United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, United States
The United States Military Academy where John J. Pershing studied from 1882 to 1886.
Gallery of John Pershing
100 E Normal Ave, Kirksville, MO 63501, United States
The Truman State University where John J. Pershing received the Bachelor of Elementary Didactics degree in 1880.
Gallery of John Pershing
1875 N 42nd St, Lincoln, NE 68503, United States
The University of Nebraska College of Law where John J. Pershing received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1893.
Gallery of John Pershing
122 Forbes Ave, Carlisle, PA 17013, United States
In October 1904, Pershing attended the Army War College.
Career
Gallery of John Pershing
1914
Chaumont, France
General John J. Pershing at his desk in Chaumont.
Gallery of John Pershing
1914
John J. Pershing, Brigadier General of the United States Armies, stands next to French Army Commander Ferdinand Foch.
Gallery of John Pershing
1915
American General John J. Pershing pictured on horseback.
Gallery of John Pershing
1917
France
General Pershing, the American Commander in Europe during World War I, arrives in France with the first American soldiers sent to fight after the United States declared war on Germany.
Gallery of John Pershing
1917
American General John J. Pershing, French General Henri Petain, British General Douglas Haig, and overall Allied commander Ferdinand Foch.
Gallery of John Pershing
1918
Chaumont, France
Portrait of General John J. Pershing at the general headquarters in Chaumont, France on October 19, 1918.
Gallery of John Pershing
1918
Lucey, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France
General John J. Pershing, left, and Major General William M. Wright in Lucey, France on September 8, 1918.
Gallery of John Pershing
1918
General John J. Pershing talking to Marshal Joseph Joffre.
Gallery of John Pershing
1919
London, United Kingdom
General John J. Pershing leading the American contingent in the World War I Victory Parade through the streets of London on July 19, 1919.
Gallery of John Pershing
1920
West Point, New York, United States
General John J. Pershing, Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, General William M. Wright, and Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur during graduation at West Point Military Academy.
Gallery of John Pershing
1921
United States
American General John J. Pershing shaking hands with Marshal Ferdinand Foch during the latter's visit to the United States after World War I.
Achievements
1924
John J. Pershing on the cover of Time magazine.
Membership
Awards
Distinguished Service Cross
The Distinguished Service Cross that John J. Pershing received in 1941.
Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal that John J. Pershing received in 1918.
Silver Star
The Silver Star that John J. Pershing received in 1932.
Indian Campaign Medal
The Indian Campaign Medal that John J. Pershing received in 1907.
Spanish Campaign Medal
The Spanish Campaign Medal that John J. Pershing received in 1905.
Army of Cuban Occupation Medal
The Army of Cuban Occupation Medal that John J. Pershing received in 1915.
Philippine Campaign Medal
The Philippine Campaign Medal that John J. Pershing received in 1905.
Mexican Service Medal
The Mexican Service Medal that John J. Pershing received in 1917.
World War I Victory Medal
The World War I Victory Medal that John J. Pershing received in 1919.
Army of Occupation of Germany Medal
The Army of Occupation of Germany Medal that John J. Pershing received in 1941.
Military Medal
The Military Medal that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Croix de Guerre
The Croix de Guerre that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Order of the Bath
The Order of the Bath that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Legion of Honor
The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Order Virtuti Militari
The Order Virtuti Militari that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Order of the White Lion
The Order of the White Lion that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Czechoslovak War Cross 1918
The Czechoslovak War Cross 1918 that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Order of the Golden Grain
The Order of the Golden Grain that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Order of the Redeemer
The Order of the Redeemer that John J. Pershing was awarded.
Order of the Rising Sun
The Order of the Rising Sun that John J. Pershing was awarded.
General Pershing, the American Commander in Europe during World War I, arrives in France with the first American soldiers sent to fight after the United States declared war on Germany.
General John J. Pershing, Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, General William M. Wright, and Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur during graduation at West Point Military Academy.
