Major General John Schofield
Army of the Ohio Commander
Union Army
Schofield Barracks is a major U. S. Army post on Oahu Island in Hawaii that was named in honor of General John Schofield. He had served on a special mission to the Hawaiian Islands to determine their military value, and he had recommended that Pearl Harbor be used as a military base. General Schofield held many important military positions after the Civil War. He served as the Secretary of War during President Andrew Johnson's Administration in 1868. He was the commanding general of the entire U. S. Army from 1888 to 1895. General Schofield was the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1876 to 1881.
John Schofield was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Battle of Wilson's Creek. He lead the Army of the Ohio in the Atlanta Campaign. His unit decisively defeated Confederate General Hood at the Battle of Franklin. They then participated in the victory at the Battle of Nashville. Later they were moved east where they occupied Wilmington, North Carolina.
John Schofield was born in Garry, New York on September 29, 1831. His Baptist minister father moved the family to Freeport, Illinois when John was twelve years old. John Schofield graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1853 and ranked seventh in his class. He served as assistant professor of natural and experimental philosophy (physics) at West Point from 1855 to 1860. He retired in 1895 as a Lieutenant General and died on March 4, 1906 in St Augustine, Florida. General Schofield is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.