Experienced- He had experience fighting Indian wars on the American frontier and experience fighting in conflicts with the Mexicans.

Determined- He was determined to establish the American Army as an independent force.

Foresight- He knew that the American's needed to be viewed as an equal contributor in the victory for the U.S. to have a say in the eventual post-war talks.

He recognized the need to step back from the front lines so he could focus on the bigger strategic picture

and put other commanders in charge of the Army Corps that occupied the front lines.

Pershing was extremally confident in the abilities of his men and believed they were superior in marksmanship, physical strength, and moral.

No Trench Warfare Experience- Although he had been in armed conflict before, he lacked experience fighting along an established line of conflict in trenches.

Head-strong to a fault- His determination to be independent from the Allied forces contributed to his refusal to train with them in the trenches. This lack of training likely led to the death of many unexperienced Americans.

Not a good diplomat- He was often described by the other Allied Commanders as, stupid and ignorant.

He was over zealous in his pursuit to occupy Sedan. He did not ensure orders were clearly understood or distributed properly. The entire movement of the U.S. Army toward Sedan was a wreck and should not have been so hastily ordered.