Scott, Winfield

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Winfield Scott (1786-1866) graduated from the College of William and Mary and studied law before entering military service in 1808. As a result of his service during the War of 1812 he was promoted to the rank of major general. He had a rather uneventful military career until the 1830s. The Black Hawk War ended in 1832 before he could take the field, but he was placed in charge of forces in Charleston during the nullification crisis that same year. In 1835 he commanded forces against the Seminoles in Florida and in 1836 against the Creeks. In 1838, he was placed in charge of overseeing removal of the Cherokees to the West.

Source: Appletons’ Cyclopaedia of American Biography (New York. D. Appleton and Company, 1894), 5:440-442.