John Wilson Ruckman John Wilson Ruckman ( October 10 , 1858 – June 6 , 1921 ) was a general in the United States Army . Early life . Ruckman was born at Deers , Illinois , a flag - station just southeast of the University of Illinois . Biographies , however , usually list his place of birth as Sidney , Illinois ( Champaign County ) . His parents , Thomas and Mary O ' Brien Ruckman , were farmers . His uncles , John W . and Wilson Ruckman served the Union Army with distinction in the American Civil War ( Company A , Illinois 35th Infantry ) . After three semesters at the University of Illinois , Ruckman was appointed from the 14th Congressional District of Illinois for acceptance to the United States Military Academy . His nomination was made by Republican Congressman Joseph Cannon . Ruckman graduated from West Point ( 1883 ) , the U . S . Artillery School ( 1892 ) , the U . S . Army War College ( 1915 ) , and the U . S . Naval War College ( 1916 ) . He married May Hamilton , the daughter of Civil War hero Colonel John Hamilton , and was nominated Brigadier General by Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and Major General in 1917 . At the time , Major General was the highest rank in the Army . Ruckman was the only individual to command three of the six designated interior military Departments in the United States ( Northeast , Southeast and Southern ) . Career . Ruckman was assigned to Fort Hamilton , New York ( 1883 – 1890 ) and developed a friendship with Tasker Bliss . From 1881 to 1899 , he served at Fort Monroe where he and four other officers of the Artillery School founded the Journal of the United States Artillery in 1892 . He also served as the Editor of the " Journal " for four years ( July 1892 to January 1896 ) and published several articles therein afterward . One publication by West Point notes Ruckman ' s “ guidance ” and “ first - rate quality ” work were obvious as the " Journal " “ rose to high rank among the service papers of the world . ” The " Journal " was renamed the " Coast Artillery Journal " in 1922 and the " Antiaircraft Journal " in 1948 . He invented several artillery devices that were critical in World War I . After serving a brief stint at Fort Slocum , Ruckman was sent to Havana , Cuba , then made Instructor at the School of Submarine Defense ( Fort Totten , New York ) . While developing courses on chemistry and explosives , he developed a friendship with Arthur L . Wagner . In 1906 , Captain Ruckman was assigned to the Presidio of San Francisco , and given command of Fort Baker . In 1911 , his command was transferred to Fort Mills , Corregidor , where he distinguished himself by successfully withstanding a siege . In 1916 , he was assigned to organize and command the 5th Provisional Coast Artillery Regiment at Del Rio , Texas and given command of El Paso Rio Grande and the district of Laredo . Ruckman served as Commander of the Southeastern Department ( Aug 1917 ) Southern Department ( Sept 1917 ) and the Northeastern Department ( May 1918 ) . " Who ' s Who in Military History " notes that Ruckman was the inventor of many devices that were useful in World War I . Ruckman ' s life was not without controversy . Although he ranked high in his graduating class , he was held back one year at West Point for laughing during artillery drills and " in other inappropriate places . " In 1896 , he suggested that a regiment of soldiers in Cleveland , Ohio , be abolished because of its relationship to prostitutes . In his 1915 Naval War College thesis , Ruckman called for universal military service and the education of " all boys and young men " in the use of firearms . He also recommended strict guidelines for the content of history texts in schools and colleges . Ruckman served as Commander of the Southern Department in the direct aftermath of the Houston Riot ( 1917 ) and , although his decision - making was supported by Woodrow Wilson ( in a public statement ) , it was scrutinized in the congressional Military Justice Hearings of 1919 . In 1918 , he distributed a scathing circular to members of the Texas State legislature and lobbied on behalf of a bill that would ban the teaching of German in public schools . In 1920 , Ruckman engaged in a very public dispute with Charles W . Eliot of Harvard regarding the quality of military education in the United States . In 1921 , Ruckman suggested in a public speech that immigrants be required to serve for a period of time in the military in order to enhance the " Americanization " process . He also made national headlines that year by refusing to allow soldiers under his command to march in Boston ' s St . Patrick ' s Day parade ( a decision supported by the Secretary of War ) . Death . General Ruckman died in 1921 and was buried at West Point . Pallbearers included two major generals , a retired brigadier general and five colonels . The U . S . Military Academy Band and a Detachment of Field Music furnished music and a detachment of field artillery fired eleven minute guns as the cortege left the chapel . A salute of eleven guns also followed three volleys of musketry over the grave . After his death , Congress awarded Ruckman the Army Distinguished Service Medal with the following citation : " Brigadier General John W . Ruckman , United States Army deceased . For exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous services as Department Commander , Southern Department , between August 30 , 1917 , and May 9 , 1918 , and Department Commander , Northeastern Department , between May 23 , 1918 , and July 20 , 1918 . He handled many difficult problems arising in these departments with rare judgment , tact and great skill . " The military reservation at Nahant , Massachusetts , was renamed " Fort Ruckman . " Today , streets are also named in Ruckman ' s honor at the Presidio of San Francisco and in Fort Monroe , Virginia . A granite column also bears his name at the University of Illinois ' Memorial Stadium . Ruckman ' s only son , John Hamilton Ruckman , was a graduate of M . I . T . and the University of California , a veteran of World Wars I and II and a chief engineer on the Manhattan Project . John Wilson Ruckman is also the grandfather of Peter Sturges Ruckman an independent Baptist minister and founder of the Pensacola Bible Institute , and the great grandfather of P . S . Ruckman Jr . , a professor of political science .