Chief spotted elk biography of albert

US Army general and Medal of Honor recipient (1854–1934)

Ernest Albert Garlington (February 20, 1853 – October 16, 1934) was a United States Army general who received the Medal of Honor for his participation in the Wounded Knee Massacre during the Indian Wars.

Early life and education

Garlington was born in Newberry, South Carolina to Albert Creswell Garlington, a general in the South Carolina militia during the American Civil War. He entered the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens in 1869; however, he left UGA before graduating to accept an appointment to the United States Military Academy.

He graduated from the academy in 1876 and was commissioned on June 15 of that year as a second lieutenant in the 7th Regiment of the United States Cavalry, but he did not physically join the unit until after the Battle of the Little Big Horn, which occurred several weeks after his appointment.^[1]

Early military career

Due to his regiment's heav