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George Bell Jr.

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"General Bell" redirects here. For other uses, see General Bell (disambiguation).
George Bell Jr.
Bell as commander of the 33rd Infantry Division in September 1918 towards the end of World War I
Nickname(s)"Do It Now"[1][2][3]
BornJanuary 22, 1859 (1859-01-22)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedOctober 29, 1926 (1926-10-30) (aged 67)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Buried
Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1880–1923
Rank Major General
Service number0-38
Unit Infantry Branch
Commands16th Regiment
El Paso District
33rd Division
Sixth Corps Area
Battles / warsAmerican Indian Wars
Spanish–American War
Philippine Insurrection
Pancho Villa Expedition
World War I
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Honor
Croix de Guerre
RelationsGeorge Bell (1828–1907) (father)[4]
Robert Ransom Jr. (Father in law)[5]
Other workPresident, Hill State Bank, Chicago

George Bell Jr. (January 22, 1859 – October 29, 1926) was a United States Army Major General who commanded the 33rd Infantry Division, an Army National Guard formation, during the final year of World War I.

Early life and education

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Bell was born on January 22, 1859, at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Brigadier General George Bell (1828–1907), a veteran of the American Civil War, and his wife, Isabella McCormick Bell, he attended the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York.[6] His classmates at the U.S. Military included several men who would also eventually attained the rank of brigadier general or higher in their military careers, including James B. Aleshire, Charles Justin Bailey, John Loomis Chamberlain, James Brailsford Erwin, George Washington Goethals, Henry Granville Sharpe, Frederick S. Strong, and others.

Career

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Bell in 1915

In June 1880, Bell graduated 43rd in his U.S. Military Academy class of 52, and became an infantry officer. He was posted to assignments throughout the country, including Fort Maginnis, Fort Shaw, Fort Ellis, Fort Snelling, and Fort Missoula. In the 1890s, he served as professor of military science at Cornell University. In 1894, he received a law degree from Cornell Law School and passed the New York bar exam.[7][8]

He served in the Spanish–American War's Santiago Campaign and the Samar Campaign of the Philippine Insurrection. In 1907, Bell was appointed to the Infantry Equipment Board, taking part in the design of many items that were later used in World War I.[9]

In 1913, Bell assumed command of the 16th Regiment at The Presidio in San Francisco.[10] In 1916 he was promoted to brigadier general and assigned to head the El Paso District during the Pancho Villa Expedition.[3][11]

World War I

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King George V congratulates General Sir Henry Rawlinson on the Battle of Amiens at Molliens-au-Bois Chateau, the headquarters of the U.S. 33rd Division, on August 12, 1918. The King was received at the Chateau by General John J. Pershing and General Tasker H. Bliss (both visible in the background) with Major General Bell visible next to Bliss.

Shortly after the American entry into World War I in April 1917, Bell was promoted to major general and assigned to command the Illinois National Guard's 33rd Division. He commanded throughout the war, with the 33rd, after months of strenuous training in the United States and arriving on the Western Front in May 1918, attaining distinction as the only American division to fight under its own flag and as part of British Empire (Australian) and French corps.[12] The 33rd Division, under Bell's leadership, took part in the Battle of Hamel, the Second Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse–Argonne offensive, the largest battle in the history of the U.S. Army. By the time the war ended due to the Armistice with Germany in November 1918, the division had sustained over 6,800 casualties.

William Hood Simpson served alongside Bell throughout most of the American involvement in the war. He later became a full general and commanded the U.S. Ninth Army in World War II from 1944 to 1945.

Post World War I

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After the war he commanded the Sixth Corps Area, with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, until reaching the mandatory retirement in 1923 at age 64.[13]

Awards and decorations

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Bell's awards included the Distinguished Service Medal, and his foreign honors included the French Croix de Guerre with Palm and the Legion of Honor, as well as appointment as a Knight Commander of England's Order of St. Michael and St. George.[14] The citation to his Army DSM 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 Major General George Bell, Jr., 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. General Bell led his command with distinction, in the offensive operations with the British which resulted in the capture of Hamel and Hamel Woods, and in the fighting on the Meuse that gained the villages of Marcheville, St. Hilaire, and a portion of Bois-de-Forges. The successful operations of the division which he trained and commanded in combat were greatly influenced by his energy and abilities as a commander.[15]

Post military career

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After leaving the Army, Bell was elected President of Chicago's Hill State Bank.[16][17]

Death and burial

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Bell died in Chicago, on October 29, 1926, at age 57. He was buried in Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago.[18][19]

Legacy

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Illinois' Bell Bowl Prairie amphitheater[20] and Chicago's Bell Park[21] and George Bell American Legion Post[22] are named for him. Fort Bell in Bermuda was also named for him.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Delta Chi Fraternity, Delta Chi Quarterly, Volume 24, Issue 1, 1927, 6
  2. ^ Chicago Tribune, "'Yellow Cross' Again Division From Prairies", May 18, 1919
  3. ^ a b Venzon 2013, p. 72.
  4. ^ Sons of the American Revolution, [Sons of the American Revolution, A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1, 1902, page 748
  5. ^ M.J. Ransom, Ransom Researcher, Issues 17–36, 1997, page 516
  6. ^ Marquis Who's Who, Who Was Who in America with World Notables, Volume 1, 1943, page 80
  7. ^ Empire State Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Register of the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 1899, page 87
  8. ^ George Washington Cullum, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, Volume 3, 1891, page 339
  9. ^ George Washington Cullum, Edward Singleton Holden, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, Volume VI-A, 1920, pages 302 to 304
  10. ^ Los Angeles Times, Bell Succeeds Potts: Commander of Sixteenth Infantry Now on the Texas Border to Become Brigadier-General, May 4, 1914
  11. ^ New York Times, 1,000 Men Reported in New Villa Band, September 3, 1916
  12. ^ Frederic Louis Huidekoper, The history of the 33rd division, A.E.F., Volume 1, 1921, page 1
  13. ^ Chicago Tribune, Gen. Bell, Head of Sixth Corps, to Leave Army, September 3, 1922
  14. ^ Davis 1998, p. 30.
  15. ^ "Valor awards for George Bell". Military Times.
  16. ^ Commercial West, Co., Commercial West Magazine, Volume 44, 1923, page 29
  17. ^ Chicago Daily News Co., The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1925, 1924, page 894
  18. ^ Hartford Courtant, General Bell Dies--In Army Forty Years, October 29, 1926
  19. ^ Baltimore Sun, Gen. George Bell, Jr. is Dead in Chicago[dead link‍], October 29, 1926
  20. ^ State of Illinois, Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide, 1939, page 440
  21. ^ John Graf, Chicago's Parks: A Photographic History, 2000
  22. ^ American Legion, American Legion magazine, Volume 106, 1979, page 90
  23. ^ Beautiful Bermuda Publishing Company, Beautiful Bermuda: The Bermuda Blue Book, 1947, page 207

Bibliography

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Bell Jr..
Military offices
Preceded by
Newly activated organization
 Commanding General 33rd Division
1917−1919 		Succeeded by
Post deactivated
Preceded by Commanding General Sixth Corps Area
1921–1922 		Succeeded by
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