John J. Pershing

John Joseph Pershing
Nickname	Black Jack
Born	(1860-09-13)September 13, 1860 Laclede, Missouri
Died	July 15, 1948(1948-07-15) (aged 87) Walter Reed General Hospital Washington, D.C.
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1886–1924
Rank	General of the Armies
Service number	O-1
Commands held	8th Brigade American Expeditionary Force First United States Army Army Chief of Staff Mexican Expedition
Battles/wars	Indian Wars Apache Wars Sioux Wars Spanish–American War Battle of San Juan Hill Philippine–American War Moro Rebellion Russo-Japanese War Mexican Revolution Pancho Villa Expedition World War I Western Front
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Légion d'honneur
Signature

General of the Armies John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), was a general officer in the United States Army. He led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Pershing is the only person to be promoted in his own lifetime to the highest rank ever held in the United States Army. The rank is known as General of the Armies. (a retroactive Congressional edict passed in 1976 promoted George Washington to the same rank but with higher seniority^[1]). Pershing holds the first United States officer service number (O-1). He was regarded as a mentor by the generation of American generals who led the United States Army in Europe during World War II. These include George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar N. Bradley, and George S. Patton.

Summary of service

Dates of rank

No Insignia in 1886	Second Lieutenant, United States Army: July 1, 1886
	First Lieutenant, United States Army: October 20, 1892
	Major of Volunteers, U.S. Army: August 18, 1898 - June 30, 1901
	Captain, U.S. Army (reverted to permanent rank July 1, 1901): February 2, 1901
	Brigadier General, United States Army: September 1906
	Major General, United States Army: May 1916
	General, National Army, Army of the United States: October 1917
	General of the Armies of the United States, Army of the United States: September 3, 1919 As there was no prescribed insignia for this rank, General Pershing chose the four stars of a full general, except in gold. The rank has been argued to be equivalent to "6-star" general, as the insignia of the next lowest rank "General of the Army" is designated by five stars. According to the biography Until the Last Trumpet Sounds by Gene Smith, Pershing never wore the rank on his uniform.

Assignment history

General Pershing lands in France in 1917

• 1882: Cadet, United States Military Academy
• 1886: Troop L, Sixth Cavalry
• 1891: Professor of Tactics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• 1895: 1st Lieutenant, 10th Cavalry Regiment
• 1897: Instructor, United States Military Academy, West Point
• 1898: Major of Volunteer Forces, Cuban Campaign, Spanish–American War
• 1899: Officer-in-Charge, Office of Customs and Insular Affairs
• 1900: Adjutant General, Department of Mindanao and Jolo, Philippines
• 1901: Battalion Officer, 1st Cavalry and Intelligence Officer, 15th Cavalry (Philippines)
• 1902: Officer-in-Charge, Camp Vicars, Philippines
• 1904: Assistant Chief of Staff, Southwest Army Division, Oklahoma
• 1905: Military attaché, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
• 1908: Military Advisor to American Embassy, France
• 1909: Commander of Fort McKinley, Manila, and governor of Moro Province
• 1914: Brigade Commander, 8th Army Brigade
• 1916: Commanding General, Mexican Punitive Expedition
• 1917: Commanding General for the formation of the National Army
• 1917: Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, Europe
• 1921: Chief of Staff of the United States Army
• 1924: Retired from active military service
• 1925: Chief Commissioner assigned by the United States in the arbitration case for the provinces of Tacna and Arica between Peru and Chile.

References

Notes

1. "Library of Congress link: Washington held the title of "General and Commander in Chief" of the Continental Army".

Sources

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

Further reading

• Richard Goldhurst, Pipe Clay and Drill: John J. Pershing, the classic American soldier, (Reader's Digest Press, 1977)
• Gene Smith, Until the Last Trumpet Sounds: The Life of General of the Armies John J. Pershing (Wiley, New York, 1998) ISBN 978-0-471-24693-0
• Donald Smythe, Guerrilla Warrior: The Early Life of John J. Pershing (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1973) ISBN 0-684-12933-7
• Donald Smythe, Pershing: General of the Armies (Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1986) ISBN 0-253-21924-8
• Frank E. Vandiver, Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing - Volume I (Texas A&M University Press, Third printing, 1977) ISBN 0-89096-024-0
• Frank E. Vandiver, Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing - Volume II (Texas A&M University Press, Third printing, 1977) ISBN 0-89096-024-0
• Yockelson, Mitchell A. (May 30, 2008). Borrowed Soldiers: Americans under British Command, 1918. Foreword by John S. D. Eisenhower. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3919-7.

Other websites

• Pershing Museum Archived 2009-07-12 at the Wayback Machine
• Biography of John J. Pershing
• New York Times obituary
• Black Jack Pershing in Cuba Archived 2003-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
• CHAPTER IV, General of the Armies John J. Pershing, State Funeral, 15-19 July 1948 Archived 12 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine in The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funeral, 1921-1969 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine by B. C. Mossman and M. W. Stark, United States Army Center of Military History