John Patten Story | |
|---|---|
.jpg) From 1928'sThe Coast Artillery School, 1824–1927 | |
| Born | (1841-08-25)August 25, 1841 Brookfield, Wisconsin, US |
| Died | March 25, 1915(1915-03-25) (aged 73) Pasadena, California, US |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1865–1905 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Unit | United States Artillery Branch |
| Commands | Battery H,4th Artillery Battery I, 4th Artillery Fort Warren,Massachusetts Harbor Defenses of Portland U.S. Army Artillery School U.S. Army Chief of Artillery |
| Battles / wars | Spanish–American War |
| Spouse(s) | Caroline Sherman (m. 1868-1915, her death) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relations | William Story (brother) |
John P. Story (August 25, 1841 – March 25, 1915) was a career officer in theUnited States Army who attained the rank ofmajor general. An 1865 graduate of theUnited States Military Academy, he served from shortly after the end of theAmerican Civil War until retiring in 1905. A specialist in the use of coastal artillery for harbor defense, he was most notable for his service as commandant of theArtillery School (1902-1904) and the Army'sChief of Artillery (1904-1905).
John Patten Story was born inBrookfield, Wisconsin[1] on August 25, 1841,[2] the oldest of five children born to John P. Story (1806-1875) and Elizabeth (Quarles) Story (1816-1904).[1] Story's family included several prominent individuals, includingJoseph Story, who was his grand-uncle andWilliam A. Barstow, who was an uncle by marriage.[1] His siblings includedWilliam Story, who served as a federal judge and aslieutenant governor of Colorado.[1] His brother Francis was a banker and businessman inCalifornia who served as president of theLos Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.[1] His sister Elizabeth was the wife ofBrigadier General Henry Albert Reed.[1] His sister Anna was the wife of Judge Albert M. Stephens, who served on theprobate court bench ofLos Angeles County, California.[3]
Story was educated in the schools ofWaukesha, Wisconsin and received aBachelor of Arts degree fromCarroll College in 1858.[4] He began tostudy law in preparation for a career as an attorney,[5] but later decided on a military career and applied for admission to theUnited States Military Academy.[6] Story was accepted, and began attendance at West Point in 1861.[6] He graduated in 1865, ranked 20th in a class of 68.[2]
Story was commissioned as asecond lieutenant in the16th Infantry on June 23, 1865, and was promoted tofirst lieutenant on the same day.[7] He served with his regiment atMadison Barracks,New York until August 1866, except for three months inAlbany, New York asaide-de-camp toJohn C. Robinson, who commanded one of the districts of the Army'sDepartment of the East.[7]
From March to August 1866, Story served on post-war occupation duty inNashville, Tennessee, first with the 16th Infantry, then with the34th Infantry.[7] He performed recruiting duty until April 1868, followed by special duty with theSignal Corps until August 1869.[7] He was assigned to the2nd Artillery Regiment in December 1870 and the4th Artillery in January 1871.[7] Story served on the West Point faculty from August 1869 to October 1874, first as assistant professor of mathematics, then as assistant professor of geography, history, and ethics, followed by service as principal assistant professor of mathematics.[7]
Story joined a battery of the 4th Artillery at thePresidio of San Francisco in October 1874, and remained until December 1875.[7] He served as quartermaster and commissary atSan Diego Barracks, California from December 1875 until February 1876, followed by return to his battery in San Francisco.[7] He attended the Artillery School atFort Monroe,Virginia from May to August 1876, after which he was again assigned to special duty with the Signal Corps.[7] The Signal Corps established theWeather Bureau in 1870, and Story made extensive studies inmeteorology as part of his duties.[7] He became adept at predicting the weather, and was recognized as one of the Army's foremost experts on how changes in weather affected military activities, including artillery fire.[7][8]
In 1887 he became a member of the MassachusettsSociety of the Cincinnati by right of his descent from Lieutenant Colonel John Story of the Continental Army.
In September 1883, Story was promoted tocaptain and in October he joined a battery of the 4th Artillery atFort Warren,Massachusetts.[7] While assigned to Fort Warren, Story's commands included Battery H, 4th Artillery and Battery I, 4th Artillery.[9] In addition, he served as acting commander of the Fort Warren post on several occasions.[10] Story remained at Fort Warren until April 1888, when he was assigned as an instructor at theArtillery School.[7] He remained on the faculty at Fort Monroe until May 1898, and he was promoted tomajor in March 1898.[7]
During theSpanish–American War, Story commanded theHarbor Defenses of Portland,Maine.[11] From May 1898 to March 1902, Story was Inspector of Artillery for theDepartment of the East, and he was promoted tolieutenant colonel in May 1901.[7] In March 1902, he was appointed commandant of the Artillery School, where he served until January 1904.[7] He was promoted tocolonel in October 1902.[7]
In January 1904, Story was assigned as the Army'sChief of Artillery.[7] He was promoted tomajor general on June 17, 1905, and he retired on June 19, 1905.[7] As a specialist in the use of coastal artillery to defend harbors, Story was a member of the Army's Board of Ordnance and Fortifications from 1901 to 1902 and 1904 to 1905.[7] He was a member of the Joint Army Navy Board from 1904 to 1905 and the National Coast Defense Board from 1905 to 1907.[7]
After retiring, Story remained on duty to inspect coast artillery fortifications in California, which includedSan Francisco,San Pedro, andFort Rosecrans.[7] In 1906 he undertook a similar inspection tour inHawaii,Guam, and thePhilippines.[7] In 1907 he served on a panel that observed the testing of new artillery atSandy Hook Proving Ground and he later served on an Army board that considered the use of theCrozier and Brown wire-wound gun.[7]
Deciding that the climate of southern California had a positive effect on his health, Story retired toPasadena, California.[7] He died at his home in Pasadena on March 25, 1915.[7] Story was buried atArlington National Cemetery.[7]
In 1868, Story married Caroline Sherman (1848-1923) ofTrenton, New Jersey.[7] They were the parents of two children, John P. Story Jr. and Caroline Sherman Story.[7]
John P. Story Jr. (1872-1966) was involved in the real estate and insurance businesses.[12] He worked and lived primarily inWashington, D.C.[12]
Caroline Story (1870-1914) was the wife ofBelgian diplomat Count Conrad De Buisseret.[13] When she died in December 1914 as the result ofdiphtheria contracted while working as a nurse near the front lines ofWorld War I, her husband was serving as Minister toRussia inPetrograd.[14][13] According to contemporary newspaper accounts, General Story's health declined rapidly after learning of his daughter's death inBelgium, and he died soon afterwards.[15]
Story was the author of 1894'sElements of Elastic Strength of Guns.[16] This technical work was used for several years as a textbook at the Artillery School.[16] The Army's Fort Story, nowJoint Expeditionary Base Fort Story, was named for Story.[17] A U.S. Armymine planting ship, USAMPGeneral John P. Story, was launched in 1919 and was named in Story's honor.[18] The ship was later rechristened USCGCAcacia, and was used by theUnited States Lighthouse Service andUnited States Coast Guard until it was sunk duringWorld War II.[18]