Joseph Theodore Dickman (October 6, 1857 – October 23, 1927) was born in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

. He attended the University of Dayton

University of Dayton

The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...

 and graduated in the class of 1871. In 1881 he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned in the 3rd Cavalry.

Apache Wars and Border Duty 1883-1898

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



His early experience sent him to Fort Riley

Fort Riley

Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...

, where he was an Instructor at the Cavalry and Light Artillery School from 1893-1894. He deployed to the Chicago railroad strike in 1894. Later that year, he was assigned to Fort Ethan Allen

Fort Ethan Allen

Fort Ethan Allen was a U.S. army installation in Vermont, named for American Revolutionary War figure Ethan Allen. First serving as a cavalry post in 1894, today it is the center of a designated national historic district straddling the town line between Colchester and Essex...

, Vermont.

Spanish-American War, 1898-1900

Dickman's deployment during the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

 was notable. He participated in the battle of San Juan Hill

Battle of San Juan Hill

The Battle of San Juan Hill , also known as the battle for the San Juan Heights, was a decisive battle of the Spanish-American War. The San Juan heights was a north-south running elevation about two kilometers east of Santiago de Cuba. The names San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill were names given by the...

-El Caney, Santiago de Cuba. He served on the staff of General Joseph Wheeler

Joseph Wheeler

Joseph Wheeler was an American military commander and politician. He has the rare distinction of serving as a general during war time for two opposing forces: first as a noted cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and later as a general in the...

 during the Philippine–American War from 1899–1902 and at the Battles on the Island of Panay from 1899-1900.

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 1902-1905. He was an instructor at the Army War College from 1905-1912. Dickman was the US Army Inspector General from 1912–1915, taking over 2nd US Cavalry in 1915. He was given command of the 85th Infantry Division, Camp Custer, Michigan, in August 1917.

Commanding General, 3rd Infantry Division

Dickman was given command of the 3rd Infantry Division in November 1917, at the onset of World War I. He deployed 3rd Division to France aboard the Leviathan at noon, on March 4, 1918. He was the 3rd Division Commander at Chateau-Thierry

Battle of Château-Thierry

There have been two Battles of Château-Thierry fought near the French town of Château-Thierry on the Marne River:* Battle of Château-Thierry , 12 February 1814, Napoleon defeats Blücher...

 in May 1918 and was made famous at the Second Battle of the Marne

Second Battle of the Marne

The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...

 in July 1918. While allied forces on both flanks retreated, the 3rd Division stood fast in the face of fantastic enemy offensives, which led to their moniker, "The Rock of the Marne."

Commanding General, IV Corps

Dickman commanded IV Corps

IV Corps (United States)

The IV Corps replaced the VI Corps in the Fifth United States Army's order of battle in Italy after Allied forces liberated Rome in the summer of 1944 when VI Corps was withdrawn to take part in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. Initially the Corps had two divisions, U.S...

 from August to September 1918, to include the Saint-Mihiel Offensive

Battle of Saint-Mihiel

The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12–15, 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and 48,000 French troops under the command of U.S. general John J. Pershing against German positions...

 in September 1918.

Commanding General, I Corps

Dickman commanded I Corps from October to November 1918, to include the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

Meuse-Argonne Offensive

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...

.

Commanding General, Third Army, November 1918-April 1919

Third Army was established under the command of Dickman by General John J. Pershing

John J. Pershing

John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...

 in France to advance to the Rhein and hold the Coblenz bridgehead, then prepare to serve after the war as the Army of Occupation

Occupation of the Rhineland

The Occupation of the Rhineland took place following the armistice and brought the fighting of World War I to a close on 11 November 1918. The occupying armies consisted of American, Belgian, British and French forces...

 of the Rhineland

Rhineland

Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....

. 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.

1919-1927

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 1919-21 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. He died in Washington, D.C., on October 23, 1927.

Awards and decorations

Distinguished Service Medal

Distinguished Service Medal (United States)

The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...

Croix de Guerre

Croix de guerre

The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...

, France


Order of Leopold (Belgium)


Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy

Order of the Crown of Italy

The Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...

Commander of the Legion of Honour, France


Honorary Knight of the Order of the Bath, United Kingdom


La Solidaridad, Panama

The honorary degree

Honorary degree

An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...

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

University of Vermont

The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...

.

USS Joseph T. Dickman

The and the , along with the , 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

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

. The USS Joseph T. Dickman carried soldiers of the 4th Infantry to the beaches of Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

 during Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...

 on D-Day.

The Dickman Rifles

The famous National Society of Pershing Rifles

Pershing Rifles

The Pershing Rifles is a military fraternal organization for college-level students, founded by then 2nd Lieutenant John J. Pershing in 1894 as a drill unit at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln...

 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 Institutiions." 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.