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

He remains the only military officer in United States history to have worn six stars. His career encompassed—and dramatically affected—the transformation of his country into a world superpower. Now, the first intimate biography of General of the Armies John J. Pershing provides a compelling argument for his singular resonance.

Following the success of American Gothic, historian Gene Smith confirms his reputation as one of history's premier storytellers. Until the Last Trumpet Sounds is the epic saga of a military legend. Born in Missouri on the threshold of the golden military age of Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Jackson, Pershing was five years old when Lee surrendered at Appomattox in 1865. He attended West Point, initially pursuing the appointment with no desire to even become a soldier, but to receive a top education. While not a brilliant scholar—and despite a penchant for tardiness that cost him hundreds of disciplinary demerits—he emerged as a peerless leader, elected president of his class and commander of the Corps of Cadets. As a young soldier, he taught military tactics and mathematics at the University of Nebraska—among his students was a young writer named Willa Cather—and served in the cavalry, witnessing the poignant, inevitable shift of the American West from a frontier to an uninterrupted extension of settlements.

Pershing's military career began in the West, commanding Buffalo Soldiers, participating in the Wounded Knee campaign and, later, chasing Pancho Villa in Mexico. Smith pinpoints these beginnings as the foundations for the general's later achievements, vividly illustrating Pershing's steady string of promotions and the development of his trademark discipline and stoicism. Filled with compelling anecdotes—including a fascinating account of the young Pershing's controversial promotion to general and his first assignment in Manila—Until the Last Trumpet Sounds climaxes with the rich drama of World War I, providing insight into the mechanisms and underpinnings of Pershing's triumphs as Commander of the American Expeditionary Force in France and unparalleled rank as General of the Armies.

Breathtaking military adventure and masterful biography converge in this riveting chronicle of a vital period in American history, sharply and uniquely observed through the life of one of its most important players. Until the Last Trumpet Sounds is a penetrating, fresh look at a courageous figure, from his Alsatian ancestors arriving in the New World in 1749 to his grandson killed in Vietnam. Smith brings his meticulous research and eye for telling detail to bear on Pershing's eventual triumphs, as well as on his lasting legacies. Here is indispensable reading for all military and American history devotees.

Critical acclaim for Gene Smith

''A storyteller of history, Gene Smith is one of the very best in his field.'' —The Washington Post on The Shattered Dream.

''A brilliantly written and dramatically effective work of history . . . its atmosphere of intimate authority and its strong narrative drive combine to make it intensely readable. . . . Smith is a prodigious researcher, an artful writer.'' —The New York Times on When the Cheering Stopped.

''A ripping good tale. . . . The fast-paced narrative is well spiked with dialogue. . . . The story rivets you. You can't put the book down.'' —The New York Times Book Review on American Gothic.