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 ...

George Brand Duncan (October 10, 1861 – March 15, 1950) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer who served in numerous conflicts, most notably

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 ...

, where he commanded the 82nd Division, now the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

Military career

The son of Henry Timberlake Duncan Jr., mayor of

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, George Brand Duncan 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) in 1882, graduating in 1886 and receiving a position as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 9th Infantry.Pershing Has 1,100,000 Men
, the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

, published July 14, 1918, front page, accessed February 18, 2008. Several of his fellow classmates included men who would, like Duncan himself, eventually rise to

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 ...

rank, such as

John J. Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...

Charles T. Menoher Major General Charles Thomas Menoher (March 20, 1862 – August 11, 1930) was a U.S. Army general, first Chief of the United States Army Air Service from 1918 to 1921, and commanded the U.S. Army Hawaiian Department from 1924 to 1925. Early life ...

Walter Henry Gordon Major General Walter Henry Gordon (June 24, 1863 – April 26, 1924) was a decorated officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Philippine–American War, he is most noted for his service as commanding general (CG) of the 6th Division, ...

Edward Mann Lewis Major General Edward Mann Lewis, KCMG, (December 10, 1863 – July 27, 1949) was a highly decorated United States Army officer who served his nation for 46 years. During the First World War, he led the 30th Infantry Division when they broke the Hi ...

, Mason Patrick, Julius Penn,

Avery D. Andrews Avery D. Andrews (April 4, 1864 – April 19, 1959) was an officer in the United States Army and a corporate attorney and executive. He was most prominent for his service as a brigadier general on the staff of the American Expeditionary Forces h ...

John E. McMahon Major General John Eugene McMahon (December 8, 1860 – January 28, 1920) was a United States Army officer who served in numerous conflicts, most notably in World War I, where he commanded the 5th Division. He also was the father of John E. McMa ...

Ernest Hinds Ernest Hinds (August 18, 1864 - June 17, 1941) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, and World War I, he attained the rank of major general and was notable for his ser ...

William H. Hay William Henry Hay (July 16, 1860 – December 17, 1946) was a United States Army officer who attained the rank of Major general (United States), major general as the commander of the 28th Infantry Division (United States), 28th Division in the fi ...

James McRae James McRae (born 27 June 1987) is an Australian former representative rower. He is a national champion, world champion, three time Olympian, Olympic medallist and record holder. In the Australian men's quad scull he won a silver medal at the ...

Lucien Grant Berry Lucien Grant Berry, Sr. (November 29, 1863 – December 31, 1937) was a brigadier general in the United States Army who served in three wars. Early life He was born on November 29, 1863 in Caton, New York to Samuel Spicer Berry and Olive El ...

and

Jesse McI. Carter Jesse McIlvane Carter (April 12, 1863 – June 23, 1930) was a United States Army Major General who served as Chief of the Militia Bureau. Early life Jesse McI. Carter was born in Farmington, Missouri on April 12, 1863. He graduated from the U ...

. He was stationed in Cuba during 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 = (clock ...

, and he served with distinction during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

, helping to organize the

Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts (Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'' or ''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos an ...

. After a term on the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

, Duncan reported to France in June 1917, two months after the American entry into World War I, where he served as the commander of the 77th Division. After having been relieved over concerns about his physical condition, Duncan successfully convinced

to return him to command. In October 1918, Duncan relieved

William P. Burnham Major General William Power Burnham (January 10, 1860 − September 27, 1930) was a United States Army officer who is most notable for being the commander of the 82nd Division, now the 82nd Airborne Division, during World War I. Early life Willi ...

as commander of the 82nd Division, and participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. As a result of his service in World War I, he received numerous decorations, including the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

with two palms and a star and status as a Commander in the

Legion of Honor 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 ...

from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, status as a Companion of

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and 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 ...

from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The citation for his DSM reads: Duncan and fellow Major General Campbell King were the first two Americans ever honored with the

. Duncan commanded the

Seventh Corps Area The Seventh Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army active from 1920 to 1941. It initially was responsible for army forces in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (but not Jefferson Barracks), North Dakota, So ...

from 1922 until 1925.

Personal life

Duncan married Mary Kercheval on October 23, 1895. The couple had two sons: Daniel, born in 1901, and Henry, born in 1903. Daniel, however, died as a child in 1906. Duncan retired from military service in 1925. He is buried in

References

External links

* * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, George Brand 1861 births 1950 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath United States Army Infantry Branch personnel Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army generals United States Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Lexington, Kentucky Burials in Kentucky