Joseph T. Dickman

Joseph Theodore Dickman (October 6, 1857 – October 23, 1927) was a United States Army officer who saw service in five wars, rising to the rank of major general.

Joseph T. Dickman
Major General Joseph T. Dickman in October 1918
Born	(1857-10-06)October 6, 1857 Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	October 23, 1927(1927-10-23) (aged 70) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1883–1922
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-17
Commands held	Third Army I Corps IV Corps 3rd Division 85th Division 2nd Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars	Apache Wars Geronimo Campaign Spanish–American War Battle of San Juan Hill Philippine–American War Battle of Panay Boxer Rebellion Battle of Pa-ta-Chao World War I Battle of Chateau-Thierry Second Battle of the Marne Battle of Saint-Mihiel Battle of the Argonne Forest
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) Croix de Guerre (France) Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom) Medal of Solidarity (Panama)
Other work	Memoirs (1927) Translated General Von der Goltz's "Conduct of War"

Early life

Dickman was born in Dayton, Ohio. He attended the University of Dayton and graduated in the class of 1871. In 1881 he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned in the 3rd Cavalry. Among his classmates were several men who would attain the rank of general officer, such as John Frank Morrison, Francis Joseph Kernan, Enoch Crowder, Edwin St. John Greble, Charles H. Barth, Clarence Page Townsley, Charles L. Phillips, George True Bartlett, Joseph Alfred Gaston, Henry Clay Hodges Jr. and John Biddle.

Military career

Apache Wars and Border Duty 1883–1898

Dickman graduated from the United States Army Cavalry School in 1883 and proceeded directly to the Indian territory, where he participated in the Apache War from 1885 to 1886, to include the Geronimo Campaign. He next participated in the Mexican border patrol operations during the Garza Revolution against Garza revolutionists and the bandits, Benavides and Gonzales.

Dickman's early experience sent him to Fort Riley, where he was an Instructor at the Cavalry and Light Artillery School from 1893 to 1894. He deployed to the Pullman Strike in Chicago 1894. Later that year, he was assigned to Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont.

Spanish–American War, 1898–1900

Dickman's deployment during the Spanish–American War was notable. He participated in the Battle of San Juan Hill-El Caney, Santiago de Cuba. He served on the staff of General Joseph Wheeler during the Philippine–American War from 1899 to 1902 and at the Battles on the Island of Panay from 1899 to 1900.

Boxer Rebellion, 1900

During the Boxer Rebellion, Dickman was chief of staff to General Adna R. Chaffee for the Peking Relief Expedition and fought in the battle at Pa-ta-Chao, Peking on September 26, 1900.

1902–1917

Dickman was on the Army General Staff from 1902 to 1905. He was an instructor at the Army War College from 1905 to 1912. Dickman was the US Army Inspector General from 1912 to 1915, taking over 2nd US Cavalry in 1915.

World War I, 1917–1918

He was given command of the 85th Infantry Division, at Camp Custer, Michigan, in August 1917, four months after the American entry into World War I.

Dickman (center), CG IV Corps, with generals Frank L. Winn (left), CG 89th division, and Augustin Gérard (right), CG 8th army in Lucey August 1918.

Dickman was then given command of the 3rd Infantry Division in November 1917. He deployed the 3rd Division to France aboard the Leviathan at noon, on March 4, 1918. He was the 3rd Division commander at Chateau-Thierry in May 1918 and was made famous at the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918. While allied forces on both flanks retreated, the 3rd Division stood fast in the face of enemy offensives, which led to their moniker, "The Rock of the Marne."

General John J. Pershing, C-in-C of the AEF, conversing with Major General Joseph T. Dickman, commanding the 3rd Division, and members of his staff at Dickman's division headquarters, France, July 1918.

Dickman commanded IV Corps from August to September 1918, to include the Saint-Mihiel Offensive in September 1918. He then commanded I Corps from October to November 1918, to include the Meuse–Argonne offensive.

The Third Army was established under the command of Dickman by General John J. Pershing in France to advance to the Rhein and hold the Coblenz bridgehead, then prepare to serve after the war as the Army of Occupation of the Rhineland. The Third Army would have become the Army of Occupation whether or not the enemy signed the peace agreement. American fighting units not sent home were consolidated under Third Army and prepared to attack if Germany did not accept the terms of peace. The United States itself was not to sign the agreement but remained technically at war with Germany for two more years.

For his services during the war he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the citation for which reads:

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 Joseph Theodore Dickman, 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, as Commander of the 3d Army, American Expeditionary Forces. General Dickman commanded the 3d Division and contributed in large measure to success in hurling back the final enemy general attack commencing 14 July 1918. He participated in the offensive operations northward to Vesle River; commanded the 4th Army Corps from 18 August to 11 October 1918, including the operation of the reduction of the St. Mihiel salient, and the 1st Army Corps during the Meuse-Argonne operations from 12 October until after the armistice. Later he commanded the 3d Army of Occupation at Coblenz, Germany.

Post war

Dickman returned from World War I to serve as president of the Tactics and Organization Board, which reported on lessons learned during the war from April–July 1919. Dickman served as commanding general of the VIII Corps Area from 1919 to 1921. He retired on October 6, 1921. He was later recalled to preside over postwar-army downsizing board in 1922. His memoirs were published in 1927.

