John L. Tiernon
{{short description|U.S. Army brigadier general}}
{{Infobox military person
|name = John L. Tiernon
|image = John L. Tiernon (U.S. Army brigadier general).jpg
|alt = Black and white 1908 head and shoulders photo of John L. Tiernon in dress uniform
|caption = From Volume VIII (1908) of The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States 1861–65
|birth_date = {{birth date|1841|1|18}}
|birth_place = Madison, Indiana, U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1910|3|30|1841|1|18}}
|death_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S.
|placeofburial = Arlington National Cemetery
|allegiance = Union
United States
|branch = Union Army
United States Army
|branch_label = Service
|serviceyears = 1862–1865 (Union)
1865–1903 (United States)
|rank = Brigadier General
|unit = U.S. Field Artillery Branch
U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps
|commands = Battery B, 3rd Artillery Regiment
1st Battalion, 3rd Artillery Regiment
Light Artillery Battalion, Manila
Manila Police
Fort Banks
Fort Winthrop
Boston Artillery District
|battles = American Civil War
Spanish–American War
Philippine–American War
|battles_label = Wars
|alma_mater = St. Mary's Seminary (Perryville, Missouri)
|spouse = {{marriage|Harriet Virginia Pickett|1865|1910}}
|children = 2
|relations = Charles L. Phillips (son in law)
|otherwork = Speaker of the Dakota Territory House of Representatives
Member of the Dakota Territory House of Representatives
}}
John L. Tiernon (January 18, 1841 – March 30, 1910) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the American Civil War, Spanish–American War, and Philippine–American War, he was a Field Artillery officer who later specialized in Coast Artillery. Tiernon served from 1862 to 1903, and attained the rank of brigadier general.
Early life
John Luke Tiernon{{efn|Tiernon's name is often spelled in newspapers and documents as "Tiernan".}} was born in Madison, Indiana on January 18, 1841, the son of Anthony Tiernon and Katherine (Sendelbach) Tiernon.{{cite book |date=1908 |title=The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States 1861–65 |volume=VIII (Biographical) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vlNLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA397 |location=Madison, WI |publisher=Federal Publishing Company |pages=397–398 |via=Google Books}} He was raised and educated in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from St. Mary's Seminary in Perryville, Missouri.
In 1861, Tiernon moved to Fort Randall in the recently organized Dakota Territory.{{cite book |last=Kingsbury |first=George W. |editor-last=Smith |editor-first=George Martin |date=1915 |title=History of Dakota Territory |volume=I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ui9EAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA196 |location=Chicago, IL |publisher=S. J. Clarke Publishing Company |pages=196, 213 |via=Google Books}} He won election to the House of Representatives in the first territorial legislature, and was the body's youngest member.{{cite news |date=April 26, 1880 |title=As It Was In the Beginning |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/yankton-press-and-dakotan-beginning/132918493/ |work=Daily Press and Dakotian |location=Yankton, SD |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} When the Speaker of the House, George M. Pinney, resigned in early 1862, Tiernon was elected to complete his term.
As a supporter of the Union during the American Civil War, in the summer of 1862 Tiernon joined the Union Army. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Field Artillery, with a date of rank of February 19, and assigned to the 3rd Artillery Regiment.
Start of career
During the Civil War, Tiernon served primarily in the western United States.{{cite news |date=April 9, 1910 |title=Obituary, John L. Tiernon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pk4-AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA14-PA25 |work=Army and Navy Register |publisher=Army and Navy Publishing Co. |location=Washington, DC |page=25 |via=Google Books}} He was provost marshal at Governors Island, New York. He was subsequently assigned as provost marshal for California and Nevada. When the army established Fort Reynolds on Angel Island, California in September 1863, it was garrisoned by Battery B, 3rd Artillery Regiment.{{cite book |last=Soennichsen |first=John |title=Miwoks to Missiles |location=Tiburon, California |publisher=Angel Island Association | year=2005 |isbn=978-0-9667-3522-2 |page=42 |url=https://archive.org/details/miwokstomissiles00soen}} As the battery's commander, Tiernon named the post in honor of John F. Reynolds, a Union Army general who had been killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. As the war neared its conclusion, Tiernon was reassigned to provost marshal duties in New Mexico Territory.
