General John J. Pershing by Everett Gager

Everett Gager

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 03:49:46 UTC

11/14/2023

HS315

Who is Pershing and Why Should He Matter to Us Today?

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 03:54:57 UTC

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 03:57:15 UTC

Introduction to Pershing

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 04:07:04 UTC

John J. Pershing was one of America’s most accomplished generals. He is most famous for serving as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. These troops from America bolstered the spirits of European allies and helped defeat the Central Powers in 1918. Congress promoted Pershing to the rank of “General of the Armies of the United States” in 1919. He and George Washington are the only two people who have received this honor (John J. Pershing, n.d.).

Leadership Attributes / Flaws

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 04:16:58 UTC

Attributes:

Clausewitz Leadership Theory Traits

Strong moral character

Personal Courage

Firmness and Staunchness

Gabel Leadership Theory Traits

Makes the best of resources at hand

Exploits Technology

Character traits hold-up under extreme stress

Flaws

To firm at times, nicknamed "Black Jack" for being too controlling

Leadership Accomplishments / Failures

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 04:31:44 UTC

Accomplishments:

Creating the American Expeditionary Force(AEF)

Earned a law degree

Promoted to General of the Armies

In 1921 promoted to U.S. Army Chief of Staff

Failures:

Logistics nightmare during WW1. Supply roads were singular causing traffic jams that cut off supplies to troops.

Why Studying the leader is important today

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 04:48:28 UTC

Pershing is important to study today because overall he was a good leader. Although he was considered too strict by some, he always followed the directions he was given. He believed in his troops and knew they were the best. He assembled a group of leaders that he could lean on for knowledge and used them to help make important decisions. He was able to admit that he was wrong by keeping his forces unified and splitting them into two armies. He gave leadership to his commanders and assumed leadership of the process. He was able to notice his shortcomings and did this to assure success of the mission.

Final Conclusions

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 04:54:49 UTC

Pershing was a good leader. He was able to lead through the tragedy of losing his wife and children to a house fire. Though he made many mistakes, he was still able to lead the AEF to a final victory. He had to fight the Germans and calls to unify with his allies. His direction from Rosevelt was to keep our armies separate and he did that.

Works Cited

edg1174_ — 2023-11-20 04:55:49 UTC

John J. Pershing. (n.d.). Retrieved from Historic Missourians: https://historicmissourians.shsmo.org/john-pershing/#:~:text=He%20is%20most%20famous%20for,the%20United%20States%E2%80%9D%20in%201919.