Samuel Rockenbach

Samuel Dickerson Rockenbach
Samuel Dickerson Rockenbach
	Rockenbach circa 1918
Born	January 27, 1869; Lynchburg, Virginia
Died	May 16, 1952 (aged 83); Washington, D.C.
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1891-1933
Rank	Brigadier General
Service number	0-397
Unit	U.S. Army Cavalry Branch
Commands held	Base Section Number 1, Saint-Nazaire, France; Tank Corps, First United States Army; U.S. Army Tank Corps; U.S. Army Tank School; Military District of Washington; 2nd Cavalry Brigade; 2nd Field Artillery Brigade
Battles/wars	American Indian Wars; Pancho Villa Expedition; Spanish-American War; World War I
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal
Spouse(s)	Emma Baldwin (m. 1898-1945, her death)
Relations	Theodore Anderson Baldwin (father-in-law)
Other work	Commandant, Kemper Military School

Samuel Dickerson Rockenbach (27 January 1869 – 16 May 1952) was an American Brigadier General and father of the United States Tank Corps.

Biography

Rockenbach was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on January 27, 1869, the son of Frank J. Rockenbach and Jane Nicolson Rockenbach.[1] He attended the Virginia Military Institute, where he graduated third in the class of 1889 and was designated a distinguished graduate.[2][3]

In 1898, Rockenbach married Emma Baldwin, who was the daughter of Theodore Anderson Baldwin.[2]

Rockenbach was the commander of Kemper Military School and also served in the Missouri Militia.[2] He received a commission in the United States Cavalry in 1891.[4] He served repeatedly with John J. Pershing, including serving as quartermaster during the Pancho Villa Expedition.[4] In 1912, Rockenbach graduated from the United States Army War College.[5]

During World War I

In December 1917, he was appointed by Pershing to command the AEF's Tank Corps.[6]

In 1918, Rockenbach organized, trained, equipped, and deployed the first American tank units to the European Western Front during World War I.[7]

After World War I

He remained chief of the Tanks Corps until 1920. He directed the tank school at Fort Meade, Maryland until 1924.[8]

From 1928 to his retirement in 1933, he commanded the Second Artillery Brigade at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.[2]

Rockenbach died on May 16, 1952.[2]

Awards

Rockenbach received the Army Distinguished Service Medal.[9] In addition, he was a recipient of the French Croix de Guerre and Officer of the Legion of Honor awards, and the Commander of the Order of the Bath from Great Britain.[1]

Legacy

His papers are held by the Virginia Military Institute.[10]

gollark: And the evidence for stuff which might back up afterlives, i.e... a god existing which behaves as the religions specifying afterlives say, I guess... is also weak.

gollark: The claims of afterlives and stuff are very big, and yet basically unverifiable directly.

gollark: Maybe consider why. Outside view or whatever it's called.

gollark: ...

gollark: And those beliefs aren't verifiable.

References

Davis, Arthur Kyle, ed. (1923). Virginians of Distinguished Service of the World War. Richmond, VA: Virginia War History Commission. p. 140 – via Google Books.
Davis Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. pp. 313–314. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
"Virginia Military Institute: The Class". Staunton Spectator. Staunton, VA. July 10, 1889. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
Hacker, Barton C.; Vining, Margaret (2006). American Military Technology: The Life Story of a Technology. Greenwood Press. p. 66. ISBN 0313333084. OCLC 62342068.
U.S. Army Adjutant General (1912). Official Army Register. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 164 – via Google Books.
Pershing, John J. (2013). My Life Before the World War, 1860-1917: A Memoir. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 317. ISBN 9780813141978.
Samuel D. Rockenbach, "The Rockenbach Report: Operations of the Tank Corps A.E.F." (Silver Spring, MD: Dale Street Books, 2016), pp. 9-21.
Hacker, Barton C.; Vining, Margaret (2006). American Military Technology: The Life Story of a Technology. Greenwood Press. p. 67. ISBN 0313333084. OCLC 62342068.
"Valor awards for Samuel D. Rockenbach".
"VMI Archives Catalog - Samuel D. Rockenbach Papers".

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[Commission-1] Davis, Arthur Kyle, ed. (1923). Virginians of Distinguished Service of the World War. Richmond, VA: Virginia War History Commission. p. 140 – via Google Books.

[khaki313-2] Davis Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. pp. 313–314. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.

[3] "Virginia Military Institute: The Class". Staunton Spectator. Staunton, VA. July 10, 1889. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.

[Greenwood_Press-4] Hacker, Barton C.; Vining, Margaret (2006). American Military Technology: The Life Story of a Technology. Greenwood Press. p. 66. ISBN 0313333084. OCLC 62342068.

[5] U.S. Army Adjutant General (1912). Official Army Register. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 164 – via Google Books.

[Pershing-6] Pershing, John J. (2013). My Life Before the World War, 1860-1917: A Memoir. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 317. ISBN 9780813141978.

[7] Samuel D. Rockenbach, "The Rockenbach Report: Operations of the Tank Corps A.E.F." (Silver Spring, MD: Dale Street Books, 2016), pp. 9-21.

[8] Hacker, Barton C.; Vining, Margaret (2006). American Military Technology: The Life Story of a Technology. Greenwood Press. p. 67. ISBN 0313333084. OCLC 62342068.

[9] "Valor awards for Samuel D. Rockenbach".

[10] "VMI Archives Catalog - Samuel D. Rockenbach Papers".