Follow Me!: Pershing's Division Commanders in World War I

By Alexander F. Barnes and Timothy Williams

In April 1917, the United States entered World War I with great enthusiasm but faced immense challenges: quickly creating and fielding a large, modern army; establishing facilities for training; and finding or promoting qualified officers for command assignments.

Commanding a division in the American Expeditionary Force could be the path to honor and success or absolute failure and dismissal. General John J. Pershing's division commanders would find the Western Front a harsher school than anything they had faced in their previous battles on the Western frontier or in Cuba, the Philippines, or China. This book profiles these men, including a nationally recognized expert in native sign languages and another who had been court-martialed for torturing a Philippine official. Some were replaced because of their age or physical problems even before they reached France. One had been a senior engineer building the Panama Canal and another a noted Alaskan explorer. Two of them coached college football teams in their spare time. Four were Medal of Honor recipients, and one had been a cowboy. Each has his own unique story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1476698260
• ISBN13: 9781476698267
• Release Date: December 2026
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 120 Pages
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up