Hiram Iddings Bearss, U.S. Marine Corps

Hiram Iddings Bearss, U.S. Marine Corps

Author: George B. Clark

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-12-24

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 0786480386

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Hiram Iddings Bearss was a legendary U.S. Marine whose 20-year career showed outstanding service to the United States in a variety of historically significant locations and periods. His comrades included Smedley Butler, Frederick "Fritz" Wise, and David Porter, and he was admired by many others, including General Pershing. He was awarded every American medal of consequence (including the Medal of Honor for actions at the Sohoton Cliffs in 1901 and a Distinguished Service Cross for his command of the 102nd Infantry at Marcheville in 1918), as well as a host of important foreign decorations. This biography recounts his life and career, providing intimate details of crucial historical events. It also explores the psychology of a man whose uncompromising and sometimes destructive personality helped his many enemies block his advancement. Highly respected by others, he was known for believing a commander should never send his men where he himself would not go; he was a brave man dedicated to his beloved Corps with few reservations. An opening chapter covers Bearss' ancestry, birth in 1875, and youth in Indiana. The main text covers his actions in various Marine campaigns, from early service in the Philippines and the Caribbean to World War I action in France, where he served as part of the 4th Marine Brigade and commanded the 102nd Infantry and the 51st Brigade. The concluding chapters cover his retirement and 1938 death in an automobile collision. Appendices include lists of those who served under him, his awards, and relevant military reports.


Battle History of the United States Marine Corps, 1775-1945

Battle History of the United States Marine Corps, 1775-1945

Author: George B. Clark

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-01-10

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 0786456213

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Designed as a reference work for those interested in the combat history of the U.S. Marine Corps, this book describes the engagements from the formation of the Continental Marines to the Corps' great exercise at the Battle of Okinawa. Organized chronologically, the individual skirmishes illustrate how each of the Marine Corps' engagements contributed to the formation and evolution of the United States. Persons and divisions of note are mentioned, including key players, commanders and medal recipients.


Kentucky Marine

Kentucky Marine

Author: David J. Bettez

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2014-03-18

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0813144817

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“Follows the changes in the Marine Corps from its role as colonial infantry to amphibious assault force . . . us[ing] the career of Maj. Gen. Logan Feland.” —Allan R. Millett, author of Semper Fidelis Winner of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Colonel Joseph Alexander Award A native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Major General Logan Feland (1869-1936) played a major role in the development of the modern Marine Corps. Highly decorated for his heroic actions during the battle of Belleau Wood in World War I, Feland led the hunt for rebel leader Augusto César Sandino during the Nicaraguan revolution from 1927 to 1929—an operation that helped to establish the Marines’ reputation in guerrilla warfare and search-and-capture missions. Yet, despite rising to become one of the USMC’s most highly ranked and regarded officers, Feland has been largely ignored in the historical record. In Kentucky Marine, David J. Bettez uncovers the forgotten story of this influential soldier of the sea. During Feland’s tenure as an officer, the Corps expanded exponentially in power and prestige. Not only did his command in Nicaragua set the stage for similar twenty-first-century operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Feland was one of the first instructors in the USMC’s Advanced Base Force, which served as the forerunner of the amphibious assault force mission the Marines adopted in World War II. Kentucky Marine also illuminates Feland’s private life, including his marriage to successful soprano singer and socialite Katherine Cordner Feland, and details his disappointment at being twice passed over for the position of commandant. Drawing from personal letters, contemporary news articles, official communications, and confidential correspondence, this long-overdue biography fills a significant gap in twentieth-century American military history.


The United States Military in Latin America

The United States Military in Latin America

Author: George B. Clark

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-07-31

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 1476615799

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Since the introduction of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, in which the United States vowed to prevent further European interference in the Western Hemisphere, the American military ever increasingly involved itself in the internal affairs of its Latin American neighbors. This book considers nearly 150 years of U.S. military intervention in Latin America, from naval patrols near turbulent Spanish colonies in the early 1800s, to the protection of U.S. interests during Caribbean rebellions at the beginning of the 1900s, to later actions in Panama, Honduras, Cuba and Nicaragua. With short chronicles of U.S. involvement country by country--from Argentina to Uruguay--and appendices providing biographies of major military commanders, and lists of servicemen decorated, injured or killed during various campaigns, this work highlights the complicated history between the United States and its neighbors to the South.


The United States in World War I

The United States in World War I

Author: James T. Controvich

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2023-05-08

Total Pages: 657

ISBN-13: 0810883198

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With the centennial of the First World War rapidly approaching, historian and bibliographer James T. Controvich offers in The United States in World War I: A Bibliographic Guide the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference bibliography yet published. Organized by subject, this bibliography includes the full range of sources: vintage publications of the time, books, pamphlets, periodical titles, theses, dissertations, and archival sources held by federal and state organizations, as well as those in public and private hands, including historical societies and museums. As Controvich’s bibliographic accounting makes clear, there were many facets of World War I that remain virtually unknown to this day. Throughout, Controvich’s bibliography tracks the primary sources that tell each of these stories—and many others besides—during this tense period in American history. Each entry lists the author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, and page count as well as descriptive information concerning illustrations, plates, ports, maps, diagrams, and plans. The armed forces section carries additional information on rosters, awards, citations, and killed and wounded in action lists. The United States in World War I: A Bibliographic Guide is an ideal research tool for students and scholars of World War I and American history.


