William Rufus Shafter

William Rufus Shafter
Shafter in 1898
Nickname(s)	"Pecos Bill"
Born	October 16, 1835 (1835-10-16) Galesburg, Michigan, U.S.
Died	November 12, 1906 (1906-11-13) (aged 71) Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Place of burial	San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, California, U.S.
Allegiance	United States (Union)
Service / branch	United States Army (Union Army)
Years of service	1861–1901
Rank	Major General
Unit	7th Michigan Infantry Regiment 19th Michigan Infantry Regiment
Commands	17th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment 24th U.S. Infantry Regiment Fifth Army Corps Department of California
Battles / wars	List American Civil War Operations in Northern Virginia Battle of Ball's Bluff Peninsula campaign Richmond–Petersburg campaign Battle of Fair Oaks Middle Tennessee Operations Battle of Thompson's Station Franklin–Nashville campaign Battle of Nashville American Indian Wars Spanish–American War Santiago Campaign Battle of San Juan Hill Battle of El Caney Siege of Santiago
Awards	Medal of Honor

William Rufus Shafter (October 16, 1835 – November 12, 1906) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Fair Oaks. Shafter also played a prominent part as a major general in the Spanish–American War. Fort Shafter, Hawaii, is named for him, as well as the city of Shafter, California and the ghost town of Shafter, Texas. He was nicknamed "Pecos Bill",^[1] inspiration for the fictional character of the same name in tall tales.