Francis Cutler Marshall (26 March 1867 – 7 December 1922) was a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

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 ...

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 ...

. He served as commanding officer of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. He was awarded 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 his achievements in this command during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Early life and education

Marshall was born in

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The ci ...

, on 26 March 1867.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. He attended 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 ...

at West Point and graduated with the Class of 1890. His classmates there included

Colden Ruggles Colden L'Hommedieu Ruggles (March 18, 1869 – April 2, 1933) was a career officer in the United States Army. A prominent member of the Ordnance Corps, he attained the rank of brigadier general, and was notable for planning and overseeing constr ...

Fred W. Sladen Fred Winchester Sladen (November 24, 1867 – July 10, 1945) was career United States Army officer who rose to the rank of major general and became Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. He was a son of English-born Joseph A. ...

, Frank M. Caldwell, Clint C. Hearn, Daniel W. Ketcham,

Edgar Jadwin Edgar Jadwin, C.E. (August 7, 1865 – March 2, 1931) was a U.S. Army officer who fought in the Spanish–American War and World War I, before serving as Chief of Engineers from 1926 to 1929. Early life Jadwin was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvani ...

William J. Snow William J. Snow (December 16, 1868 – February 27, 1947) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and served as the Chief of Field Artillery for seven years in the 1920s. A native of Brooklyn, New Y ...

, Harry H. Bandholtz,

Henry D. Todd Jr. Henry Davis Todd Jr. (August 29, 1866 – January 22, 1964) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War and World War I he attained the rank of major general and was most prominent for his command of ...

, William C. Davis,

George G. Gatley George Grant Gatley (September 10, 1868—January 8, 1931) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of brigadier general, and his World War I commands included the 30th and 42nd Infantry Divisions. Early life Georg ...

, William S. McNair and

Herbert Deakyne Herbert Deakyne (December 29, 1867 – May 28, 1945) was a United States Army officer and engineer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Military career Deakyne was born on December 29, 1867, in Deakyneville, Delaware, a location settled by ...

. All of these men would, like Marshall himself, attain the rank of

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

Career

In 1901, Francis Marshall served as a captain with the 15th Cavalry. He later was stationed at

Fort Sheridan, Illinois Fort Sheridan is a residential neighborhood within the cities of Lake Forest, Illinois, Lake Forest, Highwood, Illinois, Highwood, and Highland Park, Illinois, Highland Park in Lake County, Illinois, Lake County, Illinois, United States. It was or ...

, until 31 May 1911. In

, Francis Marshall was stationed in France after the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry ...

in 1917. He won the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

and the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

and got a temporary promotion to the rank of

. In 1920 he returned to his original rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. On February 9, 1920, Kentucky Governor

Edwin P. Morrow Edwin Porch Morrow (November 28, 1877June 15, 1935) was an American politician, who served as the 40th Governor of Kentucky from 1919 to 1923. He was the only Republican elected to this office between 1907 and 1927. He championed the typical Rep ...

called the Federal government to send Federal troops to

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

because of the ongoing tense situations in the city. The

Kentucky Army National Guard The Kentucky Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one t ...

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 Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

in the city, and troops patrolled the area for two weeks. The day after the shootings, Marshall declared: "This community has set a fine example against lawlessness and Bolshevism and has killed several of its own citizens in upholding law and order."

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 Darlington is a city in and the county seat of Lafayette County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,462 at the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Darlington. History The first residence within the city limits of ...

Death and legacy

Marshall, now assistant chief of cavalry, left

Rockwell Field Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California. This airfield ...

on an inspection tour with his pilot Charles F. Webber on December 7, 1922 in a DeHaviland DH4B heading for

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. The wreck of the aircraft and the human remains of its crew were found 5 months later in the

Cuyamaca Mountains The Cuyamaca Mountains ( Kumeyaay: ''‘Ekwiiyemak''), locally the Cuyamacas, are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System, in San Diego County, southern California. The mountain range runs roughly northwest to southeast. The Laguna Mount ...

. It was assumed that the pilot lost orientation in heavy fog, touched the treetops and crashed.Alexander D. Bevil: "“The Service Knows and Will Remember” The Aircraft Crash Memorial on Japacha Ridge"
/ref> The following year, the new

Marshall Army Airfield Marshall Army Airfield (MAAF) is a military airfield located on Fort Riley, Kansas, United States. It was opened in 1921. The primary mission of MAAF is to provide fully integrated fixed base helicopter operations for the Combat Aviation Briga ...

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Gear ...

, Kansas, was named in his honor and a monument was erected at the crash site on the Cuyamaca Mountains Japacha Ridge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Francis 1867 births 1922 deaths Accidental deaths in California Military personnel from Wisconsin People from Darlington, Wisconsin Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army generals of World War I People from Galena, Illinois United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals Military personnel from Illinois