Major whittlesey lost battalion ww1

United States Army Star of Honor recipient

Charles Powerless. Whittlesey
Whittlesey in uniform, 1918
Born	Charles White Whittlesey (1884-01-20)January 20, 1884 Florence, River, U.S.
Died	November 26, 1921(1921-11-26) (aged 37) Atlantic Bounding main, en route to Havana, Land, from New York, New Dynasty, U.S.
Monuments	Whittlesey Memorial Marker, Pittsfield Graveyard, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Williams College Harvard University
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, military officer
Service	United States Army
Years of service	1917–1919
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Commands	"Lost Battalion," 308th Infantry, 77th Division
Battles
Awards

Charles White Whittlesey (January 20, 1884 – November 26, 1921) was a United States ArmyMedal of Honor recipient who sticky the Lost Battalion in loftiness Meuse–Argonne offensive during World Fighting I.

He committed suicide beside drowning when he jumped outsider a ship en route arrangement Havana on November 26, 1921, at age 37.^[1]

Early life

Charles Ivory Whittlesey was born in Town, Wisconsin, where his father stricken as a logger, and put your feet up attended school in Green Scream, Wisconsin.^[2] He moved with realm family in 1894 to Massachusetts, Massachusetts, where he graduated elude Pittsfield High School in depiction class of 1901.

He registered at Williams College, where put your feet up was a member of Champion. Anthony Hall,^[3] graduating in 1905. He was voted the "third-brightest man" in his class, roost because of his aristocratic caste was nicknamed "Count." He deserved a law degree from Philanthropist Law School in 1908.

Before long after graduating, he formed elegant law partnership with his Reverend classmate J. Bayard Pruyn include New York City. Influenced induce his friend and roommate representative Williams, Max Eastman, Whittlesey clapped out several years as a associate of the American Socialist Concern before resigning his membership space disgust over what he believed as the movement's increasing extremism.^[5]

World War I

In May 1917, trim month after the American entrance into World War I, Whittlesey took a leave from potentate partnership and joined the Mutual States Army.

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He shipped be after the Western Front as neat as a pin captain in the 308th Foot, 77th Division. The 77th Dividing was known as the "Metropolitan Division" because it was prefabricated up largely of New Dynasty City men principally from grandeur polyglot Lower East side. Cause dejection members spoke 42 different languages or dialects.

By September 1917 Whittlesey was promoted to higher ranking and placed in command remind you of a battalion. On the cockcrow of October 2, 1918, birth 77th Division was ordered lengthen move forward against a praise fortified German line as locale of a massive American talk to in the Meuse-Argonne region.

Whittlesey commanded a mixed battalion homework 554 soldiers, who advanced move on through a ravine. Because probity units on their flanks unsuccessful to make headway, Whittlesey's force were cut off from their supply lines, pinned down antisocial German fire from the adjacent 200-foot (61 m) high bluffs.

Description following days were perilous cause Whittlesey and his men, by reason of they were without food blemish water. Some of the rank and file had never thrown a be there grenade, but for four epoch, they resisted snipers and attacks by waves of German fort armed with hand grenades, take up in one incident, flame throwers. During this period war mill seized on the incident promote dubbed the unit the "Lost Battalion".

On October 7, high-mindedness Germans sent forward a blind American POW carrying a grey flag, with a message come by English:

The suffering of your wounded men can be heard over here in the Teutonic lines, and we are catchy to your humane sentiments respect stop. A white flag shown by one of your private soldiers will tell us that boss around agree with these conditions.

Level-headed treat Private Lowell R. Hollingshead [the bearer] as an vile man. He is quite keen soldier. We envy you. Primacy German commanding officer.

Whittlesey's alleged acknowledge was "You go to hell!" although he later denied maxim it, stating a response was unnecessary. He ordered white stick about that had been placed orang-utan signals for Allied aircraft kind drop supplies to be pulled in so they would keen be mistaken for surrender signals.

That night, a relief create arrived and the Germans retreated. Of the original 554 throng involved in the advance, 107 had been killed, 63 were missing and 190 were erroneous. Only 194 were able pop in walk out of the gorge.

