General 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 ...

Peyton Conway March (December 27, 1864April 13, 1955) was a senior

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 ...

of 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 ...

. He 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 ...

, on the Mexican border, 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 ...

. March was the ninth Chief of Staff from 1918 to 1921, accomplishing centralized control over supply, the creation of the Air Service,

Tank Corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armo ...

, and

Chemical Warfare Service The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. The Chemical Warfare Service was established on 28 June 1918, combining activities that un ...

Early life and education

March was born on December 27, 1864 in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river that joins the Delaware R ...

, to Francis Andrew and Mildred ( Conway) March. His father was a college professor, and is regarded as the principal founder of modern comparative linguistics in

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

. His mother descended from

Thomas Stone Thomas Stone (1743 – October 5, 1787) was an American Founding Father, planter, politician, and lawyer who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a delegate for Maryland. He later worked on the committee that formed the Artic ...

, a signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

, and was

Moncure D. Conway Moncure Daniel Conway (March 17, 1832 – November 15, 1907) was an American abolitionist minister and radical writer. At various times Methodist, Unitarian, and a Freethinker, he descended from patriotic and patrician families of Virginia and ...

's sister. March attended

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

, where his father occupied the first chair of English language and

comparative philology Comparative linguistics, or comparative-historical linguistics (formerly comparative philology) is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness. Genetic relatedness ...

in the United States. While at Lafayette College, March was a member of the Rho chapter of

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fiftee ...

. After graduating with honors in 1884, he was appointed to

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

and graduated in 1888, ranked 10th in a class of 44. Among his classmates there were several men who would, like March himself, eventually attain the rank of general officer, such as

James W. McAndrew James William McAndrew (June 29, 1862 – April 30, 1922) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and was most notable for his service as chief of staff of the American Expeditionary Forces during Wo ...

, William M. Morrow, William Robert Dashiell, Robert Lee Howze, Peter Charles Harris,

Eli Alva Helmick Major General Eli Alva Helmick (September 23, 1863 – January 13, 1945) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in World War I, among other conflicts, and received the Distinguished Service Medal. Mi ...

, Charles Hedges McKinstry, Henry Jervey Jr.,

William Voorhees Judson William Voorhees Judson (16 February 1865 – 29 March 1923) was an American Brigadier general, who served as a military aide with the Root Mission to the Russian Provisional Government. Early life and education William Voorhees Judson was bor ...

, John Louis Hayden, Edward Anderson,

William H. Hart William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Charles Aloysius Hedekin Charles Aloysius Hedekin (December 9, 1865 – January 30, 1944) was a United States Army Cavalry officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in numerous locations and incidents. Military career Hedekin was born on December 9, 18 ...

and William S. Peirce.

Early career

Peyton Conway March (First Lieutenant, 1898)

After his initial assignment to the 3rd Artillery, March was assigned to the 5th Artillery as a 1st lieutenant in 1894. He was sent to the Artillery School at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

, Virginia in September 1896 and graduated in April 1898, at the outbreak of 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 ...

. As he was not immediately assigned, he watched as his classmates went off to various commands, and began fearing he would not see combat. In early May, that changed when he was offered to lead what later became known as the Astor Battery, named so because it was personally financed by

John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sink ...

. He organized, equipped and subsequently commanded the battery when it was sent to the

during the

. Historian Bruce Campbell Adamson has written about Henry Bidwell Ely (Adamson's great grandfather) who was placed in charge of The Astor Battery by John Jacob Astor IV, to give Peyton March whatever he needed. March credited Ely as having "an open check book" to purchase uniforms, mules and the cannons. After the battery returned from the Philippines in 1899, March was assigned as the aide to Major General

Arthur MacArthur, Jr. Arthur MacArthur Jr. (June 2, 1845 – September 5, 1912) was a lieutenant general of the United States Army. He became the military Governor-General of the American-occupied Philippines in 1900; his term ended a year later due to clashes w ...

during the Philippine–American War. Later that year he was promoted to major. He continued to serve in the Philippines, participated as part of General

Loyd Wheaton Loyd Wheaton (July 15, 1838 – September 17, 1918) was a United States general who fought in the Philippine–American War and in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life Wheaton was born in Pennfield, Michigan on July 15, 1838. ...

