Harry L. Steele

Harry L. Steele (June 28, 1874 - March 31, 1938) was a career officer in the United States Army. Enlisting as a private in 1895, he received his commission in 1898. A veteran of the Spanish–American War and World War I, Steele attained the rank of major general and was most notable for his service as the Army's Chief of Coast Artillery from 1935 to 1936.

Harry L. Steele
Coast Artillery Journal, March/April 1935
Born(1874-06-28)June 28, 1874
Springdale, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 1938(1938-03-31) (aged 63)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1895–1936
Rank Major General
Unit U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps
Commands held93rd Coast Artillery Company
111th Coast Artillery Company
82nd Coast Artillery Company
Fort Mott
Los Angeles Quartermaster Depot
Fort MacArthur
Fort Miley
31st Coast Artillery Brigade
Coast Defenses of Balboa
16th Coast Artillery Regiment
Coast Defenses of Honolulu
Chief of Coast Artillery
Battles/warsSpanish–American War
World War I
Spouse(s)Cornelia Elizabeth Lundeen (m. 1901-1938, his death)
Children4
Other workPresident, Coast Artillery Association

Early life

Harry Lee Steele was born in Springdale, Arkansas on June 28, 1874, the son of John Bell Steele and Mary (Van Winkle) Steele.[1] He was educated in the schools of Washington and Benton Counties, and graduated from the academy in Rogers in 1894.[1]

Steele joined the United States Army as a private on August 27, 1895.[2] He served in Battery A, 5th Artillery Regiment and attained the rank of sergeant.[3] Rogers competed for an army commission in 1898; he performed well on the examination and was appointed a second lieutenant in the 7th Artillery Regiment.[4]

Start of career

After receiving his commission, Steele was assigned to Spanish–American War recruiting duty in Syracuse, New York.[5] He subsequently joined his regiment at Fort Greble, Rhode Island.[6] Steele was promoted to first lieutenant in February, 1901[7] and captain in September, 1901.[8] After service Fort Monroe, Virginia's Artillery School, in 1903 he was assigned to Fort Stevens, Oregon.[9] Steele earned a reputation for superior small arms marksmanship; at an August 1906 Army-wide contest, he placed first in the rifle competition.[10]

In 1906, Steele was assigned to command the 93rd Coast Artillery Company at Fort Stevens.[11] In 1907, Steele relinquished command of the 93rd Coast Artillery and was assigned to command the 111th Coast Artillery Company at Fort Dade, Florida.[11] He later commanded the 82nd Coast Artillery Company, which was based at Fort Mansfield, Rhode Island.[12] From 1911 to 1914, Steele served on the staff of the Eastern Coast Artillery District, where his duties included oversight of construction projects at Fort Totten, New York.[13]

In 1914, Steele was promoted to major and assigned to command Fort Mott, New Jersey.[14] He was assigned to temporary Quartermaster Corps duty in 1915[15] and appointed to the staff of the Philippine Department.[16] In 1917 he carried out temporary Quartermaster duties with the Army garrison in Tientsin (now Tianjin), China.[17] Later in 1917 he returned to the United States and was assigned to duty in California as commander the Los Angeles Quartermaster Depot.[18]

World War I

During World War I, Steele was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel[19] and temporary colonel[20] and commanded first Fort MacArthur,[21] and later Fort Miley, both in California.[22] In June 1919, Steele was appointed to command the 31st Coast Artillery Brigade with headquarters at Fort Winfield Scott, California.[23] Later in 1919, Steele returned to his permanent rank of major and was assigned to the staff of the Panama Coast Artillery District.[24]

Post-World War I

In 1920, Steele received promotions to permanent lieutenant colonel[25] and colonel.[26] From 1920 to 1922 he was commander of the Coast Defenses of Balboa, Panama.[27] In 1922, Steele left Panama for assignment to the staff of the 1st Coast Artillery District, which was based in Boston, Massachusetts.[28]

From 1927 to 1928, Steele attended the United States Army War College.[1] After graduation he was assigned as chief of organization and training in the Office of the Chief of Coast Artillery,[29] and he later served as the Chief's executive officer.[30] From 1931 to 1934, Steele was commander of the 16th Coast Artillery Regiment and the Coast Defenses of Honolulu, with headquarters at Fort Ruger.[31] In 1934, he was named assistant commandant of the Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia.[32]

In January 1935, Steele was appointed as the Army's Chief of Coast Artillery, succeeding William F. Hase, and was promoted to major general.[33] He served until March 1936, when he retired and was succeeded by Archibald H. Sunderland.[34]

Later life

After retiring from the Army, Steele resided in San Diego, California[35] and served as president of the Coast Artillery Association.[36] He died in San Diego on March 31, 1938.[35] Steele was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[35]

Legacy

Battery Steele, a Coast Artillery emplacement that defended Casco Bay, Maine, was named for Steele.[37] It was constructed in 1942 and operated until it was decommissioned in 1946.[37] After years of abandonment, in 1995 the Peaks Island Land Preserve was formed to purchase the area and maintain it as a public space.[38] In 2005, Battery Steele was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[39]

