General of the Armies Congress authorized the appointment of three-star lieutenant generals and four-star generals to be granted temporarily for service in the National Army. Tasker H. Bliss and John J. Pershing were promoted to general in October 1917, and Peyton C. March was promoted to that rank in May 1918. Hunter Liggett and Robert Lee Bullard were both promoted to lieutenant general on October 16, 1918. In 1919, by Congressional directive, the rank of General of the Armies was formally established and John J. Pershing became the first person to hold the rank. After the close of the First World War, the highest
John J. Pershing General of the Armies the Western Front, his leadership in First United States Army, the signing of the Armistice with Germany, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and an inscription reading (H. 10 ft. W. 3 ft. L. 49 ft.): Authorized by Congress on April 2, 1956, the American Battle Monuments Commission paid the $400,000 for the statue and walls. This sculpture was surveyed in 1994 for its condition and was described as "well maintained." John J. Pershing General of the Armies John J. Pershing General of the Armies, is a public artwork by American artist Robert White, located at Pershing Park in Washington, D.C., United States.