Major General William Sidney Graves: a Brief Biography

Tuesday, June 05, 2001

Raised as a Central Texas farm boy and known to his family as Billy, Major General William Sidney Graves was destined to leave his mark on world history. Born in Mount Calm, TX on Mar 27, 1865, he was the sixth son of a Southern Baptist minister, Rev. Andrew Carroll Graves. He attended Baylor University and became a school teacher but in 1883 realized he wished to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. He entered class Jun 15, 1884 and graduated Jun 12, 1889 ranked 42^nd in a class of 49 students academically but 7^th in discipline (the seventh fewest number of demerits). This discipline prompted superior officers to recognize his qualities of leadership and self-discipline which ultimately led to his promotion to major-general.

The newly commissioned 2^nd Lieutenant was immediately posted to frontier duty at Fort Logan, CO where he met his future wife, Katherine Boyd. She was born the daughter of William Boyd and Augusta Merriam on Apr 5, 1871. They were married on Feb 9, 1891 at Ft. Logan where all four of their children were born.

Initially serving with troops of the 20^th Infantry he soon was selected to serve as aide-de-camp to his commander, Brig. Gen. H. C. Merriam. During the next several years, Lt. Graves served in the usual areas assigned to young officers; commissary officer, ordinance officer, acting judge advocate general, and firing range officer. These duties prevented him from gaining combat experience with his regiment which had participated in the Spanish-American War but he was promoted to Captain of Infantry in Sep 1899 and rejoined his regiment in the Philippine Islands. Serving with distinction in the Philippine Insurrection battling insurgents in Batangas Province as a company commander, he was cited for gallantry by his brigade commander, Gen. J. F. Bell, for action in the battle of Caloocan, Dec 21, 1901, combat experience that would prove invaluable in his later years of command.

In succeeding years he served as member of the General Staff in Washington, DC including stints as Secretary to the General Staff and a tour as the Assistant Chief of Staff of the Army. During this time he came to the notice of President Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of War Newton Baker.

From May 1917 to Jul 1917 he served on a confidential mission to Great Britain, France, and Belgium laying the groundwork for the entrance of the United States into WWI. Anxious to become involved in combat again, the now Brigadier General succeeded in obtaining a position as commander of the 8^th Infantry Division at Fremont, CA [ed. Note: He thought this division was soon to be deployed overseas to the European Theater of WWI, i.e., the Western Front] earning him promotion to Major General, National Army.

Soon after arriving in California, he received a wire instructing him to meet with Secretary of War Newton Baker in the Kansas City, MO train station. Baker told Graves that he would "be walking on eggs loaded with dynamite; watch your step", he had been hand-picked by President Wilson for a very important operation and that he would lead troops in Russia in a venture later to be remembered as The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Siberia.

For some time, the British and French governments had tried to secure American interest in a so-called Eastern Front hoping to divert German men and materiel away from the main fighting on the Western Front. Their frequent requests were finally approved by American and Japanese governments and Wilson reluctantly agreed to send American troops to Russia to counteract the growing Japanese influence and allow the chaotic Russian political environment to stabilize.

Graves’ orders, contained in a secret memo from President Wilson were to protect Allied military stores, guard the Trans-Siberian Railway and aid the Czech Legion (a large force of Czechs, escaped POWs, who wished to return to France and enter the war on the Allied side). He was specifically told to not interfere with Russian internal policy. The memo was deliberately written in such vague terms the details would be left solely to Graves’ discretion. Col. (later General) Robert Eichelberger, serving with Graves as his assistant chief of staff, stated that Graves was a man with good judgment, coolness, common sense, and the highest integrity: these were the reasons Wilson picked Graves and that "he was the best man for the job."

After arriving in Siberia with 9000 men on Sep 1, 1918 he quickly became at odds with the British, French, Japanese, Red and White Russian factions, American consulate personnel, Red Cross and other agencies; each of which had their own agenda. Graves’ firmness and diplomacy narrowly averted frequent clashes between American and Japanese forces and he was "not intimidated by the British, French, and Japanese contingents and U.S. diplomatic officials who endeavored to get him to act against Bolshevik factions." His official obituary in the 71^st Annual Report of the Association of Graduates, USMA states, "His administration of a distasteful duty won him the respect of the Russian people who felt that the restraint imposed on other commanders by Gen. Graves had assisted in checking Allied intentions to dismember their country." Additionally, "The tide of the Japanese Empire had been diverted southward…" Having completed its task, the AEF left Siberia in 1920.

From October 28 through December17 in 1925, he served as jury member in the celebrated court martial of General Billy Mitchell. Another notable jury member was General Douglas McArthur.

Gen. Graves finished his career as commander of the Panama Canal Zone, retired with over forty years service on Sep 4, 1928, and in 1931 published his book America’s Siberian Adventure 1918-1920.

Death claimed Graves from coronary artery disease on Feb 27, 1940 in Shrewsbury, NJ and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with honors commensurate of his rank. Mrs. Graves died Nov 23, 1957 and is buried at Arlington with her husband.

Writing in his memoirs, Gen. William J. Snow characterized Gen. Graves as follows, ".. [Gen. Graves] was a man of sterling principles, sound good sense, and of fine soldierly qualities. His ability and loyalty were later tried to the extreme when, as a major-general, he was in command of the American Forces in Siberia. As every friend of his knew in advance, he came out of the ill-fated venture with increasing reputation and prestige."

Military History

Cadet at the Military Academy, Jun 15, 1884 to Jun 12, 1889 when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Second Lieutenant, 7^th Infantry, Jun 12, 1889

Served Ft. Logan, CO from Oct 1891 to…

Transferred to 7^th Infantry Nov 23, 1896

Acting Adjutant General, Department of the Colorado, Apr 1 1899 to…

Transferred to 20^th Infantry, Oct 24, 1899

member of General Staff Corps, Washington, DC, April 23, 1909 to…

Assigned to 20^th Infantry, Apr 1, 1912

at Washington, DC on duty in office of Chief of Staff, Aug 15, 1914 to…

Lt. Col. of Infantry, Jul 1, 1916

on Confidential Mission to Great Britain, Belgium, and France, May 30 to…

Colonel of Infantry, Jun 30, 1917

at Washington, DC, Secretary, General Staff, Jul 24, 1917 to Dec 17, 1917;

Brigadier General, National Army, Dec 17, 1917

Assistant to the Chief of Staff Dec 18, 1917 to…

Major General, National Army, Jun 26, 1918

en route to Siberia and at Vladivostok, commanding American Expeditionary Forces in Siberia, Aug 14, 1918 to…

awarded

Distinguished Service Medal

Brigadier General, US Army, Jan 7, 1920

at Ft. William McKinley, P.I., commanding post, Apr 8, 1920 to…

Returned to grade of Brigadier General, Jun 30, 1920

commanding 1^st Division at Ft. Wadsworth and at Ft. Hamilton, NY, Dec 1922 to Jul 1925;

Major General, US Army, Jul 11, 1925

at Quarry Heights, CZ, commanding Panama Canal Department, Oct 2, 1927 to Apr 1, 1928, when he was returned home to await retirement.

Decorations

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Snow, William J., Signposts of Experience, World War I Memoirs, p. 28