Trinity and World War I, Part 3: Trinity’s West Pointers and the Regular Army

Donald M. Bishop ‘67

Alum Contributor

Every generation of young Americans includes some drawn to military careers.  Early in the 20th century, there were two different paths to become officers in the regular U.S. Army.  One was to attend West Point, and the other was to secure a regular commission during surges in military strength.  Both paths were used by some Trinity men.

West Point

Many who hoped to attend the Military Academy were unable to gain the needed appointment by a member of Congress the year they graduated from high school.  A coveted appointment may have gone to another, or the student’s academic preparation was weak.  

This particularly affected military families.  Schools in the west and south that served these families were, on the whole, academically inferior to eastern schools that sent grads to Trinity.

Many disappointed students hoping for an appointment “next year” enrolled in colleges where they could improve their academic standing.  Thus, Trinity’s alumni rolls include some students who began at Trinity but moved on to West Point after a year or two – or more.  For example, Charles Thomas Smart of the Class of 1900 received his honors degree in chemistry after four years at Trinity – and began all over again at West Point as a “plebe” (freshman).

These alumni never left Trinity behind; they kept their classmates up to date as they moved. They valued their membership in Trinity’s fraternities, contributed to the alumni fund and attended reunions.

When war was declared on April 6, 1917, there were only 5,791 officers in the U.S. Army. Training of new officers surged during the war, but it was graduates of West Point that held key senior positions and commands. They had field experience leading troops on maneuvers, had attended staff colleges and embodied the discipline needed in an expanding Army. They read the military journals, keeping abreast of military developments in other countries. Graduates also had the special cohesion and loyalty developed at West Point.

Examination and Selection

Graduating from West Point was almost the only path to become an officer in the regular Army before the war with Spain.  Operations in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines required more officers. 

Some officers in the volunteer regiments provided by the states during the war managed to gain tenure, so to speak, as career officers.  Benjamin Stark, Jr. ’89, who served several years in the Philippines, was an example. 

Others were commissioned in the regular Army through examination and selection boards. They included Jarius Moore ’97, John Henry Page ’97, Thomas Addis ’99 and John Parke Leavenworth ’13. 

Regular Army officers were frequently moved; they might find themselves in San Francisco or New York one year, and in Wyoming the next.  Few Americans had the chance to see the whole country–and Hawaii, the Philippines and the Canal Zone–as they did. They never became rich on Army pay, but they knew the wonders of our country, so they were rich in experience.

Trinity’s “Regulars” in World War I

James Brailsford Erwin ‘76, West Point ’80 first served in the Indian wars, and had also been the acting superintendent of Yellowstone Park. He spent three years in the Philippines and led relief efforts after the San Francisco earthquake. In Mexico, during the Pancho Villa expedition, he received the Silver Star for gallantry in action.  As a brigadier general in 1918, Erwin led the 6th Infantry Division while it trained in the U.S. and shipped to France.  He then led the 12th Infantry Brigade during the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

For Edmund Kearsley Sterling ’99, West Point ’01 early postings were to the Philippines and the American west.  In France in 1918, he rose to command the 359th Infantry Regiment, one of the few African American units, as a Colonel.  He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in the regiment’s advance on Bantheville. 

The career of Arthur Henry “Chick” Bryant ’00, West Point ’01 was in the Army’s Coast Artillery Corps.  Frequent transfers took him to Connecticut, Washington state, Minnesota, New York, Colorado, Virginia, Rhode Island, Maine, the Philippines, California and Oklahoma. In 1918, the big guns of his 62nd Coast Artillery were deployed to France.  He “took part in hot action,” noted the College’s bulletin.

When he arrived at West Point after graduating from Trinity, “Tam” Smart ’00, West Point ’04 roomed with Joseph Stilwell.  His Army postings were Utah, Wyoming, California, the Philippines, Arkansas, South Carolina and the Mexican border. He spent World War I in China, where he became commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment.  China joined the allies during World War I, and Colonel Smart’s troops marched in the Allied Victory Parade in Beijing. From Siberia he helped evacuate the Czech Legion, which escaped the Bolsheviks via the Trans-Siberian Railway.   

The first Army posting of William Morse Nichols ’01, West Point ’03 was to the cavalry regiment in Yellowstone National Park.  He left the Army and would eventually become President of the Yellowstone Park Company, but during World War I he again donned his uniform to command the Rock Island Ordnance Depot.

Philip S. Gage ’08, West Point ’09 roomed with George Patton at the Military Academy.  In France, Gage became the Division artillery officer for the African American 92nd Infantry Division in the final Meuse-Argonne offensive. He later served as a brigadier general in World War II.

Joseph Page Aleshire ’09, West Point ’10 became a cavalry officer.  In France, only eight years out of the Academy, he was the Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3, Operations) of the 81st (“Wildcat”) Infantry Division on the Vosges front and during the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

The artillery and infantry career of William Edward Larned ’10, West Point ’11 took him to New York, the Canal Zone, Texas, France, Kentucky, Illinois, Hawaii and Washington, D.C.  During World War I, he commanded the 83^rd Artillery Brigade, but it only arrived in France two days before the Armistice.

As for Trinity’s other career Army officers, Addis ’99 was Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3) of the 38^th Infantry Division.  In the two final American offensives, three were commanding officers: Moore ’97 led units of the Railway Artillery Reserve, Page ’97 commanded the 61st Infantry Regiment and Leavenworth ‘13 commanded a battery of the 44^th Artillery.

Trinity’s veterans of the Great War were mostly citizens who became soldiers, sailors and Marines for the duration.  It was those alumni who chose the regular Army for a career, however, who were given larger responsibilities and led larger units in combat.

This article is the third part of an ongoing series, with new installments releasing on Sundays. For part two, click here. For part four, click here.