George Eastman with Thomas Edison (center) and General John J. Pershing after a demonstration of the Eastman Kodak color moving picture process camera in Rochester.
Victoria St, Victoria, London SW1E 5ND, United Kingdom
American General John J. Pershing sitting in a train carriage after attending the Coronation of King George VI, at Victoria Station, London, May 21, 1937.
United States Cavalry Officer John J. Pershing with his father, John Fletcher, his mother, Ann Elizabeth, his youngest brother, Ward, his other brother, James, and his sisters.
(This memoir with diary excerpts is a concise record of Ge...)
This memoir with diary excerpts is a concise record of General Pershing's experiences in his role in WWI, providing insight into the war told from the American perspective. It tells of his early life as a soldier and events leading up to this war while the world sleepwalked its way into a catastrophe of indescribable proportions. No doubt, Pershing's insights after this war helped shape the thinking of future American generals.
John J. Pershing was a senior United States Army officer who served as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. He also was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1921 to 1924.
Background
Ethnicity:
John J. Pershing's great-great-grandfather was German. Pershing's mother was of English descent.
John J. Pershing was born on September 13, 1860, in Laclede, Missouri, United States. He was the son of John Fletcher Pershing and Ann Elizabeth Thompson. Pershing also had two brothers and three sisters.
Education
John Pershing attended a school in Laclede and graduated in 1878. In 1879, Pershing entered First District Normal School (now Truman State University), in Kirksville, Missouri. He earned the two-year Bachelor of Elementary Didactics degree in June 1880. Two years later, he applied to the United States Military Academy and was subsequently sworn in as a West Point cadet in 1882. Pershing graduated in 1886 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
John Pershing also attended the University of Nebraska College of Law where he received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1893. In October 1904, he attended the Army War College.
John J. Pershing started his military career in 1886 when he was assigned to the 6th Cavalry, which was then operating against Geronimo and the Chiricahua Apache in the Southwest. He simultaneously participated in several Indian campaigns. He next participated in the campaign to subdue the Sioux, or Lakota, tribes in the Dakota Territory. Although Pershing did not participate in the battle, he helped establish and maintain a perimeter to keep the Lakota from fleeing. During his time in the West, he learned some of the Apache dialects and Plains sign language.
In the fall of 1891, Pershing became a military instructor at the University of Nebraska and also taught remedial mathematics. He also stood out as a commandant of cadets at the university. He took an undisciplined group of uninterested students and transformed the group into the best cadet corps outside of West Point. In 1895, he was assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment of Buffalo Soldier and held this post until 1896. In 1897, Pershing was appointed as an instructor of tactics at the United States Military Academy. When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Pershing was appointed as the quartermaster of the 10th Cavalry. He led his men in Cuba at the Battle of San Juan Hill. The bravery and courage shown by the men of the Tenth Cavalry earned them Pershing's respect and admiration. After Cuba, Pershing transferred to the Philippines, where he became known for suppressing uprisings on the island of Mindanao. He was made a captain and especially won fame for his march around Lake Lanao and his capture of the Moro stronghold at Bacolod in 1903. After serving as an observer in the Russo-Japanese War, Pershing returned to the Philippines and in 1909 became a military commander and civil governor of Moro Province.
In late 1913, Pershing and his family moved to San Francisco where he commanded the 8th Brigade. He held this post until 1916. On March 15, 1916, Pershing organized and led the Mexican Punitive Expedition to capture Mexican revolutionary general Pancho Villa, despite several limitations and lack of support from the former Mexican government. However, they failed to capture him. Soon after the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, Pershing was appointed Commanding General of the American Expeditionary Forces. When he and his men arrived in France, he was immediately asked to turn over command of his troops to Allied commanders so that the American soldiers could be trained quickly. Pershing refused and promised that his men would be an effective fighting force all on their own. In 1918, he established the first United States Army MP School at Autun, France, to create a dedicated Military Police Corps. Later, in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France, Pershing's First Army captured sixteen thousand prisoners and almost five hundred German artillery guns. Pershing then moved some of his troops 97 kilometers to launch another offensive. It was more than the Central Powers could handle, and a cease-fire was signed on November 11, 1918.
