in the Boer War and died in battle in 1899. He is memorialized on the Royal Military College Memorial Arch and the South African War Memorial (Halifax). Military career Wood became a U.S. Navy midshipman on April 7, 1847. He joined the crew of the frigate which sailed to Brazil. Soon after he transferred to and sailed for the west coast of Mexico in 1847. Soon after arriving off the Mexican port of Mazzatan later that year Wood joined a thousand-sailor force that landed to capture the port city where he first experienced combat while commanding a gun crew. At the end of the Mexican War in 1848, Wood returned to Ohio and saw service in the newly acquired California territory during the gold rush. After serving at sea on Ohio for three years, Wood's ship returned to Boston where he was given a three-month leave of absence. During his time aboard Ohio, Zachary Taylor had become president. Wood served for a time aboard Ohio alongside William Hall and later supported Hall's US Navy pension claim. Suppression of African slave trade Wood served at sea during the last part of the Mexican–American War, performing shore duty as a Naval Academy officer. During the last part of the war he sailed off the coast of Africa suppressing the African slave trade and in the Mediterranean. He served aboard patrolling in the Gulf of Guinea when it captured a Spanish slave ship. His first command of a ship occurred when he was ordered to bring the captured Africans to Liberia and set them free. He was responsible for his ship, his crew, and three hundred and fifty prisoners. The voyage lasted three weeks and was pitted against stormy seas but Wood succeeded in reaching Monrovia with his ship and passengers intact. The authorities in Liberia denied Wood the right to land his human cargo in the capital and he was forced on another one hundred and fifty mile voyage to Grand Bassa. Once again Wood was confronted by governmental authorities and was told he could not land his cargo of captured and would be slaves. However, this time he did not comply, asserted his authority, and landed his human cargo. Wood returned to Porpoise and at age 21 had gained confidence as a commander from the experience. Other service Wood graduated second in his class from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1852.