Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

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Wood, Leonard 1860-

Military officer; born in Winchester, N. H., Oct. 9, 1860; graduated at Harvard Medical School in 1884;

Leonard Wood.

appointed assistant surgeon with the rank of first lieutenant, United States army, Jan. 5, 1886; accompanied the expedition in search of Geronimo as medical and line officer in the same year, and in recognition of his meritorious services in that campaign received a medal of honor; was promoted surgeon and captain Jan. 5, 1891. He raised the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, popularly known as the Rough Riders, at the beginning of the American-Spanish War, and was made its colonel, with Theodore Roosevelt as his lieutenant-colonel, May 8, 1898; won distinction at the battles of Las Guasimas and San Juan Hill; was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers July 8, 1898, and major-general Dec. 8 of the same year. He was military governor of Santiago from July 19, 1898, to Dec. 13, 1899, when he succeeded Gen. John R. Brooke as military governor of Cuba. On the reorganization of the regular army in 1901, he was commissioned a brigadier-general.