After the war, Tiernon remained in the service and served as assistant commissary of subsistence for the 3rd Heavy Artillery Regiment at Fort Independence, Massachusetts.{{cite news |last=Tiernon |first=John L. |date=September 26, 1867 |title=Proposals: Office of Commissary of Subsistence, Fort Independence, Boston Harbor, Mass. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/boston-evening-transcript-proposals/133397147/ |work=Boston Daily Evening Transcript |location=Boston, MA |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} In 1868, he was assigned as Ordnance officer on the staff of the newly organized U.S. Army Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia.{{cite news |date=April 6, 1868 |title=The New Artillery School |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-school/133397299/ |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |location=Philadelphia, PA |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} He was also enrolled as a student, and he graduated in April 1869.{{cite news |date=April 29, 1869 |title=The Artillery School |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-evening-telegraph-school/133427894/ |work=Philadelphia Evening Telegraph |location=Philadelphia, PA |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} From 1874 to 1881, Tiernon served with the 3rd Artillery at Fort Porter and Fort Niagara, New York.{{cite news |date=March 31, 1910 |title=Gen. Tiernon Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-commercial-dead/133430202/ |work=The Buffalo Commercial |location=Buffalo, NY |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}}
Continued career
In 1881, he commanded Battery B, 3rd Artillery Regiment when it was assigned to Mount Vernon Barracks, Alabama, and he remained in command when the unit was posted to Fort Barrancas, Florida.{{cite news |date=November 23, 1881 |title=Alabama News: Mobile County; Third United States Artillery |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montgomery-advertiser-mobile/133397771/ |work=Montgomery Advertiser |location=Montgomery, AL |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news |date=September 13, 1884 |title=Artillery At Atlanta |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/savannah-morning-news-artillery/133428452/ |work=Savannah Morning News |location=Savannah, GA |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} From June to November 1883 and September to December 1884, Tiernon commanded the 3rd Artillery's Battery B and two other batteries during a training encampment at the maintenance shops of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway near Atlanta.{{cite news |date=June 27, 1883 |title=The Soldier Boys |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-soldier/133428253/ |work=The Atlanta Constitution |location=Atlanta, GA |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com}} In the late 1880s, Tiernon served with the 3rd Artillery when it was assigned to Newport Barracks, Kentucky.{{cite news |date=August 22, 1888 |title=News of the State and Vicinity: Mrs. Tiernon |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-newport/133428794/ |work=The Buffalo Evening News |location=Buffalo, NY |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com}} In the early to mid 1890s, he performed staff duty at the Fort Monroe garrison headquarters.{{cite news |date=April 20, 1890 |title=News-Notes From Old Point; Chas. L. Phillips, Katie Tiernon |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-virginian-pilot-point/133429074/ |work=Norfolk Daily Landmark |location=Norfolk, VA |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}}
In 1894, Tiernon was in command of 1st Battalion, 3rd Artillery Regiment at Fort Monroe.{{cite book |date=1894 |title=Journal of the United States Artillery |volume=III |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rKs_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA621 |location=Fort Monroe, VA |publisher=United States Army Artillery School |page=621 |via=Google Books}}{{cite news |date=August 1, 1896 |title=Personals: Mrs. J. L. Tiernon |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/peninsula-enterprise-major/133429333/ |work=Peninsula Enterprise |location=Accomac, VA |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} During the Spanish–American War, Tiernon was posted to the New Jersey National Guard encampment at Sea Girt, New Jersey, where he served as mustering in officer for United States Volunteers during the army's wartime expansion.{{cite news |date=May 12, 1898 |title=Company A Mustered In |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/asbury-park-press-mustered/133429760/ |work=Asbury Park Daily Press |location=Asbury Park, NJ |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} In April 1899, Tiernon was appointed to command the Light Artillery Battalion of Manila during the Philippine–American War.{{cite news |date=April 1, 1899 |title=Under Orders for Manila |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cape-girardeau-democrat-orders/133299996/ |work=Cape Girardeau Democrat |location=Cape Girardeau, MO |page=6 |via=Newspapers.com}} He was subsequently appointed as chief of the Manila police, and he served until returning to the United States in late 1901.{{cite news |date=November 9, 1900 |title=Transport Meade |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-honolulu-advertiser-transport/133299856/ |work=Pacific Commercial Advertiser |location=Honolulu, HI |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com}}
After his service in the Philippines, Tiernon was assigned to command Fort Banks and Fort Winthrop, Massachusetts and the Boston Artillery District.{{cite news |date=August 20, 1903 |title=J. L. Tiernon Has Retired |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/argus-leader-retired/133298752/ |work=Argus Leader |location=Sioux Falls, SD |page=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} On August 12, 1903, he was promoted to brigadier general. He retired the following day.