Dickman died in Washington, D.C., on October 23, 1927. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Dates of rank

Second Lieut., 3d Cavalry, June 11, 1881

First Lieut., 3d Cavalry, Jan. 18, 1886

Captain of Cavalry, 8th Cavalry, May 27, 1898

Major, 26th U. S. Volunteer Infantry, July 5, 1899

Lieut.‑Colonel, 26th U. S. Volunteer Infantry, Sept. 13, 1899

Major 13th Cavalry, March 7, 1906

Lieut.‑Colonel of Cavalry, Feb. 29, 1912

Colonel of Cavalry, Dec. 14, 1914

Brigadier-General, U. S. A., May 15, 1917

Major-General, National Army, Aug. 5, 1917

Major-General, Jan. 9, 1919

Vacated commission as major-general, National Army, Only, Jan. 7, 1920

Major-General, U. S. A., Retired, Oct. 6, 1921, By Operation of Law.

Awards and decorations

American awards

	Army Distinguished Service Medal
	Indian Campaign Medal (Geronimo Campaign), 1885
	Spanish Campaign Medal, 1898
	Army of Cuban Occupation Medal, 1899
	Philippine Campaign Medal, 1899
	China Campaign Medal, 1900
	Mexican Border Service Medal, 1916
	World War I Victory Medal (United States), 1919 (with six clasps)

Foreign awards

	Croix de Guerre with palm (France), 1918
	Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold I (Belgium), 1919
	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (Britain), 1919
	Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honour (France), 1919
	Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Italy), 1919
	Medal of Solidarity (Panama)

The honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by the University of Vermont.

Historical footnotes

USS Joseph T. Dickman

The USS Joseph T. Dickman (APA-13) and the USS Hunter Liggett (APA-14), along with the USS Leonard Wood (APA-12), were the largest attack transports in the Amphibian Force during World War II. They each carried 35 landing boats and 2 tank lighters, along with 51 officers and a crew of 634. These newly commissioned U.S. Navy vessels were operated by the US Coast Guard. The USS Joseph T. Dickman carried soldiers of the 4th Infantry to the beaches of Normandy during Operation Overlord on D-Day.

The Dickman Rifles

The famous National Society of Pershing Rifles had its origin in 1894, when future general John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, then a second lieutenant in charge of military instruction at the University of Nebraska, started a "Varsity Rifles" drill team. A year later the unit was recognized as a fraternity and took on the formal name of "Pershing Rifles."

Similarly, the Dickman Rifles was an honorary military society formed at the University of Dayton to honor Maj. Gen. Joseph T. Dickman, Class of 1871. In May 1931 the Dickman Rifles were invited to a Pershing Rifles drill competition. This exposure to the National Society of Pershing Rifles led to a petition from the members to join the National Society.

Published works

• Dickman, Joseph Theodore. The Great Crusade. A Narrative of the World War. NY: Appleton, 1927. An account of his war experiences.
• Lieutenant, 3rd Cavalry. "Balloons in War." Cavalry Journal. 10: June 1897, 103–12.
• Major, inspector general. "Cavalry Organization." Cavalry Journal. 22: January 1912, 650–56.
• Lieutenant, 3rd Cavalry. "Dickman Field Holder (R)" Cavalry Journal. 10: March 1897, 80–82.
• Captain, 8th U.S. Cavalry. "Experiences in China." Cavalry Journal. 13: July 1902, 5–40.
• Lieutenant, 3rd Cavalry. "Field Exercise at Fort Leavenworth." Cavalry Journal. 10: June 1897, 158–66.
• Captain, 8th Cavalry. "General Service and Staff College, Fort Leavenworth." Cavalry Journal. 13: October 1902, 217–31.
• Major General, USA (Ret). "Great Crusade (R)." Cavalry Journal. 36: April 1927, 328.
• "Has the Buffalo a Sense of Humor?" Cavalry Journal. 35: April 1926, 216.
• Major. "Marching Cavalry in Rolling Country." Cavalry Journal. 18: April 1908, 703–08.
• Lieutenant, 3rd Cavalry. "Military Policy and Institutions." Cavalry Journal. 10: December 1897, 383–96.
• First Lieutenant, 3rd Cavalry. "New Method of Loading the Revolver." Cavalry Journal. 7: June 1894, 178–79.
• "Outline Descriptions of the Horse." Cavalry Journal. 10: March 1897, 40–44.
• "Patrol Duty." Cavalry Journal. 11: March 1898, 102–44.
• Maj. Gen., CG Third Army, A.E.F. "Plea for the Saber." Cavalry Journal. 29: October 1920, 251–53.
• "Word to the Cavalry (by Captain Ludwig Drees)." Cavalry Journal. 29: April 1920, 93–96.
• Dickman, Joseph T. (intro.) History of the Third Division United States Army in the World War. Andernach-On-The-Rhine, 1919. 397 p.
• Dickman, J.T. et al. The Santiago Campaign. Richmond, VA: Williams, 1927. 442 p.
• Dupuy, Trevor N., et al. The Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography. NY: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc., 1992. p. 219.
• General Orders No. 17, War Department, 1927. Summarizes his career.
• Pitt, Barrie. 1918: The Last Act. New York, 1963.

Translations

• General Von der Goltz's "Conduct of War."

Bibliography

• Bullard, Robert Lee (2013). Fighting Generals: Illustrated Biographical Sketches of Seven Major Generals in World War I. Literary Licensing. ISBN 9781258861193.
• Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
• Venzon, Anne Cipriano (2013). The United States in the First World War: an Encyclopedia. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-1-135-68453-2. OCLC 865332376.
• Zabecki, David T.; Mastriano, Douglas V., eds. (2020). Pershing's Lieutenants: American Military Leadership in World War I. New York, NY: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-3863-6.

References

• Association of Graduates, U.S.M.A. Register of Graduates and Former Cadets. Cullum no. 2905.
• Third US Army Official Dickman Bio