Beaumont B. Buck
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Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Beaumont Bonaparte Buck (January 16, 1860 – February 10, 1950) was a
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
officer who served in the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...
, the Philippine–American War, and
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He is best known for his service with the 1st Division during World War I, where he commanded a regiment, brigade and division.


Early life

Beaumont Bonaparte Buck was born on January 16, 1860, in Mayhew, Mississippi, to James and Martha Garner Buck. He entered the
United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
(USMA) at
West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...
, from where he graduated thirty of thirty-nine with the class of 1885. His classmates included Willard A. Holbrook, Robert A. Brown, Robert Michie, Daniel B. Devore, Henry P. McCain,
Joseph E. Kuhn Joseph E. Kuhn (June 14, 1864 – November 12, 1935) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and was most notable for his command of the 79th Division during World War I, and his post-war comma ...
, Charles H. Muir, John D. Barrette, John M. Carson Jr., William F. Martin, George W. Burr and
Robert Lee Bullard Lieutenant General Robert Lee Bullard (January 5, 1861 – September 11, 1947) was a senior officer of the United States Army. He was involved in conflicts in the American Western Frontier, the Philippines, and World War I, where he commanded t ...
. All of these men would, like Buck himself, attain the rank of general officer.


Military career

After graduation, Buck was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry Branch. His first assignment was with the 16th Infantry Regiment and served on frontier duty from 1885 to 1889. After completing a brief tour of duty in the Philippines, he returned to the United States to serve as commandant of cadets at
Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...
from 1893 to 1894. Upon the outbreak of the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...
in 1898, Buck entered the Second Texas Volunteer Infantry as a major and was honorably mustered out of the unit at the end of the war. On March 1, 1899, Buck was promoted to captain and became commandant of cadets at the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...
, a position he held until 1902. During this period he completed three separate tours of duty in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War and married his wife Susanne Long on December 30, 1908. In 1914, Buck was promoted to the rank of colonel and sent to the US–Mexican border. A year later, he joined the Massachusetts National Guard.Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). ''Generals in Khaki'' p. 57. Raleigh, North Carolina, Pentland Press. Marquis Who's Who, Inc. (1975). ''Who Was Who in American History – The Military'' p. 71. Chicago, Illinois, Marquis Who's Who, Inc. On June 12, 1917, just over two months after the
American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
, Buck became the commanding officer (CO) of the 28th Infantry Regiment which, together with the 26th Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, formed part of the 2nd Brigade, itself part of the newly created 1st Division under Major General William L. Sibert, which was soon sent to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
as part of the first contingent of the
American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...
(AEF). Buck was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on August 5 and succeeded
Robert Lee Bullard Lieutenant General Robert Lee Bullard (January 5, 1861 – September 11, 1947) was a senior officer of the United States Army. He was involved in conflicts in the American Western Frontier, the Philippines, and World War I, where he commanded t ...
, a West Point classmate of 1885, in command of the 2nd Brigade. Buck went on to lead the brigade during the battles of Cantigny and
Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital o ...
in the spring and summer of 1918. Buck was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
(DSC) for his role in the capture of Berzy-le-Sec during the battle of Soissons. The citation for his DSC reads: Buck was rewarded for his performance by receiving a promotion to the rank of major general on August 8, 1918, and went on to succeed Joseph T. Dickman in command of the 3rd Division, while Frank E. Bamford took over command of Buck's old 2nd Brigade. Under Buck's command, the 3rd Division fought in the
Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...
in mid-September, and then soon afterwards in the
Meuse–Argonne offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along t ...
, where Buck apparently did not perform well and was relieved of his command by General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the AEF. On October 15, at the height of the battle, Pershing visited Buck's 3rd Division headquarters, then at Montfaucon, where "he found the troops mixed, disorganized, and apparently disheartened" and, concluding that Buck was not up to the job of commanding a division (despite having performed very well in command of a regiment and a brigade), made the decision to replace him. Buck was not the only commander to be relieved during the battle, however, as Pershing also relieved Major General John E. McMahon, commanding the
5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 5th Division (Australia) *5th Division (People's Republic of China) * 5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) * 5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Mo ...
, and Clarence R. Edwards, commanding the 26th "Yankee" Division, in the same month, for similar reasons. Buck's replacement went to a much younger man, Brigadier General Preston Brown, who replaced him on October 18. After this, Buck, very briefly, in late October assumed command of the 34th Division, which had only recently arrived in France but had been skeletonized and stripped of most of its personnel to provide replacements for other divisions in the AEF. The
Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
occurred soon afterwards, on November 11, 1918, bringing the war to an end. Buck returned to the United States on November 15, where he took command of Camp MacArthur in December and Camp Meade in March 1919. From May 1919 to March 1920 he was assigned to the Mexican–American border near
Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of th ...
, later transferring to Fort Crook in April 1920. His final assignment was as acting chief of staff of the 90th Division Organized Reserves at Camp Travis (now part of
Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...
) on August 15, 1921.


In retirement

Buck retired from military service as a colonel in 1924, moving to
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
. His full rank was restored by
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in June 1930, and he published a memoir, entitled ''Memories of Peace and War'', in 1935.Buck, Beaumont B. (1935). ''Memories of Peace and War''. San Antonio, Texas, Naylor Co.


Death and legacy

Buck spent his final years in
San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, where he died on February 10, 1950, at the age of 90, and was buried in
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of 2014, had over 144,000 interme ...
.


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Buck, Beaumont B. 1860 births 1950 deaths Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) United States Army generals of World War I Recipients of the War Merit Cross (Italy) United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals Burials at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Military personnel from Mississippi Baylor University faculty University of Missouri faculty