I found this on
Wikipedia.....Some pretty interesting reading....
A large amount of
Lake Harney's history can be accredited to General
William Selby Harney and the wars he took part in throughout
Florida. Author of “Naming of Lake Harney”, Mal Martin, stated “William Selby Harney was born in Haysboro, Tennessee on August 22, 1800”. When he entered the military, he enlisted as a Second Lieutenant in the First United States Infantry on February 12, 1818 and remained at that rank throughout the first
Seminole War which was sparked by Andrew Jackson's attack on a fort held by the Seminole people. After the first
Seminole War had subsided Harney was recognized for his military abilities and was raised to the rank of First Lieutenant on January 7, 1819. Harney continued in his military career and, after the end of the Second Seminole war, Harney served in the War with Mexico(1846-1848) and the
Civil War until his retirement on August 1, 1863 as a General. After retirement, he married a nurse and lived in
Pass Christian, Mississippi for some time. He died on May 9, 1889 in
Orlando, Florida and is buried at
Arlington National Cemetery. There are several landmarks that are named after him in his honor; such as
Harney Peak in
South Dakota as well as
Camp Harney in
Zapata, Texas.
