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 [decorative delimiter] Class of 1886

Vol. III
p397
3126

(Born Mo.)

John Josephº Pershing

(Ap'd Mo.)

30

John Joseph Pershing: Born Sept. 13, 1860, Laclede, MO.

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1882, to July 1, 1886, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Second Lieut., 6th Cavalry, July 1, 1886.

Served: on frontier duty at Ft. Bayard, N. M., and in the field, Sep. 30, 1886, to July 30, 1887, — Ft. Stanton, N. M., and in the field, to Feb. 8, 1889, — Ft. Wingate, N. M., to Sep. 1, 1889, — and Ft. Stanton, N. M., to –––––.

Vol. IV
p422
[Supplement, Vol. IV: 1890‑1900]

Military History. — Served: At Fort Stanton, N. M., to Sept., 1890; at Fort Wingate, N. M. (on scout, Oct. 27 to Nov. 7, 1890), to Dec. 1, 1890; in the field in the campaign against Sioux Indians at Pine Ridge Agency, S. D., to Feb. 9, 1891; at Fort Niobrara, Neb., to March 5, 1891; commanding Indian scouts at Pine Ridge Agency, S. D., to July, 1891; with troop at Fort Niobrara, Neb., to Aug. 7, 1891; commanding detachment en route to Fort Sheridan, Ill. (rifle team), to Sept., 1891. — Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 25, 1891

(First Lieut. of Cavalry, 10th Cavalry, Oct. 20, 1892)

to Oct. 1, 1895. — Joined the 10th Cavalry, Oct. 11, 1895, and served with it at Fort Assinniboine, Mont. (in the field deporting Cree Indians, June and July), to Oct. 16, 1896; on leave to Dec. 17, 1896; on temporary duty at Headquarters of the Army, Washington, D. C., to May 1, 1897; rejoined his regiment, May 15, 1897, serving at Fort Assinniboine, Mont., to June 1, 1897. — On duty at the U. S. M. A., West Point, N. Y., as Assistant Instructor of Tactics, June 15, 1897 to May 2, 1898; with regiment near Tampa, Fla., to June, 1898, and in the campaign against Santiago de Cuba to Aug., 1898;

(Major and Chief Ordnance Officer, U. S. Volunteers, Aug. 18, 1898)

on duty at Headquarters of the Army to Dec. 20, 1898; on duty in the office of the Assistant Secretary of War to ––––

(Honorably Discharged from Volunteer Service,
May 12, 1899)

(Major and Asst. Adjutant-General, U. S. Volunteers,
June 6, 1899)

Vol. V
p386
[Supplement, Vol. V: 1900‑1910]

Military History. — Unknown, no information having been received.

(Captain, 1st Cavalry, Feb. 2, 1901)

(Transferred to 15th Cavalry, Aug. 20, 1901)

(Brigadier-General, U. S. A., Sept. 20, 1906)

Vol. VI
p423
[Supplement, Vol. VI: 1910‑1920]

(Born Sept. 13, 1860.)

Military History. —

First Lieut., 10th Cavalry, Oct. 20, 1892.

Major and Asst. Adjutant-General, U. S. Vols., June 6, 1899.

At Washington, D. C., in office of Assistant Secretary of War to Sept. 1, 1899; en route to Philippines, via Europe, Sept. 2 to Nov. 28, 1899; at Zamboanga, P. I., Adjutant-General, Department of Mindanao, Dec. 24, 1899, to

(Captain, 1st Cavalry, Feb. 2, 1901)

(Honorably Discharged from Volunteer Service,
June 30, 1901)

Aug. 8, 1901; at Zamboanga, P. I., acting Engineer Officer, Department of Mindanao, Aug. 9 to

(Transferred to 15th Cavalry, Aug. 20, 1901)

 p424  Sept. 4, 1901; Collector of Customs, Sept. 5 to Oct. 11, 1901, at Jolo, P. I., commanding 1st Squadron, 15th Cavalry, Oct. 12, 1901, to April, 1902; at Camp Vicars, P. I., commanding Provisional Squadron, April, 1902, to June 26, 1903; (commanded expedition against Moros, Sept. 18 to Oct. 3, 1902; against Moros in Lake Lanao District, Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, 1902, and Feb. 17 to March 20, 1903); en route to U. S. and on leave of absence, June 27, 1903, to

(Detailed to General Staff, Aug. 15, 1903)

