Lucien Grant Berry, Sr. (November 29, 1863 – December 31, 1937) was 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

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 ...

who served in three wars.

Early life

He was born on November 29, 1863 in

Caton, New York Caton is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 2,046 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Richard Caton. The Town of Caton is in the southeast part of the county, south of Corning. History Caton was ...

to Samuel Spicer Berry and Olive Elizabeth Reed. He was appointed as a cadet 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 ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

on July 1, 1882. Berry graduated number nine of seventy-seven in the class of 1886.Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. P. 32 Several of his fellow classmates included men who would, like Berry 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, Charles T. Menoher,

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 H ...

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, 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Personal life

He married Emily Ross Minier (1864-1945) on October 28, 1886. They had six children.

Military career

Berry was commissioned in the Fourth Artillery Brigade and served at Fort Preble, Maine;

Fort Snelling, Minnesota Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint Anth ...

, and

Fort McPherson, Georgia Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in Atlanta, Georgia, bordering the northern edge of the city of East Point, Georgia. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Arm ...

. He graduated from the Artillery School at

Fort Monroe, Virginia Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virg ...

, and in 1892 he spent four years as an instructor at the United States Military Academy. He was in the Puerto Rican Expedition in 1898, then was sent to Fort Slocum, New York, and Fort Adams, Rhode Island. In 1900, he was on the

China Relief Expedition The China Relief Expedition was an expedition in China undertaken by the United States Armed Forces to rescue United States citizens, European nationals, and other foreign nationals during the latter years of the Boxer Rebellion, which lasted f ...

, became a captain, and was sent 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 ...

. Upon his return to the United States, Berry commanded the 21st Battery Field Artillery at

Fort Sheridan, Illinois Fort Sheridan is a residential neighborhood within the cities of Lake Forest, Illinois, Lake Forest, Highwood, Illinois, Highwood, and Highland Park, Illinois, Highland Park in Lake County, Illinois, Lake County, Illinois, United States. It was or ...

. He was then sent to the School of Fire at

Fort Sill, Oklahoma Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

, and in 1907 was promoted to major. For three years, he commanded a battalion of the Third Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Sam, Texas. On March 11, 1911, Berry was promoted to lieutenant colonel and went to the Army War College, graduating in 1912. He then commanded the Third Field Artillery Brigade at Fort D. A. Russel, Wyoming until 1913, when he was promoted to colonel and given command of the Fourth Mountain Field Artillery Brigade. He took this brigade to Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1914 and then onto the

Mexican Punitive Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

in 1916 and 1917. On August 5, 1917, Berry was promoted to brigadier general and commanded the 60th Field Artillery Brigade in Oklahoma. In May 1918, he took this brigade to France and joined the 35th Infantry Division in the

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

. He was the 35th Division's Chief of Artillery and also supported the First Infantry Division in battle. He returned to the States in April 1919, and on June 5 reverted to his permanent rank of colonel. He commanded the 78th Field Artillery Brigade and later the Sixth Field Artillery Brigade until his retirement on June 19, 1921. While retired, he was promoted to brigadier general in 1930.

Death and legacy

He died at the age of seventy-four on December 31, 1937, in

Corning, New York Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,551 at the 2020 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company t ...

. He was buried at

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

Bibliography *Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998.

External links

Lucien Grant Berry photograph collection
at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center
Lucien Grant Berry
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Lucien Grant 1863 births 1938 deaths United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Military Academy alumni People from Steuben County, New York United States Army generals of World War I Military personnel from New York (state)