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General Pershing: Winning At All Costs
‘Political, fluent, well-researched.’ Andrew Roberts
Very few figures in American military history are the subject of such violently opposing views as General John J Pershing (1860-1948).
To his critics Pershing was intolerant, unapproachable, devoid of humour, a martinet, aloof, unsympathetic, a driver not a leader, unforgiving, scornful of the media, and interested only in the army to the exclusion of all else.
Yet it was many of those characteristics that enabled him to create a functioning military force out of hundreds of thousands of raw recruits lacking in experience and depleted basic equipment handed to him.
His single-mindedness, determination, and enforcement of high standards shaped the American army into a meaningful player in the Great War against Germany.
Pershing rose in his lifetime to a higher rank than any American soldier, before or since.
A new six star rank – General of the Armies – was created especially for him.
Yet Pershing was not the scion of a military family.
He was the son of a farmer-cum-business man and had originally planned to be a lawyer.
After proving his military prowess in training, Pershing served in the 6th Calvary.
He went on to serve against Native American tribes and then in the Spanish American war with the 10th Cavalry, where he acted as Quartermaster.
He served in Cuba, the Philippines and Mexico and developed a friendship with Theodore Roosevelt.
After his wife and three daughters died tragically in a house fire, Pershing dedicated his entire life to the army and he paid a crucial role in the success of WWI, and a smaller but still poignant advisory role in WWII, noticing early the dangers of a revanchist Nazi Germany.
The creation of a general staff and his reform of the education system was his chief legacy and his memoirs won a Pulitzer Prize for History.
This is the story of John J Pershing, one of America’s most famous and highly ranked military officers.
Praise for Gordon
‘Political, fluent, well-researched and extremely argumentative’ – Andrew Roberts.
'Meticulously researched and well-written' Pennant
Major Gordon Corrigan is a retired Gurkha officer, a member of the British Commission for Military History and Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Fluent in the Nepali language, he is now a freelance military historian and battlefield lecturer. He is a well known figure on the History channel. He is also the author of ‘Sepoys in the Trenches’, ‘ 1915’ and ‘ A Military Life’.
Very few figures in American military history are the subject of such violently opposing views as General John J Pershing (1860-1948).
To his critics Pershing was intolerant, unapproachable, devoid of humour, a martinet, aloof, unsympathetic, a driver not a leader, unforgiving, scornful of the media, and interested only in the army to the exclusion of all else.
Yet it was many of those characteristics that enabled him to create a functioning military force out of hundreds of thousands of raw recruits lacking in experience and depleted basic equipment handed to him.
His single-mindedness, determination, and enforcement of high standards shaped the American army into a meaningful player in the Great War against Germany.
Pershing rose in his lifetime to a higher rank than any American soldier, before or since.
A new six star rank – General of the Armies – was created especially for him.
Yet Pershing was not the scion of a military family.
He was the son of a farmer-cum-business man and had originally planned to be a lawyer.
After proving his military prowess in training, Pershing served in the 6th Calvary.
He went on to serve against Native American tribes and then in the Spanish American war with the 10th Cavalry, where he acted as Quartermaster.
He served in Cuba, the Philippines and Mexico and developed a friendship with Theodore Roosevelt.
After his wife and three daughters died tragically in a house fire, Pershing dedicated his entire life to the army and he paid a crucial role in the success of WWI, and a smaller but still poignant advisory role in WWII, noticing early the dangers of a revanchist Nazi Germany.
The creation of a general staff and his reform of the education system was his chief legacy and his memoirs won a Pulitzer Prize for History.
This is the story of John J Pershing, one of America’s most famous and highly ranked military officers.
Praise for Gordon
‘Political, fluent, well-researched and extremely argumentative’ – Andrew Roberts.
'Meticulously researched and well-written' Pennant
Major Gordon Corrigan is a retired Gurkha officer, a member of the British Commission for Military History and Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Fluent in the Nepali language, he is now a freelance military historian and battlefield lecturer. He is a well known figure on the History channel. He is also the author of ‘Sepoys in the Trenches’, ‘ 1915’ and ‘ A Military Life’.
47 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 23, 2021
USARMY- at its best
I enjoyed this writing exposing the life, the career, the making of a good soldier. All centered on John J Pershing
Make no mistake, he was not a man to be trifled with. But an Army man he was-thru and thru! And if anyone reading and understanding
this about a "lifer" could well see his blood running OD Green(uniform color of my day as an Army brat n USAF fatigue ) and hear the wiping of those combat boots before entering a building-any building -up to and including your own quarters!
What I did learn from this, is that John J is the reason boot camp was started and is paramount in making the military work in a cohesive unit. Without discipline and guidance and true leadership you will have nothing!
He fought a good battle getting needed training, staffing, supplies, and respect due, for his "troops"! He lead by example..my own father said many times "I would never tell, demand, or ask anyone to do something I wouldn't do"- and from what I gather, neither did John J..**My dad was a 30yr career Army CSM (ret) and a POW survivor ***
I rather liked this, perhaps you will too. ---P/
I enjoyed this writing exposing the life, the career, the making of a good soldier. All centered on John J Pershing
Make no mistake, he was not a man to be trifled with. But an Army man he was-thru and thru! And if anyone reading and understanding
this about a "lifer" could well see his blood running OD Green(uniform color of my day as an Army brat n USAF fatigue ) and hear the wiping of those combat boots before entering a building-any building -up to and including your own quarters!
What I did learn from this, is that John J is the reason boot camp was started and is paramount in making the military work in a cohesive unit. Without discipline and guidance and true leadership you will have nothing!
He fought a good battle getting needed training, staffing, supplies, and respect due, for his "troops"! He lead by example..my own father said many times "I would never tell, demand, or ask anyone to do something I wouldn't do"- and from what I gather, neither did John J..**My dad was a 30yr career Army CSM (ret) and a POW survivor ***
I rather liked this, perhaps you will too. ---P/
September 9, 2021
Pershing Personified
I knew very little about General Pershing until I read this book. It was very enlightening. I was impressed with the details.
I knew very little about General Pershing until I read this book. It was very enlightening. I was impressed with the details.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews