1520901
John J. Pershing
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Pershing signs and inscribes a copy of
A Guide to the American Battle Fields in Europe
John Joseph Pershing, 1860–1948. General of the Armies of the United States; Commander in Chief of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. Known as "Black Jack" Pershing. Book inscribed and signed For Victor W. Lomax, / With the compliments of / John J. Pershing / 1927.
Pershing commanded the American Expeditionary Force to the virtual exclusion of British and French forces, with which he refused to integrate. The Americans first experienced serious action at Cantigny, Chateau-Thierry, Bealleau Wood, and Soissons. In September 1918, at St. Mihiel, Pershingʼs First Army overwhelmed the salient that Germany had held for three years. Pershing then deployed 600,000 soldiers in the Argonne forest, and after some 47 days of hard fighting alongside French forces, they forced the Germans to seek an armistice.
This book, A Guide to the American Battle Fields in Europe, was prepared by the American Battle Monuments Commission and published in 1927 by the United States Government Printing Office. Its 282 pages of text surround numerous black-and-white photographs and three color fold-out maps to detail American land and naval operations during World War I, battlefield cemeteries, and other information. A full-length portrait of General Pershing, in uniform, appears on page 16.
The book also has a pocket inside the back cover that contains three original, 24" x 30" full-color maps: Chauteau–Thierry–Soissons, showing American operations in the Aisne-Marne region; St. Mihiel–Metz, showing the St. Mihiel operation of the American First Army in September and the Second Army in November 1918; and Verdun–Sedan, showing the American Meuse-Argonne offensive and the American front line on November 11, 1918, along which Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery, 35th Division, commanded by a 34-year-old captain named Harry S. Truman, fired its last artillery round northeast of Verdun on November 11 at 10:45 a.m., 15 minutes before the armistice went into effect.
Pershing was commissioned a four-star general in 1918. In 1920, in recognition of his distinguished service during World War I, Congress authorized the President to promote him to General of the Armies of the United States, a rank created especially for him. It is sometimes mentioned as six-star general, since it is superior to the rank of General of the Army, the five-star rank created during World War II. Pershing remained preeminent among all Army personnel until his death.
Pershing has inscribed and signed the book on the free front endpaper, which is toned reciprocally to toning on the front pastedown. The book is bound in maroon cloth, with the cover and spine stamped in gold. The cover is worn at the top and bottom of the spine and corners, there is a bit of rippling to a few of the back pages, and webbing is visible inside the back board. The book is clean, however, and the binding is tight. Overall it is a desirable book in very good condition.
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