George A. Dodd

George A. Dodd
Born	July 26, 1852 Lycomin County, Pennsylvania
Died	June 28, 1925 Orlando, Florida
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1872–1916
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	Great Sioux War Battle of Bates Creek Geronimo's War Battle of Big Dry Wash Spanish–American War Battle of San Juan Hill Siege of Santiago Philippine–American War Border War Mexican Expedition Battle of Guerrero
Other work	Farmer

Brigadier General George Allan Dodd (July 26, 1852 – June 28, 1925) was an officer in the United States military. He was known for his victory over the Villistas in 1916 at the Battle of Guerrero, Mexico, during the Pancho Villa Expedition.^[1][2]

Early life and family

Dodd was born in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania on July 26, 1852. Dodd's father was killed during the American Civil War in 1865, at the Siege of Petersburg, just before the battle ended so he helped raise his younger brothers and sisters with his mother.

Early career

In 1872 Dodd passed the entrance exam at West Point and passed so he was accepted into the United States Military Academy and graduated on June 15, 1876. Immediately following this he joined the 3rd Cavalry and was sent to Dakota Territory to fight in the Great Sioux War against various native American tribes of the Northern Plains. During the war Dodd led Sioux scouts and fought in the Battle of Bates Creek, in which the Cheyenne leader Dull Knife was killed. In 1880, he married Clara Agnes Steele. They had nine children together, Emily, Catherine, Allen, Charles, George Allen, Mary Ethel, William Alexander, Reginald Alden, and Lida Dorothy. In 1882, during Geronimo's War, Dodd commanded Apache scouts in the Southwest and northern Mexico. It was at this time he participated in the Battle of Big Dry Wash on July 17, 1882, the last major battle involving the Apache.

Spanish–American War

When the Spanish–American War began on April 25, 1898, Dodd was still serving in the 3rd Cavalry when he received orders to sail to Cuba from Florida with a large American invasion force in order to capture the island from its Spanish garrison. At the Battle of San Juan Hill on July 1, Dodd distinguished himself while fighting alongside Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders. He was also wounded in the Siege of Santiago from July 3 through July 17 while serving as a captain. When the war with Spain ended, Dodd returned to the United States for a brief time and was promoted to the rank of major.

Philippine insurrection

In 1899, the Filippino Rebellion began so that year the 3rd Cavalry sailed for Manila.^[3][4][5][6]

For the next few years, until 1902, Dodd and the 3rd Cavalry remained on duty mainly in the Philippines, occasionally returning to America. In 1904 he received the rank of lieutenant colonel and was placed in second command of the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers.

Mexican punitive expedition

In 1916, at the age of sixty-three, Dodd was the colonel of approximately 400 men of the 7th Cavalry, stationed at Camp Harvey J. Jones in Arizona. Following Pancho Villa's attack on Columbus, New Mexico in March, Dodd and his command were ordered to ride south into Chihuahua, Mexico to participate in General John J. Pershing's punitive expedition. On March 29, Dodd arrived at the town of Guerrero which was held by hundreds of Villistas, led by Villa himself. In what was called the "last true cavalry charge" in history,^[7] the 7th Cavalry attacked Guerrero and routed the Mexicans after five hours of fighting. Fifty-six of Villa's men, including one of his generals, were killed in the fighting and another thirty-five were wounded. On the American side only five men were wounded but the battle wasn't a complete victory as Villa escaped capture with the majority of his men. However, over the next few months the Villistas remained dispersed amongst the hills of the Sierra Madre and were no longer consider a threat to the United States Army.

News of the battle quickly spread to the United States where Dodd was declared a national hero, shortly thereafter, the Senate approved Dodd's promotion to brigadier general. Although Dodd was promoted on July 3, 1916, he retired from the Army only 13 days later on July 26, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 64.

Retirement and death

In retirement Dodd lived on his farm near Ithaca, New York. He later moved to a home in Orlando, Florida and died on June 28, 1925. General Dodd was buried with his wife and one son at Arlington National Cemetery.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Awards

• Silver Star with three oak leaf clusters
• Indian Campaign Medal
• Spanish Campaign Medal
• Philippine Campaign Medal
• Mexican Service Medal

External links

• Entry in Cullum's Register

References

• Boot, Max (2003). The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 046500721X. LCCN 2004695066. 
• Beede, Benjamin R. (1994). The War of 1898, and U.S. Interventions, 1898–1934: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-8240-5624-8. 
• Cozzens, Peter (2001). Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars, 1865–1890. 2. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0572-2.