Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-04-02
LEONARD WOODS
WESTERN CAREER
Won Congressional Medal of
Honor in Apache Campaign.
Sent to Washington.
BY JOHN G. HOLME.

ambition. He wanted to enter the
navy, but chances for advancement in
the service were meager, and adven-
expedition. He had decided to become
an explorer when his father, DR.. Wood,
took his son into his study one day
and advised him to follow his own
profession, that of medicine. The re-
suit was that Leonard Wood entered
the Harvard Medical School in 1880,
graduating four years later. With the
aid of a hard-earned scholarship, he
worked his own way through college.
He tutored students and picked up 9th
er odd jobs to pay expenses.
The struggle to get start was bit
ter. After serving as an inferno in one
of the Boston hospitals and practicing
for several months in one of the poor
er sections of Boston, where the peO-
pie were too poor to pay much, if any,
thing, for medical attendance, young
DR.. Wood, with fifty-nine other physi-
clans, took an examination for army
surgeons, passing second in the class.
He was asked If he would accept a pO-
sition as contract surgeon at $100 per
month.
Eyes, If can go West and see ac-
tive service" answered Wood
The examining officer smiled and as
sured Wood that he would see plenty
of active service. This proved to be no
idle talk.
The summons came in June, 1885
DR.. Wood was ordered to report for
duty to General Crook at Fort Hua-
chuca, Ariz., in command of operations
against the Apache Indians under
Geronimo. Wood arrived at Fort Hua
chuca on the Fourth of July. Soldiers
cowboys, Indians and frontiersmen
were celebrating the day with gunpow
der and red liquor. The "tepderfoot'
was assigned to the Fourth Cavalry,
commanded by Captain Henry w. Law
ton. who became famous in the Span
ish-American War as MajorGeneral
The latter looked at his visitor and
said:
"What the hell are you doing out
here?'
81 want to get into the line as soon
as possible"
Lawton chuckled and slapped Wood
on the back and said:
"I'll see that you'll get into the line. -
Rode an "OutIaw."
There was a column of Indian fight
,to oFf foI
and Wood was ordered to go along
An old sergeant brought him a mount
"a very special horse, sir" he remark
ed as he handed Wood the reins. The
latter mounted and rode off. He soon
found out that his special horse" was
in reality an "outlaw," half-broke and
mean-tempered. Its gait was so vi
ciouS that even the veteran troopers
Stunned it. Wood rode the animal
thirty-five miles that day and was not
thrown. He was blistered, for the sur
was hot and the "outlaw" was rough
but Wood stayed with the troopers
and, in the language of the army, he
"healed in the saddle" The campaign
lasted for fourteen months, leading
over thousands of miles of wilderness
in New Mexico and Arizona. WOOD
was one of the few men that wen
through the whole campaign. Early il
/ the pursuit, after a twenty-five mil,
! march, he rode seventy-four miles b!
night, carrying dispatches through tn,
Indian lines, and on the following da,
he rode thirty miles with his troops.
When Geronimo sent word to tn,
| Americans that he was ready to sur
render, Wood was one of the four off
GERS who went into the Apache CAM
/ to negotiate. This was in old Mexico
The American officers accompanied tn
Indians for two weeks as they marche,
in parallel column with the Ameri
can troops into United States territor
for formal capitulation. At one tim
during the march the two columns los
contact, and Wood, with his brothe
officers, was left at the mercy Of tn
Reds.
Geronimo, observing Woods ney
Hotchkiss rifle, asked to examine il
II must confess l felt little nervous.
General Wood said in telling the story
but l made no objections, and let hir
have the rifle and showed him how t
use It," Geronimo fired at mark an
just missed one of his men. This h
regarded as huge joke, rolling on tn
ground in high glee and saying: 600
gun. Good gum" The Indians trie
no treachery and surrendered as the
had promised to do.
Twelve years later Wood was give
the Congressional Medal Of Honor, til
nations highest military reward, "fC
distinguished service in the campaig
against the Apache Indians in 1Se
while serving as medical and line of
Ger in Captain Lawton's expedition" :"
Wood spent several years in IL
Southwest. He was General Mile
chief assistant in surveying ArizOn
He studied military science and fieI
maneuvers with such devotion that I
was soon acknowledged to be tho
Oughly competent line officer. Nor d
he neglect his surgical profession. Ge
eral Wood is not vain man, but |
shows good deal of pride today whe
he recalls that he succeeded in savir
General Miles from having his leg ar
putated after his horse had fallen Wi
him, crushing the limb.
(TO he continued)
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