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George Windle Read

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George Windle Read
Born(1860-11-19)November 19, 1860
Indianola, Iowa, United States
DiedNovember 6, 1934(1934-11-06) (aged 73)
Washington, D.C., United States
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1883–1925
Rank Major General
Unit Infantry Branch
Cavalry Branch
Commands152nd Depot Brigade
77th Infantry Division
15th Cavalry Division
30th Division
II Corps
American Embarkation Center, Le Havre, France
42nd Infantry Division
V Corps
Philippine Department
Battles / warsSpanish–American War
Pancho Villa Expedition
World War I
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal

Major General George Windle Read (November 19, 1860 – November 6, 1934) was a senior United States Army officer who was prominent as a corps and division commander in World War I. Read also oversaw the departure of US forces from Europe at the end of the war as commander of the American Embarkation Center at Le Havre, France.

Early life

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Read was born in Indianola, Iowa, the son of James C. Read and Elizabeth Snell (Windle) Read.[1] He graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, in 1883 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry.[2]

Early military career

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Read's initial assignments were in the American West, and his first posting was with the 16th Infantry Regiment.[3] A few months later he transferred to the 5th Cavalry Regiment, with which he served until 1889.[4]

From 1889 to 1893, Read was Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Iowa, after which he returned to the 5th Cavalry Regiment in Texas.[5]

In 1898, Read authored The Automatic Instructor: A Practical System for Home Study.[6]

Spanish–American War

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At the start of the Spanish–American War Read was assigned to an Ordnance unit, with which he served in Cuba until 1899.[2] Receiving promotion to captain, he served in New Mexico from 1901 to 1902, after which he was assigned to the Philippines.[1]

Post-Spanish–American War

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After leaving Cuba, Read served in California and Hawaii. From 1905 to 1909 he served on the Army's General Staff.[7] Promoted to major, he served in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines before attending the Army War College, from which he graduated in 1914.[8]

Mexican border conflict

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Advanced to lieutenant colonel after his war college graduation, Read served in Texas and Arizona during the US–Mexico border conflict, including the Pancho Villa Expedition. From 1915 to 1917 Read again served in Washington, D.C., as a member of the Army General Staff.[9]

World War I

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Read as commander of II Corps.

In April, 1917, Read (now a colonel) was appointed to head recruiting as the army began to mobilize for World War I.[10] In August he was selected to command the 152nd Depot Brigade at Camp Upton, New York.[9] In December Read was promoted to temporary major general and assigned to command first the 77th Infantry Division, and then the 15th Cavalry Division in El Paso, Texas.[11]

The 15th Cavalry Division was disbanded in favor of fielding all infantry divisions, and in April, 1918 Read took command of the 30th Infantry Division, which he led to France.[12] In June he was selected by General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front, to command the II Corps, consisting of five divisions assigned to the British sector of the Western Front. After three of his divisions were transferred to take part in the Saint-Mihiel Offensive, Read continued to command the other two divisions, which were attached to the Australian Corps in the Ypres sector, and participated in the Hundred Days Offensive (August–November 1918) that breached the Hindenburg Line.[13][14]

Read continued to command the II Corps after the Armistice. After the organization was demobilized in February, 1919 Read was assigned to command of the American Embarkation Center at Le Havre, France, where he was responsible for arranging the transportation of men and materiel back to the United States.[15] He was also the final commander of the 42nd Infantry Division as it completed post-war occupation duty in Germany and prepared to depart Europe.[16][17][18]

For his services during the war Read received numerous awards and decorations, which included the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the British Order of the Bath.[19][20] The citation for his Army DSM states the following:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Major General George Windle Read, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. General Read Commanded with distinction the 30th Division, and organized and Commanded the 2d Army Corps in its operations with the British forces in France. He displayed qualities of leadership and professional attainments of a high order, and to his efforts are largely due the brilliant success achieved. [21]

In addition, he received the French Legion of Honor (Commander), and French Croix de Guerre with Palm.[22]

Post–World War I

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In May, 1919, Read was assigned to command the US V Corps at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, with the permanent rank of brigadier general.[23] In March, 1921 he received permanent promotion to major general.[24]

In October, 1922, Read was appointed commander of the Philippine Department. He assumed command in early 1923, and remained in this assignment until his 1925 retirement.[25]

Retirement and death

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In retirement Read resided in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania.[26] He died at Walter Reed Army Hospital, shortly before his 74th birthday, on November 6, 1934, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section South, Site 1819.[27][28][29][30][31]

Personal

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In 1886, Read married Burton Young (1868–1944) in a ceremony that took place in El Paso. She was the daughter of General S.B.M Young, who served as the first Army Chief of Staff.[32] Their children included Burton Young Read (1889–1981), a career soldier who served from the early 1900s through World War II before retiring as a colonel,[33][34][35] and George Windle Read Jr., a career soldier who served in both world wars and attained the rank of lieutenant general as commander of the US Army Armor Center and the Second United States Army.[36]

