Andre W. Brewster

Andre Walker Brewster was born on December 9, 1862, in Hoboken, New Jersey.[1] His mother was Mary Bache Walker (1839-1876), great-great-great granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, daughter of Robert J. Walker, and sister of Duncan Stephen Walker.[2] His father was Adrien Deslondes (also spelled Deslonde or Deslandes, etc.), a midshipman in the United States Navy whose family owned sugar plantations in Louisiana.[2]

Adrien Deslondes and Mary Walker divorced in the mid 1860s.[2] In 1870, Mary Walker married Benjamin H. Brewster, who adopted Andre Walker Deslondes and his siblings.[2] Andre Brewster was raised and educated in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. He was trained as an attorney and practiced for three years before joining the Army.[3][lower-alpha 1]

In January 1885, Brewster received a direct commission as a second lieutenant in the 10th Infantry Regiment, a post which had also been sought by David L. Brainard.[1][4][lower-alpha 2] He served on frontier duty, including campaigns against the Apache and Sioux during the American Indian Wars.[1]

During the Spanish–American War, Brewster commanded Company B, 9th Infantry.[1][5] He took part in the Siege of Santiago and the Battle of San Juan Hill.[1] He was recommended for brevet promotion to captain for his conduct at San Juan Hill.[1] Following his service in Cuba, Brewster continued to command Company B during the Philippine Insurrection.[1]

For his actions during the Boxer Rebellion on July 13, 1900, in Tientsin, China, Brewster was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor citation

Andre W. Brewster

Rank and organization: Captain, 9th U.S. Infantry

Place and date: At Tientsin, China, July 13, 1900.

Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa.

Born: December 9, 1862 Hoboken, N.J.

Date of issue: September 15, 1903.

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Captain (Infantry) Andre Walker Brewster, United States Army, for gallantry in action on 13 July 1900, while serving with the 9th Infantry at Tientsin, China. While under fire Captain Brewster rescued two of his men from drowning.[6]

Brewster remained in China for five years as the U.S. military attaché.[1] He then attended the Army War College, from which he graduated in 1907.[5] In early 1909, he was appointed acting inspector general of the Army.[1] The appointment was confirmed in December, and he held the post until 1913.[1]

In 1914, Brewster was assigned to Puerto Rico as commander of the 65th Infantry Regiment.[1] He then returned to the inspector general's post, where he remained until 1917.[1]

Secretary of War Newton D. Baker (right), Major General James W. McAndrew (left) and Major General Andre W. Brewster (center) with a group of German prisoners who have just arrived from the front, September 26, 1918.

During World War I, from June 1917 to September 1919, he served in France as Inspector General of General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF).[5] AEF commander John J. Pershing valued Brewster's judgment, especially with respect to evaluating the performance of brigade and division commanders.[7] When Brewster assessed the combat performance of Robert Houston Noble, commander of the 158th Infantry Brigade, as ineffective, Pershing relieved Noble.[7] Brewster's negative assessment of Omar Bundy's performance as commander of the 2nd Division was a key factor in his removal from command and transfer to command of the skeletal U.S. VI Corps.[8] His positive appraisal of Robert Lee Bullard's performance was a major factor in Pershing's decision to recommend Bullard for promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as commander of Second United States Army.[8]^: 66 Pershing had a less than favorable view of Clarence Ransom Edwards, commander of the 26th Division, and Brewster's lengthy assessment of Edwards as a subpar performer played a role in Pershing's decision to relieve Edwards.[8]^: 66

General of the Armies John J. Pershing and members of his staff standing outside the State, War, and Navy Building in Washington, D.C., September 23, 1919. Stood to Pershing's left is Major General Andre W. Brewster.

From 1921 to 1922, Brewster commanded the Second Coast Artillery District, headquartered at Fort Totten, New York.[10][lower-alpha 3] Brewster's final command was the First Corps Area in Boston, Massachusetts, where he succeeded Clarence Ransom Edwards.[11] He retired in 1925 with the rank of major general.[5]

Brewster died in Boston on March 27, 1942.[12] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[13][12][14]

In 1885, Brewster married Elizabeth Griffin (1862–1948).[1] They were the parents of a daughter, Mary Walker Brewster (1887–1979), the wife of James Donald Cassels.[15]

In World War II, the United States Navy transport ship General A. W. Brewster was named in Brewster's honor. The ship was also active in the Korean War, earning five battle stars for her service in that conflict.[16]

Brewster's awards included:[1]

• Second Lieutenant – 19 January 1885
• First Lieutenant – 17 December 1891
• Captain, Assistant Quartermaster, Volunteers – 15 October 1898
• Captain – 2 March 1899
• Discharged from Volunteers – 12 May 1899
• Major – 15 March 1908
• Lieutenant Colonel – 2 December 1913
• Colonel – 1 July 1916
• Brigadier General, National Army – 5 August 1917
• Major General, National Army – 28 November 1917
• Brigadier General, Regular Army – 8 January 1920
• Discharged from National Army – 28 February 1920
• Major General, Regular Army – 1 December 1922
• Major General, Retired List – 9 December 1925

• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Boxer Rebellion

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andre W. Brewster.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

• This article includes text in the public domain from the U.S. Government.
• "Andre W. Brewster, Medal of Honor recipient". China Relief Expedition (Boxer Rebellion). United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
• "Burial Record, Andrew W. Brewster". Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington, VA: Office of Army Cemeteries. Retrieved August 27, 2021.