Joseph T . Dickman Joseph Theodore Dickman ( October 6 , 1857 – October 23 , 1927 ) was born in Dayton , Ohio . He attended the University of Dayton and graduated in the class of 1871 . In 1881 he graduated from the U . S . Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned in the 3rd Cavalry . Military career . Apache Wars and Border Duty 1883 - 1898 . Dickman graduated from the US Army Cavalry School in 1883 and proceeded directly to the Indian territory , where he participated in the Apache War from 1885 – 1886 , to include the Geronimo Campaign . He next participated in the Mexican border patrol operations against Garza revolutionists and the bandits , Benavides and Gonzales . His early experience sent him to Fort Riley , where he was an Instructor at the Cavalry and Light Artillery School from 1893 - 1894 . He deployed to the Chicago railroad strike in 1894 . Later that year , he was assigned to Fort Ethan Allen , Vermont . Spanish - American War , 1898 - 1900 . Dickman ' s deployment during the Spanish - American War was notable . He participated in the battle of San Juan Hill - El Caney , Santiago de Cuba . He served on the staff of General Joseph Wheeler during the Philippine – American War from 1899 – 1902 and at the Battles on the Island of Panay from 1899 - 1900 . Boxer Rebellion , 1900 . During the Boxer Rebellion , Dickman was Chief of Staff to General Adna R . Chaffee for the Peking Relief Expedition and fought in the battle at Pa - ta - Chao , Peking on September 26 , 1900 . 1902 - 1917 . Dickman was on the Army General Staff from 1902 - 1905 . He was an instructor at the Army War College from 1905 - 1912 . Dickman was the US Army Inspector General from 1912 – 1915 , taking over 2nd US Cavalry in 1915 . He was given command of the 85th Infantry Division , Camp Custer , Michigan , in August 1917 . World War I 1917 - 1918 . Commanding General , 3rd Infantry Division . Dickman was given command of the 3rd Infantry Division in November 1917 , at the onset of World War I . He deployed 3rd Division to France aboard the Leviathan at noon , on March 4 , 1918 . He was the 3rd Division Commander at Chateau - Thierry in May 1918 and was made famous at the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918 . While allied forces on both flanks retreated , the 3rd Division stood fast in the face of fantastic enemy offensives , which led to their moniker , " The Rock of the Marne . " Commanding General , IV Corps . Dickman commanded IV Corps from August to September 1918 , to include the Saint - Mihiel Offensive in September 1918 . Commanding General , I Corps . Dickman commanded I Corps from October to November 1918 , to include the Meuse - Argonne Offensive . Commanding General , Third Army , November 1918 - April 1919 . Third Army was established under the command of Dickman by General John J . Pershing in France to advance to the Rhein and hold the Coblenz bridgehead , then prepare to serve after the war as the Army of Occupation of the Rhineland . The Third Army would have become the Army of Occupation whether or not the enemy signed the peace agreement . American fighting units not sent home were consolidated under Third Army and prepared to attack if Germany did not accept the terms of peace . The United States itself was not to sign the agreement but remained technically at war with Germany for two more years . 1919 - 1927 . Dickman returned from World War I to serve as President of the Tactics and Organization Board , which reported on lessons learned during the war from April – July 1919 . Dickman served as Commanding General of the VIII Corps Area from 1919 - 21 He retired on October 6 , 1921 . He was later recalled to preside over postwar - Army downsizing board in 1922 . His memoirs were published in 1927 . He died in Washington , D . C . , on October 23 , 1927 . Awards and decorations . The honorary degree of LL . D . was conferred on him by the University of Vermont . Historical footnotes . USS Joseph T . Dickman . The and the , along with the , were the largest attack transports in the Amphibian Force during World War II . They each carried 35 landing boats and 2 tank lighters , along with 51 officers and a crew of 634 . These newly commissioned U . S . Navy vessels were operated by the US Coast Guard . The USS " Joseph T . Dickman " carried soldiers of the 4th Infantry to the beaches of Normandy during Operation Overlord on D - Day . The Dickman Rifles . The famous National Society of Pershing Rifles had its origin in 1894 , when future General John J . " Black Jack " Pershing , then a Second Lieutenant in charge of military instruction at the University of Nebraska , started a " Varsity Rifles " drill team . A year later the unit was recognized as a fraternity and took on the formal name of " Pershing Rifles . " Similarly , the Dickman Rifles was an honorary military society formed at the University of Dayton to honor Maj . Gen . Joseph T . Dickman , Class of 1871 . In May 1931 the Dickman Rifles were invited to a Pershing Rifles drill competition . This exposure to the National Society of Pershing Rifles led to a petition from the members to join the National Society . Notes . La Solidaridad , Panama