Customer Reviews

Until the Last Trumpet Sounds: The Life of General of the Armies John J. Pershing

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Until the Last Trumpet Sounds is a fine book. Gene Smith has written an interesting, fast-paced narrative of the life of John J. Pershing. This reader, however, upon finishing the book, was left a bit unfulfilled. At 337 pages, a full 50 of which are devoted exclusively to the lives of Pershing's grandsons, Smith simply cannot do full justice to the highest ranking military officer in US history. Smith merely alights upon a peak of Pershing's career and then sets off for another before the meat of the story is told. What results, nevertheless, is a highly interesting read, but not half of what it could be.

Pershing, born in 1860, rose from obscurity to the General of US Armies garnering an unprecedented sixth star. He went from fighting Indians of the American West on horseback to leading mechanized battles of World War I. Gene Smith's Until the Last Trumpet Sounds has only scratched the surface of a truly remarkable life and, therefore, leaves the reader feeling he could have done quite a bit more. Even so, what he has completed merits a solid 4 stars.

This is neither a history of the period nor a biography. It is a collection of quotations and anecdotes, that appear to have been taken from the personal papers of John J. Pershing, that are on file at the Library of Congress, not an unbiased source. I got as far as through the period on Pershing's frontier and Philippine service and put it down. It is a shallow treatment that reads like a history for young children. If someone is really interested in the era and the man, read Frank Vandiver's book " Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing" in two volumes, published in 1977. A book Smith cites, Donald Smythe's "Guerilla Warrior: The Early Life of John J. Pershing" (1973) is not too bad, nor is "Black Jack Pershing" by Richard O'Connor (1961). None of these are hostile treatments, and all are well written. Pershing was an able and brave Army officer, but so were many others of the era. But Pershing was the only one to go from Captain to Brigadier General despite opposition of the Army command, and this was not solely due to his ability. His smartest move was marrying the daughter of Senator Warren, one of the shrewder political operators of the time, and one who, although a Republican, had equal entree with Wilson as well as Roosevelt and Taft. Warren was Pershing's guardian angel. If you are older than 12, pass this book up and read one of the others.

Smith's style of writing can be hard to get used to, but when that is done, it is easy reading and very interesting. I knew nothing about J.J. Pershing except his nick name and that he was an American general before I ordered this book (and I considered myself a fairly well rounded student of American history). This book was a great addition to my collection of history books.

I must admit that I was a bit upset about the ending (there wasn't one, I thought, when there should have been), when the book extended through the lives of the later generations of the Pershing family. However, when I was done completely with the book I saw the author's reasoning behind it all I think. It left a profound feeling of "so that's what has come of the great Pershing line," in me, probably because I am interested in geneology as well (both mine and famous people). I recommend the book very much, to any history or geneology buff.

This book is a good beginning to any study of John J. Pershing, but there isn't enough "meat on the bones". Pershing led quite a life, and really needs a thorough, well-researched bio, but this isn't it. Oh, it's quite readable, and if you don't know much about Blackjack, it will give you good, basic information, but it will leave you wanting a biography with more depth. And the writing style! The author uses sentences that are more like laundry lists...on and on and on...Somebody give this man a comma, a semi-colon, a period, and then teach him how to use them!

Gene Smith's "Until the Last Trumpet Calls" (1998 Paperback) tells the life story of General John J. Pershing. It is well documented with reviewing personal correspondences, eyewitness interviews, several black and white photos, and extensive (8 pages) endnotes.

From his birth in 1860, through his days at West Point (class of 1886), to his various US Cavalry assignments across the American west and the early 20th century Pacific, to his leading the American Expeditionary Forces in World War 1 (WW1), till his death in 1948, John Pershing was well-respected, and often feared, icon determined to perform his duty. Pershing moved slowly through the Army ranks until he met Teddy Roosevelt. After their Spanish American War acquaintance Captain Pershing (only a Captain after 16 years!) was catapulted into a history-making career. By the end of the Great War Pershing achieved 6 stars as General of the Armies (unique to American history)!

