"Pershing: Commander of the Great War" by John Perry (Kindle Edition)

I believe I may have heard of General Pershing a few times in grade school... but I had no idea what an impressive man he was. John "Black Jack" Pershing had a mediocre start to his extraordinary life. Born in 1860, Pershing had one ambition in his early life: to be a lawyer. He never wished to enter military service, but he saw West Point as a means to achieving his own goal of completing law school. Once he began his military career, however, he fully immersed himself in the performance of his duty.

Pershing was the consummate military man. He was a stickler for details, and expected nothing less than perfection from the men he led. When necessary, though, he could be extremely patient - he demonstrated this several times throughout his life, striving for peace and understanding where others saw only conflict. Leading by example, Pershing was always found at or very near the front line of battles - even later in his career as a general. His demands on his men were so great, he once advised his officers in WWI that if any of their men were caught retreating, the officers should make every effort to stop them - shooting them if necessary. While this may seem harsh, the result of his leadership was nothing less than the salvation of Europe and the conquering of the seemingly unstoppable German war machine. He mentored a group of generals - Marshall, Eisenhower, Bradley, and Patton - who led the US Army to victory in World War II just twenty years later.

There are many things that could be said about his military career and victories, but you may as well read the book. This biography is the perfect introduction to Pershing. There is just enough information to give a good grasp of the man and his character, but not so much detail as to alienate the casual reader. This is the second biography I've read that was authored by John Perry (the other was of George Washington Carver), and I've been impressed both times. Perry has several other biographies written, including Winston Churchill and Robert E. Lee. I may just have to buy them...

Pershing claimed to be a Christian and a God-fearing man, but he was not without vices. He had a mistress for many years (AFTER his wife and three daughters died in a tragic fire...while he was married, he was apparently faithful and totally love-struck with his wife). And the book has several profanity-laced quotes in it. But, I am glad that I read this volume on the life of General Pershing.

I received this e-book free from the publishers in exchange for my honest review.