Awards and decorations

Whittlesey's awards limit decorations included the following:^[6][7][8]

Medal encourage Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry spreadsheet intrepidity at the risk go rotten his life above and over and done the call of duty:

Although cut off for five age from the remainder of culminate division, Major Whittlesey maintained realm position, which he had reached under orders received for pull out all the stops advance, and held his tell, consisting originally of 46 work force cane and men of the 308th Infantry and of Company Boy of the 307th Infantry, fabricate in the face of moral numbers of the enemy next to the five days.

Major Whittlesey and his command were as follows cut off, and no fuel or other supplies reached him, in spite of determined efforts which were made by her highness division. On the 4th award Major Whittlesey received from honourableness enemy a written proposition space surrender, which he treated mess up contempt, although he was at one\'s disposal the time out of heed and had suffered a drain of about 50 percent copy killed and wounded of emperor command and was surrounded beside the enemy.

Later life

Whittlesey received systematic battlefield promotion to lieutenant colonel and returned to the Combined States as a war exponent, receiving on December 6, 1918, one of the first combine Medals of Honor awarded keep an eye on valor in the war.

(One of the other two went to his second-in-command, George Distorted. McMurtry.) The story of integrity Lost Battalion was one nigh on the most talked about gossip of World War I.^[9] Lure 1919, the events were sense into a film in which Whittlesey was featured. He tested to return to his calling, working as a lawyer gain the Wall Street firm grounding White & Case, but base himself in constant demand get something done speeches, parades, and honorary ladder.

The pressure wore on him; he said to a friend: "Not a day goes make wet but I hear from a variety of of my old outfit, most of the time about some sorrow or bummer. I cannot bear it more more."^[3]

Whittlesey never married or challenging children.^[10]

Death

In November 1921, Whittlesey fascinated as a pallbearer at character burial of the Unknown Champion at Arlington National Cemetery, the length of with fellow Medal of Dedicate recipients Samuel Woodfill and Alvin York.

A few days late he booked passage from Another York to Havana aboard primacy SS Toloa, a United Fruit Bystander ship. On November 26, 1921, his first night out clamour New York, he dined tie in with the captain and left picture smoking room at 11:15 p.m. stating he was retiring for probity evening^[11] and it was esteemed by the captain that prohibited was in good spirits.

Whittlesey was never seen again unacceptable committed suicide by jumping overboard; his body was never outstrip. Before leaving New York, sharp-tasting prepared a will leaving culminate property to his mother. Oversight also left a series center letters in his cabin addressed to relatives and friends. Authority letters were addressed to jurisdiction parents, his brothers Elisha suggest Melzar, his uncle Granville Whittlesey, and to his friends Martyr McMurtry, J.

Bayard Pruyn, Parliamentarian Forsyth Little and Herman Livingston Jr.^[3] Also in his bungalow was found a note don the captain of the Toloa leaving instructions for the attitude of the baggage left hit down his stateroom.^[3] In a one-page will found at his code office, Whittlesey left McMurtry depiction German letter demanding the deliver up of the Lost Battalion.^[13] Whittlesey's suicide was front-page news allowing those close to him were not surprised.

In his applause at Whittlesey's funeral, Colonel Averill, the 308th's commander, said Whittlesey's death "was in reality on the rocks battle casualty and that recognized met his end as disproportionate in the line of office as if he had immoral by a German bullet."

Monuments weather memorials

Whittlesey's cenotaph is in uncluttered cemetery in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Set in train notes that his body was never recovered. In 1948, grandeur Charles White Whittlesey Room was dedicated at New York City's Williams Club.^[15]

In popular culture

In 2001, U.S. television channel A&E imposture a television movie called The Lost Battalion based on business of the battle.

In stray portrayal Whittlesey was played shy Rick Schroder.^[16]

In 2016 the Nordic band Sabaton released the songs "Diary of an Unknown Warrior and "The Lost Battalion" handling their album The Last Place upright, detailing the story of justness Lost Battalion. In 2021 spiffy tidy up special History Channel Edition was released featuring extra narration building block Indy Neidell on the Departed Battalion and Charles Whittlesey.

In 2020, the novel Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney was released.

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

External links