Preston Brown (January 2, 1872 – June 30, 1948) was an American army officer who saw action with the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alo ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Brown reached the rank of

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 ...

before retiring from active duty in 1936.

Early life

Brown was born in Lexington,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

. His mother was Mary Owen Preston, who was the daughter of General

William C. Preston William Campbell Preston (December 27, 1794May 22, 1860) was a senator from the United States and a member of the Nullifier, and later Whig Parties. He was also the cousin of William Ballard Preston, William Preston and Angelica Singleton ...

of the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighti ...

, while his father John Mason Brown was a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

colonel. He attended

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, where he served on the editorial board of ''

The Yale Record ''The Yale Record'' is the campus humor magazine of Yale University. Founded in 1872, it became the oldest humor magazine in the world when ''Punch'' folded in 2002."History", The Yale Record, March 10, 2010. http://www.yalerecord.com/about/histo ...

''. After his graduation in 1892, he also studied in the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

Military career

Brown entered the army as a private in 1894 and served in Battery A, Fifth Field Artillery. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1897 and rose through the ranks. He was promoted to major in 1916 and lieutenant colonel in 1917. In 1918, he was appointed 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 ...

in the National Army and in August of the same year was promoted to

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 t ...

.Davis 1998, p. 53 He served as chief of staff of the 2nd Infantry Division at

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition a ...

and

Saint-Mihiel Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Geography Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse. History A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde and his wi ...

between April 6–September 18, 1918, and was Chief of Staff of IV Corps between September 20–October 1918. On October 18, 1918, he became commander of the 3rd Division, serving in that capacity through the

Battle of Meuse-Argonne A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his wartime service. In November 1918, he became assistant chief of staff at General Headquarters of the U.S. Army of Occupation. He was appointed an instructor at the Army General Staff College in 1919. In 1921, he was acting commander of the U.S. Army War College and in the same year was appointed commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade. Preston Brown was commander of the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

from 1928 until 1932. From October 1933 to October 1934 he commanded the Sixth Corps Area. Brown retired to

Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes th ...

in 1936, having reached the rank of

Personal life

In 1905, Brown married Susan Ford Dorrance. They had one child, Dorrance Brown who died in 1936. Brown was active in genealogical research until his death. He was also a member of the Historical Society of Cincinnati.

Death and burial

Brown died in

Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts Vineyard Haven is a community within the town of Tisbury, Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard. It is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 2,114 as of the 2010 census. The area wa ...

on June 30, 1948 and is interred in Cave Hill Cemetery,

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

Awards

* Distinguished Service Medal *

Spanish War Service Medal The Spanish War Service Medal was a United States military medal of the U.S. Army which was established by an act of the U.S. Congress on 9 July 1918 (40 Stat. 873). The medal recognizes those members of the Army and of the U.S. Volunteers who pe ...

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 and 1913. Although a single service medal, the Philippin ...

* Mexican Border Service Medal * World War I Victory Medal *Commander, Legion of Honor (France)

References

Bibliography

* : Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War. Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1931. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Preston Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Military personnel from Lexington, Kentucky Yale University alumni United States Army generals of World War I 1872 births 1948 deaths Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery People from Tisbury, Massachusetts United States Army Command and General Staff College faculty United States Army generals