Julius A. Penn | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Brigadier General Julius Penn, from the 1935 report of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy. | |
| Nickname(s) | Pennie |
| Born | February 19, 1865 Mattoon, Illinois |
| Died | May 13, 1934 (aged 69) Batavia, Ohio |
| Place of burial | Batavia Union Cemetery, Batavia, Ohio |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1886–1924 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Service number | 0-184 |
| Unit | United States Army Infantry Branch |
| Commands |
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| Battles/wars | American Indian Wars Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Pancho Villa Expedition World War I |
| Awards | Silver Star |
| Relations | Thomas Q. Ashburn (Cousin) Percy Moreau Ashburn (Cousin) |
Julius A. Penn (February 19, 1865 - May 13, 1934) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of brigadier general during World War I, and commanded 170th Infantry Brigade, 85th Division and 76th Infantry Brigade, 38th Division, in addition to serving as Chief of the Personnel Bureau for the American Expeditionary Forces.
The son of a Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, Penn was born in Mattoon, Illinois, and raised in Batavia, Ohio. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1886, and was a classmate and close friend of John J. Pershing. After graduation, he served in the Western United States as a member of the 13th and 2nd Infantry Regiments, and he was an 1891 graduate of the Infantry and Cavalry School, the predecessor of the Command and General Staff College. During the Spanish–American War, Penn served as a quartermaster officer at Camp George H. Thomas, Georgia and the Tampa mobilization point before contracting typhoid. After recovering, he was assigned to the Philippines, where he commanded 2nd Battalion, 34th Infantry. Penn's post-war assignments included service with the 7th Infantry in the Philippines, aide to General Henry Clark Corbin, and commander of provisional battalions in the 7th and 12th Infantry Regiments. He was a 1907 graduate of the Army War College, and during the Pancho Villa Expedition, Penn commanded the 3rd Infantry Regiment in Texas.
Penn was promoted to brigadier general at the start of World War I, and he served successively as commander of 170th Infantry Brigade, 85th Division, Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces Personnel Bureau, and commander of 76th Infantry Brigade, 38th Division. He served on the staff of the Adjutant General of the Army following the war, then commanded the US Disciplinary Barracks at Governors Island, New York until retiring in 1924. In 1934, Penn was decorated with the Silver Star for heroism while assigned to the 34th Infantry in the Philippines.
A lifelong bachelor, in retirement, Penn resided with his sister in Batavia. He died in Batavia on May 13, 1934, and was buried at Batavia Union Cemetery.