George Smith Patton, Jr. was born on November 11, 1885, in San Gabriel, California. Patton belonged to a prominent military family, with ancestors participating in Revolutionary and Civil War battles. Though he had difficulty learning to read and write as a child, Patton soon became an avid reader with a determined interest in military history, particularly Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Napoleon Bonaparte, and family friend John S. Mosby (the “Gray Ghost” cavalry leader from the Civil War). Following in his ancestors’ footsteps, Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and West Point. He struggled with some of his academic classes but was proficient at military drills. He briefly played football but then found great success with the sword team and track and field. Patton was one of the school’s best swordsmen.