Henry Pinckney McCain

Henry Pinckney McCain (January 23, 1861 – July 25, 1941) was an officer in the United States Army who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1914 to 1918.

Henry Pinckney McCain
Henry P. McCain
Born	January 23, 1861 Carroll County, Republic of Mississippi
Died	July 25, 1941 (aged 80) Washington, D.C., United States
Place of Burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1885–1921
Rank	Major General
Commands held	Adjutant General of the U.S. Army
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War Battle of Manila World War I
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal
Relations	John S. McCain, Sr. (nephew)

Early life

McCain was born in Carroll County, Mississippi, and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1885. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 3rd Infantry at Fort Shaw, Montana.[1]

Military career

From March 1889 to August 1891, he was Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Louisiana State University.[1] He was promoted to first lieutenant in the 21st Infantry in February 1892, and transferred to the 14th Infantry in March, serving in the Department of the Columbia.[2][3]

He was stationed in Alaska when the Spanish–American War broke out in April 1898. McCain sailed with his regiment to the Philippines in May, and was present for the Battle of Manila. He served as the acting assistant adjutant general for U.S. forces in the Philippines, but had to return to the United States in September due to illness. He held various staff positions in the Department of the Columbia and was promoted to captain in March 1899.[3][1]

In November 1900, McCain was promoted to major and transferred to the Adjutant General's Office in Washington, D.C.. He was promoted again to lieutenant colonel in January 1901. In August 1903, he was assigned as chief of staff for the Department of Mindanao in the Philippines. In March 1904 he returned to the United States as chief of staff for the Southwestern Division. And in April 1904 he was promoted to colonel and returned to the Adjutant General's Office in Washington, where he served until the autumn of 1912.[4][1]

Following a stint as adjutant general of the Philippines Division from 1912 to 1914, McCain was promoted to brigadier general and elevated to Adjutant General of the U.S. Army. In October 1917, following the United States' entry into World War I, he was promoted to major general. In August 1918 he was given command of the 12th Division at Camp Devens, Massachusetts. The division was demobilized in January 1919 without having gone overseas. McCain continued to command Camp Devens to July 1920.[5]

In June 1920, McCain reverted to the rank of colonel and served as adjutant of the 6th Corps area until his retirement in July 1921. He served as governor of the United States Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C. from May 1927 to April 1936. He died in Washington on July 25, 1941 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[6][7][8][1]

Awards and honors

He received the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his services in administering the Adjutant General's Department during World War I.[9]

He also received the following service medals -

• Spanish Campaign Medal
• Philippine Campaign Medal
• World War I Victory Medal

Legacy

Camp McCain, an Army mobilization site near Grenada, Mississippi, was established in 1942[10] and named for General McCain.[11] It was later used as a Mississippi Army National Guard training facility.[12][13]

Personal life

He married Emiline DeMoss on November 14, 1888.[14]

See also

• List of Adjutant Generals of the U.S. Army
• List of major generals in the United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920
• McCain family heritage

References

1. Davis Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 249. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
2. Cullum, George W. (1891). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, Volume III. New York City: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. p. 388.
3. Cullum, George W. (1901). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, Volume IV. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Riverside Press. p. 405.
4. Cullum, George W. (1910). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, Volume V. Saginaw, Michigan: Seeman & Peters. pp. 372–373.
5. Cullum, George W. (1920). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, Volume VI. Saginaw, Michigan: Seeman & Peters. p. 400.
6. Cullum, George W. (1930). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, Volume VII. Chicago: R. R. Donnelley & Sons. p. 224.
7. Cullum, George W. (1940). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, Volume VIII. Chicago: R. R. Donnelley & Sons. p. 69.
8. Cullum, George W. (1950). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, Volume IX. p. 48.
9. "Valor awards for Henry Pinckney McCain".
10. Hellmann, Paul T. (2005). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. New York, NY: Routledge. p. 594. ISBN 978-0-415-93948-5.
11. Robinson, Tom (2010). John McCain: POW & Statesman. North Mankato, MN: ABDO Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-60453-963-9.
12. Historical Gazetteer of the United States.
13. "Camp McCain may get $6 million in funding for improvements". Grenada Star. Grenada, MS. October 24, 2001.
14. Davis Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 249. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.

Further reading

• Robinson, William J. (1920). Forging the Sword: The Story of Camp Devens, New England's Army Cantonment. Concord, New Hampshire: Rumford Press. Retrieved 2009-05-06.

External links

• Henry Pinckney McCain at Find a Grave