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 a ...

DeRosey Caroll Cabell (July 7, 1861 – March 15, 1924) was chief of staff for the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

into Mexico in 1915–1916 and an American general during

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 ...

Early life and education

DeRosey Caroll Cabell was born in

Charleston, Arkansas Charleston is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States, and along with Ozark is one of the two county seats of Franklin County. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas- Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,494 at ...

on July 7, 1861. He attended 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 ...

, graduating with the class of 1884. Other classmates included David C. Shanks, Samuel D. Sturgis, William L. Sibert,

William Franklin Martin William Franklin Martin (July 19, 1863 – April 15, 1942) was a United States Army soldier who became a brigadier general. Early life and education William Franklin Martin was born on July 19, 1863, to Robert F. Martin and Mary E. (Lilley) Ma ...

, Robert Houston Noble,

Wilds P. Richardson Wilds Preston Richardson (20 March 1861 in Hunt County, Texas – 20 May 1929) was an officer of the United States Army notable for being an explorer and geographer of Alaska in the early decades of the 20th century. During World War I, he was pro ...

, Eugene Frederick Ladd, Stephen Miller Foote, Everard Enos Hatch, Grote Hutcheson, all future

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

s. He attended the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

in 1913.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 80

Career

Cabell received a commission as a second lieutenant for the 8th Cavalry on June 15, 1884. During his frontier duty, he participated in the Geronimo campaign and was wounded. Later, he participated in the Great Sioux War of 1890 and 1891 and the China Relief Expedition of 1900. He served in the Philippines from 1900 to 1902. He advanced through grades and was promoted to brigadier general on Dec. 17, 1917. He was promoted to

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 a ...

on Oct. 1, 1918. After World War I, he returned to his regular rank of colonel. Cabell was the commander of the Mexican Border Command until his retirement in 1919.

Awards

He received the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

for his service during the

. The citation for the medal reads:

Death and legacy

He retired to San Diego, California. He died there on March 15, 1924.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabell, DeRosey Caroll 1861 births 1924 deaths United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel American military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars Military personnel from Arkansas United States Army generals of World War I People from Charleston, Arkansas United States Military Academy alumni United States Army War College alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Burials at San Francisco National Cemetery United States Army generals