos Indian agency. That Sur geon Woods services were most bril- liant, extraordinary and valuable is
 emphasized by the fact that General Miles has the highest confidence in
 him and selected him for most inn | portant military duties. Col. Wood is
 man of magnificent physique, of an | iron constitution, is about feet II , inches tall, with a chest measure Of l forty-one inches and a sledgehammer | fist, and weighs about 1S0 pounds with out an ounce of superfluous flesh. He | is an all round athlete and can give Teddy Roosevelt points in boxing. | Col. Wood is we'll known in Arizona, and in addition to the service in Ari- zona already mentioned he served at Fort Huachuca and Fort Mcdowell in 1 Arizona. He is natural born sol dier, an expert rifle shot, a frontiers
 man in the true and best sense, of un- tiring energy, and is an intrepid leader. He has had as much, if not
 more, field experience than almost
 any officer in the regular army, and his military knowledge and abilities in every way fit him to command the rough riders of the southwest. While not neglecting his medical profession. he has devoted his time to the study of the military art and sciences, and
 Of acquiring military experience, and
 thus he is as well qualified as any cav
 airy officer in the regular service. Any
 one who labors under the delusion
 that because Col. Wood has been the presidents family physician he was thereby selected for the important command, will discover his mistake when the day of action comes. Col. Wood has been on duty in Washington as attending army surgeon. His du- ties have been most laborious, and while there by many of his abilities and the confidence reposed in him and hiS military record, President Cleveland had him as his physician and when President Mckinley was in augurated he became his family phy-