After the war, Pershing was considered for the 1920 presidential run, which he refused. In 1921, he became Chief of Staff of the United States Army. On October 2, 1922, Pershing officially established the Reserve Officers Association in Washington, District of Columbia. On September 13, 1924, Pershing retired from active military service. During the 1930s, he largely retreated to private life. Later, he wrote his memoirs, called My Experiences in the World War. Pershing was in ill health the last several years of his life and stayed at the Walter Reed Hospital from 1941 until his death on July 15, 1948.
(This memoir with diary excerpts is a concise record of Ge...)
1931
Politics
When John J. Pershing served as governor of Moro Province, he introduced a minimum wage and price controls, started new schools and newspapers, encouraged agricultural innovations, and provided new medical facilities.
In 1940, Pershing was an advocate of aid for the United Kingdom during World War II. In August 1940, he publicly supported the "Destroyers for Bases Agreement," under which the United States sold fifty World War I warships to the United Kingdom in exchange for a long-term lease of British-owned land to establish military bases.
Though he was a Republican, Pershing was known to advocate the policies of the Democratic Party's President Wilson.
Views
Pershing, a West Point graduate, was a campaigner, who became enraged at the slightest violation of military regulations. Being partially of German descent, he admired the discipline and military skills of the Germans and tried to get his troops to imitate them.
Quotations:
"I want to see all of my people and speak to them so that we may forever be friends."
"In each succeeding war there is a tendency to proclaim as something new the principles under which it is conducted. Not only those who have never studied or experienced the realities of war, but also professional soldiers frequently fall into the error. But the principles of warfare as I learned them at West Point remain unchanged."
"A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops."
"If you know how to shoot, and are quite ready to shoot, the chances are that you won't have to shoot."
"To get the best out of your men, they must feel that you are their real leader and must know that they can depend upon you."
Membership
John J. Pershing was a member of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He also was a Freemason, a member of Lincoln Lodge No. 19.
Personality
Those who knew John J. Pershing said that he was strict. The cadets of West Point did not respond well to his strictness about how they marched, saluted, stood to attention, and dressed. In later years, too, Pershing would be criticized for what some saw as excessive attention to such matters. The cadets gave Pershing the silent treatment and also gave him a nickname "Black Jack," referring to the fact that he had previously commanded black soldiers.
Physical Characteristics:
Pershing died of coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure.
Quotes from others about the person
Douglas MacArthur: "General Pershing's fame rests largely upon his personal character. He was not a genius at strategy and his tactical experience was limited, but in his indomitable will for victory, in his implacable belief in the American soldier, in his invincible resistance to all attempts to exploit or patronize American arms, he rose to the highest flights of his profession. He inspired a self-respect for our national forces and a foreign recognition of our military might which has properly placed us fully equal to the best of the human race. My memories of him sustained and strengthened me during many a lonely and bitter moment of the Pacific and Korean wars."
Connections
John J. Pershing married Helen Frances Warren on January 26, 1905. The marriage produced four children. On August 27, 1915, Helen Frances Pershing and her three young daughters died in a fire accident in San Francisco.
Two years after Helen's death, Pershing dated Anne Wilson "Nita" Patton, the younger sister of his apprentice. The two got engaged in 1917 but separated after Pershing left for World War I. Pershing also dated French-Romanian artist Micheline Resco. They married secretly in 1946.
Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing
A full-bodied portrait of a remarkable American, plus new insights into American and international military history and a fresh view of the United States’s rise to power. Frank E. Vandiver focuses on the qualities of and challenges to Pershing the soldier without losing sight of the man who wore the uniform.
1977
Pershing: General of the Armies
The product of nearly 25 years of research, Pershing: General of the Armies remains one of the most authoritative biographies of the man known as "Black Jack."