Fort Riley historic names: Arnold

Photo By Collen McGee | Fort Riley's Arnold Hall was named for Abraham Kerns Arnold, Fort Riley’s seventh post commander, first president of the United States Cavalry Association and a Medal of Honor recipient.  

KS, UNITED STATES

01.10.2020

Story by Gail Parsons 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Arnold Avenue is between Holbrook and Sheridan avenues. One of the buildings on the street is Arnold Hall, which today is used for bachelor officer quarters and senior bachelor enlisted quarters.
Arnold Hall was built in 1909 during a building boom at Fort Riley, which occurred between 1880 and 1910, says a listing about the building at www.loc.gov/item/ks0165. It was named for Abraham Kerns Arnold, Fort Riley’s seventh post commander, first president of the United States Cavalry Association and a Medal of Honor recipient.
Arnold was born March 25, 1937 in Pennsylvania. He graduated from West Point with the class of 1859 and began what would be more than four decades of military service. Arnold’s first assignment was as a brevet second lieutenant in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment at the former Fort Inge post in Texas.
After the outbreak of the Civil War, Arnold served as adjutant of the 5th Cavalry Regiment.
On June 27, 1862, Union troops suffered 6,000 killed, wounded or captured at the Battle of Gaines’s Mill, states the National Park Service. Among the injured was Arnold. The Cullum Registry, listed him as being on sick leave, disabled by wounds, from July 19 to Sept. 19, 1862.
He returned to the war and among the battles he participated in was the Battle of Todd’s Tavern. According to battlefields.org/learn/articles/battle-todds-tavern, the Battle of Todd’s Tavern was one of several skirmishes, which were part of the Union’s push to Richmond. Following this battle, Arnold earned a brevet promotion to major, according to the Cullum’s registry.
A few days after Todd’s Tavern, Arnold was at the Battle of Davenport Bridge. His actions there, on May 10, 1864, would lead to him being recognized with the Medal of Honor — which was presented to him 29 years later on Sept. 1, 1893. His citation, as printed on the MOH website reads, “By a gallant charge against a superior force of the enemy, extricated his command from a perilous position in which it had been ordered.”
After the war, Arnold was promoted major in the 6th United States Regular Cavalry. Cullum’s registry listed several subsequent assignments when he returned to the Western frontier. Arnold moved and held assignments including near Fort Hays, Kansas; Fort Riley; New Orleans; Texas; New Mexico and Arizona.
His record shows he served in several command positions. He was acting assistant inspector general for the Department of Arizona, from Dec. 21, 1880, to Aug. 15, 1884; and acting assistant adjutant general of troops in the field against White Mountain and Chiricahua Indians, in 1881.
From July 1885 to Aug. 1887, he was in charge of the Department of War at the Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
He returned to Fort Riley in May 1895 and assumed command of the Cavalry and Artillery School and post.
During the Spanish–American War, he accepted a field commission as brigadier general of volunteers and led the 2nd U.S. Division of the 7th Army Corps in Cuba from Jan. 1898 until April 1899.
He retired March 25, 1901. Seven months later, Nov. 3, he died in Cold Springs, New York.

This is part of a continuing series exploring the people behind the names of Fort Riley streets, buildings and parade fields.

• Date Taken: 01.10.2020
• Date Posted: 01.14.2020 14:13
• Story ID: 359140
• Location: KS, US