Oct. 30, 1903; at Washington, D. C., in office of Chief of Staff, Oct. 31, 1903, to Jan. 6, 1904; at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Assistant to Chief of Staff, Southwestern Department, Jan. 9 to June 22, 1904, and Chief of Staff, Southwestern Department, June 23 to Oct. 22, 1904; at Washington, D. C., student officer, Army War College, Oct. 30, 1904, to January, 1905; en route to Tokio, Japan, January to March 6, 1905; at Tokio, Military Attaché, March 7, 1905, to

(Brigadier-General, U. S. A., Sept. 20, 1906)

October, 1906; en route to U. S. and awaiting orders, October to Nov. 2, 1906; at San Francisco, Cal., commanding Department of California, Nov. 3 to 20, 1906; en route to Philippines, Nov. 22 to Dec. 31, 1906; at Fort William McKinley, P. I., commanding post, Jan. 3, 1907, to July 30, 1908; on special mission to Europe, Aug. 1 to Dec. 13, 1908; on leave of absence, Dec. 14, 1908, to Jan. 18, 1909; at Washington, D. C., in office of Chief of Staff, Jan. 19 to March 8, 1909; on sick leave and at Hot Springs, Ark., sick in Army and Navy General Hospital, March 9 to Sept. 12, 1909; en route to Philippines, Oct. 5 to Nov. 3, 1909; at Zamboanga, P. I., commanding Department of Mindanao, and Governor of Moro Province, Nov. 11, 1909, to Dec. 14, 1913; (commanding Philippines Division, Dec. 28, 1910, to Jan. 13, 1911); en route to U. S., Dec. 15, 1913, to Jan. 13, 1914; at Presidio of San Francisco, Cal., commanding 8th Infantry Brigade, Jan. 14 to April 23, 1914; at El Paso, Texas, commanding 8th Infantry Brigade, April 28, 1914, to March 14, 1916; in command of all U. S. Troops in Mexican Punitive Expedition, March 15, 1916, to

(Major-General, U. S. A., Sept. 25, 1916)

Feb. 6, 1917; at El Paso, Texas, commanding El Paso District, Feb. 7 to 21, 1917; at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, commanding Southern Department, Feb. 23 to May 7, 1917; at Washington, D. C., organizing American Expeditionary Forces, May 8 to 27, 1917; en route to France, May 28 to June 13, 1917; commanding American Expeditionary Forces in France from June 13, 1917

General, U. S. A., Oct. 6, 1917.

LL. B., University of Nebraska, 1893; LL. D., University of Nebraska, July, 1917; University of St. Andrews, Scotland, May, 1919; awarded Belgian Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold, with Croix de Guerre, March 18, 1918; awarded the French Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, Aug. 6, 1918; awarded the British Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Aug. 12, 1918; awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Danilo I of Montenegro, and the Obilitch Medal of Montenegro, Sept. 25, 1918; received the Italian Grand Cross of the Order of St. Maurizio e Lazzaro, Oct. 3, 1918; awarded

Distinguished Service Medal

Oct. 31, 1918, "As a token of the gratitude of the American people to the Commander of our Armies in the field for his distinguished services, and in appreciation of the success which our armies have achieved under his leader­ship."

Received the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Nov. 9, 1918; received the Croix de Guerre Tchecoslovaque, Jan. 17, 1919; received the Greek Order of St. Savior, Jan. 20, 1919.

Vol. VII
p235
[Supplement, Vol. VII: 1920‑1930]

Military History: —

Distinguished Service Medal

Major-General, U. S. A., Sept. 25, 1916.

At Washington, D. C., organizing American Expeditionary Forces, May 8 to 27, 1917; en route to France, May 28, to June 13, 1917; Commanding American Expeditionary Forces in France, June 13, 1917, to

General, U. S. A., Oct. 6, 1917.

Sept. 1, 1919; en route to U. S., Sept. 1, to

General of the Armies of the United States, Sept. 3, 1919.

Vol. VIII
p71
[Supplement, Vol. VIII: 1930‑1940]

Military History: —

Gen., Ret., Sept. 13, 1924.

Civil History. — Chosen by the President of the U. S. as President of the Tacna Arica boundary commission. At Arica (Chile) July 1925 to Jan. 1926.​a Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Vol. IX
p49
[Supplement, Vol. IX: 1940‑1950]

Military History: —

Gen of the Armies Ret 13 Sep 24

Civil History. — Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission — 15 Jul 48.

Died July 15, 1948, at Washington, D. C.: Aged 87.

Buried, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.​b


Thayer's Notes:

a 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. Pershing was succeeded in January 1926 as President of the commission by Gen. Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.William Lassiter — 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.

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b Both the Arlington Cemetery page linked above, with its interesting photos, and the entry at Find-a‑Grave contain good, readable, biographical sketches and much other information.


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