MAJOR WHITTLESEY DEAD
For a little over three months Major Joseph H. Whittlesey has been ailing, but at various times he would improve as to be able to appear on the street, until Saturday, July 24, when he took a relapse from which he did not recover, but continued to sink until 5 o'clock last Sunday morning when death came to his relief.
Major Whittlesey was a military man through and through and had been constantly identified with military life from the time he entered West Point. He was a native of New York, from which State he was appointed a cadet to West Point in July, 1840, and graduated from that institution July 1, 1844, as second lieutenant. He was promoted in the army to Brevet Second Lieutenant of the Second Dragoons. From that time he served in frontier duty until the Mexican war, through which he served, and was made a brevet first lieutenant on February 23, 1847, for gallant and meritorious conduct in the battle of Buena Vista. At the close of the Mexican war he resumed frontier service in New Mexico and was for a time engaged in scouting against the Ute and Apache Indians. From 1852 to 1854 he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and during the next two years at Fort Union, New Mexico. In [unreadable] he was Major of the Fifth Cavalry stationed at Fort Dalles, Oregon, and during the time he was stationed, investigated the Sound and other portions of Washington Territory.
He served from the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion, commanding his regiment in active engagements down to the winter of 1863, when he was retired from active service on account of disability, resulting from exposure and hardships during long and full service, which brought on disease and sickness. In 1867 and '68 Major Whittlesey made a tour of inspection to the various educational establishments of the United States, with a view of introducing military instruction into our colleges. He was Professor of Military Science at Cornell University until July, 1870, and in December 1875 he assumed the office of Treasurer of the Soldiers' Home, near Washington. In May, 1881, Major Whittlesey, accompanied by his wife, came out to Seattle to join their two sons, Charles F. and W. H. Whittlesey, who had preceded them, to make their homes on the shores of Puget Sound.
The funeral, which took place at Trinity Church at 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon, was very largely attended, attesting the estimation and esteem in which the deceased was held in this community. Major G. O. Haller, Captain G. S. Carpenter, Captain F. S. De Wolfe, W. H. Pumphrey, L. H. Broyles and C. R. Niesz acted as pall bearers. The two companies of regulars, under Captain Warrens, attended the funeral in full dress uniform (findagrave.com)