On September 13, 1860, John Joseph Pershing—later General of the Armies—was born near Laclede, Missouri. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1886, he began a military career that spanned the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the Mexican Expedition, and the First World War.
Pershing achieved his greatest renown as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. He oversaw the deployment, training, and employment of more than two million American service members in Europe. While working within the broader Allied coalition, Pershing strongly opposed permanently dispersing U.S. troops among British and French units, insisting that the United States field a coherent army under American command.
That decision helped establish the American Expeditionary Forces as a major force in the Allied campaigns of 1918. Pershing’s emphasis on preparation, discipline, staff work, logistics, and professional military education also helped shape the modern U.S. Army.
Following the war, Congress promoted Pershing to General of the Armies—the highest rank in the U.S. Army. He was the only person to hold that rank during his lifetime.
Image: Capt. John J. Pershing, c. 1900, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
