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 ...
Edmund Bower Sebree (January 7, 1898 – June 25, 1966) was a senior
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
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
who commanded U.S. Army forces during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.
Early life
Sebree was born on January 7, 1898, in the city of
Olney, Illinois
Olney ( ) is the county seat in Richland County, Illinois. The population was 9,115 at the time of the 2010 census.
History
Settlement of the Richland County area began around 1815 when Thaddeus Morehouse, a native of Vermont, arrived by wa ...
, as a son of Milton Eddy and Catella (Bower) Sebree.
He attended a
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
in New York and after one year, Sebree was transferred to the
United States Military Academy at West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
. He was commissioned as infantry
second lieutenant on November 1, 1918.
His first assignment was with
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 ...
during occupation duties in
Weimar Germany
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is als ...
in 1919. After return from the Europe, Sebree attended a training course at
United States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is a school located at Fort Benning, Georgia that is dedicated to training infantrymen for service in the United States Army.
Organization
The school is made up of the following components:
* 197th Infantr ...
at
Fort Benning and then, in 1920, Sebree was assigned to the
3rd Infantry Regiment at
Chilkoot Barracks
Fort William H. Seward, also known as Chilkoot Barracks and Haines Mission, is a site at Port Chilkoot in Haines Borough, Alaska, about from the city of Haines. It was the last of a series of 11 military posts established in Alaska during the ...
, Alaska, where he spent next three years.
Following a service between the years 1923–1928 with
21st Infantry Regiment at
Vancouver Barracks
Established in 1849, the Vancouver Barracks was the first U.S. Army base located in the Pacific Northwest. Built on a rise 20 feet (6 m) above the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading station Fort Vancouver. Its buildings were formed in a line adjac ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
and with
31st Infantry Regiment at
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
,
Philippine Islands
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, Sebree was appointed a professor of military science and tactics at
Western Military Academy in
Alton, Illinois
Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is a p ...
.
After four years at Western Military Academy, Sebree was transferred back to the
Philippine Islands
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, where he was assigned to the
45th Infantry Regiment. In 1936, newly promoted Captain Sebree was ordered back to States, where he attended a special officers course at
Command and General Staff School
The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...
. After completion of course, Captain Sebree was appointed an Aide to Major general
Herbert J. Brees
Herbert Jay Brees (June 12, 1877 – December 22, 1958) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army.
Early military career
Brees was born in Laramie, Wyoming on June 12, 1877. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor o ...
, commander of
VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to:
* VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VIII Army Corps (German Confederation)
* VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Ar ...
at
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 ...
, Texas.
Sebree spent over three years in that capacity and in 1940, he was transferred to the staff of the
9th Infantry Division under command of Major General
Jacob L. Devers
Jacob Loucks Devers (; 8 September 1887 – 15 October 1979) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the 6th Army Group in the European Theater during World War II. He was involved in the development and adoption of numerous w ...
. But Sebree spent there only few months and was subsequently transferred to the personnel division of the War Department General Staff.
World War II
During the strategically significant
Guadalcanal Campaign in 1942, Sebree was assigned to the
Americal Division
The Americal Division was an infantry division of the United States Army during World War II and the Vietnam War.
The division was activated 27 May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. In the immediate emergency following Pearl Harbor, the Un ...
under command of Major General
Alexander Patch
General Alexander McCarrell Patch (November 23, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both world wars, rising to rank of general. During World War II, he commanded U.S. Army and Marine Corps ...
, as its assistant division commander. Sebree assumed command of entire
Americal Division
The Americal Division was an infantry division of the United States Army during World War II and the Vietnam War.
The division was activated 27 May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. In the immediate emergency following Pearl Harbor, the Un ...
at the beginning of the January, 1943, when Major General Patch was appointed a commander of the
XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to:
* XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...
.
Briefly commanded the
Americal Division
The Americal Division was an infantry division of the United States Army during World War II and the Vietnam War.
The division was activated 27 May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. In the immediate emergency following Pearl Harbor, the Un ...
units engaged with Japanese forces for control of the island. Following the Guadalcanal Campaign, General Sebree was returned to the U.S. to train and deploy with Major General
Paul W. Baade's
35th Infantry Division, serving as its Assistant Division Commander (ADC). During the Lorraine Campaign, Sebree led an independent task force of infantry and armored units with artillery and supporting arms in the liberation of Nancy. After the war, he served as the first Defense Attache to Australia. He was also the commander of TRUST (TRieste United States Troops) in the
Free Territory of Trieste
The Free Territory of Trieste was an independent territory in Southern Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, facing the north part of the Adriatic Sea, under direct responsibility of the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath ...
.
Later life and death
Edmund Sebree died in
Fort Ord
Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, ...
, California on June 25, 1966, and was buried at
San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the ci ...
.
[
]
Decorations
Ribbon bar with the list of Sebree's decorations:
References
Sources
Books
*
*
*
*
*
Web
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Generals of World War II
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebree, Edmund
1898 births
1966 deaths
United States Army Infantry Branch personnel
People from Olney, Illinois
United States Army generals
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Recipients of the Silver Star
Recipients of the Legion of Honour
Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army personnel of the Korean War
United States Army generals of World War II
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
United States Military Academy alumni
Military personnel from Illinois
Burials at San Francisco National Cemetery