Effective dates of promotion
Tiernon's effective date of promotion were:
- Second Lieutenant, February 19, 1862
- First Lieutenant, February 19, 1864
- Captain, July 2, 1877
- Major, September 1, 1896
- Lieutenant Colonel, July 15, 1900
- Colonel, August 22, 1901
- Brigadier General, August 11, 1903
- Brigadier General (Retired), August 12, 1903
Retirement and death
In retirement, Tiernon resided in Buffalo, New York. He belonged to several Union Army fraternal organizations, including the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and Grand Army of the Republic. In addition, he was a member of several Spanish–American War organizations, including the Army and Navy Union of the United States of America, Military Order of Foreign Wars, United Spanish War Veterans, and Society of the Eighth Army Corps. Tiernon was also Freemason, and was a member of the Buffalo Club.
Tiernon died in Buffalo on March 30, 1910.{{cite news |date=April 3, 1910 |title=Civil War Veteran Buried |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-buried/132914989/ |work=The Sunday Star |location=Washington, DC |page=19 |via=Newspapers.com}} He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Family
Tiernon married Harriet Virginia Pickett (1846–1912) on February 1, 1865. They were the parents of two children, daughter Katherine (1869–1926) and son John L. Tiernon Jr. (1872–1945).{{cite news |date=March 31, 1910 |title=Gen. John L. Tiernon, Warrior Since Days of '61 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-warrior/132914764/ |work=Buffalo Evening News |location=Buffalo, NY |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} Katherine Tiernon was the second wife of Brigadier General Charles L. Phillips.{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/6781711?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2269356145754b744771556a6642356a366751666a62384e7134665543586c4a3833554434456d4d396743303d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d |title=U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928–1962, Entry for Katherine Tiernon Phillips |date=August 16, 1926 |website=Ancestry.com |publisher=Ancestry.com LLC |location=Lehi, UT |access-date=October 4, 2023 |url-access=subscription}} John Tiernon was a Buffalo-area attorney and insurance company executive.{{cite news |date=July 5, 1945 |title=John L. Tiernon Jr., Head of Insurance Firm, Dies In Boston |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-insurance/132913959/ |work=Buffalo Evening News |location=Buffalo, NY |page=23 |via=Newspapers.com}}
Notes
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References
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External links
- [https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/index.html#/arlington-national/search/results/1/Cgd0aWVybm9uEgRqb2huGgFs/ John L. Tiernon] at Arlington National Cemetery
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Charles L.}}
Category:People from Madison, Indiana
Category:Military personnel from St. Louis
Category:People from Gregory County, South Dakota
Category:Military personnel from Buffalo, New York
Category:Members of the Dakota Territorial Legislature
Category:United States Military Academy alumni
Category:United States Army generals
Category:American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
Category:American military personnel of the Philippine–American War