Frank Tompkins
Frank Tompkins | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | September 28, 1868 Washington, D.C., US |
Died | December 21, 1954 Northfield, Vermont, US | (aged 86)
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | US Army |
Years of service | 1891–1923 |
Rank | Colonel |
Battles/wars | Spanish–American War Border War |
Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Purple Heart (3) |
Other work | Author |
Early life
Tompkins was born September 28, 1868, in Washington, D.C., one of three surviving sons of Brevet Brigadier General Charles Henry Tompkins, an officer in the United States Army, and Augusta Root (Hobbie) Tompkins.
Educated at private schools in
Military career
Early career
Although his father and grandfather were alumni of the Military Academy, Frank Tompkins eschewed an appointment himself and entered the Army directly from civilian life, commissioned a second lieutenant in the
Philippines
Tompkins was promoted to first lieutenant in the
Mexico
On March 9, 1916, Tompkins, now a major, commanded the 3rd Squadron of the 13th Cavalry at Columbus, New Mexico and was acting as regimental executive officer when it was attacked by revolutionary forces under Pancho Villa. Using a small force of two troops (approximately 60 men), he pursued Villa's much larger force 15 miles into Mexico, engaged its rear guard four times (the first was a mounted charge) and inflicted severe casualties reported as 75 to 100 dead without losing a man. During the Punitive Expedition that ensued, Tompkins led several provisional squadrons in "flying columns" deep into Mexico in search of Villa. Encountering hostile troops of the de facto Carranza government at the Battle of Parral, Tompkins retreated, conducting a rear guard action to avoid an all-out battle likely to result in war between the United States and Mexico. He was wounded twice during the campaign, in the knee during the Villa raid on Columbus and in the chest and shoulder from a rifle bullet at Parral. He returned to Norwich in September 1916 for his second tour as commandant while recuperating from his wounds.
In 1918 Tompkins received the Distinguished Service Medal for valor at Columbus and in Mexico. [2] The award was upgraded in 1934 to the Distinguished Service Cross, a decoration second only to the Medal of Honor. [3]
World War I
After the United States entered World War I, Tompkins became a lieutenant colonel in May 1917 and ordered to the
Later career
Tompkins returned to the United States in December 1918, stationed at Fort Myer, Virginia, until March 1919, when he again became a professor and commandant of cadets at Norwich.
Retirement and death
He was retired on July 1, 1920, with a service disability in a reorganization of the army but was immediately recalled to duty until 1923 to finish his tour at Norwich. He then retired again but remained affiliated with Norwich as a trustee until his death in 1954 at the age of eighty-six.
Family
Tompkins came from a noted military family. His father,
His great-great-uncle,
Tompkins married Alice Gertrude Barr, daughter of Colonel Thomas F. Barr (later Judge Advocate General of the United States Army), on January 4, 1893, while stationed on Governors Island. They had two sons, the first dying in infancy. Tompkins' second son, Francis Parker Tompkins, was born in 1896 at Fort Leavenworth and graduated from West Point in 1918. While a major serving in the Office of Chief of Cavalry, Francis Tompkins served in June 1940 as the cavalry branch representative on the subcommittee of the Ordnance Technical Committee responsible for drawing up the specifications for the development of the jeep,[4] and during World War II commanded Combat Command R of the 7th Armored Division from the Battle of the Bulge to the end of hostilities.[5]
Legacy
In 1934 his book, Chasing Villa, was published and is considered the most comprehensive account of the Punitive Expedition by a participant. Tompkins Hall, now a wing of the Technology Center in the Engineering, Math and Science Complex, was dedicated to him in February 1952.
Awards
- Distinguished Service Cross
- Silver Star
- Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters
- Silver Lifesaving Medal
- Spanish War Service Medal
- Philippine Campaign Medal
- Army of Cuban Pacification Medal
- Mexican Service Medal
- World War I Victory Medal
Distinguished Service Cross citation
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Frank Tompkins, Major, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action at Columbus, New Mexico, March 9, 1916. Major Tompkins requested and received authority to pursue a superior force of bandits into Mexico. Although wounded early in the pursuit, he carried on a running fight with the bandits for several miles, inflicting heavy losses upon them and stopped the pursuit only when men and horses were exhausted and ammunition was reduced to a few rounds per man. General Orders No. 8, W.D., 1934. [3]
Dates of rank
No pin insignia in 1891 | Regular Army : August 1, 1891
|
No pin insignia in 1891 | Regular Army : October 24, 1891
|
![]() |
First Lieutenant , 2nd Cavalry, Regular Army: July 13, 1898
|
![]() |
Captain , 11th Cavalry, Regular Army: February 2, 1901
|
![]() |
Captain , 10th Cavalry, Regular Army: March 14, 1913
|
![]() |
Major, 13th Cavalry, Regular Army: April 5, 1915 |
![]() |
Lieutenant Colonel , Cavalry, Regular Army: May 15, 1917
|
![]() |
National Army : August 5, 1917 Reverted to permanent rank January 18, 1920. |
![]() |
Colonel, Cavalry, Retired List: July 1, 1920 Retained on active duty until September 15, 1923. |
References
- ^ Annual Report of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1904. pg. 238.
- ^ "Indian Campaigns Recipients of the Army Distinguished Service Medal - Citations". www.homeofheroes.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ^ a b "Mexican Border Wars Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross - Citations". www.homeofheroes.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
- ^ "Chronology of the 1/4-ton Liaison Car Development" Early Jeep Documents repository, willys-overland.com. Retrieved 28 April 2015
- ^ Francis P. Tompkins 1918, Memorial Page July 10, 1971 Archived March 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, West Point Association of Graduates.org. Retrieved 28 April 2015
- ^ Official Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Army, 1931. pg. 921.