Peter Charles Harris

Peter Charles Harris (November 10, 1865 – March 18, 1951) was an American military officer who was Adjutant General of the United States Army from 1918 to 1922. He held the rank of Major General.

Early life and education Harris was born on November 10, 1865, in Kingston, Georgia. He attended the United States Military Academy and graduated in the class of 1888. Among his classmates there were several men who would, like Harris himself, eventually attain the rank of general officer, such as James W. McAndrew, William M. Morrow, William Robert Dashiell, Robert Lee Howze, Peyton C. March, Eli Alva Helmick, Henry Jervey, William Voorhees Judson, John Louis Hayden, Edward Anderson, William H. Hart, Charles Aloysius Hedekin and William S. Peirce.

Military career He received a commission for the 13th Infantry Regiment. He also served with the 9th Infantry, the 10th Infantry, and the Twenty-Fourth Infantry.

He participated in the Battle of San Juan Hill and the Siege of Santiago de Cuba, during the Spanish–American War.

His other awards and honors included Commander in the Legion of Honour from France and Commander in the Order of the Crown of Italy.

Personal Harris was the son of physician Dr. Charles Hooks Harris and his wife Margaret Ann (Monk) Harris. He had four brothers and five sisters. Among his brothers were U.S. Senator from Georgia William J. Harris and Alabama physician Dr. Seale Harris.

On October 6, 1894, Harris married Mary Guthrie at Fort Reno, Oklahoma Territory. They had three sons, all of whom died young: Bayard Guthrie (1895–1909), Charles Dashiell (1897–1918) and John Guthrie (1898–1899). Captain Charles D. Harris was an August 1917 West Point graduate and military engineer who was mortally wounded in action at Clairs Chênes Wood near Cunel, France in October 1918, earning the Distinguished Service Cross.

Death and legacy Harris lived in Washington, D.C. after retirement