Augustus P. Blocksom

Augustus Perry Blocksom
Blocksom as commander of Camp Cody during World War I
Born	(1854-11-07)November 7, 1854 Zanesville, Ohio
Died	July 26, 1931(1931-07-26) (aged 76) Miami, Florida
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1877–1918
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-13120
Unit	United States Cavalry
Commands	1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry 3rd Squadron, 13th Cavalry 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry 3rd Squadron, 10th Cavalry 3rd Cavalry Regiment Camp Cody 34th Division Hawaiian Department
Battles / wars	Apache Wars Ghost Dance War Spanish–American War Philippine–American War China Relief Expedition Pancho Villa Expedition World War I
Awards	Silver Citation Star (2)

Augustus Perry Blocksom (November 7, 1854 – July 26, 1931) was an American Army officer, who served as a general during World War I. ^[1]

Early life

Blocksom was born on November 7, 1854, in Zanesville, Ohio. ^[2] He attended the United States Military Academy and graduated in the class of 1877. ^{[2] [3]}

Military career

Blocksom was commissioned as a second lieutenant of cavalry on June 15, 1877. He later received a brevet to first lieutenant for gallantry at Ash Creek, Arizona, on May 7, 1880. He served in campaigns against the Apaches in Arizona, which included patrolling the Arizona-New Mexico border, ^[3] and in the Sioux Campaign of 1890 and 1891. ^[2]

During the Spanish–American War, he was wounded in the attack on Battle of San Juan Hill and served from 1900 to 1902 in the Philippines. ^[2]

Blocksom, then a major, was charged with investigating the Brownsville raid of 1906 and stated that the enlisted soldiers there were uncooperative in his investigation. ^[4] Blocksom also reported that no positive identifications of the raiders had been made and that tensions in the community were high. ^[5]

He commanded a squadron of the Sixth Cavalry during the China Relief Expedition. ^[2]

He was promoted to major general on August 5, 1917. He was the commander of Camp Cody until April 18, 1918. ^{[2] [6]}

He retired on November 7, 1918. ^[2]

Awards

2 Silver Citation Stars. ^[2]

Death and legacy

Blocksom retired to Miami, Florida, where he died on July 26, 1931. ^[2] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 7, Lot 8005.

References

1. Marquis Who's Who, Inc. Who Was Who in American History, the Military. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. ISBN   0-8379-3201-7 OCLC   657162692
2. Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 43. ISBN   1571970886. OCLC   40298151.
3. Trapp, Dan L. (1964). Al Sieber: Chief of Scouts. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 216. ISBN   9780806170077.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
4. Tucker, Spencer (2013). Almanac of American Military History. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 1216. ISBN   9781598845303.
5. Morris, Edmund (2001). Theodore Rex. Random House. p. 718. ISBN   9780394555096.
6. "34th Infantry Division". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2013.

Bibliography

• Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. ISBN   1571970886. OCLC   40298151.
• Morris, Edmund (2001). Theodore Rex. Random House. ISBN   9780394555096.
• Trapp, Dan L. (1964). Al Sieber: Chief of Scouts. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN   9780806170077. OCLC   5207593.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Tucker, Spencer (2013). Almanac of American Military History. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN   9781598845303.