Early life and military career Moore was born in
Ellsworth, Maine, on June 6, 1894, to Nettie Haley Moore and Edward Grafton Moore. He had three siblings: John Leroy Moore, Margaret Moore Coolidge and James Moore. His father ran and then later owned Moore's Pharmacy on the corner of Water Street and Main Street in Ellsworth. The family home was on State Street, located on the hill across from the First Congregational Church. He graduated from
Ellsworth High School and was educated at the
Sorbonne in
Paris,
France, and at the
United States Military Academy (USMA) at
West Point, New York, where he graduated in August 1917. Moore was fluent in French and served as an instructor in the Department of Modern Languages at the
United States Military Academy (USMA) at
West Point, New York, from 1925 to 1929. He graduated from the
Infantry School Commanding Officers' Course in 1930 and the
Command and General Staff School in 1939.
World War II In the early days of
World War II, Colonel Moore commanded the
164th Infantry Regiment on Guadalcanal. After promotion to the
general officer rank of
brigadier general, he later fought with the
104th Infantry Division as the assistant division commander (ADC). The 104th was commanded by
Major General Terry Allen. He was later promoted again and commanded the
8th Infantry Division in Europe. Under his command, the division liberated the
Neuengamme concentration camp. In late 1945 he commanded the
88th Infantry Division in
Austria until it was inactivated in 1947.
Postwar In the immediate post-war period, he commanded the
occupation of Yugoslavia, holding
Trieste, successfully keeping out
Tito's troops. His wartime promotion to major general was made permanent on January 27, 1949. From 1949 until 1951, Moore was superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. It was during these operations that Moore's helicopter crashed into the
Han River near
Yeoju. He died a few hours later from an apparent heart attack after having gotten help for the surviving pilot and crew, on February 24, 1951. Bryant Moore married the former Margaret "Peggy" King, also from Ellsworth, and they had two daughters, Margaret and Barbara. Moore was well known for his diplomatic abilities as well as being fluent in French and an expert in military strategy and military science. ==See also==