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 [decorative delimiter] Class of 1889

Vol. III
p427
3304

(Born Va.)

William Lassiter

(Ap'd Va.)

23

Born Petersburg, VA.​a

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, June 14, 1885, to June 12, 1889, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Add. Second Lieut., 4th Artillery, June 12, 1889.

Served in garrison at Jackson Barracks, La., Sep. 30, 1889, to –––––.

Vol. IV
p480
[Supplement, Vol. IV: 1890‑1900]

Military History. —

(Second Lieut. of Artillery, 5th Artillery, Feb. 10, 1890)

Served: In garrison at Jackson Barracks, La., Sept. 30, 1889 to March, 1890; at Fort Schuyler, N. Y. H., to May, 1890; at Fort Mason, Cal.,

(Transferred to 1st Artillery, Jan. 29, 1891)

to Feb., 1891; at Fort Columbus, N. Y. H., to Sept. 1, 1892; at Fort Monroe, Va., to Sept., 1894 (Graduate of the Artillery School, 1894); at Fort Slocum, N. Y. H., to Oct. 1, 1895; at Fort Hamilton, N. Y. H., to Oct. 27, 1896;

(First Lieut. of Artillery, 1st Artillery, Aug. 26, 1897)

at Fort Sam Houston, Tex., to March 18, 1898; in camp at Galveston, Tex., to April 24, 1898; with Light Battery K, 1st Artillery, to Tampa, Fla., and thence with 5th Army Corps to Santiago, Cuba; served with battery during the attack and capture of Santiago. — At U. S. M. A., West Point, N. Y., as Assistant Instructor of Tactics, Aug. 20, 1898 to ––––

Vol. V
p435
[Supplement, Vol. V: 1900‑1910]

Military History. — Served: At U. S. Military Academy, West Point, N. Y., as Assistant Instructor of Tactics, Aug. 20, 1898 to July 1, 1901.

(Captain, Artillery Corps, Feb. 28, 1901)

— In command 7th Battery, Field Artillery at Fort Riley, Kas., to Dec. 1, 1903; member and Recorder of Board for the preparation of Field Artillery Drill Regulations, and of the Field Artillery Board, at Washington, D. C., and at Fort Riley, Kas., to April 12, 1908.

(Major, 3d Field Artillery, Feb. 25, 1908)

— In Office of Inspector-General, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C., to –––––.

Vol. VI
p520
[Supplement, Vol. VI: 1910‑1920]

(Born Sept. 29, 1867.)

Military History. —

Major, 3d Field Artillery, Feb. 25, 1908

Inspector-General, by Detail, July 1, 1908.

At Washington, D. C., in office of Inspector-General, to August, 1908; Inspector-General, Army of Cuban Pacification, to April, 1909; making special inspections of all the regiments of Field Artillery in U. S. to Aug. 4, 1909; en route to Philippines, Aug. 5 to 31, 1909; making special inspections of Field Artillery in the Philippines, Inspector-General, Department of the Visayas, and Assistant to Inspector-General, Department of the Philippines, to Oct. 12, 1910; en route to U. S., via China, Java, India, Egypt and Europe, Oct. 12, 1910, to March 11, 1911; at San Antonio, Texas, on inspection duty with Maneuver Division, to May, 1911; at Washington, D. C., in office of Inspector-General, to June 8, 1911;

(Assigned to 5th Field Artillery, June 13, 1911)

assigned to General Staff and on duty at War Department to September, 1911; Member of Military Mission to attend German Imperial Maneuvers and to study military matters in England, France and Germany, to October, 1911; at Washington, D. C., on duty in War Department and at War College, to

(Lieut.‑Colonel, 4th Field Artillery, March 16, 1913)

March 17, 1913; relieved from General Staff, March 17, 1913; at Texas City, Texas, with 4th Field Artillery, to April 29, 1914; participated in occupation of Vera Cruz, Mexico, May 1 to 26, 1914, when he was invalided to U. S.; on sick leave to Oct. 5, 1914; at Texas City with regiment, to

(Transferred to 2nd Field Artillery, Nov. 27, 1914)

Dec. 26, 1914; en route to Philippines, Jan. 5 to Feb. 3, 1915; at Camp Stotsenburg, P. I., with regiment, to

(Colonel of Field Artillery, July 1, 1916)

Sept. 27, 1916; en route to London, via Japan, Victoria, New York, Sept. 27 to Nov. 26, 1916; Military Attaché at London to

(Brigadier-General, National Army, Aug. 5, 1917)

Sept. 29, 1917; commanding Base Section, No. 3, Line of Communications, and all American Troops in England, to Oct. 13, 1917; in Brittany, France, commanding 51st Field Artillery Brigade at Training Camp, Oct. 19 to 20, 1917; in London and Paris, under General Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.Pershing and General Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.Bliss, with regard to movement of American Troops to France, Oct. 23 to Dec. 1, 1917; resumed command of 51st Field Artillery Brigade, Dec. 2, 1917, and engaged in training of Brigade to Jan. 30, 1918; participated with Brigade as part of the 26th Division in sector  p521 warfare under French 11th Army Corps in Chemin-des‑Dames Area near Soissons, Feb. 1 to March 16, 1918; same under French 32nd Army Corps in Toul Sector, March 28 to May 9, 1918; assigned as Chief of Artillery, 1st Army Corps, April 30, 1918; preparing Brigade of Corps Artillery (66th Field Artillery Brigade), for service, to June 6, 1918; with Corps Headquarters in Toul area, to June 20, 1918; with 1st Corps in sector warfare, Château-Thierry Area, to July 15, 1918; participated in preparation and execution of Marne-Aisne Offensive, July 19 to Aug. 13, 1918; assigned as Chief of Artillery, 4th Army Corps, Aug. 20, 1918; participated in preparation and execution of St. Mihiel Offensive, Aug. 22 to

