William McCarty Little
William McCarty Little was a United States Navy officer of the late 19th Century. He is most noted for his contributions to the development of naval war gaming at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Biography
William McCarty Little (often referred to as "McCarty Little") was born in New York City on September 6, 1845 and entered the United States Naval Academy, then located in Newport, Rhode Island, on 11 March 1863. While at the academy, he met Lieutenant (later Rear Admiral) Stephen B. Luce who was to have a great influence in Little's life.
Little was, apparently, a very bright student as he was allowed to graduate from the Academy in June 1866 after only three of the usual four years of study. After graduation, he served on the USS Macedonian, USS Saco and the famous sail racing yacht America—which was being used as a training ship by the Academy.
He was granted three months leave in Europe and, in 1867, reported for duty on the USS Colorado, the flagship of the European Squadron.
Little was commissioned as an ensign on March 12, 1868 and was assigned as a flag lieutenant (aide) to Commodore Pennock, the commander of the European Squadron. He was promoted to the rank of master on March 26, 1869 and assigned to the USS Franklin. He was then promoted to lieutenant on March 29, 1870.[1]
In 1871 Little was detached from the Franklin to begin and eight month study leave in Europe. It was probably during this time he became acquainted with the German Kriegspiel (war game) which was used to train officers of the German Army in tactics. In 1872 he returned to the United States to become an instructor at the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport.
In 1878 he was assigned as navigator on the training ship USS Minnesota under Captain Stephen B. Luce. In 1881 Luce was promoted to commodore and Little was assigned as executive officer of Luce's flagship, the venerable ship-of-the-line USS New Hampshire.
Little was involuntarily retired from the Navy on May 16, 1884 for "incapacity as a result of an incident in the service". In Little's case it was loss of sight in one eye due to a shooting accident and having impaired vision in the other resulting from preparing nautical charts in insufficient light.[2]
Despite being retired, he volunteered served on the staff of the newly established United States Naval War College of which Stephen B. Luce was the first president. Little introduced naval war gaming at the college in a lecture he gave in 1886.
The war games, typically using models of ships on a flat surface representing the ocean, were a useful tool for preparing officers attending the college to command squadrons and fleets of ships later in their careers. They were also useful in developing tactics which could be useful in future conflicts.
Little was appointed as the commander of the Rhode Island Naval Militia in 1896 and returned to active duty during the Spanish–American War. During the war he served as the executive officer of the Naval Training Station in Newport. After the war he resumed his duties at the Naval War College.
In recognition of his valuable contributions, by a special act of Congress, Little was promoted to the rank of captain on the retired list on February 21, 1903 and made a permanent faculty member at the Naval War College.[3]
In 1912 his lecture "The Strategic Naval War Game Or Chart Maneuver" was published by the United States Naval Institute.
Captain Little was a member of the Naval Order of the United States.
Captain Little retired from the Naval War College in January 1915 died on March 11, 1915. He was buried at St. Mary's Episcopal Cemetery in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.[4]
Family
Little was the father of Major General Louis McCarty Little, USMC who was the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. General Little served in the Philippine Insurrection, the World War I and World War II.
Legacy
McCarty Little Hall at the Naval War College is named in honor of Captain William McCarty Little. It is the college's war gaming center.
In reference to value of naval war gaming at the Naval War College Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz said that as a result of the war gaming nothing happened during the war in the Pacific, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was a surprise.
References
- ↑ U.S. Navy Register of Commissioned Officers. 1896. pg. 78.
- ↑ U.S. Navy Register of Commissioned Officers. 1905. pg. 129
- ↑ U.S. Navy Register of Commissioned Officers. 1905. pg. 129
- ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=little&GSfn=william&GSby=1855&GSbyrel=before&GSdy=1903&GSdyrel=after&GSst=42&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=23898512&df=all&