General Blackjack Pershing Quotes

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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?

Aug 17, 2017 Pershing's first name is 'John,' for which 'Jack' is a nickname, and he was a white man who commanded black troops. Hence 'Black Jack.' The second story is more confusing, though. Says that in the Philippines more than a century ago, Gen. John Pershing 'took 50 bullets, and he dipped them in pigs’ blood,' and shot 49 Muslim rebels. 'The 50th person, he said, ‘You go back to.

The Beginning

General of the Armies John Joseph 'Black Jack' Pershing GCB (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was a senior United States Army officer.He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front in World War I, 1917–18.

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 10th 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 10th Cavalry.

Following his time out teaching, he returned to the 10th 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 20th 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.

HuachucaIllustrated, vol 1, 1993:

chuca Illustrat

Blackjack

chuca Illustrat

Buffalo Soldiers at Huachuca:
Organizing the Punitive Expedition

chuca Illustrat

American reaction to the, 9 March raid on Columbus, New Mexico, by PanchoVilla was immediate. A flurry of diplomatic notes made clear to Carranzathat the United States expected the de facto government in Mexico to takesteps to hunt down and bring to justice Villa and his Army so that the threatto the American border would be eliminated. But few in Washington or inthe Southwest believed that the beleaguered Carranza government had thepower to do so.

The day after the raid Major General Funston was wiring Washington recommendinga pursuit be organized. Funston was of the opinion that 'unless Villais relentlessly pursued and his forces scattered he will continue raids.As troops of the Mexican Government are accomplishing nothing and, as heconsequently can make his preparations and concentrations without beingdisturbed, he can strike at any point on the border ....'


'U.S. Artillery in Action.' Photo by W. H. Horne, El Paso, Texas.

Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, new on the job, called Chief of Staffof the Army, Maj. Gen. Hugh L. Scott, into a huddle and told him, 'Iwant to start an expedition into Mexico to catch Villa.'

Major General Hugh Lenox Scott.

According to Scott, 'This seemed strange ... and I asked: 'Mr. Secretary,do you want the United States to make war on one man? Suppose he shouldget onto a train and go to Guatemala, Yucatan, or South America; are yougoing to go after him?'

'He said, 'Well, no, I am not.'

'That is not what you want then. You want his band capturedor destroyed,' I suggested.'

'Yes,' he said, 'that is what I really want.'

'And after his approval the ... telegram was sent to General Funston... in which it will be seen that no mention is made of the capture of Villahimself.'(46)

Funston received that telegram on 10 March. It gave him the go-aheadto organize the punitive expedition and named Brig. Gen. John J. Pershingas the commander.

Although the State Department was assuring the Carranza government thatthe expedition was being undertaken in a spirit of cooperation with theMexican government to rid it of Villa's lawless element, Carranza was havingnone of it and he vigorously protested what he considered to be an intrusionupon Mexican sovereignty. The official resistance of the Mexican governmentwould be another problem with which Pershing would have to contend and ata place called Carrizal it would prove to be a deadly one.

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Mexican railroads. Reproduced in Army Service SchoolsManual, May 1914.


General Alvaro Obregon and General Frederick Funston
in El Paso, Texas, 1916.
Photo courtesy Col. James W. Fraser.

General Blackjack Pershing Pig Blood

In Pershing's Report of the Punitive Expedition to June 30, 1916,he quotes a telegram from General Obregon, Secretary of War and Navy, tohis commanders outlining an American-Mexican agreement for hot pursuit ofbandits across the border. It was this telegram that the U.S. troops carriedand showed to local commanders as the basis for their authorization to bein Mexico. It was dated the 13th of March and read:

Our government having entered into an agreement with that of the United States of the North, providing that the troops of either government may cross the border, in pursuit of bandits who are committing depredations along our frontier, I advise you of same in order that you may in turn advise all commanders along the borders in order that they may make judicious use of these powers, taking care in each case to act in accord with the military authorities of the American army in order that the pursuit of these bandits may give the best results.

General Orders No. 1, published on 14 March 1916, organized the PunitiveExpedition and enjoined 'all members of the command to make the utmostendeavor to convince all Mexicans that the only purpose of this expeditionis to assist in apprehending and capturing Villa and his bandits. Citizensas well as soldiers of the de facto Government will be treated with everyconsideration. They will not in any case be molested in the peaceful conductof their affairs, and their property rights will be scrupulously respected.(47)


'Militiamen Breaking Outlaws.' Photo by W. H. Horne Co., El Paso,Texas.


'U.S. Artillery going into Action.' Photo by W. H. Horne, El Paso,Texas.


'Truck Co. #73 in Mexico.' Photo by W. H. Horne, El Paso, Texas.


