William Abram Mann (July 31, 1854 – October 8, 1934) was a

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 ...

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 ...

. He served as the commander of the 17th Infantry Brigade in 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 ...

and the 42nd Division ("The Rainbow Division") 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 ...

. After he retired from military service, he became an executive at the Equitable Trust Company of New York. He resided in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, until his death on October 8, 1934. A World War II troop carrier was named for him. The USS '' W. A. Mann'' (AP-112), was commissioned in 1943 and served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Early life and start of military career

Mann was born on July 31, 1854, in

Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. ...

, the son of Anna (Bockus) Mann and Charles J. Mann. Charles J. Mann was an attorney and judge, and served as mayor of Altoona from 1884 to 1886. William A. Mann attended the schools of Altoona and obtained an appointment to 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 1875 and received a commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

. He served in the western United States throughout the 1870 and 1880s, mostly in assignments with the 7th Cavalry. As part of the 17th Infantry Regiment, he took part in the Sioux Indian campaign of 1890 to 1891.

Spanish–American War

Mann served with the 17th Infantry Regiment in the

, participating in the Battle of El Caney 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 ...

. He received a

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

for gallantry in action at El Caney. Mann also served in 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 ...

in 1899 and the early 1900s. He graduated from the Army War College in 1905.

Post Spanish–American War

From 1907 to 1909 Mann commanded the

6th Infantry Regiment The 6th Infantry Regiment ("Regulars") was formed 11 January 1812. Zachary Taylor, later the twelfth President of the United States, was a commander of the unit. The motto, "Regulars, By God!" derives from the Battle of Chippawa, in which Brit ...

Fort William Henry Harrison Fort William Henry Harrison is the Montana National Guard training facility. It is also home to the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center and Montana State Veterans Cemetery, located adjacent to the military installation. History Fort William Henr ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, also temporarily commanding the

Department of Dakota A subdivision of the Division of the Missouri, the Department of Dakota was established by the United States Army on August 11, 1866, to encompass all military activities and forts within Minnesota, Dakota Territory and Montana Territory. The Depa ...

on several occasions. From 1910 to 1911 he commanded the Recruit Depot at

Jefferson Barracks The Jefferson Barracks Military Post is located on the Mississippi River at Lemay, Missouri, south of St. Louis. It was an important and active U.S. Army installation from 1826 through 1946. It is the oldest operating U.S. military installation w ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. In 1911 he was assigned to the Army's General Staff, and from 1912 to 1913 he was Chief of Staff for the Eastern Department in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He served as Chief of Staff for the division based in

Texas City Texas City is a city in Galveston County, Texas, Galveston County in the U.S. state of Texas. Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a busy deepwater port on Texas's Gulf Coast, as well as a petroleum-refining and pe ...

, Texas from 1913 to 1914. From 1914 to 1915 Mann commanded the 3rd Infantry Regiment at

Madison Barracks File:Madison Barracks.jpg File:Madison Barracks02.jpg File:Madison Barracks Stone Tower.jpg File:Madison Barracks Stone Tower 02.jpg Madison Barracks was a military installation established in 1813 or 1815 at Sackets Harbor, New York, Sackets Harb ...

, New York, and in 1915 he was assigned as commander of 1st Brigade, Department of the East in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, receiving promotion 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 ...

. In 1916 General Mann assumed command of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade in Texas 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 ...

, and later took command of the School of Musketry and Field Artillery at

Fort Sill 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 ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. In 1917 he was named to head the Army's Militia Bureau (now the

National Guard Bureau The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was cre ...

), receiving promotion to

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 ...

World War I

Mann left the Militia Bureau in 1917 to organize and train a division for overseas serviceand was succeeded by

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 ...

. He became the first commander of the 42nd Division, nicknamed the Rainbow Division, which was composed of

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

units from 26 states and the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. The 42nd Division's activation was important in the development of the National Guard because it was the first time National Guard units from multiple states were organized together and it was the first time smaller Guard units were formed into a division. Mann was within a year of mandatory retirement in November 1917 when the division in St. Nazaire,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He began to suffer from poor health after the organization moved to its new location at

Vaucouleurs Vaucouleurs () is a commune in the Meuse department, northeastern France. It is situated on the river Meuse, approximately from Toul and Commercy. History Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville (1225/33 – 21 October 1314) also known as G ...

