Early career

Although his father and grandfather were alumni of the Military Academy, Frank Tompkins eschewed an appointment himself and entered the Army directly from civilian life, commissioned a second lieutenant in the 8th Cavalry on August 1, 1891. Three months later he accepted an open second lieutenant's position with the 7th Cavalry, where he remained until 1898. In 1897 he graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Philippines

Tompkins was promoted to first lieutenant in the 2nd Cavalry on July 12, 1898, and to captain in the newly created 11th Cavalry in February 1901, commanding Troop G in Batangas Province in the Philippines between March 1901 and March 1904. His unit engaged in counter-guerrilla operations against General Miguel Malvar and his 3,000 insurrectos during the successful final campaign of the Philippine–American War between December 1, 1901, and April 30, 1902. Tompkins accompanied the regiment to its new station at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. From October 1906 to March 1909 his unit served in Cuba as part of the Army of Pacification. In September 1910 Tompkins became a professor of military science in tactics at Norwich University, Vermont. He served three tours as its commandant of cadets, from 1910 to 1913, 1916–1917, and 1919–1923.

Mexico

On March 9, 1916, Tompkins, now a major, commanded the 3rd Squadron of the 13th Cavalry at Columbus, New Mexico and was acting as regimental executive officer when it was attacked by revolutionary forces under Pancho Villa. Using a small force of two troops (approximately 60 men), he pursued Villa's much larger force 15 miles into Mexico, engaged its rear guard four times (the first was a mounted charge) and inflicted severe casualties reported as 75 to 100 dead without losing a man. During the Punitive Expedition that ensued, Tompkins led several provisional squadrons in "flying columns" deep into Mexico in search of Villa. Encountering hostile troops of the de facto Carranza government at the Battle of Parral, Tompkins retreated, conducting a rear guard action to avoid an all-out battle likely to result in war between the United States and Mexico. He was wounded twice during the campaign, in the knee during the Villa raid on Columbus and in the chest and shoulder from a rifle bullet at Parral. He returned to Norwich in September 1916 for his second tour as commandant while recuperating from his wounds.

In 1918 Tompkins received the Distinguished Service Medal for valor at Columbus and in Mexico. ^[2] The award was upgraded in 1934 to the Distinguished Service Cross, a decoration second only to the Medal of Honor. ^[3]

World War I

After the United States entered World War I, Tompkins became a lieutenant colonel in May 1917 and ordered to the 18th Cavalry Regiment. Before this took place, however, he was promoted to colonel in June and his orders changed to take command of the 301st Infantry Regiment ("Boston's Own"), 76th Division, being formed for training at Camp Devens, Massachusetts. He sailed with his regiment to France on July 6, 1918, and on arrival found that the division had been designated by the American Expeditionary Force as one of six depot divisions to receive, train, and process replacement troops. Tompkins asked Pershing, now commanding the AEF, for transfer to a combat division and was assigned command of the 110th Infantry of the 28th Division on the Vesle River. He reported August 12 and led the 110th during the Oise-Aisne Campaign until September 7, when he was severely wounded and temporarily blinded at Baslieux-lès-Fismes in a mustard gas attack. Tompkins was hospitalized near Paris until November and found unfit for further front line duty.

Later career

Tompkins returned to the United States in December 1918, stationed at Fort Myer, Virginia, until March 1919, when he again became a professor and commandant of cadets at Norwich.

Distinguished Service Cross citation

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Frank Tompkins, Major, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action at Columbus, New Mexico, March 9, 1916. Major Tompkins requested and received authority to pursue a superior force of bandits into Mexico. Although wounded early in the pursuit, he carried on a running fight with the bandits for several miles, inflicting heavy losses upon them and stopped the pursuit only when men and horses were exhausted and ammunition was reduced to a few rounds per man. General Orders No. 8, W.D., 1934. ^[3]