Theodore Schwan

He Carried a Wounded Officer Through Enemy Fire.

Theodore Schwan was born on July 9, 1841, in Hanover, Germany. Educated in his native country during his early years, he immigrated to the United States as a teenager. Soon after arriving, he began what would become an exceptionally long military career, enlisting as a private in the 10th United States Infantry on June 12, 1857. Over the following years he advanced through the enlisted ranks, serving as corporal, sergeant, first sergeant, and quartermaster sergeant before earning a commission as an officer.

When the American Civil War began, Schwan was already an experienced Regular Army soldier. He continued serving with the 10th U.S. Infantry and received his commission during the war, becoming a first lieutenant on April 9, 1864. His years as an enlisted soldier had given him practical experience that would become especially important during the difficult operations around Petersburg, Virginia.

On October 1, 1864, during the fighting at Peebles Farm, Schwan's regiment was falling back before a superior Confederate force. In the confusion of the withdrawal, a wounded and helpless officer was in danger of being killed or captured. Despite the immediate threat to his own life, First Lieutenant Schwan went to the officer, dragged him away from the advancing enemy, and carried him toward the rear. By doing so, he successfully saved the wounded man from death or capture.

Schwan remained in the Army after the Civil War instead of returning to civilian life. He became a captain in 1866 and continued a career in the Regular Army that took him through decades of postwar service. His responsibilities gradually shifted from regimental duties to increasingly important administrative and command assignments. In 1886 he became an assistant adjutant general with the rank of major, and in 1895 he advanced to lieutenant colonel.

The Spanish-American War brought Schwan back into major field command. In 1898 he became a colonel in the Regular Army and was also appointed brigadier general of volunteers. He was sent to Puerto Rico, where he commanded the Independent Regular Brigade during the American campaign on the island. His troops operated through western Puerto Rico, advancing through difficult terrain and engaging Spanish forces as the American campaign moved toward its conclusion.

More than three decades after his Civil War act of courage, Schwan's rescue at Peebles Farm received the nation's highest military recognition. On December 12, 1898, he was presented with the Medal of Honor for risking his life to rescue the wounded officer while his regiment was withdrawing under enemy pressure. The award recognized an action he had performed as a young first lieutenant thirty-four years earlier.

Schwan's service continued after the war with Spain. He went to the Philippines, where he served in senior staff and field-command positions during the Philippine-American War. He became chief of staff of the Eighth Army Corps and took an active role in military operations, including expeditions in Cavite and subsequent campaigning in southern Luzon. By this stage, the former immigrant private who had enlisted in 1857 had risen into the senior leadership of the United States Army.

After more than four decades of military service, Schwan retired from active duty in 1901 and was placed on the retired list as a major general. His career had stretched from the small pre-Civil War Regular Army through the Civil War, decades of frontier and staff service, the Spanish-American War, and military operations in the Philippines.

Theodore Schwan died in Washington, D.C., on May 27, 1926, at the age of eighty-four. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His extraordinary military career began as a teenage immigrant serving as an enlisted private and ended with the rank of major general, but his most enduring recognition came from a single moment at Peebles Farm in 1864, when he placed himself in immediate danger to carry a helpless wounded officer away from the enemy and ultimately earned the Medal of Honor.