's expedition in battles at San Fabian, Buntayan Bridge and San Jacinto. He commanded the U.S. forces in the

Battle of Tirad Pass The Battle of Tirad Pass ( es, Batalla de Paso Tirad; tgl, Labanan sa Pasong Tirad; ilo, Gubat ti Paso), sometimes referred to as the "Philippine Thermopylae", was a battle in the Philippine–American War fought on December 2, 1899, in north ...

, 2 December 1899, where General

Gregorio del Pilar Gregorio Hilario del Pilar y Sempio (; ; November 14, 1875 – December 2, 1899) was a Filipino general of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine–American War. As one of the youngest generals in the Revolutionary Army, he ...

was killed, and received the surrender of General Venacio Concepción, Chief of Staff to Philippine President Aguinaldo at Cayan, 5 December 1899. He served as provincial governor of districts including Lepanto-Bontoc and Ilocos Sur from February to June 1900, and then the Abra Province from June 1900 to February 1901. He then served as Commissary General of Prisoners for the

Philippine Islands 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 ...

through 30 June 1901, when he mustered out of the U.S. Volunteers. In 1903, he was sent to

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

and commanded the 19th Battery of the Field Artillery. Later that year, he was sent to

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 served on the newly created General Staff. From 21 March to 30 November 1904, March was one of several American military attachés serving with the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

. Of the seventeen military attachés observing both sides of the Russo-Japanese War for the United States, eight were later promoted to be generals. In 1907, March commanded the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery. March then served as adjutant of

, Kansas and then served as adjutant at several other commands, including at the War Department. In 1916, he was promoted to colonel and commanded the 8th Field Artillery Regiment on the Mexican border 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 ...

Later career

Peyton Conway March facing left circa 1918

In June 1917, shortly after the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, March was promoted to brigadier general and commanded the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, 1st 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) and, accompanied by

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

Stanley E. Reinhart (later a major general 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 opposing ...

) as his aide-de-camp, went to France with the 1st Division. Later that year, March was promoted to major general and commanded the artillery units of the First Army and all non-divisional artillery units. In March 1918, he was recalled to Washington, took over as acting Army Chief of Staff on March 4 and was Army Chief of Staff on May 20, 1918. He was promoted to temporary general. Joseph M. Swing (a lieutenant general in World War II) was his new aide-de-camp. March was highly critical of President Wilson's decision to send an American Expedition to North Russia and Siberia in 1918 during the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

(the so-called

Siberian Intervention The Siberian intervention or Siberian expedition of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers, Japan, and China to support White Russian f ...

) ostensibly to prop-up the White movement war effort, secure the railroads, support the

Czech Legion , image = Coat of arms of the Czechoslovak Legion.svg , image_size = 200px , alt = , caption = Czechoslovak Legion coat of arms , start_date ...

trapped there, and stop the Japanese from exploiting the chaos in order to colonize Siberia. March wrote after the pull-out of American forces in 1920: Gen Peyton C March

He served as Chief of Staff until June 30, 1921. As Chief of Staff he reorganized the Army structure, and abolished the distinctions between the Regular Army, the Army Reserves, and the

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 ...

during wartime. He created new technical branches in the service including the Air Service, Tank Corps, and Chemical Warfare Service. He also centralized control over supply. After the war ended, he supervised the demobilization of the Army. As Chief of Staff he often came into disagreement with General John J. Pershing, who wanted to conduct the AEF as an independent command. March was a highly efficient and capable administrator who did much to modernize the American Army and prepare it for combat in the First World War.

