Nathaniel Fish McClure (July 21, 1865 – June 26, 1942) 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 ...

officer in the early 20th century who became a brigadier general. He served in several conflicts, including

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 life and education

Nathaniel Fish McClure was born July 21, 1865, in

Crittenden, Kentucky Crittenden is a home rule-class city in Grant and Kenton counties, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 4,023 as of the 2020 Census, up from 3,815 as of the 2010 census, which was further up from 2,401 at the 2000 census. Ge ...

, to Ezra R. McClure and Nannie McClure. He attended 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 ...

and graduated in 1887 as number twenty-three of sixty-four in his class. 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, Charles S. Farnsworth,

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 ...

Michael Joseph Lenihan Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Michael Joseph Lenihan (May 2, 1865 – August 13, 1958) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army. He was involved in conflicts in the American Western Frontier, t ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Military career

In 1887, McClure was commissioned for

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

and performed frontier duty until 1901. As part of this frontier duty, McClure, then a lieutenant in the Fifth Cavalry, was on duty with Troop C, Fourth Cavalry, when he prepared a map of

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

. Though a remote posting, McClure expressed his appreciation for the locale thus: "It is the cavalryman's paradise. Food and drink for his horse everywhere. Though the cold of spring and autumn may be biting, though the life may be lonely, though the work may be difficult – still, happy is the soldier whose lines fall amid these scenes of grandeur and sublimity, where nature has put forth her mightiest efforts" After the frontier, McClure was in Puerto Rico from 1899 to 1900, then he served in the Philippines from 1901 to 1903. McClure became a distinguished graduate of the School of the Line in 1909, and he graduated from the Army Staff College in 1910. He became an instructor at the Army Service School from 1913 to 1916. During the spring of 1916, he participated in the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

. In 1917, McClure graduated from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

and was promoted to brigadier general on December 17 of that year. He was the commander of Base Camp Number One in San Nazaire, France, until 1918. McClure then became commander of the

69th Infantry Brigade The 69th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army in the Second World War. It was a second-line Territorial Army formation, and fought in the Battle of France with the 23rd (Northumbrian) Division. The brigade was later part ...

for two months, and then commanded the 38th Infantry Division for five weeks. McClure spent three months in combat with both the 69th and the 38th Divisions. McClure worked on duty in the

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

's office in Washington from late 1918 to early 1919. From 1920 to 1922, he served as the assistant commandant of the Disciplinary Barracks at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Kansas and from 1923 to 1926 he worked with the

Signal Corps A signal corps is a military branch, responsible for military communications (''signals''). Many countries maintain a signal corps, which is typically subordinate to a country's army. Military communication usually consists of radio, telephone, ...

. McClure retired as a

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 ...

July 21, 1929, and his bigadier general rank was restored June 1930.

Personal life

During his lifetime, McClure belonged to a number of groups and organizations including: *

Military Order of the Carabao A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

* Association of Graduates * U.S. Cavalry Association *

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

On July 14, 1890, McClure married Mamie Chapin. McClure retired in

Wardman Park Woodley Park is a Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in Washington DC (northwest), Northwest D.C. Primarily residential, Woodley Park hosts a commercial corridor of restaurants and shops located along Con ...

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 ...

In 1939, McClure had his book published, "Class of 1887, United States Military Academy". He was a known

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

and at the age of seventy-six, McClure died in Wardman Park on June 26, 1942.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McClure, Nathaniel Fish 1865 births 1942 deaths United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel People from Grant County, Kentucky Military personnel from Kentucky United States Army War College alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals of World War I 19th-century United States Army personnel United States Army generals American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War