(Major-General, U. S. A., Aug. 8, 1918)

Sept. 13, 1918; sector warfare in Toul Area to Oct. 12, 1918; assigned as Chief Artillery, 2nd Army, Oct. 13, 1918; sector warfare in Toul Area, to Nov. 17, 1918; assigned to command 32nd Division, Nov. 17, 1918; took command of Division at Longwy, France, Nov. 20, 1918, and commanded Division during march to Rhine terminating Dec. 13, 1918, and during occupation of Coblenz Bridgehead, to ––––

(Brigadier-General, U. S. A., July 2, 1920)

Awarded

Distinguished Service Medal

"For exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services. As commander of the Fifty-first Field Artillery Brigade, as Chief of Artillery of the First and Fourth Army Corps in turn, and as Chief of Artillery, Second Army, he showed himself to be a leader of conspicuous ability. His energy and sound judgment influenced greatly the success­ful operations of his commands on the Vesle, at the St. Mihiel salient, and in the Toul sector. He later commanded with skill and marked success the Thirty-second Infantry Division."

Vol. VII
p286
[Supplement, Vol. VII: 1920‑1930]

Military History: —

Distinguished Service Medal

Major-General, U. S. A., Aug. 8, 1918.

Assigned to command 32nd Division, Nov. 17, 1918; took command of Division at Longwy, France, Nov. 20, 1918, and commanded Division during march to Rhine, terminating Dec. 13, 1918, and during occupation of Coblenz Bridgehead, to Apr., 1919, when Division was ordered home; assigned as Chief of Artillery of 3rd Army; member of a Board of seven senior officers sitting at Treves, Germany, charged with preparing report on lessons in organization and tactics  p287 to be drawn from war; accompanied General Pershing in victory parades in Paris July 14, 1919 and in London July 23, 1919; returned to U. S. Aug., 1919;

Returned to Grade of Colonel, Aug. 22, 1919.

assigned to War Plans Division, War Department General Staff, to

Brigadier-General, U. S. A., July 2, 1920.

Sept., 1920; commanded Camp Knox, Ky., Sept., 1920, to Sept., 1921; Assistant Chief of Staff G‑3, War Department General Staff, Sept., 1921 to

Major-General, U. S. A., Dec. 30, 1922.

Oct., 1923; commanded Panama Canal Division to Sept., 1924; commanded Panama Canal Department to Jan. 13, 1926; appointed President Plebiscitary Commission Tacna-Arica Arbitration​b and occupied with duties of Commission at Arica, Chile, to June 20, 1926; resumed command Panama Canal Department, and held same to Oct. 10, 1926; on duty in Washington with State Department, closing up affairs of Plebiscitary Commission to Nov. 30, 1926; on leave of absence visiting Europe and North Africa to Mar., 1927; at Chicago, Ill., commanding 6th Corps Area to Mar., 1928; commanded Philippine Department, Apr. 20, 1928 to Oct. 1, 1928; en route home via Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti to Dec., 1928; at San Antonio, Tex., commanding 8th Corps Area, Dec. 24, 1928 to July 26, 1930; leave of absence, July 26 to Oct., 1930; at Fort Shafter, T. H., commanding Hawaiian Dept., Oct., 1930, to ––––

Awarded Silver Star and cited "for gallantry in action at Santiago, Cuba, July 1, 1898."

Vol. VIII
p79
[Supplement, Vol. VIII: 1930‑1940]

Military History: —

Maj.‑Gen., Dec. 30, 1922

At Ft. Shafter, T. H., comdg. Hawaiian Dept., Oct. 24, 1930 to Sept. 15, 1931; on leave to Sept. 30, 1931.

(Maj.‑Gen., Ret., Sept. 30, 1931. By operation of law.)

Vol. IX
p54
[Supplement, Vol. IX: 1940‑1950]

Military History: —

Maj Gen Ret 30 Sep 31

Civil History: — 174 Miramar Ave, Santa Barbara Calif

Died Mar. 29, 1959, at Santa Barbara, Cal.: Aged 91.​c

Portrait and obituary at West Point Association of Graduates.º


Thayer's Notes:

a Gen. Lassiter's birthplace is from the memorial article and biographical sketch at West Point Association of Graduates.

[decorative delimiter]

b In 1879 Chile and Peru fought a border war over the nitrate-rich areas of Tarapacá, Tacna and Arica. Chile won the war, and by the Treaty of Ancón (1883) the status of the latter two areas was to be settled by plebiscite in 1893. The matter dragged on, however, for several years: the arbitration by the United States — Gen. Lassiter's predecessor as President of the commission was Gen. Pershing — was toward the end of the process, which ultimately led to the cession of those provinces to Chile. For the war, see Galdames, History of Chile, ch. 15, passim; the literature is given in the Bibliographical Notes.

[decorative delimiter]

c Gen. Lassiter died after the publication of Vol. IX (1950), the most recent volume of the Supplements to Cullum's Register available to me, which may also be the most recent volume in the public domain. The date and place of his death are from the WPAOG memorial article.


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