Francis Marshall (U.S. Army officer)

Francis Cutler Marshall (26 March 1867 – 7 December 1922) was a brigadier general in the United States Army during World War I. He served as commanding officer of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his achievements in this command during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Francis Cutler Marshall
Francis Marshall, 1st Division, Meuse 1918
Born	March 26, 1867 Galena, Illinois
Died	December 7, 1922 (aged 55) Cuyamaca Mountains

Early life and education

Marshall was born in Galena, Illinois,[1] on 26 March 1867.[2] He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated with the Class of 1890.[1]

Career

In 1901, Francis Marshall served as a captain with the 15th Cavalry.[2] He later was stationed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, until 31 May 1911.[2]

In World War I, Francis Marshall was stationed in France after the American entry into World War I in 1917. He won the Distinguished Service Medal and the Croix de Guerre and got a temporary promotion to the rank of brigadier general. In 1920 he returned to his original rank of colonel.[3]

On February 9, 1920, Kentucky Governor Edwin P. Morrow called the Federal government to send Federal troops to Lexington, Kentucky because of the ongoing tense situations in the city. The Kentucky Army National Guard and Lexington Police Department already killed six members of the mob while holding back a crowd from advancing on a courthouse to lynch Will Lockett, an African-American serial killer who was on trial for murdering 10-year-old white girl Geneva Hardman. Later that afternoon, Marshall arrived to Lexington on special trains with 1,200 Army soldiers under his command. He imposed martial law in the city, and troops patrolled the area for two weeks.

Awards

His Distinguished Service Medal citation reads:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Brigadier General Francis C. Marshall, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. In Command of the 2d Infantry Brigade, 1st Division, during the Meuse-Argonne offensive from 20 October to 11 November 1918, when by his energy, professional skill, and his pronounced qualities of leadership, especially in the attack of the 1st Division on the line of the Meuse on 6 November 1918, and the subsequent operations against Sedan on 6 to 7 November 1918, General Marshall contributed in large measure to the success of his Division.

Personal life

His official residence was listed as Darlington, Wisconsin.[1]

Death and legacy

Marshall, now assistant chief of cavalry, left Rockwell Field on an inspection tour with his pilot Charles F. Webber on December 7, 1922 in a DeHaviland DH4B heading for Tucson. The wreck of the aircraft and the human remains of its crew were found 5 month later in the Cuyamaca Mountains. It was assumed that the pilot lost orientation in heavy fog, touched the treetops and crashed.[4]

The following year, the new Marshall Army Airfield at Fort Riley, Kansas, was named in his honor and a monument was erected at the crash site on the Cuyamaca Mountains Japacha Ridge.[4]

References

1. "Valor awards for Francis Cutler Marshall". valor.militarytimes.com.
2. Cullum, George W., Edward S. Holden, Charles Braden, and William Henry Donaldson. Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, at West Point, N.Y., from Its Establishment, 1902, to 1890: With the Early History of the United States Military Academy. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1891, page 548.
3. Journal American Aviation Historical Society (AAHS) Volume 35, Winter 1990.
4. Alexander D. Bevil: "“The Service Knows and Will Remember” The Aircraft Crash Memorial on Japacha Ridge"