Brigadier General Robert Walter Mearns (July 16, 1866 – May 23, 1949) was a U.S. Army general 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 ...

Early life and education

Robert Walter Mearns was born on July 16, 1866, in Kemblesville, Pennsylvania, to Andrew James Mearns, a farmer, and Martha Kennedy Mearns. He attended the West Chester Normal School, then entered 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 number sixty-one of sixty-two in the class of 1892, one of thirteen who took five years to complete the requirements. Mearns later graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry School in 1897.

Military career

He was commissioned in the 20th Infantry on duty at Fort Assinniboine, Montana, and later, 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. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, his regiment was sent to Cuba. Mearns participated in the

Battle of El Caney The Battle of El Caney was fought on July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War. 600 Spanish soldiers held for twelve hours, until they ran out of ammunition, against Henry W. Lawton's 5th US Division, made up of 6,899 men. This action temp ...

and earned the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

. After the war, his regiment was sent to the Philippines. Mearns was promoted to major and commanded the Philippine Scouts from February 28, 1905, to December 8, 1909. Mearns was promoted to lieutenant colonel effective May 15, 1917. During

, he received a temporary promotion to colonel on August 16, 1917, and to brigadier general on October 12, 1918. From November 1, 1918, to February 5, 1919, he served as commanding general of the 17th Infantry Division at

Camp Beauregard Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville (previously Camp Beauregard) is a Louisiana National Guard installation located northeast of Pineville, Louisiana, primarily in Rapides Parish, but also extending northward into Grant Pari ...

in Louisiana. After the war, Mearns reverted to his permanent rank of lieutenant colonel on February 6, 1919. He was promoted to colonel effective July 1, 1920 and retired from active duty on December 31, 1922. On June 21, 1930, Mearns was advanced to brigadier general on the retired list.

Personal life

Mearns married Ethel Janet Brown on June 5, 1913. Together they had three sons, Robert, Fillmore and James. He was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and enjoyed riding horses, golfing and motoring. Mearns and his wife settled in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

after his retirement. He died at the age of eight-two at

Letterman General Hospital The Letterman Digital Arts Center (LDAC), is an institution located in the Presidio, San Francisco, that has served as the combined home of Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Games, Lucasfilm Animation and Lucasfilm's marketing, online, a ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

on May 23, 1949. Mearns 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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mearns, Robert 1866 births 1949 deaths Military personnel from Chester County, Pennsylvania West Chester University alumni United States Military Academy alumni 19th-century United States Army personnel United States Army Infantry Branch personnel United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Recipients of the Silver Star American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Military personnel from Berkeley, California Burials at San Francisco National Cemetery