James F . Wade James Franklin Wade ( April 14 , 1843 – August 23 , 1921 ) served as a Major General of Volunteers in the United States Army during the Spanish - American War . Wade was born in Jefferson , Ohio on April 14 , 1843 . His father , Senator Benjamin F . Wade , was a Radical Republican senator from Ohio during the Civil War , and a harsh critic of President Abraham Lincoln and his successor , Andrew Johnson . James Wade commissioned a lieutenant in the 6th Cavalry Regiment ( United States ) from the state of Ohio on May 14 , 1861 , which he accepted on June 24 , 1861 . He performed exceptionally well at Beverly Ford on the Rappahannock River during the Battle of Brandy Station where he earned a brevet promotion to captain on June 9 , 1863 for gallant and meritorious service . Wade was appointed brevet lieutenant colonel of the 6th US Colored Cavalry on May 1 , 1864 marking the start of a 23 year career commanding African - American cavalrymen . On September 19 , 1864 , he was promoted to colonel and commander of the regiment . He received a brevet promotion to major on December 19 , 1864 for gallant and meritorious service in action at East Marion , Tennessee . Wade received further brevets to lieutenant colonel and colonel on March 13 , 1865 . for meritorious service during the war , and yet another to brigadier general of volunteers on February 13 , 1865 for gallant service in the campaign in southwestern Virginia . On July 28 , 1866 , he was promoted to the permanent rank of major in the newly established 9th Cavalry Regiment ( United States ) on July 28 , 1866 . This was one of the “ Buffalo Soldier ” regiments which later became famous for their service on the frontier . Major Wade was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the 10th Cavalry Regiment ( United States ) on March 20 , 1879 . Wade left the buffalo soldiers with his promotion to colonel of the 5th Cavalry Regiment ( United States ) on April 21 , 1887 . He served ten years as the commander of this regiment before he was promoted to brigadier general , US Army on May 26 , 1897 . During the Spanish - American War he commanded a troop assembly area in Tampa , Florida . Wade was promoted to major general of volunteers on May 4 , 1898 . Two days later , he assumed command of the Third Corps at Camp Thomas , Chickamauga , Georgia . Following the armistice in August , he became a member of the Cuban Evacuation Committee to oversee the removal of Spanish forces from Cuba and Puerto Rico . He was then commissioned a Major General of Volunteers and placed in command of the Third Army Corps at Chickamauga , Georgia , which was never sent overseas . At the end of the war , he returned to his Regular Army rank and the command of the Department of Dakota . In 1901 he was placed in command of the Department of Southern Luzon in the Philippines , and on April 13 , 1903 he was promoted to the permanent rank of Major General and placed in command of the Division of the Philippines . In 1904 he returned to the United States as commander of the Division of the Atlantic at Fort Jay on Governors Island in New York City . In his final posting , he was in charge of all U . S . Army posts and activity east of the Mississippi River , serving until his retirement on April 14 , 1907 , after 46 years of service .