Jacob H. Smith

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

General Jacob Hurd Smith (January 29, 1840 – March 1, 1918) was a U.S. Army officer best known for harsh orders he gave during the Philippine–American War. He earned the nicknames “Howling Wilderness Smith” and “Hell-Roaring Jake” from the press.

Early life and Civil War
- Smith was born in Jackson County, Ohio. He joined the Union Army in the Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.
- He received brevet promotions for his actions and, after the war, served in the Invalid Corps as a mustering officer and recruiter. He helped recruit soldiers for the United States Colored Troops.

Postwar life and military career
- Smith’s career included several disciplinary problems and lawsuits. He faced court-martials and reprimands for a variety of conduct issues, including gambling debts and disputes over pay.
- He was temporarily released from punishment and later allowed to return to duty, but his record remained controversial. President Grover Cleveland helped him avoid a harsher outcome in one episode, keeping him in the army with only a reprimand.
- He served in the Philippines in the late 1890s and early 1900s. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1900, though some of his career moves were tied to the politics of the time.

Philippine–American War and the Balangiga incident
- In 1901, while serving as a senior American commander in the Philippines, Smith took charge in Samar after a deadly attack on American soldiers at Balangiga.
- Smith issued a brutal order to his officers: “kill everyone over the age of ten” and make the island a “howling wilderness.” He wanted to break local support for the Filipino rebels by starving and destroying villages.
- American troops burned homes, shot animals, and killed many civilians during the campaign. The exact death toll is debated, with estimates ranging from a couple of thousand to several thousand people. Smith’s order was not fully carried out as written, and some subordinates refused to follow it to the letter, but the episode shocked many and drew heavy criticism in the United States.

court-martial and retirement
- The harsh actions in Samar led to a court-martial for statements and conduct that harmed military discipline. In 1902, Smith was found guilty of conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline.
- To ease public outcry, he was retired from the Army by order of the Secretary of War, and President Theodore Roosevelt accepted the retirement.
- Smith later attempted to rejoin military service for World War I, but he was refused due to his age and the damage to the U.S. military’s image from his earlier actions.

Death and legacy
- Jacob H. Smith died in San Diego, California, in 1918 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
- He remains a controversial figure: remembered for his brutal tactics in the Philippines and for the strong language that earned him his notorious nicknames.

Summary
- A veteran officer who fought in the Civil War and later held high command in the Philippines.
- Best known for ordering extreme tactics in Samar that aimed to crush rebellion through widespread destruction and the killing of many civilians.
- Court-martialed in 1902, retired by the government, and left a legacy that sparked debate about the conduct of U.S. forces abroad.