Samuel D. Sturgis Jr. (August 1, 1861 – March 7, 1933) was a senior

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who commanded the 87th and 80th divisions during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He attained the rank of major general, and retired after 41 years of service. He was the father of US Army LtGen Samuel D. Sturgis III.

Early life and career

Samuel Davis Sturgis Jr. was born in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

on August 1, 1861, the son of

Samuel D. Sturgis Samuel Davis Sturgis (June 11, 1822 – September 28, 1889) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army. A veteran of the Mexican–American War, Mexican War, American Civil War, Civil War, and American Indian Wars, I ...

and Jerusha (Wilcox) Sturgis. He attended Washington University in St. Louis before becoming a student at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

. Sturgis graduated 13th of 37 in the class of 1884, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

. Sturgis was assigned to the 1st Field Artillery, with which he served until 1891. His initial assignments included postings to

Alcatraz Island Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate, Golden Gate Strait. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a Alcatraz Isla ...

, the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

, and the harbor defenses of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, San Pedro, and Santa Barbara, and

Fort Mason Fort Mason, in San Francisco, California is a former United States Army post located in the northern Marina District, alongside San Francisco Bay. Fort Mason served as an Army post for more than 100 years, initially as a coastal defense site a ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. After assignment to West Point from 1890 to 1891, Sturgis served until as aide-de-camp to

Wesley Merritt Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1836December 3, 1910) was an American major general who served in the cavalry of the United States Army during the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, and Spanish–American War. Following the latter war, he becam ...

during Merritt's command of the Department of Dakota and Department of the Missouri. He then served with his regiment at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

, and then transferred to the 6th Artillery, with which he served at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth o ...

and

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American Coastal defense and fortification, coastal bastion fort, pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, Baltimore, Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War ...

. In 1897 and 1898, Sturgis was assistant

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the

Department of the Pacific The Department of the Pacific or Pacific Department was a major command ( Department) of the United States Army from 1853 to 1858. It replaced the Pacific Division, and was itself replaced by the Department of California and the Department of O ...

War with Spain

During the War with Spain, Sturgis was assigned as assistant adjutant of the Eighth Corps. He took part in the Battle of Manila, and then served as adjutant of the Department of Dakota. He was subsequently assigned to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, and served as disbursing officer of Cuban funds for the Department of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Pinar del Rio.

Philippine Insurrection

Sturgis served during the Philippine Insurrection as assistant adjutant of the Philippine Division. He also served as adjutant of an expedition commanded by Theodore Schwan.

Interwar period

From 1901 to 1906, Sturgis was assigned to command the 12th Battery of Field Artillery, and served at

Fort Douglas Fort Douglas (initially called Camp Douglas) was established in October 1862, during the American Civil War, as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah. Its purpose was to protect the overland mail route and te ...

and Fort D. A. Russell. During 1906 he also served as adjutant of the 2nd Provisional Field Artillery, an experimental organization that conducted operations at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark a ...

. From 1907 to 1909, Sturgis served on the Army staff at the War Department. He was chief of staff of the Department of Dakota from 1909 to 1911. In March 1911, Sturgis was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned as second in command of the 3d Field Artillery, based at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a United States Army, 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 first president o ...

. He was assigned as the regimental commander in May, and served until August. Between November 1911 and December 1912, Sturgis was a student at the Field Artillery School of Fire, and then the Mounted Service School at Fort Riley. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in December 1912. In May 1913, Sturgis was assigned to command the 1st Field Artillery at

Schofield Barracks Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adjacent to the town of Wahiawā, separated ...

, and he remained until January 1916, when he was ordered to Fort Sam Houston to organize and command the 7th Field Artillery. In May 1917, Sturgis was promoted to brigadier general, and in July 1917, he was assigned to command the training camp organized at Camp Leon Springs in anticipation of U.S. entry into

World War I

In August 1917, Sturgis was promoted to temporary major general and assigned to command Camp Pike,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

and the 87th Division. After leading it though its organization and training, Sturgis led the division in France beginning in August 1918, when it was used to provide replacement troops for front line units. He remained in command until the end of the war in November. From November 1918 until April 1919, Sturgis commanded the 80th Division during its post-war occupation duty.

After World War I

After the war, Sturgis commanded the demobilization centers at

Camp Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Fort Eisenhower and Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established southwest of Augusta, Georgia in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cy ...

, Camp Pike, and Camp Sherman between 1919 and 1921. In June 1920 he returned to his permanent rank of brigadier general. In October 1921, Sturgis was promoted to permanent major general. He commanded the Panama Canal Department until October 1924. Sturgis commanded the Third Corps Area headquartered at Fort Holabird from November 1924 until retiring in August 1925.

Retirement and death

In retirement, Sturgis resided in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He died there on March 7, 1933. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

, in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

, with his wife Bertha.

Personal life

In 1896, Sturgis married Bertha Bement (1875–1955). They were the parents of Major General Samuel D. Sturgis III, Elizabeth T. Sturgis, and Robert Bement Sturgis.

Legacy

The

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

-era transport ship was named in his honor.

References

External links

* (official site) , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sturgis, Samuel D. Jr. 1861 births 1933 deaths 19th-century United States Army personnel American military personnel of the Philippine–American War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Major generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Military personnel from St. Louis United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel Washington University in St. Louis alumni