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45 Army Hist. 1 (1998)

handle is hein.milandgov/aryhsy0045 and id is 1 raw text is: ARMY HIS TORY THE PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN OP ARMY HISTORY PB-204-98-3 (No. 45) WNN,% t xat D.C. Summer 1998 Black Jack in Cuba General Jthn J Pershing's Service in the Spanish-American War By Kevin Hywel 1he (!'ii! ng arnicLe is a rf ihed version qf er ;a I first appeared m the Wmitr 1998 nue X4 tn Poin it Jrrn d here by perman m of the ArOw h/itona1 i 0 ocduon To msti Amerneans, San Juan ail conjures up images 1 Teddy Roosevet ad h Rough Riders A hmng p the bal to vict bu other hi lay ed an mptanant mk in dri ing the Span. h of the heights overlookkng Saniago. Cuba One 'such solder was le LL John I. Pershing, the quartermasler f the 'Cavalryhe famed Buffo Soldiers. Pershmg esperences i C ba ga itt rportabntt h field e xpeience and how ed him how an army at war behavs This would pay otl when Pershng led the Amerwan Expeditionary -orces ito batle on the Liilds of France in World WarI. less than twenty years later. A a enan heated upe eten thellnitd St tes and Spain. Pershmng was teaching tactics at West Point Desperate to join the action he foresaw as inevitable. he bombarded the assistant secretr of w r. G or e Meikiejohn, with letner, Reabiig the impotc 'of om ty, wre if IhoUld accept any Ity wha h w ouldk .ee1m frm liehi sric ei deedi. I did not make every et for to obtamn an opportuniy for field ser vie I should never forgive myself ' Pershing was not totaly unprepared for batik. An 186 v rau of West Point. he had seen duty agamuw the Plains Indians with both the 64 and lO Cav'ary Regiments The l{Y' was one of two black cavalry regime nts cmmtindedhby white officers. Pershin w s called lack .Inck in reteren ce 10 his servace wah the I W' and the nickname stuck long after he keft it. Pershing had alo taugh military actics and maah- enmatiazs at the University of Nebraska and eaMed a law degree there. Unfictunamely for Penshng, when the battleship Mame exploded in Haana harbor on 15 Febnary 898, the wretary of war froze all Wet Pomt ns r- tors in their jobs. Undaunted. Pershing realized the onl w ay into combat was to be requested for duty by a lia' uni He wrH- Co i . Guy V Henr. rhe commandEr flu h ld i4u, the! Cra 1 . 4,kmg t rejon it Henry wrote to the War Department request mig that Pershing be assigned to the unit as regimental quartermaster. Pershing soon showed up at Meakleoihns otfice to press for approl When Pershmng mold Meikleohn I shall resgn and join somew National Guard or volunteer unit that stands a chance of being sent to Cuba: he a istant secretary relented and approved orders for Pershing to rejoin the10 Persh g found hmaunit in tramatin Chdkai ug: Geori and moved wh i t h rt ff ampi, Flord. lro where awuld sailWr Cuha The lPr was part of Brig Gen. William R. Sharter's Fifth Corps, whose missi n wa3 to capture Santiago. where the flet of Spamsh Admial Pascual Cervera lay at anchor Shafler, a vetean o the Ci il W nd Indian fighting had gr iwi so tad fat in h i tytha°, y Ears and wa verwhelmed by the task of preparming h i tore C nfu ion reigned In Tampa. w here thousands of Regular Army and volunteer soldiers prepared to Leavew th lin le .ebiance m; ,rder. ha It Cava rs and othereleeinras of the daimounted Cavalry Division were assigned space on the leona, a coastal merchant ship pressed into ndutary service. Loading the ship was conducted without incident, and the /ana set sail with thirt one other transports on 14 June 1 98 The trip went badly in additio t he Lea

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