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(1860-1948)
6 Star General Commander of American Expeditionary Force

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America served as a significant ally during the first World War and aided in the  victory of the French and British allies.  The American army had a crucial role to play in the First World War and one of the most noteworthy officers of that time was General John J. Persing, who was the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) participating in the WWI. Pershing is the only American General who was promoted to the rank of General of the Armies, during his lifetime. This essay will look at the contributions that Pershing made to the AEF in WWI and his personal attributes that made him the General of his caliber. This essay will also look at some of his failures and will note the importance of studying this leader in today’s time.

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Strengths and Weakness of General Pershing

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Strengths and Weakness of General Pershing

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Strengths:

Born in Missouri in 1860, Pershing joined the army at the age of 26 in 1886 as a cavalry officer. Pershing went to participate in numerous wars before leading the forces in WWI, including the last Indian wars as well as the Spanish American war. Pershing served alongside various noteworthy officers of his time, however, he was made commander often times, over his seniors, because of his strict adherence to the political policies set by the establishment. In this sense, Pershin was known to be “absolutely loyal to the policy of the civil authorities under whom he was serving” (Smythe, 1973). It was his attribute that led Pershing to be so focused on his military tactics because he did not waste his time on the policy and its ramifications for the people and also made him famous among the policy makers. Furthermore, as a commander in the punitive expedition in Mexico, Pershing had showed promising results through his powerful negotiating skills and knowing when to keep quiet in any political situation. This political reliability, along with his vast experience in the field aided in him being made the commander of the AEF by the Secretary of State Baker.

As a general, Pershing regarded discipline as the most important attribute for attaining victory at any front and required his unit to be highly disciplined, leaving no room for error. His emphasis on discipline can be studied in his directive in the ‘General Principles Governing the Training of Units of the American Expeditionary Forces’ where he states “All officers and soldiers should realize that at no time in our history had discipline been so important; therefore discipline of the highest order must be exacted at all times” (‘General Principles,’ 1917). It was this strict adherence to the cadet codes and his rigid regulations that won him the nickname of ‘Black Jack’ for having fought alongside the African American (Vandiver, 1977). While this cold personna might have proved successful previously, it cannot be taken to be a positive leadership trait when it comes to the time of WWI given how fast the nature of war was changing due to modern technology.

Weakness:

Moreover, Pershing was against bending to the changing war strategies and remained old school about the superiority his open battlefield tactics. Pershing remained adamant that while his men were not very experienced when it came to the modern warfare tactics, he believed that his unit would defeat the German enemy after forcing them to come into an open battlefield. While this tactic is criticized on many fronts, it did allow Pershing to keep the American army independent and not be integrated into the French and British army as the latter forces had hoped.

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Accomplishments:

Most of his success came during  his command of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. He was given the seemingly insurmountable task of inflating a force of 130,000 men to nearly 3 million expertly trained soldiers a task which he accomplished in 18 months.

Earlier in his military career he as part of the  Sixth Cavalry and spent the early years of his career fighting Native Americans to protect white settlers.

Pershing next participated in the campaign to subdue the Sioux, or Lakota, tribes in the Dakota Territory where the U.S. government sought to eliminate the Ghost Dance, a Native American religious movement. A confrontation at Wounded Knee between the Lakota and the military resulted in gunfire. Between 200 and 300 Sioux men, women, and children were killed, along with 25-30 soldiers. The incident later became known as the  Wounded Knee Massacre. The Seventh Cavalry opens fire on the Lakota people at Wounded Knee.

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Fail

Pershing went on to serve in the Philippines and then to the border and into Mexico to hunt the infamous Pancho Villa. He did this through the grief that he carried from losing his wife and daughters to a fire when he was away from home. Only his son had survived.

Pershing spent two years looking for Pancho Villa and never found him. Pershing said it was like “a man looking for a needle in a haystack with an armed guard standing over the stack forbidding you to look in the hay.”

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The United States greatest leaders, including Patton, Truman, and MacArthur, spent the formative years of their military careers under the command of General of the Armies, John J. Pershing. His influence was pivotal in their success and his wisdom has been passed down to this day.

So how was that wisdom formed?

The Beginning

General Pershing did not set out in life with an interest in leading a military life. He was interested in education, especially his own. When he graduated from high school, he taught African American students at Prairie Mound School in Missouri. During that time he was furthering his own education.

He saved his pennies and enrolled at what is now Truman State University in Missouri but what was then known as Missouri Normal School. While there, he received an invitation to participate in a competitive test for entry to West Point. He made the highest grade on the test.

Despite that grade, he wasn't the sharpest student there. However, he was noted for excellence in leadership as Class President 1886 and the highest ranking Cadet in the Cadet Battalion. As the commander of the West Point Color Guard, he led the corps of Cadets across the Hudson River to present arms to the passing funeral train of Ulysses S. Grant.

From West Point, Pershing headed west to the Indian Wars. He wasn't at Wounded Knee, but he was nearby, marshaling troops, establishing perimeters, and looking for Chief Bigfoot - a former ally of the Army and peacemaker among warring Native Americans. It was here that he became interested in understanding the lives and motivations of the peoples he fought. He learned how to understand different Apache dialects and Plains sign language. He developed a deep respect for Native Americans.

After the Indian Wars, he was assigned to the all-black 10 th Cavalry, The Buffalo Soldiers. He moved from there to a teaching position back at West Point. His students called him "Black Jack Pershing" in reference to his time with the 10 th Cavalry.

Following his time out teaching, he returned to the 10 th Cavalry in Cuba, fighting in the Spanish-American War, leading his men at the Battle of San Juan Hill. He was awarded the Silver Citation Star (later upgraded to the Silver Star) for his valor.

Rapid Rise

All of his dedication and success prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to ask Congress to assign Pershing to Tokyo during the Sino-Russian War as a military attaché observing the war up close. He did well - prompting Roosevelt to include him in something unprecedented.

In 1906, President Roosevelt promoted Pershing and four other officers to ranks well out of their reach under normal promotion conventions. Pershing , in particular, was promoted to Brigadier General - skipping over 800 officers of higher seniority and through three ranks, causing a public outcry that accused the president of favoring Pershing because he was the son in law of a senator. The public soon understood, through the testimony of fellow officers, that the appointment was well deserved and a smart move on Roosevelt's part.

General Pershing

Pershing went on to serve in the Philippines and then to the border and into Mexico to hunt the infamous Pancho Villa. He did this through the grief that he carried from losing his wife and daughters to a fire when he was away from home. Only his son had survived.

Pershing spent two years looking for Pancho Villa and never found him. Pershing said it was like "a man looking for a needle in a haystack with an armed guard standing over the stack forbidding you to look in the hay."

The most well known of his military successes was his command of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. He was given the seemingly insurmountable task of inflating a force of 130,000 men to nearly 3 million expertly trained soldiers - a task which he accomplished in only 18 months.

He was proud of the AEF and when the Allies told him that his troops were to "fill in" gaps in Allied forces where needed, Pershing resisted. He told the Allied military officials that American soldiers had U.S. military training and would be better on their own against the Germans than if they were separated and put in with Allied troops.

"We came American. We shall remain American and go into battle with Old Glory over our heads. I will not parcel out American boys."

Pershing turned out to be right in Cantigny, Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne offensive. His leadership was integral to paving the way to the Armistice.

President Woodrow Wilson awarded Pershing the rank of Six Star General of the Armies in 1919. He was the only active duty officer, and the only living military leader, to be bestowed the highest rank in the United States Armed Forces. George Washington is the only other person to acquire this rank and it was not given to him until 1978. Ulysses S. Grant was a General of the Army, a similar sounding rank, but one that held only four stars.

Pershing retired at the age of 64 as the U.S. Army Chief of Staff. He declined suggestions of political office and even requests for his opinion on the state of European conflicts. He felt the need to respect and support the nation's current military leaders.

In 1932, he won the Pulitzer Prize for history for his autobiography, My Experience of War.

When he died in June of 1948, the nation mourned. Over 300,000 people came to visit and pay their respects to him as he laid in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol. He is buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

His Legacy as a Mentor

Our nation's most revered military leaders of the 20 th century were directly or secondarily influenced by General Pershing. Many of them were in his classes at West Point, and several served directly under him elsewhere.

Brigadier General Fox Conner was Pershing's Chief of Operations during World War I. Conner was very influential in the military career of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. General George S. Patton was a friend to both of these men and himself served under Pershing, as did President Harry S. Truman, General Douglas MacArthur, and U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall.

These leaders fought adversity on a global scale against foes and weaponry of such greatness the world had never encountered. Their leadership and achievements are a testament to the man General John J. Pershing must have been.

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Leading by Example: John J. Pershing, Prime Mentor for Future US Army Generals

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The United States greatest leaders, including Patton, Truman, and MacArthur, spent the formative years of their military careers under the command of General of the Armies, John J. Pershing. His influence was pivotal in their success and his wisdom has been passed down to this day. So how was that wisdom formed?

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Pershing had served in wars more than a century ago, and yet his life is relevant to be studied on today’s time because just as back then, the technology and tactics are rapidly changing. Pershing had joined the army when battles were won on horsebacks and served as a commander in WWI which was fought with heavy machinery. The same can be witnessed in today’s times, when the war is no longer seen in its traditional sense, but it is the era of nuclear war now. This makes analyzing Pershing’s evolving strategies more relevant, especially his adherence to his old policies.

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References

‘General Principles Governing the Training of Units of the American Expeditionary Forces’ included in, AEF GHQ, ‘Program of Training for the 1st Division, A.E.F.,’ (1917), in, World War Records, First Division, Vol. XX, Training First Division (1930) Washington D.C.: Army War College.

Smythe, D. (1973) Guerrilla Warrior: The Early Life of John J. Pershing. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Vandiver, F. (1977) Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing, Vol. 1, College Station: Texas A&M Press.