Family

On December 25, 1901, Steele married Cornelia Elizabeth Lundeen (1880-1976), the daughter of Colonel John A. Lundeen and Mary (Culter) Lundeen.[1] They were the parents of four children: Lee, John, Lundeen, and Ruth.[1]

References
  1. Who Was Who in American History: The Military. Uniondale, NY: Marquis Who's Who Ventures. 1975. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8379-3201-9 – via Google Books.
  2. Hicks, Marilyn Larner (1990). The Van Winkle Family: Peter Marselis Van Winkle, 1814-1882. Wolfe City, TX: Henington Publishing Company. p. 167 – via Google Books. Harry Lee Steele entered army life as a private of Battery A, Fifth artillery, Aug 27, 1895.
  3. US Senate (June 24, 1898). Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. pp. 939–940 – via Google Books.
  4. Church, W. C.; Church, F. P., eds. (July 14, 1900). "The Army: Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry; 7th Artillery". Army and Navy Journal. New York, NY. p. 1087 – via Google Books.
  5. "Fort Leavenworth News: A Number of Lieutenants Leave for Assignments". Leavenworth Times. Leavenworth, KS. July 14, 1898. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Our Neighbors: Newport". Fall River Evening News. Fall River, MA. May 25, 1900. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Many Officers Promoted". The Evening Times. Washington, DC. March 26, 1901. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Our Attractive Army". The Evening Standard. Leavenworth, KS. September 30, 1901. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Arkansas in the Army: Spanish War Veterans". Pine Bluff Daily Graphic. Pine Bluff, AR. April 17, 1903. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Crack Shots of the Army". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, MT. August 5, 1906. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "To Forces of Land and See: Harry L. Steele". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD. November 10, 1907. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Coast Artillery Corps". Army and Navy Register. New York, NY. October 15, 1910. p. 18 – via Google Books.
  13. "Army Orders: Capt. Harry L. Steele". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. January 27, 1911. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Army Orders: Promotion - Harry L. Steele". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD. August 4, 1914. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Army Orders: Major Harry L. Steele". El Paso Morning Times. El Paso, TX. November 11, 1915. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "St. Georges Women Give Supper and Bazaar". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE. November 13, 1915. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Maj. Steele Assume Charge". Evening Express. Los Angeles, CA. August 24, 1917. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Personal Mention: Maj. Harry L. Steele". Long Beach Press. Long Beach, CA. August 25, 1917. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. US Senate (February 13, 1918). Congressional Record - Senate (PDF). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 2041.
  20. US Senate (February 4, 1918). Congressional Record - Senate (PDF). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. pp. 1644–1645.
  21. "Tests for Officers". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. September 23, 1918. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "Roberts Transferred". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, CA. June 18, 1919. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Army Officers Assigned". The Washington Star. Washington, DC. September 13, 1919. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. Welshimer, R. R., ed. (August 23, 1919). "Artillery Orders: Assignments to the Coast Defenses". Liaison: The Courier of the Big Gun Corps. Fort Monroe, VA: US Army Coast Artillery Training Center. p. 91 – via Google Books.
  25. US Army Adjutant General (1920). U.S. Army Register. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 1183 – via Google Books.
  26. "Promotion of Regular Army Officers: To Be Colonels". Army and Navy Journal. New York, NY. July 24, 1920. p. 1450 – via Google Books.
  27. US Army Adjutant General (1921). Army List and Directory. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 24 – via Google Books.
  28. US Army Adjutant General (1926). Army List and Directory. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 1 – via Google Books.
  29. Bureau of the Census, US Commerce Department (1928). Official Register of the United States. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 28 – via Google Books.
  30. Giffin, Stewart S., ed. (May 1, 1930). "Coast Artillery Activities: Office of Chief of Coast Artillery" (PDF). Coast Artillery Journal. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Coast Artillery. p. 429.
  31. "2 Trophies Are Given to Coast Artillery Men". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, HI. November 30, 1932. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. "New School Assistant Guest at Reception". Daily Press. Newport News, VA. September 22, 1934. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. U.S. Senate (1939). Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate. Vol. LXXVI, Part I. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 298 – via Google Books.
  34. "Order of Retirement from Military". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, MI. March 21, 1936. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. "Gen. Harry Steele, In Army 41 Years". The New York Times. New York, NY. April 2, 1938. p. 15 – via TimesMachine.
  36. Woodburn, T. B., ed. (June 1, 1936). "Around the Globe: 59th Coast Artillery (HD) Wins Trophy". Recruiting News. Governor's Island, NY: U.S. Army Recruiting Bureau. p. 14 – via Google Books.
  37. Eastman, Joel W.; MacIssac, Kimberly A. (2000). "An Island at War: The Peaks Island Military Reservation, 1942-1946". Portlandlibrary.com. Portland, ME: Portland Public Library. p. 6.
  38. "Forever Wild". Peaks Island Land Preserve.org. Peaks Island, ME: Peaks Island Land Preserve. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  39. Maine Historic Preservation Commission (October 20, 2005). "National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet: Battery Steele". NPS.gov. Washington, DC: National Park Service. pp. 2–3.
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