National Guard troops at Huachuca in 1916, replacing the 10th Cavalry which was in the field in Mexico. The 2d California Infantry from northern California was sent to Fort Huachuca with Lt. Col Scherer as regimental commander. The 2d went into camp on the target range north of the Main Post area while the 7th California Infantry (48) arrived from Camp Stephen D. Little to pitch camp in Garden Canyon. The regiments would exchange places during the year. The 2d Idaho Infantry arrived from Camp Stephen D. Little in August 1916 for rifle range practice and summer maneuvers.

General Black Jack Pershing Quotes

The President called up the militias of Arizona, New Mexico and Texason May 9th, 1916. The Arizona militia was mustered in by May 19, Texas wasready by June 20, and the militia forces of New Mexico were completing theirmustering in by August. Three weeks after the passage of the 1916 NationalDefense Act in late June, the National Guard of all of the states (exceptNevada which did not have a militia), and Alaska and the District of Columbiawere called into Federal service. There were as many as 111,954 guardsmenalong the border at the end of August 1916.(49)


A camp of the 1st California Infantry at Fort Huachuca in 1916. This photowas available as a post card.


Mushroomed tents, Camp Harry J. Jones, Douglas, Arizona.

Douglas, Arizona, was one of the four assembly points for the guard units.The others were San Antonio, Brownsville, and El Paso, Texas. Stationedall along the Texas and Arizona borders with Mexico, none of the guard unitsever crossed into the neighboring nation.(50)


The 1st Arizona Infantry at Naco, guard post in 1916. The Arizona NationalGuard was called into active federal service on 9 May 1916, with Col. AlexanderMcKenzie Tuthill as regimental commander. Besides being stationed at Naco,there were elements at Ajo, Nogales, Fort Huachuca, Douglas and other borderoutposts.(51)


'First Ariz Infantry Field Hospital.' Photo by W. H. Horne, ElPaso, Texas.


American field headquarters, near Namiquipa, Mexico, 10 April 1916. The6th Infantry resting after its long hike. U.S. Army Signal Corps photo 195554.

--
A posed bayonet drill by members of a National Guard unit--------------First Arizona Infantry (158thInfantry)
stationed along the Mexican border during the----------------------------at Camp Kearny, California, in 1917.
1916 Punitive Expedition.------------------------------------------------Photo courtesy Paul Ballinger.

Footnotes:

46. Scott, Hugh B., Some Memories of a Soldier, New York, 1928.

47. Tompkins, 72-3.

48. Later the 7th became the 160th Infantry, 40th Division, and it would be sent to France in World War I.

49. Tompkins, 228.

General Black Jack Pershing

50. One of the new second lieutenants sent to the border was Omar Nelson Bradley, 14th Infantry. From September 1915 to May 1916, he was at Douglas where he lived 'in absolutely miserable circumstances.' He kept busy operating the target range, coaching the regimental baseball team and 'participated in an epic experimental 300-mile 'motorized hike' with a convoy of trucks.' He was moved to Nogales from July to September 1916, and then to Yuma from September 1916 to 21 May 1917. He said: 'Duty at Yuma was miserable. Clearly there was to be no war with Mexico; the official camp duties were routine and boring, Yuma was primitive and dusty. Our major diversion was the tedious round of formal calls on superiors for tea or coffee. A few weeks after Mary and I settled in, I applied for a transfer.... Any place seemed preferable to Yuma, Arizona' ' [Bradley, Omar N., and Blair, Clay, A General's Life, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1983.] Other young officers who were to gain prominence and who were stationed along the border were: Clarence Huebner (2d Lieut. at Douglas, AZ, in 1912), Matthew B. Ridgway (2d Lieut. At Eagle Pass, Texas, in 1917), Carl A. Spaatz (aviator with 1916 Pershing Expedition), Lucian K. Truscott (2d Lieut. with 17th Cavalry at Douglas in 1917), Jonathan M. Wainwright (Capt., 1st Cavalry, in 1916), Walton H. Walker (2d Lieut. in Texas in 1914), Terry Allen (1st Lieut., 1912-17), Malin Craig (aide-de-camp to General Bell in 1915), William J. 'Wild Bill' Donovan (with NY National Guard during 1916 Pershing Expedition), Hugh A. Drum (aide-de camp to General Funston in 1914), George S. Patton, (8th Cavalry and aide-de-camp to General Pershing in 1916), Robert L. Eichelberger (Lieut. in 1911 with 10th Infantry, and in 1915 with 22d Infantry), Leslie J. McNair (with 1916 Pershing Expedition), George C. Marshall ( a 1st Lieut.. in Texas Maneuver Division in 1911), Alexander McCarroll Patch (1st Lieut. in 18th Infantry in 1910), and George E. Straterneyer (2d Lieut. 7th Infantry at Douglas in 1914).

General Black Jack Pershing Quotes

51. On 5 August 1917 the 1st Arizona Infantry was continued in federal service by order of the President and was redesignated the 158th Infantry. It was sent to camp Kearny, California, where it was brigaded with the 157th Infantry from Colorado in the 40th Infantry Division. The regiment served in France in World War I and was demobilized 3 May.