George Windle Read

George Windle Read
Born	November 19, 1860 Indianola, Iowa, United States
Died	November 6, 1934 Washington, D.C., United States
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1883–1925
Rank	Major General
Unit	Infantry Branch
Commands held	152nd Depot Brigade 77th Infantry Division 15th Cavalry Division 30th Infantry Division II Corps American Embarkation Center, Le Havre, France 42nd Infantry Division V Corps Philippine Department
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War Pancho Villa Expedition World War I
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal

Major General George Windle Read (November 19, 1860 – November 6, 1934) was a senior United States Army officer who was prominent as a corps and division commander in World War I. Read also oversaw the departure of US forces from Europe at the end of the war as commander of the American Embarkation Center at Le Havre, France.

Early life

Read was born in Indianola, Iowa.^[1] He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1883 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry.^[2]

Early military career

Read's initial assignments were in the American West, and his first posting was with the 16th Infantry Regiment.^[3] A few months later he transferred to the 5th Cavalry Regiment, with which he served until 1889.^[4]

From 1889 to 1893 Read was Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Iowa, after which he returned to the 5th Cavalry Regiment in Texas.^[5]

In 1898 Read authored The Automatic Instructor: A Practical System for Home Study.^[6]

Spanish–American War

At the start of the Spanish–American War Read was assigned to an Ordnance unit, with which he served in Cuba until 1899.^[2] Receiving promotion to Captain, he served in New Mexico from 1901 to 1902, after which he was assigned to the Philippines.^[1]

Post-Spanish–American War

After leaving Cuba, Read served in California and Hawaii. From 1905 to 1909 he served on the Army’s General Staff.^[7] Promoted to Major, he served in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines before attending the Army War College, from which he graduated in 1914.^[8]

Mexican border conflict

Advanced to Lieutenant Colonel after his war college graduation, Read served in Texas and Arizona during the US–Mexico border conflict, including the Pancho Villa Expedition. From 1915 to 1917 Read again served in Washington, DC as a member of the Army General Staff.^[9]

World War I

Read as commander of II Corps.

In April, 1917, Read (now a Colonel) was appointed to head recruiting as the Army began to mobilize for World War I.^[10] In August he was selected to command the 152nd Depot Brigade at Camp Upton, New York.^[9] In December Read was promoted to temporary Major General and assigned to command first the 77th Infantry Division, and then the 15th Cavalry Division in El Paso, Texas.^[11]

The 15th Cavalry Division was disbanded in favor of fielding all Infantry divisions, and in April, 1918 Read took command of the 30th Infantry Division, which he led to France.^[12] In June he was selected to command the II Corps, consisting of five divisions assigned to the British sector of the Western Front. After three of his divisions were transferred to take part in the Saint-Mihiel Offensive, Read continued to command the other two as a corps under the British Army in the Ypres area, participating in the September offensive that breached the Hindenberg Line.^[13][14]

Read continued to command the II Corps after the Armistice. After the organization was demobilized in February, 1919 Read was assigned to command of the American Embarkation Center at Le Havre, France, where he was responsible for arranging the transportation of men and materiel back to the United States.^[15] He was also the final commander of the 42nd Infantry Division as it completed post-war occupation duty in Germany and prepared to depart Europe.^[16][17][18]

Post–World War I

In May, 1919 Read was assigned to command the US V Corps at Camp Jackson, South Carolina with the permanent rank of Brigadier General.^[19] In March, 1921 he received permanent promotion to Major General.^[20]

In October, 1922 Read was appointed commander of the Philippine Department. He assumed command in early 1923, and remained in this assignment until his 1925 retirement.^[21]

Awards and decorations

General Read's awards and decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal and the British Order of the Bath.^[22][23] In addition, he received the French Legion of Honor (Commander), and French Croix de Guerre with Palm.^[24]

Retirement and death

In retirement Read resided in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania.^[25] He died at Walter Reed Army Hospital on November 6, 1934 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section South, Site 1819.^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

Personal

In 1886 in El Paso Read married Burton Young (1868–1944), the daughter of General S.B.M Young, who served as the first Army Chief of Staff.^[31] George Windle Read’s children included Burton Young Read (1889–1981), a career soldier who served from the early 1900s through World War II before retiring as a Colonel,^[32][33][34] and George Windle Read, Jr., a career soldier who served in both world wars and attained the rank of Lieutenant General as commander of the US Army Armor Center and the Second United States Army.

