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 ...

James Henry McRae (December 24, 1863 – May 1, 1940) 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 during his military career.

Early life

James Henry McRae was born December 24, 1863, to Daniel F. McRae and Marion McRae in

Lumber City, Georgia Lumber City is a city located in Telfair County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 967. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Lumber City as a town in 1889. The community was named for a ...

. He graduated from 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 ...

number forty-eight of seventy-seven in the class of 1886. Several of his fellow classmates included men who would, like McRae 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 Mason Mathews Patrick (December 13, 1863 – January 29, 1942) was a general officer in the United States Army who led the United States Army Air Service during and after World War I and became the first Chief of the Army Air Corps when it was c ...

Julius Penn Julius A. Penn (February 19, 1865 - May 13, 1934) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of brigadier general during World War I, and commanded 170th Infantry Brigade, 85th Division and 76th Infantry Brigade, 3 ...

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,

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 ...

George B. Duncan Major General George Brand Duncan (October 10, 1861 – March 15, 1950) was a United States Army officer who served in numerous conflicts, most notably World War I, where he commanded the 82nd Division, now the 82nd Airborne Division. Military ...

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 (United States), Major General who served as Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Chief of the Militia Bureau. Early life Jesse McI. Carter was born ...

Military career

McRae was commissioned in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and performed frontier duty from 1886-1888. During the Spanish–American War, he was 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 ...

in Cuba, and he also served in the Sanitary Corps, for which he received his first Silver Star Commendation. He received his second Silver Star during the Philippine Insurrection and was recommended for a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotion. From 1905 to 1908, he served on the General Staff, and in 1911, he graduated from 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 ...

. McRae served in the Adjutant General's Department from 1913 to 1917, and on August 5, 1917, he was promoted to brigadier general and commanded the 158th Depot Brigade at

Camp Sherman, Ohio Camp Sherman is an Ohio Army National Guard training site near Chillicothe, Ohio. It was established in 1917 after the U.S. entered World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the dead ...

. In addition, he commanded the 9th Brigade of the 5th Division. He was promoted to major general on April 12, 1918, and commanded the 78th Division ( AEF) throughout its period of active service on the Western Front until June 1919, when it was inactivated after returning to the United States. For this, he earned 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 ...

, the citation for which reads: During 1921 and 1922, he was assistant chief, G-1 (personnel). From 1922 to 1924, he commanded the 5th Corps Area and, in 1924, he briefly commanded the Philippine Division, and from 1924 to 1926 he served in the Philippine Department. He commanded the 9th Corps Area from May 1926 to January 1927 before commanding the 2nd Corps Area from January to December 1927. He retired on December 24, 1927, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 64.

Personal life

On December 14, 1887, McRae married Florence Stouch, daughter of Lt. Col. R. H. Stouch, a Civil War veteran. Together they had three children: Donald M. McRae, Dorothy McRae, and Mildred McRae. He remarried to Helen "Nellie" Burgar Stouch, a former sister-in-law, on February 24, 1926. After his retirement, he made his home in Berkeley, California. He died on May 1, 1940. McRae is 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 ...

References

External links

Arlington National Cemetery
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:McRae, James 1863 births 1940 deaths United States Army Infantry Branch personnel People from Telfair County, Georgia American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army generals of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Companions of the Order of the Bath Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state)