When the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck , the city turned quickly to the Army for help . A few years earlier , while John J Pershing was in the Philippines , a fire consumed the General 's residence at the Presidio , killing his wife and three of his young children . In an effort to avert such a tragedy in the future , the first dedicated fire department was created on station , and they would prove valuable in fighting the fire that swept the city after the earthquake . Captain Lewis was still serving with the 20th Infantry Regiment when they were stationed in at the Presidio in Monterey when an urgent call for aid was sent to the commanding officer , Colonel Marion P. Maus . When General Funston took command of the city , Military Districts were established to manage the crisis . The 20th Infantry was assigned to the Third Military District , establishing a command post at Portsmouth Square . They pitched their tents in front of the Hall of Justice , and played a key role in restoring order to daily life in the city . It was noted in the after action report " The most important duties were those devolving upon Colonel Maus , who guarded the business center in the burned district . " The following are excerpts from the report of Major General Adolpuhs Greely : Several attempts had been made to get into telegraphic communication with the commanding officer of the Presidio of Monterey , in order to bring to the city a portion of the command of that post . Owing to the telegraph lines being down it was , however , impossible to communicate with any place south of San Francisco . On the 19th the Pacific Squadron had reached San Francisco Bay , and , at my request , Admiral C. F. Goodrich , commanding , sent a torpedo boat to the Presidio of Monterey , carrying the necessary message to the commanding officer of that post . These orders were delivered with great dispatch and with the result that on the 21st headquarters , 1st and 3d Battalions of the 20th Infantry , Col. Marion P. Maus , commanding , reached San Francisco and reported for duty , being followed the next day by field and staff and the 2d Squadron , 14th Cavalry . The work of sanitation was exceptionally disagreeable . Many dead animals , human bodies and refuse , all in a decomposed condition , littered the area . Added to this the 20th Infantry was obliged to occupy points , where walls of building were tottering , where fires still raged , and in streets filled with debris . The troops subsisted for ten days on the rations carried on their persons from Monterey . They were courteous in deportment and considerate of the people , besides being faithful in their military duties . Verbal reports have been made of frequent cases in which enlisted men of the Regular Army , whose names are unknown , contributed greatly to giving some comfort to the homeless people , making personal sacrifices and furnishing supplies for persons to who they were unknown . In 1908 he was detached again from his unit , to serve as a professor of military science and tactics at the University of California . In 1912 he was promoted to the rank of Major , and was selected to attend the Field Officers Course at Fort Leavenworth , graduating March 19 , 1913 . This was a special class in tactics organized just for the attendees
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Edward Mann Lewis