William Preble Hall William Preble Hall ( June 11 , 1848 – December 14 , 1927 ) was a United States Army Brigadier General who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor in action on October 20 , 1879 near the White River , Colorado . An 1868 graduate of West Point , he served in the Army until his retirement in 1912 . He was an excellent marksman , serving on the Army distinguished marksmanship teams , 1879 – 1892 , winning medals while shooting both carbine and revolver . Early life and career . William was born in Randolph County , Missouri . He was appointed to West Point from the state of Missouri , graduating with the class of 1868 . His first assignment was with the 19th Infantry . He then served in the 5th Cavalry , the unit in which he was awarded the Medal of Honor . He served principally on Western Frontier duty until the Spanish - American War . It was during a battle with hostile Indians while in command of a reconnoitering party near a camp on the White River , Colorado , October 28 , 1879 , that he was cited for the MOH . Hall went to the rescue of a fellow officer who was surrounded by about 35 warriors . He received the medal on September 18 , 1897 . He also served in Puerto Rico during the War with Spain , 1899 – 1900 . Another notable accomplishment was that he was a member of several Army distinguished marksmanship teams , from 1879 – 1892 , and won medals on all teams while shooting carbine and revolver . He was appointed Adjutant General of the U . S . Army on February 17 , 1912 , and retired from active duty on June 11 , 1912 . While a colonel and Assistant Adjutant General , Hall authored the book " How to Shoot a Revolver , " Kansas City : Hudson - Kimberly , 1901 ( Ray Riling 1522 ) . The author ' s preface is dated December 24 , 1895 . Personal life . He married Ms . Therese Blackburn ( 1868 – 1943 ) , daughter of Senator Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn of Kentucky . They had one daughter who died in childhood , Therese Preble Hall ( 1894 – 1899 ) . Both his wife and daughter Therese are buried with him in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery . They had two children live to adulthood , Blackburn Hall , former Major of the Regular Army , of Los Angeles , California , and Mrs . Percy McCay Vernon , wife of Captain Vernon , Regular Army , of Newark , New Jersey . Hall was associated with the International Bible Students Association ( IBSA ) for several years before his death . In September 1911 , the IBSA appointed a " Missions Investigation Committee " , chaired by Charles Taze Russell , to travel to Japan , China , the Philippines , and India in order to make recommendations for future missionary efforts and expenditures , and General Hall was among the seven appointed committeemen . In the April 15 , 1912 issue of the " Watch Tower " , the following was published above the signatures of " Adj . - Gen ' l W . P . Hall " and the other committeemen : " The gentlemen who have served on this Committee are all earnest Bible Students . Their zeal in the matter of this investigation may be judged from the fact that they not only paid their own expenses , but additionally defrayed Pastor Russell ' s and all secretarial expenses . These gentlemen have long been deeply interested in the propagation of the Gospel , both at home and abroad . " Speaking of the entire committee , Jehovah ' s Witnesses ' official history says , " Wherever they went they spoke about God ' s purpose to bring blessings to mankind by means of the Messianic Kingdom . Sometimes their audience was small , but in the Philippines and in India , there were thousands . " The Committee presented its report at a March 31 , 1912 meeting at the New York Hippodrome , attended by 5200 and chaired by then - future Watch Tower Society president Joseph F . Rutherford . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : First Lieutenant , 5th U . S . Cavalry . Place and date : Near Camp on White River , Colo . , 20 October 1879 . Entered service at : Huntsville , Mo . Birth : Randolph County , Mo . Date of issue : 18 September 1897 . Citation : With a reconnoitering party of 3 men , was attacked by 35 Indians and several times exposed himself to draw the fire of the enemy , giving his small party opportunity to reply with much effect . "