Edwin Forbes Glenn (January 10, 1857 – August 5, 1926) 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 in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in

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 ...

among other capacities.

Biography

Glenn was born near

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

, on January 10, 1857. After attending a private boys school in North Carolina and a preparatory school in New York, 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 ...

, graduating in 1877. Glenn was commissioned into the 25th Infantry Regiment, and he did frontier duty from 1877 to 1888. In 1888, he joined the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

, working as its first professor of Military Science and Tactics in addition to teaching mathematics. During this time, Glenn studied law and received a degree, joining the Minnesota Bar. He served as the judge advocate of the Department of the Dakota and later of the Department of the Columbia. After commanding rescue and exploration missions in the

District of Alaska The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884 to August 24, 1912, when it became Alaska Territory. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military designation ...

, he became a judge advocate in the Philippines in 1900. While in the Philippines, he and the soldiers under his command, which included Arthur L. Conger, subjected Filipinos to torture by water cure, for which he was court-martialed, convicted, and sentenced to suspension from command for a month and a fine of fifty dollars. Glenn commanded the

Columbus Barracks Fort Hayes is a military post in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Created by an act of the United States Congress on July 11, 1862, the site was also known as the Columbus Arsenal until 1922, when the site was renamed after former Ohio Governor ...

from 1905 to 1907, and he subsequently returned to the Philippines with the 32nd Infantry Regiment, remaining there until 1913. Glenn entered 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, and after he graduated, he became the Chief of Staff of the

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. H ...

. From 1916 to 1917, he commanded the 18th Infantry Regiment and the First Separate Brigade at Camp Cody. Glenn was promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on May 15, 1917, and subsequently 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 ...

on August 5, 1917, and he subsequently organized and commanded the 83rd Infantry Division, commanding it from August 25, 1917, to January 13, 1918. He received the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. During demobilization in 1919, Glenn commanded Camp Sherman in Ohio. He retired as a brigadier general in December 1919. In addition to his military service, Glenn served as "one of the earlier presidents" of the predecessor of the

Association of the United States Army The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is a private, non-profit organization that serves as the professional association of the United States Army. Founded in 1950, it has 121 chapters worldwide. Membership is open to everyone, not ju ...

, serving from 1913 to 1920. He also wrote two books, the first being ''Glenn's International Law'' in 1895 and the second being ''Rules of Land Warfare'' in 1914. In retirement, Glenn lived in Glendon, in Moore County, North Carolina. He died on August 5, 1926. Congress restored his rank of major general in June 1930.

Personal life

Glenn married Louise Smythe while doing frontier duty early in his military career.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn, Edwin Forbes 1857 births 1926 deaths People from Greensboro, North Carolina People from Moore County, North Carolina Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur United States Army generals of World War I 19th-century American writers 20th-century American male writers United States Military Academy alumni United States Army War College alumni 20th-century American writers United States Army generals University of Minnesota faculty United States Army personnel who were court-martialed American people convicted of war crimes