My Life before the World War, 1860--1917: A Memoir

by John J. Pershing, John T. Greenwood (Editor)

Overview

Few American military figures are more revered than General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing (1860-1948), who is most famous for leading the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. The only soldier besides George Washington to be promoted to the highest rank in the U.S. Army (General of the Armies), Pershing was a mentor to the generation of generals who led America's forces during the Second World War.

Though Pershing published a two-volume memoir, My Experiences in the World War, and has been the subject of numerous biographies, few know that he spent many years drafting a memoir of his experiences prior to the First World War. In My Life Before the World War, 1860-1917, John T. Greenwood rescues this vital resource from obscurity, making Pershing's valuable insights into key events in history widely available for the first time.

Pershing performed frontier duty against the Apaches and Sioux from 1886-1891, fought in Cuba in 1898, served three tours of duty in the Philippines, and was an observer with the Japanese Army in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War. He also commanded the Mexican Punitive Expedition to capture Pancho Villa in 1916-1917. My Life Before the World War provides a rich personal account of events, people, and places as told by an observer at the center of the action. Carefully edited and annotated, this memoir is a significant contribution to our understanding of a legendary American soldier and the historic events in which he participated.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813141978
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	07/07/2013
Series:	American Warriors Series
Pages:	744
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 2.30(d)

About the Author

John T. Greenwood is former chief of the Office of Medical History, Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Army. He is the editor of several books, including Normandy to Victory: The War Diary of General Courtney H. Hodges and the First U.S. Army.

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Illustrations vii

Editor's Note ix

Introduction 1

1 Ancestry and Boyhood 11

2 Youth-Its Happy Days and Others 24

3 West Point-Its Grind and Its Pleasures: 1881-July 1886 36

4 The Army-With the Sixth Cavalry in New Mexico: September 1886-November 1890 53

5 The Sioux Campaign and Commanding Indian Scouts: November 1890-August 1891 69

6 New Assignments, New Challenges, New Friends: September 1891-April 1898 81

7 The Spanish-American War to the San Juan Heights: April-30 June 1898 98

8 The Spanish-American War-Victory in Cuba and Its Consequences: 1 July-20 August 1898 112

9 The Division of Customs and Insular Affairs and My First Assignment to the Philippines: August 1898-November 1899 126

10 Duty in the Philippines-Manila, Mindanao, and Iligan: November 1899-April 1902 137

11 Dealing with the Hostile Moros around Lake Lanao: April-September 1902 155

12 Military Operations against the Lake Lanao Moros and the Routine of Governing: September-December 1902 174

13 Finishing the Campaign against the Lake Lanao Moras: January-May 1903 190

14 Return to the United States, Duty with the General Staff, and Romance and Marriage: June 1903-January 1905 206

15 Off to See a Modern War as the Military Attaché in Tokyo and Observer with the Imperial Japanese Army: February 1905-December 1906 217

16 Brigade Commander, Fort McKinley, Philippines: January 1907-August 1908 246

17 A Long Journey Home, Taft's Inauguration, Sick Leave, New Orders, and a Son Arrives: August 1908-October 1909 257

18 My Return to Mindanao: November 1909-December 1913 271

19 Disarming and Taming the Moros: September 1911-June 1913 287

20 The Last Military Governor of the Mora Province: 11 November 1909-14 December 1913 303

21 Diplomatic Missions, Our Return to the United States, and Commanding the Eighth Brigade at the Presidio of San Francisco: June 1911-April 1914 317

22 On the Mexican Border with the Eighth Brigade: April 1914-March 1916 327

23 The Expedition into Mexico: March 1916-February 1917 339

Epilogue 363

Appendices A-J 367

Biographical Appendix 465

Acknowledgments 609

Notes 611

Bibliography 681

Index 703

Editorial Reviews

"A fascinating read. Pershing comes across as diplomatically and politically astute — a far more nuanced officer than one gets from his standard biographers." — Timothy K. Nenninger, editor of The Way of Duty, Honor, Country: The Memoir of General Charles Pelot Summerall

"A significant contribution to American military history. Pershing had a remarkable memory, and this memoir details his life from his childhood in a small Missouri town to his arrival at West Point and his military assignments across the globe. Greenwood's scholarship is excellent." — Edward M. Coffman, author of The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I

"It would be difficult to overestimate the impact that Pershing had on American military history. The man served as model and mentor to the generation of military minds that brought the nation through World War II. His memoirs deserve to be read and appreciated, but they require the carefully crafted context that Greenwood has provided." — On Point

"So many who achieve great things become fixed in stone as monuments. My Life before the War is a reminder that John J. Pershing was a real, living, breathing man who lived through and shaped extraordinary times. For any with an interest in either the man or the times, this book is highly recommended." — The Journal of Military History

"[...] What distinguishes My Life Before the World War is the author's sense of service. It is not about Pershing the man but Pershing the public servant." — The Historian

"This book is an invaluable resource for soldiers and civilians because it highlights the astonishing scope of one man's life experience, from Civil War partisan atrocities to the command of two million troops in France in 1918.

[...] [T]he most important lesson of My Life Before the World War derives from appreciating Pershing's disappointments, losses, and things he did not complete. Even more than success, it is failure and loss that marks our humanity." — Army History

From the Publisher