Devil Dogs Chronicle

Devil Dogs Chronicle

Author: George B. Clark

Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Published: 2013-03-02

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 0700618961

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The 4th Marine Brigade, with roughly 10,000 men, was the only large Marine unit to see major action in World War I. Dubbed "Devil Dogs" by the Germans, the 4th was part of the 2nd Division of the American Expeditionary Forces, nicknamed the "Race Horse Division" for its rapid and devastating pursuit of the enemy. The 4th Brigade fought at Verdun, Soissons, St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont, and the Meuse-Argonne, and its signature victory at Belleau Wood saved Paris from falling into German hands. It was also one of the major reasons that the 2nd Division advanced more miles, captured more territory, and amassed more casualties than any other in the war. George Clark, a former Marine and expert on Marine Corps history, here draws upon memoirs, diaries, letters, and post-war interviews-most of which have not been seen since the war ended-to create a chorus of voices chronicling the 4th Brigade's experiences. Through the words of these Marines, Clark captures the rigors of training at Paris Island and Quantico, the ferocity of combat overseas, and the strange quietude of occupation. He reveals what it was like for these men to fight in trenches while knee-deep in mud, with rats playing over them as they slept; going days between meals, often surviving on what they could forage from dead German or French packs; and even wishing for a wound that would allow some time off far from the terrors of the front. He also illuminates the dread and despair of Marines who beat the odds during one blood bath, surviving when most of their comrades did not, only to find themselves flung into an even worse battle not long afterward. One German soldier remarked that these "Americans are savages. They kill everything that moves," a caustic testament to the Marines' intensity and prowess. But that came at a cost: by war's end the 4th had suffered a severe casualty rate of 150 percent. Vividly reflecting the horrors of that "war to end all wars," Devil Dogs Chronicle pays tribute to the Marines whose bravery helped the Allies achieve victory in the first global conflict.


The Second Infantry Division in World War I

The Second Infantry Division in World War I

Author: George B. Clark

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2007-08-17

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 0786429607

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When the United States entered World War I in 1917, it sent the American Expeditionary Force to relieve the worn and beleaguered Allied Forces. On September 20, 1917, Congress approved the creation of the Second Division of the American Expeditionary Force. A hybrid Marine/Army unit, it was conceived and ultimately formed overseas, primarily from units in France. Giving themselves the nickname "Second to None," the Second Division effectively stopped the German drive on Paris in June 1918, becoming the first American unit to fight the enemy in a major engagement and revitalizing the Allied war effort. This volume details the fighting experiences of the Second Division, from its creation in the fall of 1917 through 1919. The book follows the unit from training in Toulon through the major campaigns including Chateau Thierry, Soissons, Blanc Mont and Meuse Argonne and records the experiences of the men who served. Appendices provide information regarding the pedigree of the division and its units; a syllabi of the Second Division's experiences; and a list of major awards received by Second Division personnel. Detailed maps and period photographs are also included.


The Fourth Marine Brigade in World War I

The Fourth Marine Brigade in World War I

Author: George B. Clark

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-05-12

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 0786496991

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During World War I, the American Expeditionary Force Second Division saw more action and captured more ground and enemy combatants than any other, including the vaunted First Division. The 4th Marine Brigade, especially, earned a reputation as a steadfast unit of superb fighting men. Drawing on battle reports and other official documents, this volume follows those Marines through their service in France in 1917 and 1918, their postwar occupation of Germany, and their arrival in New York City in August 1919. Chapters covering each of the brigade's seven battalions recount their role in some of the most intense battles of the war, including Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont and the Meuse River. Descriptions of the Armistice, homecoming parades, and the brigade's inactivation at Quantico complete this comprehensive chronicle of one of the American military's most distinguished units.


How the Few Became the Proud

How the Few Became the Proud

Author: Heather Venable

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2019-11-15

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 1682474828

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For more than half of its existence, members of the Marine Corps largely self-identified as soldiers. It did not yet mean something distinct to be a Marine, either to themselves or to the public at large. As neither a land-based organization like the Army nor an entirely sea-based one like the Navy, the Corps' missions overlapped with both institutions. This work argues that the Marine Corps could not and would not settle on a mission, and therefore it turned to an image to ensure its institutional survival. The process by which a maligned group of nineteenth-century naval policemen began to consider themselves to be elite warriors benefited from the active engagement of Marine officers with the Corps' historical record as justification for its very being. Rather than look forward and actively seek out a mission that could secure their existence, late nineteenth-century Marines looked backward and embraced the past. They began to justify their existence by invoking their institutional traditions, their many martial engagements, and their claim to be the nation's oldest and proudest military institution. This led them to celebrate themselves as superior to soldiers and sailors. Although there are countless works on this hallowed fighting force, How the Few Became the Proud is the first to explore how the Marine Corps crafted such powerful myths.