Pershing House has been the residence of the commanding officers of Fort Sam Houston since 1881. Located in

Bexar County Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, the military post is currently part of

Joint Base San Antonio Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) is a United States military facility located in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 502d Air Base Wing, Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The win ...

. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings on 30 July 1974. After the

Texas annexation The Texas annexation was the 1845 annexation of the Republic of Texas into the United States. Texas was admitted to the Union as the 28th state on December 29, 1845. The Republic of Texas declared independence from the Republic of Mexico on ...

to the Union in 1845, the United States Army became a steady presence in what was then designated the Department of Texas, providing a line of defense during both the 1846–1848

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, and the

Texas–Indian wars The Texas–Indian wars were a series of conflicts between settlers in Texas and the Southern Plains Indians during the 19th-century. Conflict between the Plains Indians and the Spanish began before other European and Anglo-American settlers wer ...

that ended with the 1875 surrender of

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

chief Quanah Parker 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. The combining of Fort Sam Houston, Randolph Air Force Base, Lackland Air Force Base and Martindale Army Airfield, to create Joint Base San Antonio, took place in 2009. Following the end of 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 th ...

, the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

accepted an offer from San Antonio for three parcels of land on which the United States Army would construct Fort Sam Houston. The site and its surrounding area would come to be known as Government Hill. Edward Braden Construction began work on the project in 1876. Architect

Alfred Giles Alfred Giles may refer to: * Alfred Giles (architect) (1853–1920), Texas architect * Alfred Giles (civil engineer) (1816–1895), British civil engineer and politician * Alfred Giles (explorer) (1846–1931), South Australian bushman, drover and ...

designed the general staff quarters, as well as the commanding general's quarters, now known at Pershing House. Constructed in 1881 at a cost of $17,076 (equivalent to $457,000 in 2020), it was originally designated as "Quarters No. 6, Staff Post". The , two-story house has eleven rooms, six full bathrooms and one half bath. In various phases during the 20th century, improvements included an enclosed porch and upgrades to plumbing, electricity and air conditioning. While under its original name, the house would become the residence of 16 succeeding commanding officers. They were some of the most accomplished leaders 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 ...

prior to their being given charge of the base. The first occupant of the house was Major General

Christopher C. Augur Christopher Columbus Augur (July 10, 1821 – January 16, 1898) was an American military officer, most noted for his role in the American Civil War. Although less well known than other Union commanders, he was nonetheless considered an able battl ...

, a West Point graduate and veteran of several military conflicts, including the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Numerous

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipients have resided there. The house has been referred to by its current name since

John J. Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...

served as the base commanding officer in 1917, following his participation in the Pancho Villa Expedition. He was at Fort Sam Houston only two months before being given charge of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe. Pershing held the rank of

General of the Armies General of the Armies of the United States, more commonly referred to as General of the Armies, is the highest military rank in the United States Army. The rank has been conferred three times: to John J. Pershing in 1919, as a personal accola ...

. The only other American to hold that rank was

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. The names of all the occupants from 1881 through 1973 appear on two brass-plated plaques that were initially created in the 1950s by Julia Cotton White, wife of General

Isaac D. White Isaac Davis White (March 6, 1901 – June 11, 1990) was a senior officer in the United States Army who commanded the U.S. Army, Pacific (USARPAC) from July 1957 to March 1961. He was commissioned in the cavalry in 1923 and went on to serve in ...

, who was then serving as commanding officer. She presented them as a gift to Fort Sam Houston, and they were kept up to date by succeeding residents at least through 1973 when the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Commanding officer chronology 1881 through 1973

Key to military ranks

*GA General of the Armies (5 stars) *CSA

Chief of Staff of the United States Army The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a ...

, General (4 stars). As of 1943, all Chiefs of Staff are stationed in

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

. Prior to that date, they all worked on-site at local bases. *4SG General (4 stars) *LG Lieutenant General (3 stars) *MG Major General (2 stars) *BG Brigadier General (1 star)

Key to burial sites

Residents

Notes

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

External links

{{Authority control History of San Antonio Historic district contributing properties in Texas Houses in San Antonio Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in San Antonio Tourist attractions in San Antonio Joint Base San Antonio Buildings and structures in San Antonio