William Josiah Snow (December 16, 1868 – February 27, 1947) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and served as the Chief of Field Artillery for seven years in the 1920s.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, who grew up in New Jersey, Snow graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1890 and commenced a long career in the Army's field artillery branch. After serving in New York early in his career, he graduated from the artillery school at Fort Monroe and took part in the Spanish–American War by performing coast artillery duty in Louisiana. He then served in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War before returning to the United States to command a battery at Fort Riley. He spent several years on duty at the Militia Bureau, and commanded a battalion at Fort Myer. He commanded the 1st Field Artillery Regiment in the period immediately preceding World War I.
During World War I, Snow commanded the 4th Field Artillery Regiment, the Field Artillery School, and the 156th Field Artillery Brigade. In 1918 he was assigned to serve as the first Chief of Field Artillery as a major general, and held this position until retiring in 1927. Snow died in Washington, D.C., in 1947, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Snow was promoted to captain in 1901 and assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas, as commander of the 20th Field Battery (Horse), which was later re-designated as Battery E, 6th Field Artillery Regiment.[1] He attended the Army War College from 1907 to 1908, after which he returned to the 6th Field Artillery to serve as regimental adjutant.[1] In 1910, Snow played the lead role in organizing the United States Field Artillery Association; he became its first secretary and the first editor of the Field Artillery Journal.[1]
In 1910, Snow was assigned to the Militia Bureau as senior inspector and instructor of National Guard artillery units.[1] He was commended for his work to standardize unit organizations and training activities, efforts which were credited with enabling National Guard artillery organizations to perform capably during World War I.[1] Snow was promoted to major in 1911, and from 1911 to 1914 he commanded 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery at Fort Myer, Virginia.[3]
Snow was assigned to command the 156th Field Artillery Brigade at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, in September 1917.[3] In February 1918, Snow was selected to serve as the first chief of field artillery, an unofficial position created to oversee the field artillery branch's wartime mobilization and training, and he was promoted to major general in June.[3] In this role, he created a system of training centers and replacement depots, which enabled the artillery branch to meet the wartime demand for qualified artillerymen.[3]
Post-World War I
From 1920's F.A.C.O.T.S.: The Story of the Field Artillery Central Officers Training School, Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky
After the war, Snow continued to serve as the chief of field artillery, and the position was codified by law in 1920.[1] He served until retiring in 1927, and oversaw the artillery branch's postwar reorganization, including the beginning of testing and experimentation to determine how to transition from horse drawn equipment to mechanized, and modernize processes for directing and controlling indirect fire to improve speed and accuracy.[1]
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Major General William Josiah Snow, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I, in planning and executing those measures responsible for the efficiency of the Field Artillery during the war.[6]
In 1892, Snow married Isabel O'Hear Locke (1872–1944) of Atlanta, Georgia.[1] They were the parents of a son, William Arthur Snow (1894–1940), who was also a graduate of West Point.[8] William A. Snow was a World War I veteran who attained the rank of lieutenant colonel as an engineer officer, and was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross and other decorations to recognize his wartime heroism.[8]
Snow was survived by his daughter in law, Margaret Payne Snow and two grandchildren, Margaret and William.[1] Margaret Snow (1922–2011) was a teacher and the wife of Dr. John H. Hill (died 1980) and General Melville B. Coburn (died 1992).[8] William J. Snow II (1923–2011) was a 1945 graduate of West Point and a veteran of the United States Air Force who went on to a career as an Episcopal clergyman.[9]
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