Edwin Burr Babbitt (July 26, 1862 – December 9, 1939) was a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Biography

Babbitt was born at

Watervliet Arsenal The Watervliet Arsenal is an arsenal of the United States Army located in Watervliet, New York, on the west bank of the Hudson River. It is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the artillery for ...

Watervliet, New York Watervliet ( or ) is a City (New York), city in Albany County, New York, Albany County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The population was 10,375 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, ...

on July 26, 1862, to Lawrence Sprague Babbitt, a U.S. Army Colonel, and Francis P. "Fannie" (McDougall) Babbitt. He was the grandson of

Charles McDougall Charles McDougall is a Great Britain, British Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning television director, director. Biography McDougall has directed for popular television series which include the pilot episode of American Broadcasting Company, ABC's ''De ...

and nephew of

Thomas Mower McDougall Thomas Mower McDougall (21 May 1845 – 3 July 1909) was an officer in the United States Army. The salient point in his military career occurred when he took part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, surviving because he and his unit was not with ...

.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. p. 22 Babbitt died on December 9, 1939, in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Career

Babbitt graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1884 and was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. He served as a brigade commander during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Awards he received include the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

for "exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous services" in World War I; Officer, Legion d'Honour (France); Comendator,

Order of the Sun of Peru Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

(Peru) and

Order of Abdon Calderón The Order of Abdón Calderón is an Ecuadorian decoration instituted in 1904 and awarded for extraordinary military service. It is named after Abdón Calderón, the revolutionary hero who died from injuries sustained on May 24, 1822 during the B ...

, First Class (Ecuador). He retired in 1924.

References

Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Babbitt, Edwin Burr 1862 births 1939 deaths United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel People from Watervliet, New York United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the Sun of Peru Burials at Arlington National Cemetery