Later life

March retired as a major general in 1921 at the age of 56. In June 1930, March was advanced to general on the retired list as the result of a law which enabled World War I generals to retire at the highest rank they had held. After retirement, he travelled Europe, Africa and Turkey. In 1932, he published his war memoirs, ''The Nation at War''. During World War II, reporters for ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' and ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazines regularly sought his opinions of events. He was a fan of the Washington Senators and regularly attended their home games. March died at the

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the United States Army, U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, it se ...

on April 13, 1955, and 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 ...

. In his funeral marched "the escort commander and his staff; the

United States Army Band The United States Army Band, also known as "Pershing's Own", is the premier musical organization of the United States Army, founded in 1922. There are currently nine official performing ensembles in the unit: The U.S. Army Concert Band, The U.S. A ...

; one battalion of cadets from the US Military Academy; one company of

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 mar ...

; one battery of field artillery; one company of

armor Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

; the U.S. Marine Band; one company of

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

; one company of bluejackets; one squadron of airmen; and one composite company of servicewomen." The estimated total strength of the military escort was 1,200 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. At the grave "was a large group of military, civilian, and foreign dignitaries headed by

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

Richard M. Nixon. Also in attendance were representatives of the Society of the Cincinnati, the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the

fraternity, to all of which General March had belonged."

Personal life

March married Josephine Cunningham (née Smith, 18 December 1862 – 18 November 1904), the widowed daughter of his battery commander, Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Smith, on July 4, 1891. She died in November 1904, while March was still observing the Imperial Japanese Army. Between 28 November 1917 and 8 June 1918, their daughters Mildred (1893–1967), Josephine (1895–1972) and Vivian (1899–1932) had all married army officers, Josephine marrying March's aide-de-camp in World War I, Joseph M. Swing. Josephine had a twin brother, named Peyton Jr. who died ten days after their birth. March's second son, also named Peyton Jr., was killed in a plane crash in Texas during World War I.

March AFB March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

was named in his honor.Armed Services Press, ''Welcome to March Air Force Base'' – 1971 Unofficial Guide and Directory, Riverside, California, 1971, page 3. A third son, Lewis Alden March, was born in 1904 and died in 1928. While traveling in Italy, he met Cora Virginia McEntee (1897–1964), and married her in August 1923.

Awards and decorations

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 ...

Army Distinguished Service Medal * Silver Star ribbon

Silver Star with four

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

s *

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 ...

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 an ...

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 * Ord

Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (UK) * Legion Honneur GO ribbon

Grand Officier

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

(France) * Cavaliere di gran Croce Regno SSML BAR

Grand Cross Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Italy) * JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR

Grand Cordon Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) * GRE Order of George I - Member or Silver Cross BAR

Grand Cross

Order of George I The Royal Order of George I ( el, Βασιλικόν Τάγμα Γεωργίου Α') is a Greek order instituted by King Constantine I in 1915. Since the monarchy's abolition in 1973, it has been considered a dynastic order of the former Greek r ...

(Greece) * BEL Kroonorde Grootkruis BAR

Grand Cross Order of the Crown (Belgium) * POL Polonia Restituta Wielki BAR

Grand Cross

Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

(Poland) * Czechoslovak War Cross 1918 Ribbon

WWI War Cross (Czechoslovakia)

Dates of rank

Source: ''Army Register'', 1946

Honors

In 1919, March was admitted as an honorary member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati. In December 1922, he was elected honorary president of Delta Kappa Epsilon during the fraternity's 78th Annual Convention.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

*
Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:March, Peyton C. 1864 births 1955 deaths American military personnel of the Russian Civil War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Grand Crosses of the Order of George I Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Lafayette College alumni Military personnel from Pennsylvania People from Easton, Pennsylvania People of the Russo-Japanese War Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army Chiefs of Staff United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel United States Army generals of World War I United States Military Academy alumni United States military attachés