Brigadier General Michael Joseph Lenihan (May 2, 1865 – August 13, 1958) 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 ...

. He was involved in conflicts in the American Western Frontier, 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 ...

, and

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 ...

, where he commanded the 83rd Infantry Brigade, 42nd Division, during the

Meuse–Argonne offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allies of World War I, Allied Offensive (military), offe ...

while serving on the Western Front.

Military career

Born the son of James Lenihan and Catherine Grainger, Michael Lenihan entered and later graduated from 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 ...

in June 1887. Among his classmates included several

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

s of the future, such as Charles Gerhardt,

Ulysses G. McAlexander Major General Ulysses Grant McAlexander (30 August 1864 – 18 September 1936) was an American officer who served in the United States Army. He was heavily decorated for valor, and is one of the iconic fighting men of the American Expeditionary F ...

Ernest Hinds Ernest Hinds (August 18, 1864 – June 17, 1941) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, and World War I, he attained the rank of major general and was notable for his s ...

Nathaniel Fish McClure Nathaniel Fish McClure (July 21, 1865 – June 26, 1942) was a United States Army officer in the early 20th century who became a brigadier general. He served in several conflicts, including World War I. Early life and education Nathaniel Fish ...

William Weigel Major general (United States), Major General William Weigel (August 25, 1863 – March 4, 1936) was a United States Army officer who, throughout his long military career, served in numerous conflicts and wars, most notably towards the end of World ...

, Charles S. Farnsworth,

James Theodore Dean James Theodore Dean (May 12, 1865 – June 15, 1939) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Biography Dean was born on May 12, 1865, in Ironton, Ohio. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1 ...

Mark L. Hersey Mark Leslie Hersey (December 1, 1863 – January 22, 1934) was a Major general (United States), major general in the United States Army who commanded the 4th Infantry Division (United States), 4th Division during World War I. Early life and educa ...

Herman Hall Herman Hall (June 6, 1864 – September 6, 1928) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in several conflicts, including World War I. Biography Hall was born on June 6, 1864, in Carthage, Illinois. H ...

Frank Herman Albright Frank Herman Albright (August 2, 1865 – July 21, 1940) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, World War I, he attained the rank of brigadier general, and was most not ...

, Marcus Daniel Cronin,

George Owen Squier George Owen Squier (March 21, 1865 – March 24, 1934) was an American general, scientist, and inventor best known for inventing and popularizing what today is called Muzak. Life and military career Squier was born in Dryden, Michigan. He g ...

, Thomas Grafton Hanson, George Washington Gatchell, Alexander Lucian Dade,

William C. Rivers William C. Rivers (11 January 1866 – 10 July 1943) was a career officer in the United States Army. An 1887 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, the Spanish–American War, th ...

, and

Edmund Wittenmyer Edmund Wittenmyer (April 25, 1862 − July 5, 1937) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War and World War I, in addition to several other conflicts, he attained the rank of major general and was mos ...

. He was appointed first lieutenant in 1894. He was made captain in 1899 and major in 1911. While stationed on the Hawaiian Islands, he was promoted to Lieutenant‑Colonel. After the

American entry into World War I The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Europe. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and an a ...

, in April 1917, Lenihan received a temporary promotion to brigadier general (August 1917) and assumed command of the 83rd Infantry Brigade, which, together with the 84th Infantry Brigade and various other supporting units, formed part of the 42nd "Rainbow" Division. The division was a recently activated National Guard formation and was commanded at the time by Major General

William Abram Mann William Abram Mann (July 31, 1854 – October 8, 1934) was a general officer in the United States Army. He served as the commander of the 17th Infantry Brigade in the Spanish–American War and the 42nd Infantry Division (United States), 42nd Di ...

. The division began to depart for service overseas on the Western Front in October, arriving in France in early November. Lenihan was to command his brigade throughout 1918 in most of the battles it found itself engaged in, such as the Second Battle of the Marne in July and 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 ...

in September. During the

, when Lenihan's 83rd Brigade and Brigadier General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

’s neighboring 84th Brigade failed to make progress against heavy German defences, Major General Charles P. Summerall, commanding

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

(under whose command the 42nd Division was serving), threatened to relieve both generals. Major General

William M. Wright William Mason Wright (September 24, 1863 – August 16, 1943) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of lieutenant general and was most notable for his service as a division and corps commander during World War I. E ...

, commanding the nearby 89th Division, describes in his diary that MacArthur's troops could approach Hill 288 and

Châtillon-sous-les-Côtes Châtillon-sous-les-Côtes () 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), M ...

using the forest as cover and took the objective, while Lenihan's brigade was stopped by enemy resistance before they could take the objectives in the Landres-et-Saint-Georges area, sustaining heavy casualties. Summerall ordered Major General

Charles T. Menoher Major General Charles Thomas Menoher (March 20, 1862 – August 11, 1930) was a U.S. Army general, first Chief of the United States Army Air Service from 1918 to 1921, and commanded the U.S. Army Hawaiian Department from 1924 to 1925. Early lif ...

, the 42nd's commander since the previous December, to relieve Lenihan, which he did on 17 October 1918, being replaced by a much younger man, Colonel

Henry J. Reilly Henry Joseph Reilly (April 29, 1881 – December 13, 1963) was an American soldier and journalist who, after seeing combat in World War I, helped found the Reserve Officers Association. Early life and education Born in Fort Barrancas, Florida, ...

. Lenihan protested and insisted on a hearing. The appointed inspector found no wrongdoing of Lenihan and Lieutenant General

Hunter Liggett Hunter Liggett (March 21, 1857 − December 30, 1935) was a senior United States Army officer. His 42 years of military service spanned the period from the Indian campaigns to the trench warfare of World War I. Additionally, he also identified ...

, commanding the

U.S. First Army First Army is the largest OC/T organization in the U.S. Army, comprising two divisions, ten brigades, and more than 7,500 Soldiers. Its mission is to partner with the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve to enable leaders and deli ...

and Summerall's superior, overrode the corps commander's decision and made Lenihan commander of the 153rd Brigade of the 77th Division. Lenihan would remain in command of the brigade for the rest of the war and until it was deactivated in May 1919. Marshall Petain Decorates Gen

Lenihan returned to the rank of colonel after World War 1 in 1919. He was an instructor at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

, before he became Chief of Staff of the XII Army Corps in 1924. Lenihan was again promoted to brigadier general in 1925. He was awarded an

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

title by the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

in 1925. In the last year of his active army service, he commanded the 3rd Infantry Division from March 1928 to March 1929. Michael Lenihan died on August 13, 1958, at the age of 93 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He was interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery 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 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lenihan, Michael Joseph 1865 births 1958 deaths 19th-century United States Army personnel United States Army Infantry Branch personnel United States Army generals of World War I United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals Naval War College alumni People from Hopkinton, Massachusetts Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) American recipients of the Legion of Honour United States Army War College alumni Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Naval War College faculty Military personnel from Massachusetts