Henry Joseph Reilly (April 29, 1881 – December 13, 1963) was an American soldier and journalist. After seeing combat 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 ...

, Reilly helped found the

Reserve Officers Association The ROA (d/b/a Reserve Organization of America) is a professional association of commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers, former officers, enlisted and spouses of the uniformed services of the United States, primarily with the Reserve an ...

Early life and education

Born in

Fort Barrancas Fort Barrancas (1839) or Fort San Carlos de Barrancas (from 1787) is a United States military fort and National Historic Landmark in the former Warrington area of Pensacola, Florida, located physically within Naval Air Station Pensacola, which wa ...

, Florida, Reilly was the son of an artillery officer.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. p. 468 His father died in the 1900 Battle of Peking during the Chinese Boxer Rebellion, and his family moved to

Winnetka, Illinois Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...

, soon afterward. Reilly graduated from the

U.S. 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 ...

in 1904.

Early career

In the years leading up to World War I, Reilly served in Asia and Europe, and he also wrote a weekly military column for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''. Reilly resigned his commission on January 8, 1914. He then served in British and French ambulance units. When America entered the war in 1917, Reilly, by then a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, had assumed command of the 149th Field Artillery Regiment of the 42nd ("Rainbow") Division. His regiment saw combat in France, where it became known as "Reilly's Bucks." He was awarded 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 ...

in 1919. His citation reads, "Through his tireless energy and technical skill as an artillerist, his regiment gave most effective assistance to the Infantry which it supported."

Post-war life

After the war, Reilly became a

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 ...

in the Officer Reserve Corps and a well-known speaker, writer, journalist, and editor on military affairs.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. pp. 468–469 He served as a war correspondent, covering conflicts in Poland, Spain, Albania, and France. He edited the ''Army and Navy Journal'' from 1921 to 1925. He wrote several books, including ''Why Preparedness?'' (1916), based on what he had seen on Europe's eastern and western fronts in 1914 and 1915; ''America's Part'' (1926); and ''Americans All: History of the Rainbow Division'' (1936), which described the division's military actions, including stories about soldiers and officers from private to general. In 1922, he helped found the

(ROA) and served as its first president. Today, the association has a scholarship named after him. The scholarship was suspended in April 2009 but has since returned to active use. In 1938, Reilly was living near Paris; he visited Spain as an observer during its

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Peter Kemp ''Mine Were of Trouble''. Mystery Grove Publishing, 1957. p. 153 Upon his death in 1963 he was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Awards

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

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 Palm * Commander

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 ...

* Officier Ordre l'Etoile Noire

Selected publications

* ''America's Part''. New York: Cosmopolitan Book Corp, 1928. * ''Americans All: The Rainbow at War: Official History of the 42nd Rainbow Division in the World War''. Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer Print. Co, 1936. * ''Are Our Young Men to Have a Chance?: Blitzkrieg, Its Political and Economic Challenge.'' Civilian Military Education Fund, 1940. * ''The World War at a Glance: Essential Facts Concerning the Great Conflict between Democracy and Autocracy.'' Chicago: Laird & Lee, 1918. * ''Why Preparedness; The Observations of an American Army Officer in Europe, 1914-1915.'' Chicago: Daughaday and Company, 1916.

Legacy

Reilly amassed a large personal library, storing several hundred volumes and documents at ROA headquarters in Washington, D.C. ROA later gave most of the collection to the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...

in Chicago, Illinois, where it is a non-circulating named collection called the Henry J. Reilly Memorial Library.

References

External links

*
"The Machine Gun Platoon: It Should be Retained as a Part of the Regimental Organization By Second Lieutenant Henry J Reilly Thirteenth Cavalry Commanding Machine Gun Platoon"
an article in the Journal of the United States Cavalry Association, Volume 19 (1908). * http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/69961/henry-j-reilly/blitzkrieg, an article in ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

'' magazine, published in January 1940, by Reilly. He analyzes and explains the World War II German

Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...

tatic.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, Henry J. 1881 births 1963 deaths Military personnel from Florida United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of World War I American military writers American military historians American male non-fiction writers American male journalists Burials at Arlington National Cemetery