John H. (John Henry) Parker

Best known as John Henry Parker, he was a career U.S. Army officer and military writer born in 1866. He gained fame during the Spanish-American War for leading the Gatling Gun Detachment at Santiago, an episode he later recounted in History of the Gatling Gun Detachment, Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago.

Parker wrote as a participant rather than a distant observer, which gives his work an immediate, practical feel. His books are valued for their close-up view of campaigning, weapons, command decisions, and the realities of soldiers in the field.

Remembered both as a soldier and an author, Parker left behind writing that helps readers see how the U.S. Army was changing at the turn of the twentieth century. He died in 1942.