Smith tells Pershing family celebrations and tragedies, it acquaintances with future history makers, and the General's "Americans fight as Americans" philosophy during WW1. Readers learn about Pershing's mentoring George Patton, George Marshall, and many more. We hear of his close WW1 friendship with France's Marshal Petain (who became the chief voice in the Nazi-Vichy government of World War 2, to Pershing's horror). The General was firmly and verbally anti-Kaiser in 1915 and anti-Nazi in 1940.

Smith closes the book with interesting chapters about "Black Jack" Pershing's (an appellation from his pre WW1 days commanding an African American Army division in Texas) son's and grandsons' careers. Each respective had his army career in World War 2, Cold War Europe, and Viet Nam (the youngest grandson was killed during the 1968 Tet Offensive). Unfortunately, General Pershing had no great-grandchildren. The book ends with a feeling of "Taps" for an influential 20th century American family.

Although Smith tends towards run-on sentences and the occasional sentence fragment this 320-page book's conversational style makes it an easy read. It is recommended to all military historians, US Cavalry buffs, World War 1 students, and 20th century Americana aficionados.

Overall, Smith does a pretty good job of bringing Pershing to life. Prior to reading this book, I knew very little about Pershing. This book got me past that, and a good deal more.

The details about Pershing's early life are a little sketchy. As the story moves along, Smith includes more and more info (presumably because more source material exists). I never got a sense of what Pershing's life was like growing up, but I got a lot (bordering on too much) about his relationship with his son and sisters.

I wholeheartedly disagree with the very negative review below. This book stays VERY focused on Pershing and, in my opinion, does not give too much detail about other people involved in the story. And, while Pershing may not have been as colorful (or as politically active) as Grant, MacArthur, Eisenhower, etc., he sure as heck earned six stars (which he never wore). With very little support from home, and against a great deal of pressure from the French and British, he trained and formed a US Army out of practically nothing, beat the Germans (don't argue that the French and British could have done it alone), and was the ONLY major voice calling for Germany's unconditional surrender (would WWII have happened if Wilson & the others had listened?).

The greatness of Pershing's acheivement comes through clearly in Smith's book. Sometimes, it's a little harder to get a feel for the greatness of the man.

Gene Smith has done very thorough research and is a masterful storyteller. There is not a slow moment in this reading, and will open the readers eyes to another time, another way of life and to war. I would recommend this book to anybody who wants to study Pershing, or to anybody who wnats delve into another time and place in history

It is incredible that this ever got published. The author cannot write for beans (his prose is a constant irritant) and no editor has ever looked at this thing. The writing gets in the way constantly. If you're interested in the subject, you'll get through the book, but it won't be easy.

This concise biography is interesting as a broad overview of the life and military career of General John J. Pershing. Gene Smith, much as Walter Lord, typically does an effective job of writing "history lite." His books provide salient facts and details without overwhelming the reader with a lengthy narrative. The high points of Pershing's military career, culminating in his role as leader of the AEF during WWI, are described. Pershing was one of the few voices in 1918 that called for total victory rather than a negotiated peace. Such a total loss to Germany might have prevented WWII, one of the great "what ifs?" of history. The text spends what seems an inordinate amount of time detailing the life of Pershing's son and even his two grandsons. After the war in Europe ends, Pershing becomes a minor character in his own biography. Perhaps this is because a defining moment in Pershing's life was the asphyxiation death of his wife and daughters in a fire. The relationship with his surviving son was a top priority for Pershing. Regardless of the reason, one is left yearning for more military history blood and thunder and more saber rattling details of the career of "Black Jack" Pershing. Other than the stern professional soldier, not much insight is given of the man and his mindset. In addition, too many long, convoluted sentences impede a free flowing narrative. Nevertheless, this biography serves a useful purpose as an entry point to a serious study of its subject. ;-)

Some of the criticism of other readers is right, but this was obviously not intended to be a definitive, complete biography of this historical figure. It tells you much more than an encyclopedia article but presumably less than the two-volume biography by another author. The view is mainly of the private side of this man's life, which was necessarily dominated by its public side.