References

1. U.S. Leadership in Wartime: Clashes, Controversy, and Compromise, by Spencer C. Tucker, 2009, Volume 1, page 519
2. The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia, by Anne Cipriano Venzon and Paul L. Miles, 1999, page 495
3. Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, edited by Albert Bushnell Hart, 1920, Volume 9, page 223
4. Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, by George Washington Cullum, 1891, Volume 3, page 374
5. The Iowa Historical Record, published by the State Historical Society of Iowa, 1893, Volumes 7–9, page 384
6. The Automatic Instructor: A Practical System for Home Study, by George Windle Read, 1898, title page
7. Who Was Who in America with World Wotables, 1943, Marquis Company (Chicago), Volume 1, page 1014
8. Webster's American Military Biographies, G. and C. Merriam and Company, 1978, page 343
9. The World's Work Magazine Volume 37, Number 1 (November, 1918), page 90
10. Who's Who in World War One, by J.M. Bourne, 2001, pages 243-244
11. Year Book of the Pennsylvania Society, published by the society, 1919, page 188
12. The Thirtieth Division in the World War, by Elmer A. Murphy and Robert S. Thomas, 1936, page 267
13. The War to End All Wars: the American Military Experience in World War I, by Edward M. Coffman, 1998, page 286
14. America in France, by Frederick Palmer, 1919, page 286
15. Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y, by George Washington Cullum, 1930, Volume 7, page 204
16. The US Army in World War I – Orders of Battle, by Richard A. Rinaldi, 2004, page 45
17. "'Reilly's Bucks' Due Home April 25", Chicago Tribune, April 22, 1919
18. Vin Rouge, Vin Blanc, Beaucoup Vin, the American Expeditionary Force in WWI, by Van Lee, 2005, page 144
19. Newspaper article, Maj Gen. GW Read is Dead at Capital; World War Officer Succumbs in Walter Reed Hospital, New York Times, November 7, 1934
20. "Harding Approves Army Promotions", Boston Daily Globe, April 14, 1921
21. "McRea Is Granted Post in Philippines", Berkeley Daily Gazette, November 21, 1924
22. Heroes All!: A Compendium of the Names and Official Citations of the Soldiers and Citizens of the United States and of Her Allies who Were Decorated by the American Government for Exceptional Heroism and Conspicuous Service Above and Beyond the Call of Duty in the War with Germany, 1917–1919, edited by Harry R. Stringer 1919, page 479
23. "High British Honor to Major Gen. Read; Second American Corps Commander Made Knight of the Order of the Bath", New York Times, March 25, 1919
24. United States Military Academy Association of Graduates (1935). Annual Report. Newburgh, NY: Moore Printing Company. p. 126.
25. 1930 United States Census entry for George W. Read and Burton Y. Read
26. "Officer Succumbs", Associated Press, reported in Lubbock Morning Advocate, November 7, 1934
27. "Death Notice for George W. Read", Philippine Magazine, Volume 31 (December, 1934)
28. Annual Report, United States Military Academy Association of Graduates, 1935, page 123
29. US Department of Veterans Affairs Nationwide Gravesite Locator
30. George Windle Read at Find a Grave, retrieved December 21, 2013
31. Early Marriages of El Paso County, Texas, Book 1 (1876–1880)
32. 1910 United States Federal Census, entry for Burton Y. Read
33. U.S. Army Adjutant General, Official U.S. Army Register, 1946, page 366
34. California Death Index, 1940–1997, entry for Burton Y. Read