MacArthur, Arthur (1845-1912) army general, born in Springfield, Massachusetts. MacArthur first came to prominence as a member of a volunteer regiment during the Civil War, during which he was frequently promoted and cited for gallantry. At Missionary Ridge (1863) he led a daring charge that routed the Confederates and for which he eventually was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. En route from Tennessee to Atlanta (1864), he led his regiment in thirty battles. At the battle of Franklin (1864), the actions of his regiment turned the tide in favor of the Union, but MacArthur was wounded and did not again see combat. In 1866 he joined the regular army, serving mainly at frontier posts in the West until the outbreak of the Spanish-American War (1898), when he commanded a brigade in the capture of Manila. He subsequently headed operations against the Filipino insurgents and in 1900 was made overall commander of American forces in the Philippines as well as military governor.
The youngest of his three sons was Douglas MacArthur.See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
