Edwin Baruch Winans (October 31, 1869 – December 31, 1947) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer who attained the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Early life

Winans was born in Hamburg, Michigan as the son of Edwin B. Winans, Governor of Michigan. He attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

and graduated in 1891, after which he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 5th Cavalry on June 12, 1891. Among his classmates there were several men who would, like Winans himself, become general officers in the future, such as

Andrew Hero Jr. Andrew Hero Jr. (December 13, 1868 – February 7, 1942) was a major general in the United States Army who was prominent for his service as Chief of Coast Artillery. Early life Andrew Hero Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on December ...

, James F. McIndoe,

John W. Heavey John W. Heavey (February 19, 1867 – November 18, 1941) was a United States Army brigadier general who served as Chief of the National Guard Bureau. Early life John William Heavey was born in Vandalia, Illinois on February 19, 1867 and graduat ...

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, LeRoy S. Lyon,

John L. Hines John Leonard Hines (May 21, 1868 – October 13, 1968) was an American general who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1924 to 1926. Early career Born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, to Irish parents, Edward and Mary, ...

, and Hanson E. Ely.

Military service

111-SC-37414 - NARA - 55233992 (cropped) (cropped)

Winans served in the

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

and Texas from 1891 to 1897; was a professor of military science and tactics,

Michigan Military Academy The Michigan Military Academy, also known as M.M.A., was an all-boys military prep school in Orchard Lake Village, Oakland County, Michigan. It was founded in 1877 by J. Sumner Rogers and closed in 1908 due to bankruptcy. Some journalists ha ...

, from 1897 to 1898; and served with a regiment in the Philippines from 1899 to 1900. He was with the Punitive Expedition in Mexico in 1916 after graduating from the Mounted Service School. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Winans commanded the 64th Brigade of the 32d Division, which was then serving in France as part of the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alo ...

(AEF) from July 1918 onwards. He served with distinction during the war, earning the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

while in command of the brigade, the citation for which reads: On August 23, 1920, Winans took command of the 10th Cavalry at

Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation, established on 3 March 1877 as Camp Huachuca. The garrison is now under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is in Cochise County in southeast Arizona, a ...

and distinguished himself as a leader able to vastly improve a unit while commanding respect, loyalty, and results. The following year, former Third Army commander Major General

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. Early life Dickman was born in Dayton, Ohio. He attended the University of Dayt ...

, VIII Corps Area Commanding General, commended him for the condition of the 10th Cavalry, and for the excellent morale and esprit of the regiment.

On the whole, I consider the Tenth Cavalry to be as good, and in some respects better, than the Thirteenth Cavalry, which up to this time, was in the best condition of any regiment I had ever inspected.

Colonel Winans was quick to relate the commendation to his troops, saying that the "officers and men are entitled to equal share in the credit, for without their cooperation, such a showing would have been impossible." In 1927 Winans was assigned as

Superintendent of the United States Military Academy The Superintendent of the United States Military Academy is the academy's commanding officer. This position is roughly equivalent to the chancellor or president of an American civilian university. The officer appointed is, by tradition, a grad ...

. Then he was assigned as commander of the

Hawaiian Division The Hawaiian Division was a division of the United States Army, dedicated to the defense of Hawaii. This division was named rather than numbered, as were the Philippine, Panama Canal and Americal Divisions. It was first activated under the peace ...

. Later, he commanded the 8th Corps Area,

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Repres ...

, Texas, until he was assigned the task of reactivation of the Third Army. Winans assumed command of the Third Army on September 15, 1932, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He retired October 31, 1933. After retirement, he served on a

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide Intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by ...

commission. Major General Winans' awards include the

"for exceptionally distinguished and meritorious service" during three major offensives;

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') 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 first awa ...

with two palms by the French Government. Winans made his home in

Vienna, Virginia Vienna () is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Vienna has a population of 16,473. Significantly more people live in ZIP codes with the Vienna postal addresses (22180, 22181, and 22182), bordered appr ...

. He died on December 31, 1947, at Walter Reed Hospital, and was buried in the cemetery at the United States Military Academy on January 3, 1948.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winans, Edwin B. 1869 births 1947 deaths United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel People from Livingston County, Michigan United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Michigan United States Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) United States Army generals Superintendents of the United States Military Academy People from Vienna, Virginia Burials at West Point Cemetery