Charles was born in Blount's Ferry, Florida, United States. He was the son of Elhanan Bryant Summerall, who had been a plantation owner before the Civil War. He afterward made a living as a wheelwright, painter, or at whatever work was available. His mother had been a schoolteacher.
He attended Porter Military Academy in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1882 to 1885.
Summerall taught school at Astatula and Leesburg, Florida, until he entered the United States Military Academy (USMA) in 1888 through competitive examination. Summerall graduated in 1892 as first captain of the corps of cadets and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry, although he transferred to the artillery at the first opportunity, in March 1893.
During the Spanish-American War, Summerall was aide to Brig. General Alexander Pennington, commander of the Department of the Gulf. In the Philippine Insurrection he served with Reilly's Artillery Battery, (1899 - 1900); the performance of his platoon and his courage under fire produced three recommendations for brevet. When his battery was assigned to the China Relief Expedition in 1900-1901, Summerall demonstrated the effective use of artillery as well as his own bravery.
During the attack on Peking, despite heavy fire he used chalk to mark a target for his platoon cannon on a gate of the first wall and repeated this exploit at the gate of the second wall. He was recommended twice for brevet in this expedition. Upon returning to the United States, Summerall married Laura Mordecai on August 14, 1901; they had one son.
On a brief Alaskan assignment Summerall chose the site and initiated construction of Fort Seward. His appointment as senior instructor of military tactics at West Point (1905 - 1911), as lecturer at the Army War College, and as assistant to the chief of the Militia Bureau at the War Department afforded further opportunities to advance his ideas on the role of artillery.
At the outbreak of World War I, Summerall was promoted to colonel and appointed a member of the Baker Commission, which drew up plans to "organize a balanced force complete in all weapons and services essential to modern warfare. " These plans were to provide effective cooperation with the Allies. Promoted to brigadier general, he briefly commanded an artillery brigade of the Forty-Second (Rainbow) Division, and accompanied it to Europe.
There Summerall was transferred to the 16t Division - which, comprising Regular Army units, saw early action. When the First Division took Cantigny and held it against seven enemy attacks, the effectiveness of his artillery was demonstrated; and Summerall, promoted to major general, was given command of the division. With no respite it entered the Soissons offensive and in three days took Berzy-le-Sec, a key position. For Soissons, Summerall's greatest victory, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Two months later, at St. -Mihiel, Summerall's division captured 16, 000 prisoners and 400 guns. When the Americans bogged down in the Meuse-Argonne campaign, Summerall was placed in command of the V Corps, including the First Division.
When a brigade that had suffered heavy casualties failed to take its objective, he stormed into its headquarters and relieved the commander on the spot.
The V Corps captured Cote Dame Marie and broke the Hindenburg Line at a vital point. With the disintegration of the German lines, there was much rivalry over the distinction of capturing Sedan. The order had stated that the V Corps was to assist the I Corps - with, however, the ambiguous statement "Boundaries will not be considered binding. " Summerall took advantage of this ambiguity, and in the race for Sedan he ordered the First Division to cut across territory assigned to the I Corps.
There was much resulting confusion; General Pershing was angered by this violation of corps boundaries but did nothing because of the enthusiasm over the ending of the war. The incident, however, engendered lasting feuds between Summerall and other generals who considered his action "glory hunting. "
After the Armistice he was given command of the IX and then the IV Corps; the latter was part of the army of occupation in Germany. In July 1919 Summerall was appointed a member of the Allied Mission of Generals to negotiate the Fiume dispute; later, on duty with the American mission to negotiate peace, he witnessed the signing of the Versailles Treaty.
Summerall's accomplishments in World War I probably made him the most original tactician of the American Expeditionary Force. Unlike the essentially conservative Pershing, he was not afraid to try new methods, especially if they involved the greater use of artillery. He made cannon an integral part of infantry attack, using seventy-five-millimeter guns in the front lines. Even more important was the efficient communication system established between infantry and artillery.
In addition, the rolling "Summerall barrage" that devastated everything in front and blanketed the infantry was a costly but effective tactic. A perfectionist who accepted nothing less than success, Summerall was feared by both officers and enlisted men; his reprimands were withering. Nonetheless, "Sitting Bull, " as he was called from his code name, had the respect and confidence of his commands. After the war Summerall was promoted to brigadier general and then major general of the Regular Army.
While he commanded the Hawaiian Department (1921 - 1924), Colonel William Mitchell visited there and in a report denounced the lack of attention to air defenses on Oahu; Summerall was vehement in his reply. At the court-martial of Mitchell in 1925, he was court president until the defense showed his bias and he was dismissed.
He was, however, a witness for the War Department at the trial. Not long after the court-martial Summerall, a Florida Democrat, was appointed chief of staff by President Calvin Coolidge.
Both men shared a dislike for Mitchell. Summerall's term as chief of staff, 1926-1930, was a difficult time for the armed services. The country was strongly antimilitary. Summerall undertook a nationwide speaking tour to condemn inadequate defense appropriations; Coolidge disagreed with his views and ordered him to return to Washington and remain silent.
Despite the nation's economic conditions the expenditures of the War Department under Summerall increased by one-third, a large portion of which was used to build many army posts. He was not as concerned about the Army Air Corps and was unhappy when the Bureau of the Budget increased the portion for the Air Corps at the expense of the general services. He stepped down as chief of staff on November 20, 1930, with the rank of four-star general.
In June 1953 Summerall retired as president of The Citadel and settled in Aiken, South Carolina.
He died in Walter Reed Hospital, in Washington.
Charles Pelot Summerall served in World War I, as one of the first commanders of the 1st Infantry Division ("The Big Red One"), and was Army Chief of Staff from 1926 and 1930 with promotion to general in February 1929. General Summerall's decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star and numerous foreign decorations. He received the Distinguished Service Cross as commanding general of the 1st Division.
In 1927 General Summerall joined the South Carolina Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Quotes from others about the person
In contrast to the official citation, Colonel Conrad S. Babcock, commander of the 28th Infantry Regiment at Berzy-le-Sec, contended that General Summerall was not at the front until after the battle:
"The only time I saw General Summerall near the front was on the night of the 19th in the Missy-aux-Bois ravine, Ploisy had just been captured. If he exhorted any of the 1st Battalion that evening, after their strenuous and fierce 3, 000 yard advance, I was never told of it. "
Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. wrote in a letter to George C. Marshall "in my humble opinion, General Summerall was the biggest troop leader we had in the American army and you were the best tactician. I have quite often expressed this view to people whom I know and you would be pleased and surprised to know how many agree with me. "
Summerall was admired by many as a gifted leader with great personal integrity. General John Pershing, in a hand-written dedication to the official Report of the First Army, wrote in 1924 "To Major General Charles P. Summerall, whose loyal and distinguished services as Brigade, Division, and Corps Commander during Allied operations of the American Expedition army forces in the World War will ever remain the pride of his associates and will ever mark him as one of the outstanding figures of that great struggle. Especially will his name be linked with the wonderful achievements of the First Division which exemplifies his character as a soldier and a leader. "
One officer noted, "He (Summerall) wanted results no matter how many men were killed. "
Summerall married Laura Mordecai on August 14, 1901; they had one son.
