Joseph Compton Castner (November 18, 1869 - July 8, 1946) was a

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 ...

general. He commanded the Ninth Infantry Brigade in all its operations as a part of the Fifth Division,

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 along ...

(AEF) during the final months of

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 years

He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, November 18, 1869. His father, Cornelius W. Castner, served as captain of one of New Brunswick's first companies in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. In 1891, Castner graduated from Rutgers College (now Rutgers University ) with a degree in civil engineering.

Career

left, Major Joseph Castner in 1917. On August 1, 1891, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the United States Army and assigned to the Fourth Infantry for duty. He was promoted as follows: first lieutenant, Fourth Infantry, April 28, 1898; captain, Squadron Philippine Cavalry, April 23, 1900; captain, Fourth Infantry, February 2, 1901; major, Twenty-first Infantry, August 27, 1913; lieutenant colonel, Sixth Infantry, May 13, 1917; colonel, Thirty-eighth Infantry, August 5, 1917; brigadier general, Ninth Brigade, April 12, 1918. He attended the Infantry and Cavalry School in 1895, and was in the

War College A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tact ...

in 1915. Prior to

Castner had already distinguished himself. While a lieutenant he participated as an explorer in the Glenn Expedition in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

. For his services with the Tagalog Scouts 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 ...

, he was promoted to a captaincy in the Philippine Squadron of Cavalry, which commission he held until receiving a captaincy in the Regular Army. Later he served as Constructing Quartermaster in both

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

and in

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...

. While he was a captain, he commanded the Second Battalion, Fourteenth Infantry and under his training that battalion set an unequaled record in known distance firing. While a major, he was Adjutant General of the

District of Columbia Army National Guard The District of Columbia Army National Guard is the Army component of the District of Columbia National Guard. As the District of Columbia is a federal district and not a state, the guard is placed under the authority of the President of the Unite ...

, which he developed to a high state of efficiency. As colonel of the Thirty-eighth Infantry, he instilled that fighting spirit which won for his regiment fame as the "Rock of the Marne." 111-SC-40106 - NARA - 55239327 (cropped) (cropped)

111-SC-40106 - NARA - 55239327 (cropped) (cropped)

As brigadier general, he took command of the Ninth Infantry Brigade. In the quiet Anould and St. Die sectors, he gave the units of the brigade effective training for the big operations that were to follow. In the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

, General Castner's brigade was at first in reserve with the Tenth Brigade in line. When passage of lines was made, he pushed his outpost lines up near to the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 1916 ...

. In the first phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, his Brigade captured

Cunel Cunel () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 communes of the Meuse department of France. The communes cooperat ...

and drove the enemy from the Bois-de-la-Pultiere and the northwestern Bois-de-Foret. In the second phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Castner's brigade captured Aincreville, Clery-le-Grand, Clery-le-Petit, Bois de Babiemont, the Punchbowl, and Doulcon. Then the brigade forced the difficult crossing of the

river Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

and fighting northward captured in succession

Dun-sur-Meuse Dun-sur-Meuse (, literally ''Dun on Meuse'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 communes of the Meuse department of France ...

, Milly-devant-Dun, Lion-devant-Dun, Cote St. Germain, Château de Charmois, Mouzay, and the Foret de Woevre. In appreciation for his services in the Meuse-Argonne Operation, Castner was awarded the Armh Distinguished Service Medal, the citation for which reads: He was cited in the Fifth Division Orders. While his brigade formed part of the army of occupation, Castner took the course of instruction at the Army Center of Artillery Studies at Trier, Germany. Castner retired while commanding the Third Division in the Western States.

Death and legacy

He died on July 8, 1946. He was buried at

San Francisco National Cemetery San Francisco National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the ci ...

Mount Castner Mount Castner is a elevation glaciated summit located west of Valdez in the Chugach Mountains of the U.S. state of Alaska, on land managed by Chugach National Forest. It is situated at the head of Ranney Glacier and Dartmouth Glacier. Although ...

and the

Castner Glacier The Castner Glacier lies on the southern flank of the Delta Range, an eastern section of the Alaska Range The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alas ...

, named in his honor are both located in the area of Alaska that he explored in 1898.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Castner, Joseph Compton 1869 births 1946 deaths People from New Brunswick, New Jersey United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Rutgers University alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Military personnel from New Jersey

Early years

Career

Death and legacy

See also

Further reading

References