In this picture, colorized by Mads Madsen, General Pershing visits Arlington in 1925, several years after returning from World War I. The 639-acre cemetery was established during the Civil War as a place to bury those who died during the nation’s conflicts. The cemetery is on the grounds of Arlington House, the former estate of Mary Anna Custis Lee, the wife of Robert E. Lee and great-granddaughter of Martha Washington.
Colorized by Mads Madsen.
John Joseph Pershing, who was born on September 13, 1860, attended the United States Military Academy (West Point) two years after graduating from the State Normal School in Kirksville Missouri in 1880 with a Bachelor of Science degree in scientific didactics. He graduated 30th in a class of 77 in 1886. After considering two possible paths, studying law, which would have delayed the start of his required active military duty, or working on an irrigation project in Oregon, he decided on active Army duty.
Reporting For Active Duty
General John Pershing at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA, National Photo Company, May 1925. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
After reporting for active duty, he was assigned to Troop L of the 6th U.S. Cavalry, and he participated in some of the Indian campaigns; he was cited for bravery in actions against the Apache. He served at postings in California, Arizona, and North Dakota between 1887 and 1890. During this time, he became an expert marksman. In 1890, during the Ghost Dance Campaign he arrived in Sioux City, Iowa with his unit to suppress the final uprisings of the Lakota. He only saw action once during the campaign and did not participate in the Wounded Knee Massacre.
He became a Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1891-1895; while there he studied law, obtaining his LL.B. degree in 1893.
Commanding A Unit Of Buffalo Soldiers
After being promoted to first lieutenant in 1892, he took command of the one of the original Buffalo Soldier regiments, the 10th Cavalry, and then in 1895, he led an expedition to round up and deport large numbers of Cree Indians to Canada. He had his next teaching assignment was in 1897 as an instructor with the West Point tactical staff, where because he was strict and unpopular with cadets, he earned his nickname of “Black Jack,” a reference to his service with the 10th Cavalry. The nickname was known publicly by 1917 and stuck for the rest of his life.
As the regimental quartermaster for the 10th Cavalry at the beginning of the Spanish-American War, he received the Silver Citation Star for his actions fighting on Kettle and San Juan Hills in Cuba, which was later upgraded to the Silver Star decoration.
Pershing saluting the Marquis de Lafayette's grave. Source: (Wikipedia).
President Theodore Roosevelt petitioned the Army General Staff to promote Pershing to colonel in 1903, but this was not possible as promotions at that time were based on seniority, not merit. Roosevelt then petitioned Congress to authorize a diplomatic posting, so in 1905, Pershing was stationed as a military attaché in Tokyo during the Russo-Japanese War. After returning to the United States in the fall of 1905, Roosevelt nominated Pershing as a brigadier general.
He served briefly as a U.S. military observer in the Balkans in 1908, and then was assigned to the Philippines, where he served as the commander of Fort McKinley and was the governor of the Moro Province. He then received orders to take command of the 8th Brigade at the Presidio in San Francisco, on December 20, 1913; they were deployed to Fort Bliss on April 24, 1914, as tensions between the U.S. and Mexico were increasing. He had decided to bring his family to Fort Bliss, but a fire killed his wife and three daughters, leaving only his 6-year old son, Francis Warren. On March 15, 1916, after talk of war for years, Pershing led an expedition into Mexico to capture Pancho Villa. Because of circumstances beyond his control, they failed to capture Villa, although they did route Villa’s revolutionaries.
During World War I
Pershing decorating soldiers in Trier, circa 1919. Source: (Wikipedia).
As America entered World War I, he was installed as the Commander of the American Expeditionary Force on May 10, 1917, and by October 6, 1917, he was promoted to full general in the National Army, the first to hold the position since Phillip Sheridan in 1888. Once in France, he insisted that the American Army should remain independent, although France and Britain wanted to amalgamate the American troops into their own armies. He did permit his divisions to fight under the French generals on the Marne to stop the Germans, however. Unfortunately, during the Meuse-Argonne offensive of September 26, his “open warfare” doctrine failed. Pershing believed he could break the Western Front’s stalemate because American riflemen had superior marksmanship and could move quickly. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the machine gun, and the battle was a failure. On October 16, after handing the First Army to Hunter Liggett, who changed organization and tactics, they joined the British and French, forcing the Germans to accept an armistice on November 11. However, Pershing opposed the armistice, as he believed they should continue to pressure the Germans until they surrendered unconditionally. Unfortunately, in his resistance, he did not tell his commanders to stop any new assaults in the final few hours even though he knew of the imminent ceasefire. This resulted in over 11,000 new casualties; 3,500 of those could be attributed to Pershing’s actions.
After World War I
Roosevelt with General Pershing and Claude Swanson arriving at Arlington on November 11. Source: (Library of Congress).
He was promoted to General of the Armies of the United States, the highest possible rank in September 1919. He created an insignia for his new rank, choosing four gold stars, which he wore for the rest of his career. That same year, he created the Military Order of the World War, an officer’s fraternity for veterans of WWI. In 1920, despite the movement to draft him as a Presidential candidate, he refused to campaign. From 1921-1924, he served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
After retreating into private life in the 1930s, he published his memoirs, My Experience in the World War, which won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for history.
