William Mackey Cruikshank (7 November 1870 – 23 February 1943) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

army officer. He mainly served with the United States artillery and participated in military conflicts 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 = (clock ...

and

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 ...

Early life and education

Cruikshank was born 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, ...

on 7 November 1870 to John C. Cruikshank and Euphrasia Antisell. He attended 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 ...

at West Point, where he was a classmate of future Chief of Cavalry Herbert Ball Crosby, and graduated in 1893. Later in 1903, Cruikshank graduated from the School of Submarine Defense at Willet's Point, New York. He also graduated from the Army War College in 1920.

Military career

After graduating, Cruikshank was commissioned as second lieutenant in the 2nd Artillery on June 12, 1893. He taught mathematics at West Point from 1895 until 1898, when he took part in the Santiago Campaign of the Spanish–American War, after which returned to teaching from 1898–1899. Cruikshank was later stationed as artillery engineer at Fort Howard in Maryland from 1904–1907, until he went to the Philippines to serve as adjutant of the 5th Field Artillery from 1907–1909. Shortly after the United States' entry into World War I, Cruikshank was promoted to colonel on May 15, 1917. Cruikshank arrived in France with the 1st Infantry Division, where he commanded their field artillery regiment. He served in this capacity until 1918, when he was promoted to Brigadier General of the National Army. He then commanded the 3rd Field Artillery of the 3rd Infantry Division. Later that same year, Cruikshank also served with the 4th Corps of the

American Expeditionary Force 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 alon ...

as Chief of Artillery. After the end of the war, Cruikshank remained in Europe as part of the occupation forces in Germany until 1919. For his service during the war in Europe, Cruikshank received the

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 ...

from the United States and the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

from France. After his return to the United States, he served on the General Staff Corps from 1920–1924. Later Cruikshank was commandant at the

Field Artillery School The United States Army Field Artillery School (USAFAS) trains Field Artillery Soldiers and Marines in tactics, techniques, and procedures for the employment of fire support systems in support of the maneuver commander. The school further develop ...

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 ...

from 1930 until his retirement on 30 November 1934.

Personal life and death

On April 30, 1904, Cruikshank married Cornelia Baird Holabird, the granddaughter of General

Samuel B. Holabird Samuel Beckley Holabird (June 16, 1826 - February 3, 1907) was a career officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, Holabird attained the rank of brigadier general and is most notable for his service as the ...

and daughter of architect

William Holabird William Holabird (September 11, 1854 in Amenia, New York – July 19, 1923 in Evanston, Illinois) was an American architect. Holabird was the son of General Samuel B. Holabird and Mary Theodosia Grant. He studied at the United States Milit ...

. They were the parents of a daughter, Mary Holabird Cruikshank. He was an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

and member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. Cruikshank died on 23 February 1943 in Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruikshank, William Mackey United States Army generals of World War I United States Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) 1870 births 1943 deaths American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Recipients of the Legion of Honour United States Army War College alumni American expatriates in the Philippines American expatriates in France American expatriates in Germany United States Army generals United States Military Academy faculty