William M . Wright William Mason Wright was a Lieutenant General in the United States Army . Born in Newark , New Jersey on September 24 , 1863 , he was the son of Army Colonel Edward H . Wright ( 1824 – 1913 ) , a career officer whose service included assignments as Aide - de - Camp to Generals Winfield Scott and George B . McClellan . William M . Wright was the grandson of Michigan Governor Stevens Thomson Mason and the great - grandson of U . S . Senator William Wright of New Jersey . He attended Yale University and was a member of the Delta Psi fraternity before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1882 , where his roommate was John J . Pershing . Wright failed his end of year exams and left West Point before graduating in 1883 . He then joined the New Jersey National Guard , receiving a Captain ' s commission , and serving as Aide - de - Camp to the commander of the 1st Brigade . In January , 1885 he was nominated for appointment as a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd Infantry Regiment . One of the final acts of outgoing President Chester A . Arthur , Wright ' s controversial commission received nationwide publicity and was opposed by U . S . Secretary of War Robert T . Lincoln on the grounds that someone who had not passed the program of instruction at West Point should not receive the same reward as those who had . His commission was narrowly confirmed by the U . S . Senate , 29 votes to 22 . Wright served in Cuba during the Spanish - American War as Assistant Adjutant General of U . S . Volunteers , taking part in the Battle of El Caney and the other actions leading to the surrender of Santiago . Between the Spanish - American War and World War I Wright served in infantry assignments throughout the United States , including Fort Omaha , Nebraska , on the General Staff in Washington , D . C . , and as the Adjutant General of the U . S . Army , advancing through the ranks to Major General . He served in France throughout World War I , successively commanding the 35th Division , the III , V and VII Corps ( under the French Eighth Army in the Vosges Mountains ) , the 89th Division ( in the Battle of Saint - Mihiel ) , and I Corps , for which he received the Distinguished Service Medal . He also commanded forces in the final operations on the Meuse River ( Meuse - Argonne Offensive ) . On November 11 , 1918 , Armistice Day , he led a controversial attack against Stenay , which would be handed over to him within hours . There were 365 casualties . His rationale for the attack was that he wished to take the bathing facilities within the town , so his dirty troops could refresh themselves . When it became clear that Wright ordered the assault with full knowledge that the Armistice would go into action within hours , Allied soldiers and civilians became outraged . He was never punished or reprimanded . During World War I Wright kept a diary , which was published as " Meuse - Argonne Diary : A Division Commander in World War I " . Following the war , General Wright served as Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and acting Army Chief of Staff , and then commanded IX Corps . From 1922 until his 1923 retirement he commanded the Department of the Philippines . In retirement he resided in Washington , D . C . In 1942 , the U . S . Congress passed legislation allowing retired Army generals to be advanced one rank on the retired list or posthumously if they had been recommended in writing during World War I for promotion to a higher rank which they did not receive , or if they had received the Medal of Honor , the Distinguished Service Cross or the Distinguished Service Medal , and Wright was promoted to Lieutenant General . General Wright died at Washington , D . C . ' s Walter Reed Army Hospital on August 16 , 1943 , and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery . He was the father of Admiral and U . S . Ambassador to the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) Jerauld Wright ( 1898 – 1995 ) and Colonel William Mason Wright , Jr . ( 1893 – 1977 ) , who served in France during World War I , in the China - Burma - India Theater during World War II , and commanded the Armed Forces Education and Information Service and the Armed Forces Radio Service during and after World War II . Citation for Distinguished Service Medal : " For exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services . He commanded in turn the Thirty - fifth Division ; the Third , Fifth , and Seventh Army Corps , under the Eighth French Army in the Vosges Mountains , and later commanded the Eighty - ninth Division in the St . Mihiel offensive and in the final operations on the Meuse River , where he proved himself to be an energetic and aggressive leader . " General Order 12 ( January 17 , 1919 )