References

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  1. ^ a b U.S. Leadership in Wartime: Clashes, Controversy, and Compromise, by Spencer C. Tucker, 2009, Volume 1, page 519
  2. ^ a b The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia, by Anne Cipriano Venzon and Paul L. Miles, 1999, page 495
  3. ^ Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, edited by Albert Bushnell Hart, 1920, Volume 9, page 223
  4. ^ Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, by George Washington Cullum, 1891, Volume 3, page 374
  5. ^ The Iowa Historical Record, published by the State Historical Society of Iowa, 1893, Volumes 7–9, page 384
  6. ^ The Automatic Instructor: A Practical System for Home Study, by George Windle Read, 1898, title page
  7. ^ Who Was Who in America with World Wotables, 1943, Marquis Company (Chicago), Volume 1, page 1014
  8. ^ Webster's American Military Biographies, G. and C. Merriam and Company, 1978, page 343
  9. ^ a b The World's Work Magazine Volume 37, Number 1 (November, 1918), page 90
  10. ^ Who's Who in World War One, by J.M. Bourne, 2001, pages 243-244
  11. ^ Year Book of the Pennsylvania Society, published by the society, 1919, page 188
  12. ^ The Thirtieth Division in the World War, by Elmer A. Murphy and Robert S. Thomas, 1936, page 267
  13. ^ The War to End All Wars: the American Military Experience in World War I, by Edward M. Coffman, 1998, page 286
  14. ^ America in France, by Frederick Palmer, 1919, page 286
  15. ^ Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y, by George Washington Cullum, 1930, Volume 7, page 204
  16. ^ The US Army in World War I – Orders of Battle, by Richard A. Rinaldi, 2004, page 45
  17. ^ "'Reilly's Bucks' Due Home April 25", Chicago Tribune, April 22, 1919
  18. ^ Vin Rouge, Vin Blanc, Beaucoup Vin, the American Expeditionary Force in WWI, by Van Lee, 2005, page 144
  19. ^ Heroes All!: A Compendium of the Names and Official Citations of the Soldiers and Citizens of the United States and of Her Allies who Were Decorated by the American Government for Exceptional Heroism and Conspicuous Service Above and Beyond the Call of Duty in the War with Germany, 1917–1919, edited by Harry R. Stringer 1919, page 479
  20. ^ "High British Honor to Major Gen. Read; Second American Corps Commander Made Knight of the Order of the Bath", The New York Times, March 25, 1919
  21. ^ "Valor awards for George Windle Read". Military Times.
  22. ^ United States Military Academy Association of Graduates (1935). Annual Report. Newburgh, NY: Moore Printing Company. p. 126.
  23. ^ Newspaper article, Maj Gen. GW Read is Dead at Capital; World War Officer Succumbs in Walter Reed Hospital, The New York Times, November 7, 1934
  24. ^ "Harding Approves Army Promotions" Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, Boston Daily Globe, April 14, 1921
  25. ^ "McRea Is Granted Post in Philippines", Berkeley Daily Gazette, November 21, 1924
  26. ^ 1930 United States Census entry for George W. Read and Burton Y. Read
  27. ^ "Officer Succumbs", Associated Press, reported in Lubbock Morning Advocate, November 7, 1934
  28. ^ "Death Notice for George W. Read", Philippine Magazine, Volume 31 (December, 1934)
  29. ^ Annual Report, United States Military Academy Association of Graduates, 1935, page 123
  30. ^ "US Department of Veterans Affairs Nationwide Gravesite Locator". Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  31. ^ Arlington National Cemetery
  32. ^ Early Marriages of El Paso County, Texas, Book 1 (1876–1880)
  33. ^ 1910 United States Federal Census, entry for Burton Y. Read
  34. ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General, Official U.S. Army Register, 1946, page 366
  35. ^ California Death Index, 1940–1997, entry for Burton Y. Read
  36. ^ "Gen. Read of 2nd Army to Speak July 3". Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, PA. March 30, 1960. p. 1 – via NewspaperArchive.com.

Bibliography

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Windle Read.
Military offices
Preceded by
Newly created position
 Commanding General 152nd Depot Brigade
August, 1917–December, 1917 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commanding General 77th Infantry Division
December, 1917–December, 1917 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Newly created position
 Commanding General 15th Cavalry Division
December, 1917–April, 1918 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commanding General 30th Infantry Division
May 3, 1918–June 12, 1918 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commanding General 30th Infantry Division
June 14, 1918–June 15, 1918 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commanding General II Corps
June 15, 1918–February 1, 1919 		Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
None
 Commanding General American Embarkation Center
Le Havre, France
February 2, 1919–April 10, 1919 		Succeeded by
None
Preceded by Commanding General 42nd Infantry Division
April 10, 1919–May 9, 1919 		Succeeded by
None
Preceded by Commanding General V Corps
May 10, 1919–October 3, 1922 		Succeeded by
None
Preceded by Commanding General Philippine Department
October 4, 1922–November 19, 1924 		Succeeded by
  1. ^ Borrowed soldiers: Americans under British command, 1918. OCLC WorldCat. OCLC 171287665.
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