Joseph Compton Castner (November 18, 1869 – July 8, 1946) was a

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 ...

general. He commanded the Ninth Infantry Brigade in all its operations as a part of the Fifth Division,

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

(AEF) during the final months of

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 ...

Early years

He was born in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In 1891, Castner graduated from Rutgers College (now Rutgers University ) with a degree in civil engineering.

Career

left, Major Joseph Castner in 1917. On August 1, 1891, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the United States Army and assigned to the Fourth Infantry for duty. He was promoted as follows: first lieutenant, Fourth Infantry, April 28, 1898; captain, Squadron Philippine Cavalry, April 23, 1900; captain, Fourth Infantry, February 2, 1901; major, Twenty-first Infantry, August 27, 1913; lieutenant colonel, Sixth Infantry, May 13, 1917; colonel, Thirty-eighth Infantry, August 5, 1917; brigadier general, Ninth Brigade, April 12, 1918. He attended the Infantry and Cavalry School in 1895, and was in the

War College A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tac ...

in 1915. Prior to

Castner had already distinguished himself. While a lieutenant he participated as an explorer in the Glenn Expedition in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. For his services with the Tagalog Scouts in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, he was promoted to a captaincy in the Philippine Squadron of Cavalry, which commission he held until receiving a captaincy in the Regular Army. Later he served as Constructing Quartermaster in both

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

and in

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

. While he was a captain, he commanded the Second Battalion, Fourteenth Infantry and under his training that battalion set an unequaled record in known distance firing. While a major, he was Adjutant General of the

District of Columbia Army National Guard The District of Columbia Army National Guard is the Army component of the District of Columbia National Guard. As the District of Columbia is a federal district and not a state, the guard is placed under the authority of the president of the Unit ...

, which he developed to a high state of efficiency. As colonel of the Thirty-eighth Infantry, he instilled that fighting spirit which won for his regiment fame as the "Rock of the Marne." As brigadier general, he took command of the Ninth Infantry Brigade. In the quiet

Anould Anould (; ) is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Population See also * Communes of the Vosges department The following is a list of the 506 communes of the Vosges department of France. Intercommun ...

and St. Die sectors, he gave the units of the brigade effective training for the big operations that were to follow. In the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12 to 15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States again ...

, General Castner's brigade was at first in reserve with the Tenth Brigade in line. When passage of lines was made, he pushed his outpost lines up near to the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...

. In the first phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, his Brigade captured

Cunel Cunel () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 Communes of France, communes of the Meuse (department), Meuse Dep ...

and drove the enemy from the Bois-de-la-Pultiere and the northwestern Bois-de-Foret. In the second phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Castner's brigade captured

Aincreville Aincreville () is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in northeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 Communes of France, communes of the Meuse (depart ...

, Clery-le-Grand, Clery-le-Petit, Bois de Babiemont, the Punchbowl, and

Doulcon Doulcon () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 Communes of France, communes of the Meuse (department), Meuse Departments of ...

. Then the brigade forced the difficult crossing of the

river Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

and fighting northward captured in succession

Dun-sur-Meuse Dun-sur-Meuse (, literally ''Dun on Meuse'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Among notable residents was the painter Hector Leroux, who was buried in the cemetery there. History In the 11th century ...

, Milly-devant-Dun, Lion-devant-Dun, Cote St. Germain, Château de Charmois, Mouzay, and the Foret de Woevre. In appreciation for his services in the Meuse-Argonne Operation, Castner was awarded 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. ...

, the citation for which reads: He was cited in the Fifth Division Orders. While his brigade formed part of the army of occupation, Castner took the course of instruction at the Army Center of Artillery Studies at Trier, Germany. Castner retired while commanding the Third Division in the Western States.

Death and legacy

He died on July 8, 1946. He was buried at

San Francisco National Cemetery San Francisco National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the c ...

. Mount Castner and the

Castner Glacier The Castner Glacier lies on the southern flank of the Delta Range, an eastern section of the Alaska Range. The glacier begins on the peak White Princess and continues to the head of Castner Creek, northwest of Paxson, Alaska. The glacier was na ...

, named in his honor, are both located in the area of Alaska that he explored in 1898. Castner Range and Castner Range National Monument, located in El Paso, Texas, are also named in his honor. His son, Lawrence V. Castner, also later became an officer in the US Army.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Castner, Joseph Compton 1869 births 1946 deaths 19th-century United States Army personnel Military personnel from New Brunswick, New Jersey United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Rutgers University alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)

Early years

Career

Death and legacy

See also

Further reading

References