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 ...
Robert Alexander (October 17, 1863 – August 25, 1941) was a senior
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
. He served 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 ...
, where he commanded the
77th Infantry Division 77th Division or 75th Infantry Division may refer to:
* 77th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), Germany
* 77th Infantry Division of Khurasan, Iran
* 77th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
* 77th Division (People's Republic of China)
* 77th Division ( ...
, in which the famous
Lost Battalion served, on the
Western Front in 1918.
Early life
Robert Alexander was born in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland, on October 17, 1863. His parents were Judge and Mrs. William Alexander. His father had been Justice of the Circuit Court of Baltimore City and the Court of Appeals of the State of Maryland.
Alexander studied law in the offices of J. B. and Edwin H. Brown in
Centreville, Maryland
Centreville is an incorporated town in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States on the Delmarva Peninsula. Incorporated in 1794, it is the county seat of Queen Anne's County. The population was 4,285 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code is 216 ...
. He attained admission to the bar, but decided against a legal career, instead enlisting in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
's
4th Infantry Regiment as a
private on April 7, 1886.
Military career
In 1887, he became the
first sergeant of his
company, and in 1889 received a promotion to
second lieutenant.
As he rose through the ranks he took part in the
American Indian Wars
The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...
, served in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
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 = (cloc ...
. He was with the 11th Infantry in 1901 when it was ordered to the Philippines during the
Philippine–American War, and he served at Carigara on the island of Leyte. In 1902, he took part in combat against Filipino insurgents on Leyte and Samar, and in one engagement he was wounded by a bolo. During the
Pancho Villa 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 ...
, Alexander served on the
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
–
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. At some point he attended both 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 ...
and the
United States Army Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
.
When the United States joined the Allied forces in World War I, Alexander proved his valor and was able to rise through the ranks. He was also given the responsibility of inspector general in the Zone of Communications from November 1917 to February 1918. Alexander was promoted to brigadier general in February 1918 and then to major general in August 1918.
From the headquarters of the
77th Division in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, Alexander was one of the officers who reported on the
Lost Battalion incident. A group of around 500 soldiers, in nine companies, had disappeared after going into the
Argonne Forest expecting American and French Allied troops to meet them. This had followed an American attack on German forces and, with
Major Charles White Whittlesey leading the group, the men found that the French troops had been stalled. As a result, the battalion was cut off by the Germans who surprised them and suffered large losses with only 197 men coming out of the ravine. In the report he states:
In France, he commanded the
41st Division, 63rd Infantry Brigade, and the 77th Division. He commanded the 77th from August 1918 onwards, including during the
Meuse–Argonne offensive
The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along t ...
, where he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
(DSC) in October for heroism at
Grandpré, Ardennes
Grandpré () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune Termes was merged into Grandpré. . The medal's citation reads:
He was also awarded the
Croix de Guerre (France), two citations and was made a Commander of the
Legion of Honor (France).
After the war, which ended on
November 11, 1918
The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
, he returned to his permanent rank of
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 o ...
and commanded the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade.
![111-SC-42747 - NARA - 55244695-cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/111-SC-42747_-_NARA_-_55244695-cropped.jpg)
In 1919, Alexander received the
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
of
LL.D.
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...
from
St. John's College of
Annapolis, Maryland.
Alexander later commanded the
3rd Division and
Fort Lewis,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. He retired in 1927 at the rank of major general.
He authored a memoir, 1931's ''Memories of the World War, 1917–1918''. Also in 1931, Alexander received an honorary LL.D. from the
College of Puget Sound.
In 1933, Alexander was a delegate to the Washington state convention that ratified the
Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-first Amendment (Amendment XXI) to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide prohibition on alcohol. The Twenty-first Amendment was proposed by ...
.
He was a candidate for chairman of the convention but after a deadlock he withdrew in favor of a compromise choice.
On the ratification question, Alexander was in the majority, which voted to enact the Twenty-first amendment by a vote of 94 to 4.
Personal life
In 1892, Alexander married Mollie Augur Thomas (1871–1953), the daughter of Brigadier General Earl D. Thomas. They were the parents of two sons, both of whom served in the army. William Dennison (1893–1978) attained the rank of
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 o ...
and Robert Jr. became a
lieutenant colonel.
Alexander was active in
freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
.
In 1931, he attained the 33rd degree of the
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in the United States often omits the ''and'', while the English Constitution in the United Kingdom omits the ''Scottish''), commonly known as simply the S ...
.
He died in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
on August 25, 1941, and is 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 ...
, in
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...
.
Effective dates of promotion
The dates and ranks of Alexander's promotions were:
* Private and Sergeant, Company G, 4th United States Infantry, April 7, 1886 – January 29, 1890
* Second Lieutenant, December 17, 1889
* First Lieutenant, January 7, 1897
* Captain, October 2, 1899
* Major, March 11, 1911
* Lieutenant Colonel, July 1, 1916
* Colonel, August 26, 1917
* Brigadier General (temporary), February 9, 1918
* Major General (temporary), August 26, 1918
* Colonel, July 31, 1919
* Brigadier General (permanent), April 30, 1921
* Major General (permanent), August 26, 1927
* Major General (retired), October 17, 1927
References
Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Robert
1863 births
1941 deaths
United States Army Infantry Branch personnel
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
United States Army generals of World War I
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Military personnel from Baltimore
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars
United States Army generals
Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur
American military personnel of the Philippine–American War
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
United States Army War College alumni