Nelson Appleton Miles

author

Nelson Appleton Miles

1839–1925

A hard-driving Union officer who rose to national prominence, he later became one of the best-known generals of the post–Civil War U.S. Army. His life touches the Civil War, the Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War, making him a vivid figure in American military history.

1 Audiobook

Remarks from a Visit to Edison Laboratory

by Nelson Appleton Miles

About the author

Born in Massachusetts in 1839, Nelson A. Miles was working in Boston when the Civil War began. He joined the Union Army in 1861 and rose with unusual speed, earning a Medal of Honor for bravery at Chancellorsville and becoming a major general while still a young man.

After the war, Miles remained in the regular army and became a central figure in the campaigns against Native nations in the West. He later served as commanding general of the U.S. Army and played a leading role in the Puerto Rico campaign during the Spanish-American War.

Miles was known for ambition, energy, and a talent for public attention, which made him both famous and controversial. He died in 1925, leaving behind a career closely tied to some of the most consequential and contested chapters of 19th-century American history.