Peyton C. March
| Peyton Conway March | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chief of Staff of the United States Army | |
|
In office 1918–1921 |
|
| Appointed by | Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | Tasker Howard Bliss |
| Succeeded by | John J. Pershing |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 27, 1864 Easton, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 13, 1955 (aged 90) Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C |
| Alma mater | Lafayette College |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Honor (France) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1888–1921 |
| Rank |
 General
|
| Commands | Astor Battery 19th Field Artillery Battery 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery 8th Field Artillery Regiment 1st Field Artillery Brigade, 1st Division First United States Army Artillery Chief of Staff of the United States Army |
| Battles/wars |
Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Pancho Villa Expedition World War I Russian Civil War |
Peyton Conway March (December 27, 1864 – April 13, 1955) was an American soldier and Army Chief of Staff. He is largely responsible for the designing the powerful role of the Chief of Staff in the 20th century.
He was born December 27, 1864 in Easton, Pennsylvania to Francis Andrew March, His father was the principal founder of modern comparative linguistics in Anglo-Saxon. His mother descended from Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and was Moncure D. Conway's sister.
Peyton March attended Lafayette College, where his father occupied the first chair of English language and comparative philology in the United States. While at Lafayette College, March was a member of the Rho Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon. After graduating with honors in 1884, he was appointed to West Point and graduated in 1888, ranked 10th in a class of 44.
After his initial assignment to the 3rd Artillery, March was assigned to the 5th Artillery as a 1st lieutenant in 1894. He was sent to the Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia in September 1896 and graduated in April 1898, at the outbreak of the Spanish–American War. As he was not immediately assigned, he watched as his classmates went off to various commands, and began fearing he would not see combat. In early May, that changed when he was offered to lead what later became known as the Astor Battery, named so because it was personally financed by John Jacob Astor IV. He organized, equipped and subsequently commanded the battery when it was sent to the Philippines during the Spanish–American War. Historian Bruce Campbell Adamson has written about Henry Bidwell Ely (Adamson's great grandfather) who was placed in charge of The Astor Battery by John Jacob Astor IV, to give Peyton March whatever he needed. March credited Ely as having "an open check book" to purchase uniforms, mules and the cannons.
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