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Essay on John Joseph 'Black Jack' Pershing

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John Joseph Pershing was born in Laclede, Missouri, on September 13, 1860. As a young child, he was exposed to the horrors of the Civil War. His home town of Laclede was raided by a band of Confederate Soldiers. Growing up, he never aspired to have a career in the military. He instead dreamed of one day studying law and becoming a lawyer. However, after his father experienced economic troubles in an economic depression during 1873, Pershing submitted an application to West Point Military Academy in hopes of a free education that could lead to law school later in life. Even upon accepting admittance to West Point, he did not intend to make a career out of the military, but once at the Military Academy, he quickly assimilated into the …show more content…

He was known to stress the importance of learning all details about the enemy. He accepted a four year assignment as the professor of military science at the University of Nebraska, where he took classes to earn the law degree he had dreamed of as a youth in 1893 (3). At the University of Nebraska, he was said to have taken a group of undisciplined Cadets and transform them into “the best Cadet corps outside of West Point.” In the first year of Pershing being assigned as commandant of Cadets, his Cadets won the national drill competition in Omaha, Nebraska. His team of Cadets was later referred to as the Pershing Rifles (2). In 1896 Lt. Pershing was assigned to the Tenth Cavalry which was an all-black regiment. During the Spanish-American War, he led his men in the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba. Pershing was remembered saying, “White regiments, black regiments, regulars and Rough Riders, representing the young manhood of the North and the South, fought shoulder to shoulder, unmindful of race or color, unmindful of whether commanded by ex-Confederate or not, and mindful of only their common duty as Americans" (5). The courage and patriotism shown by the men of the tenth Cavalry in this battle earned them Pershing’s highest admiration. He was known to often praise the bravery of black Soldiers all through his career, which was not typical of the time (3). He was promoted to Captain on Fabruary 2, 1901. He ended up with the 15th Cavalry in the

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