| Name |
Bell, James Franklin |
| Prefix |
Maj. Gen. |
| Nickname |
Frank |
| Birth |
9 Jan 1856 |
Shelbyville, Shelby, Kentucky, United States  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Military |
Between 1878 and 1919 |
| with the U. S. Army, Spanish-American War and World War I |
- The websiteof Arlington National Cemetery (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jfbell.htm) contains the following biography and service record:
"Born near Shelbyville, Kentucky, on January 9, 1856, he graduated from West Point in 1878 and was commissioned in the Cavalry. His first post was with the 7th Cavalry at Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory. His frontier duty was broken by assignment as an instructor of Military Science and Tactics at Southern Illinois Normal University, 1886-1889.
He was absent on leave from the regiment at the time of the Wounded Knee Massacre in December 1890. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in the latter year and took part in a campaign around Pine Ridge, South Dakota, in 1891 and later that year joined the staff of the Cavalry and Light Artillery School, Fort Riley, Kansas.
He was detailed to the staff of General James W. Forsyth in 1894 in the Department of California; to the Department of the Columbia as Judge Advocate in 1898. A few months later he was appointed Major of United States Volunteers and ordered to the Philippines in connection with the Insurrection there, and he served with General Wesley Merritt's VIII Corps.
He was promoted to regular Captain in March 1899 and served with great distinction, part of the time as Chief of Scouts under General Arthur MacArthur. In July he was appointed Colonel of the 36th Volunteer Infantry and on September 9, 1899 earned the Medal of Honor as the result of charge of a Filipino patrol. In December 1899, he was appointed Brigadier General of Volunteers, and subsequently commanded various districts on Luzon and served for a time as Provost Marshal for Manila.
He was promoted to Brigadier General, United States Army, in February 1901 and in July 1903 returned to the United States to take command of the General Service and Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
From April 1906 to April 1910 he served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army, with rank of Major General from June 1907. From 1911 to 1914 he commanded the Philippine Department and his subsequent commands were: 2nd Division at Texas City, Texas, 1914-15; the Western Department, 1915-17; the last command being interrupted by a training assignment with the newly formed 77th Division in 1917 and by an observation mission to France in 1917-18 during World War I. "
|
| Graduation |
1878 |
West Point, Orange, New York, United States |
Address:
United States Military Academy |
| Misc |
9 Sep 1899 |
Philippines |
| earned the Medal of Honor as the result of charge of a Filipino patrol |
- The Medal of Honor Citation states: "While in advance of his regiment charged 7 insurgents with his pistol and compelled the surrender of the captain and 2 privates under a close fire from the remaining insurgents concealed in a bamboo thicket."
|
| Misc |
9 Sep 1899 |
Philippines |
| earned the Medal of Honor as the result of charge of a Filipino patrol |
- The Medal of Honor Citation states: "While in advance of his regiment charged 7 insurgents with his pistol and compelled the surrender of the captain and 2 privates under a close fire from the remaining insurgents concealed in a bamboo thicket."
|
| Misc |
Apr 1906–APR 1910 |
Washington, District of Columbia, United States |
| served as the U.S. Army Chief of Staff |
| Death |
8 Jan 1919 |
New York City, New York, New York, United States |
| Burial |
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington, Virginia, United States |
- He is buried in Section 3, Grave #1735-A.
|
| Person ID |
I30947 |
Pioneers of the Appalachian Highlands |
| Last Modified |
26 Oct 2021 |
| Father |
Bell, John Wilson, b. 8 May 1829, Franklin, Kentucky, United States d. 3 Jan 1904, Shelbyville, Shelby, Kentucky, United States (Age 74 years) |
| Mother |
Allen, Sarah Margaret, b. 21 Nov 1834, Shelby, Kentucky, United States d. 11 May 1864, Shelbyville, Shelby, Kentucky, United States (Age 29 years) |
| Marriage |
17 Oct 1853 |
Shelby, Kentucky, United States |
| Family ID |
F12729 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
1856 - 1919 (62 years)
