James Anderson Irons (February 21, 1857 – July 20, 1921) was a brigadier 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

Irons was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

on February 21, 1857, the son of James R. Irons and Sarah (Anderson) Irons. He attended the public schools of Philadelphia and was an 1875 graduate of Central High School. After high school, Irons began attendance at 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 ...

. He graduated in 1879 ranked 49th of 67.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 282

Military career

After graduation from West Point, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to the 20th Infantry at

Fort Brown Fort Brown (originally Fort Texas) was a military post of the United States Army in Cameron County, Texas, during the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Established in 1846, it was the first US Army military ...

, Texas. He performed frontier duty from 1879 to 1883. He graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry School at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Kansas, in 1885. This was followed by more frontier duty until 1887. 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 ...

, he participated in the

Battle of El Caney The Battle of El Caney was fought on July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War. 600 Spanish soldiers held for twelve hours, until they ran out of ammunition, against Henry W. Lawton's 5th US Division, made up of 6,899 men. This action tempor ...

Battle of San Juan Hill The Battle of San Juan Hill, also known as the Battle for the San Juan Heights, was a major battle of the Spanish–American War fought between an American force under the command of William Rufus Shafter and Joseph Wheeler against a Spanish fo ...

, and the

Siege of Santiago The siege of Santiago, also known as the siege of Santiago de Cuba, was the last major operation of the Spanish–American War on the island of Cuba. Santiago campaign The primary objective of the American Fifth Army Corps' invasion of Cuba ...

. In 1899, he sailed with his regiment to the

Philippines 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 ...

. From 1901 to 1902, he was inspector general of the Department of Colorado. From 1903 to 1905, he served on the General Staff. From 1907 to 1910, he served as the military attache to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. From 1914 to 1917, he had a tour of duty in China. In 1917, he returned to Tokyo and was military attache to the Imperial Japanese War Mission. He was promoted to brigadier general with the National Army on August 5, 1917. He commanded the 166th Depot Brigade at Camp Lewis, Washington. In December 1917, he commanded the 5th Infantry Brigade, camp Greene, North Carolina. In February and March 1918, he commanded the Third Infantry Division. Irons retired as a colonel in 1920.

Awards

For his service in Japan, Irons was awarded that country's

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

( Third Class). After his death, Irons was officially cited twice for heroism, once for gallantry while fighting at El Caney on July 1, 1898, and once for bravery while fighting Filipino insurgents in

Cainta Cainta, officially the Municipality of Cainta ( fil, Bayan ng Cainta, ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 376,933 people. It is one of the oldest municipalit ...

on March 16, 1899. In 1930, the U.S. Congress passed legislation allowing World War I general officers to retire at the highest rank they had held. This law included a provision for officers who had died since the war, and Irons' rank of brigadier general was posthumously restored.

Personal life

Irons married Florence Farrell on June 7, 1888. Florence Farrell's sister Frances was the wife of Brigadier General

George Henson Estes George Henson Estes Jr. (January 30, 1873 – July 2, 1969) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Biography Estes was born on January 30, 1873, in Eufaula, Alabama, the son of George Henson Estes Sr. (1848-19 ...

Death and legacy

Irons died on July 20, 1921, in Sant'Agnello di Sorrento,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irons, James Anderson 1857 births 1921 deaths Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni United States Military Academy alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War People from Philadelphia United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals United States military attachés Military personnel from Philadelphia