William Rufus Shafter

William Rufus Shafter 1835-1906, American general, b. Galesburg, Mich. He served in the Union army during the Civil War and in 1867 joined the regular army, rising to become brigadier general (1897). In the Spanish-American War he was placed in command of the army that in June, 1898, invaded Cuba. After hard fighting at El Caney and San Juan Hill, the expedition entered Santiago on July 17. Shafter was much criticized, however, because the expedition had been poorly prepared and ill-equipped and the mortality rate from disease was high. Shafter retired in 1899 and was advanced to major general on the retired list in 1901.

Shafter, William Rufus (1835–1906) Union army officer and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, born in Michigan. Shafter was wounded at Fair Oaks (1862), where his valor earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Thompson's Station (1863) but released three months later. Later that year, he trained the 17th U.S. (Colored) Infantry Regiment, one of the army's first black units, which, as a colonel, he led at Nashville (1864). Despite medical problems, he served with distinction in the Spanish-American War (1898), taking control of Cuba in four weeks; he convinced the Cubans to surrender Santiago, despite serious supply problems, shortages of weapons, and other difficulties faced by the Americans, in addition to some poor command decisions on the part of Shafter.