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

, making chief of staff

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 of ...

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

the ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' commander. After Mann's superior John J. Pershing made an on-site visit and observed Mann's infirmities, he cabled the War Department requesting that Mann be relieved. Mann returned to the United States and commanded the

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. H ...

until he retired in July 1918.

Post-military career

After leaving the military Mann became an executive at the Equitable Trust Company of New York.

Retirement and death

In retirement Mann resided in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and he died there on October 8, 1934. 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 ...

, Section 3, Site 1996.

Family

On September 10, 1884 Mann married Elsie Moir (1862-1936) of

Elora, Ontario Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and the geographically significant Elora Gorge. Elora is no longer an independent enti ...

. They remained married until his death and had no children.

Awards

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

Indian Campaign Medal The Indian Campaign Medal is a decoration established by War Department General Orders 12, 1907.

Spanish Campaign Medal The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those men of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish–American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish C ...

Mexican Border Service Medal The Mexican Border Service Medal was a U.S. service medal established by an Act of Congress on July 9, 1918. It was awarded for service between May 9, 1916 and March 24, 1917, or with the Mexican Border Patrol between January 1, 1916 to April ...

* World War I Victory Medal

Legacy

The , a

troop carrier, was named for him. The ''General Mann'' was commissioned in 1943, used in World War II, the

and the

, and remained in service until 1965.U.S.S. General W.A. Mann Association
Home Page
accessed April 21, 2013

References

Sources

* ''U.S. Army Register'', published by U.S. Army Adjutant General's Office, 1875 * ''Reminiscences of West Point in the Olden Time'', Augusta Blanche Berard, 1886, page 50 * ''U.S. Army Register'', published by U.S. Army Adjutant General's Office, 1888, page 266 * ''Historical Register of the United States Army'', by Francis Bernard Heitman, 1890, Volume 1, page 450 * ''The World Almanac and Encyclopedia'', published by Press Publishing Company, 1903, page 407 * ''Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army'', 1903, Volume 1, page 687 * ''The Tribune Almanac and Political Register'', published by the Tribune Association, 1906, Volume XVIII, No. 1, page 1866 * War Department Annual Reports, published by U.S. War Department, 1908, page 113 * ''Who's Who in Pennsylvania: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries'', 1908, Volume 2, page 466 * ''Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States'', 1913, Volume LII, page xii * "Army Promotions, The Outlook, November 25, 1914 * "The General Staff, the North American Review, July 1917, Volume CCVI, page 230 * "New Army Board Named to Consider Relationship Between Department Commanders and Guard, Official U.S. Bulletin, June 28, 1917 * ''Current History: A Monthly Magazine of the New York Times'', Volume VII, October 1917 to March 1918, page 12 * "Rainbow Division Again in Review," ''New York Times'', October 8, 1917 * "New Commands for Returned Officers," ''Los Angeles Times'', January 3, 1918 * "Gen. Mann to Command Eastern Department," ''Hartford Courant'', January 3, 1918 * "Gen. Mann Goes Into Bank for Overseas," ''Chicago Tribune'', November 24, 1918 * ''Trust Companies News'', Banking Publicity Association of the United States, 1918, volume 27, page 624 * ''America's Part in the World War'', Richard Joseph Beamish and Francis Andrew March 1919, page 586 * ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy'', by George W. Cullum, 1920, Volume 1, page 203 * ''Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War'', Albert Bushnell Hart, 1920, page 109 * ''U.S. Army Register'', published by U.S. Army Adjutant General's Office, 1922, page 1198 * "Maj. Gen. W. A. Mann died at 80," ''New York Times'', October 9, 1934 * ''Carbine and Lance: The Story of Old Fort Sill'', Wilbur Sturtevant Nye, 1983, page 326 * U.S.S. General W.A. Mann Association web site, http://www.ussgenwamann.org/ * ''Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades'', by John B. Wilson,

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

, 1998, Chapter 3, end note 31 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, William Abram 1854 births 1934 deaths People from Altoona, Pennsylvania People from Washington, D.C. United States Military Academy alumni United States Army War College alumni American military personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Silver Star Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau Military personnel from Pennsylvania