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General
John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing,
military commander whose brilliant career earned him
the title General of the Armies of the United States,
died on July 15, 1948. The first general awarded the
title since George Washington, Pershing was given a
hero's burial at Arlington
National Cemetery.
Pershing was born in
Laclede, Missouri,
on September 13, 1860, the first of six children. His
mother taught him at home, helping to inspire in him a
love of learning. He realized his dream of attaining a
formal college education when he won a scholarship to
the U.S.
Military Academy.
After graduating from
West Point in 1886, Pershing was given command of the
6th Cavalry Regiment in the West, where he
participated in the Apache and Sioux campaigns. He was
promoted to First Lieutenant of the 10th Cavalry
Regiment in Montana,
one of several segregated regiments formed after
passage of an 1866 law authorizing the U.S. Army to
form cavalry and infantry regiments of black soldiers.
Reflecting the racial prejudices of the era, the law
also stipulated the units be commanded by white
officers. Pershing expressed his admiration for the
black soldiers under his command forcefully and often,
earning for himself the honorary nickname of
"Black Jack."
After a period teaching
military science at the University of Nebraska and at
West Point, Pershing was commissioned to Chickamauga,
Georgia to command a regiment bound for Cuba. He
distinguished himself for his composure under fire
during the Spanish-American War and was awarded a
Silver Star Citation for gallantry in the Battles
of Santiago and San Juan Hill. The African
American troops of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Divisions
played a prominent role in these battles, fighting
bravely beside the volunteer Rough Riders.
Pershing's later
service in the Philippines and as military attaché in
Japan, where he was official observer of the
Russo-Japanese War, won him praise and promotion from
President Theodore
Roosevelt. His tact in handling the restrictions
imposed on the movements of the American forces in
Mexico during his command of the expedition in pursuit
of Pancho
Villa earned him the notice of President
Woodrow Wilson.
After the United States
entered the First
World War on April
6, 1917, Wilson appointed Pershing commander of
the American Expeditionary Forces to Europe. Coming to
the aid of the trench-fatigued French troops, Pershing
galvanized the novice American forces, molding them
into a fighting army to be reckoned with.
Pershing introduced the
first tank battalion used in battle by the American
armed forces and made effective use of detailed
operational orders which enabled his combat commanders
to interpret his intentions on the field.
Although the American
armed forces continued to be segregated, General
Pershing attempted to give African American soldiers
the opportunity to advance in command by placing them
under the leadership of the French who were able to
honor them as they deserved. Under Pershing's
leadership, the First
U.S. Army helped bring an end to the stalemate
with Germany, hastening the Armistice.
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more information on General Pershing's command with
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