Samuel Dickerson Rockenbach
Rockenbach circa 1918
Born(1869-01-27)January 27, 1869
Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 1952(1952-05-16) (aged 83)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1891-1933
RankBrigadier General
Service number0-397
UnitCavalry Branch
Commands heldBase Section Number 1, Saint-Nazaire, France
Tank Corps, First United States Army
U.S. Army Tank Corps
U.S. Army Tank School
Military District of Washington
2nd Cavalry Brigade
2nd Field Artillery Brigade
Battles/warsAmerican Indian Wars
Pancho Villa Expedition
Spanish–American War
World War I
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
Spouse(s)Emma Baldwin (m. 1898-1945, her death)
RelationsTheodore Anderson Baldwin (father-in-law)
Other workCommandant, Kemper Military School

Samuel Dickerson Rockenbach (27 January 1869 – 16 May 1952) was an American Brigadier General and father of the United States Tank Corps.

Biography

Rockenbach was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on January 27, 1869, the son of Frank J. Rockenbach and Jane Nicolson Rockenbach.[1] He attended the Virginia Military Institute, where he graduated third in the class of 1889 and was designated a distinguished graduate.[2][3]

In 1898, Rockenbach married Emma Baldwin, who was the daughter of Theodore Anderson Baldwin.[2]

Rockenbach was the commander of Kemper Military School and also served in the Missouri Militia.[2] He received a commission in the United States Cavalry in 1891.[4] He served repeatedly with Brigadier General John J. Pershing, including serving as quartermaster during the Pancho Villa Expedition.[4] In 1912, Rockenbach graduated from the United States Army War College.[5]

During World War I

In December 1917, eight months after the American entry into World War I, he was appointed by Pershing, now the Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front, to command the AEF's Tank Corps.[6]

In 1918, Rockenbach organized, trained, equipped, and deployed the first American tank units to the European Western Front during World War I.[7]

After World War I

He remained chief of the Tanks Corps until 1920. He directed the tank school at Fort Meade, Maryland until 1924.[8]

From 1928 to his retirement in 1933, he commanded the Second Artillery Brigade at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.[2]

Rockenbach died on May 16, 1952.[2]

Awards

Rockenbach received the Army Distinguished Service Medal. The citation for the medal reads:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As Quartermaster of Base Section No. 1, St. Nazaire, from June to December 1917, General Rockenbach rendered especially valuable services. Confronted with a problem of great magnitude, be fraught with serious difficulties, he went about his task with keen determination, and by his energy and great zeal organized and efficiently operated the first American base in France. Later, as Chief of the Tank Corps, by his tireless energy and keen determination he established schools of training for tank personnel and laid the foundation for the organization of the tank units. He ably directed the operations of the tanks with the First Army and contributed in a measure to the success attained.[9]

In addition, he was a recipient of the French Croix de Guerre and Officer of the Legion of Honor awards, and the Commander of the Order of the Bath from Great Britain.[1]

Legacy

His papers are held by the Virginia Military Institute.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Davis, Arthur Kyle, ed. (1923). Virginians of Distinguished Service of the World War. Richmond, VA: Virginia War History Commission. p. 140 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. pp. 313–314. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
  3. ^ "Virginia Military Institute: The Class". Staunton Spectator. Staunton, VA. July 10, 1889. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Hacker, Barton C.; Vining, Margaret (2006). American Military Technology: The Life Story of a Technology. Greenwood Press. p. 66. ISBN 0313333084. OCLC 62342068.
  5. ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General (1912). Official Army Register. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 164 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Pershing, John J. (2013). My Life Before the World War, 1860-1917: A Memoir. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 317. ISBN 9780813141978.
  7. ^ Samuel D. Rockenbach, "The Rockenbach Report: Operations of the Tank Corps A.E.F." (Silver Spring, MD: Dale Street Books, 2016), pp. 9-21.
  8. ^ Hacker, Barton C.; Vining, Margaret (2006). American Military Technology: The Life Story of a Technology. Greenwood Press. p. 67. ISBN 0313333084. OCLC 62342068.
  9. ^ "Valor awards for Samuel D. Rockenbach".
  10. ^ "VMI Archives Catalog - Samuel D. Rockenbach Papers".

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