Henry A. Reed

Henry A. Reed (23 June 1844 – 30 November 1930) was a career officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, he went on to serve in the American Indian Wars and Spanish–American War. Reed served from 1862 to 1865 and 1870 to 1906, and attained the rank of brigadier general.

Reed was born in Plattsburgh, New York and raised and educated in Milwaukee. In 1862, he joined the Union Army for the American Civil War. Enlisting as a private in Company I, 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, he took part in several battles in Kentucky and Tennessee, including: the Battle of Perryville and Battle of Stones River; the Chattanooga campaign including the Battle of Chickamauga, defense of Chattanooga, and Battle of Missionary Ridge; the Knoxville campaign including the pursuit from Knoxville; and the Battle of Nashville. He was wounded at Stones River and Chickamauga, and advanced through the ranks to first sergeant before receiving his commission in February 1865 as a first lieutenant of Infantry in Company I. He later commanded the company, and he remained in the army until he received his discharge in June 1865.

After the war, Reed attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated in 1870. Commissioned in the Field Artillery. Reed served briefly on frontier duty in Nevada during the American Indian Wars, then became a specialist in the emerging field of coast artillery, and served at harbor posts including Fort McHenry and Fort Foote in Maryland, Fort Schuyler in New York, and Fort Trumbull, Connecticut. From 1876 to 1880 and 1883 to 1888, he served on the West Point faculty.

During the Spanish–American War, Reed commanded a heavy battery in Puerto Rico, and he later commanded San Juan's Fort San Cristóbal. He later commanded the Artillery District of San Juan and the Artillery District of the Columbia in Oregon. In 1906, he was eligible for advancement to brigadier general and retirement based on laws permitting Civil War veterans to be promoted if they held a rank lower than brigadier general and retire before the mandatory age of 64 if they had served for over 40 years. In retirement, Reed lived in San Juan. He died there on 30 November 1930. Reed was buried at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in San Juan.

Early life Henry Albert Reed was born in Plattsburgh, New York on 23 June 1844, the son of Paul Adam Reed and Charlotte Helena (Luther) Reed. He was raised and educated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and as a teenager began work as a clerk in an insurance office. In August 1862, Reed enlisted in the Union Army for the American Civil War. He joined the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during its initial organization and was assigned as a private in Company I.

During the war, Reed advanced through the ranks to become a sergeant and first sergeant, and served in several battles and campaigns in Tennessee and Kentucky. He went on to command the company, and he continued his army service until he was discharged in June 1865. After receiving his commission, Reed served with the garrison at the Presidio of San Francisco, California from October 1870 to July 1871. They were married until their 1897 divorce, and were the parents of son Henry Paul Reed (b. 1875) and daughter Helen Elizabeth Reed (1882–1887). In 1899, he married Gertrudis Justa Asenjo (1880–1945). They were married until his death, and were the parents of sons Henry Frederick Reed (1900–1981) and Paul Adam Reed (b. 1901).

Continued career Reed began to specialize in coast artillery and served at Fort McHenry, Maryland from January to April 1873. Reed died in San Juan on 30 November 1930. These included Battery Reed, a gun emplacement named for Reed that was located at Fort Amezquita on Isla de Cabras at the mouth of San Juan Bay. This site remained active through the end of the war, and was decommissioned in 1948. The cannons from Battery Reed were later removed, but the battery's casemates and underground passages remain and can be explored by visitors to Isla de Cabras.

Dates of rank Reed's dates of rank were:

Private to First Sergeant (United States Volunteers), 14 August 1862 to 19 February 1865 First Lieutenant (United States Volunteers), 19 February 1865 to 10 June 1865 Cadet (United States Military Academy), 1 September 1866 to 15 June 1870 Second Lieutenant, 15 June 1870 First Lieutenant, 21 May 1875 Captain, 8 March 1898 Major, 22 August 1901 Lieutenant Colonel, 16 September 1905 Brigadier General, 17 February 1906 Brigadier General (Retired), 19 February 1906