William Babcock Hazen

WILLIAM BABCOCK HAZEN (1830-1887), a career United States Army officer in the Indian Wars, a Union general in the American Civil War, and Chief Signal Officer of the US Army, was no stranger to controversy. He often criticized other senior officers and politicians, including Secretary of War Robert T. Lincoln for his handling of the rescue of the International Polar Year Expedition. This resulted in Hazen being court-martialed in 1885 with a mild reprimand from President Chester A. Arthur,...See more

WILLIAM BABCOCK HAZEN (1830-1887), a career United States Army officer in the Indian Wars, a Union general in the American Civil War, and Chief Signal Officer of the US Army, was no stranger to controversy. He often criticized other senior officers and politicians, including Secretary of War Robert T. Lincoln for his handling of the rescue of the International Polar Year Expedition. This resulted in Hazen being court-martialed in 1885 with a mild reprimand from President Chester A. Arthur, while the newspapers supported Hazen against Secretary Lincoln. See less