General Matthew B.Ridgeway Assumes Command In Korea, 1950
Matthew B. Ridgeway was U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff when the Korean War began in June 1950. Knowledgeable about operations in Korea, he replaced the recently killed General Walton Walker as commander of the battered Eighth Army under General MacArthur. Ridgeway mounted a counter-offensive against the Chinese and retook Seoul. In April 1951, after several major disagreements with MacArthur, President Harry S. Truman relieved the General and replaced him with Ridgeway. Over the next year he slowly pushed back the North Koreans and Chinese with the goal of retaking all of the Republic of Korea's territory. Ridgeway is considered by historians as one of America's finest military commanders. He personally signed this replica of the message he sent to the troops under his command on December 26, 1950.
