Major General John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing

This picture of General Pershing was taken some time between 25 September 1916, when he was promoted to Major General, and May 1917 when he sailed to Europe in command of the 2,500,000 man American Expeditionary Force. You can see his two stars on the saddle blanket on his horse. President Theodore Roosevelt had promoted him from Captain to Brigadier General on 15 September 1906 passing over 862 majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels. His appointment to command of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe again passed over many of his contempories, he was the junior Major General in the US Army.