Born into War. In 1863, a 3 yr old John J. Pershing was
pinned to the floor by his mother to protect him from confederate raiders. In 1886, he left West Point for the western frontier, having been elected class president four years in a row. In 1890 he was
present at the Wounded Knee Massacre. In 1898 he
fought with Buffalo Soldiers in Cuba, commanding a black cavalry regiment at San Juan Hill. From 1898 to 1901 he was
fighting Philippine insurgents. In 1905 he served as an
observer in the Russo-Japanese War, arguably the first "modern" war. In 1906 Teddy Roosevelt
promoted him to Brigadier General, skipping over
862 senior officers. In 1916 he was
hunting Poncho Villa in Mexico. In 1917, Pershing was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Entire
American Expeditionary Force of WW1, in which he built an army almost from scratch, organizing, training, and supplying an inexperienced force that eventually numbered two million. 1919 saw Pershing promoted to the highest U.S. Army rank in history, "
General of the Armies", a position held previously by George Washington. Pershing lived to see Allied Victory before
his death in 1948.
posted by thisisdrew
on May 19, 2011 -
41 comments
