Joseph Brown Sanborn (1855–1934) was Commander of the 131st Infantry Regiment of the 33rd Division 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 ...

Early life

Joseph B. Sanborn was born on December 8, 1855, in

Chester, New Hampshire Chester is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 census, up from 4,768 at the 2010 census. It was home to the now defunct Chester College (formerly White Pines College). History From ...

, to Rachel and Josiah Sanborn. Sanborn moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1887.

Military

Joseph B. Sanborn enlisted in the

Illinois National Guard The Illinois National Guard comprises both Army National Guard and Air National Guard components of Illinois. As of 2013, the Illinois National Guard has approximately 13,200 members. The National Guard is the only United States military force emp ...

as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

on March 8, 1880. Private Sanborn won his first commission in 1882. He worked his way up from

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 ...

in 1882 to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in 1884, to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1886, and to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1891.

Spanish–American War

Sanborn commanded the first battalion of the First Illinois Volunteer Infantry in the Santiago campaign of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. On December 22, 1898, he was made Major of the First Infantry Illinois National Guard. During the Mexican Border disturbances in 1916 Sanborn was

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 ...

. In 1917, the First Illinois Infantry became the 131st Regiment, U.S. Infantry, and "answered the call to service in the war with Germany."

World War I

On May 30, 1918, Colonel Sanborn arrived in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with the 131st Regiment. They participated in the Somme and Meuse-Argonne offensives between August 8, 1918, and November 11, 1918. The

Chipilly Chipilly is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Chipilly is situated on the D71 road, on the opposite bank of the river Somme from Cerisy, to the east of Amiens and from Albert. Population See ...

Ridge and the Gressaire Wood had been strongly fortified by the enemy, and it was impossible for the Americans and British to advance in that vicinity. Any attempt to overtake it proved "abortive". On August 9, 1918, near Gressaire, Sanborn personally led his regiment through heavy shell fire and started the attack at the right moment. He established his post of command and directed the battle to a successful end. The 131st were thrown into battle against the most seasoned of the German troops, and lacked adequate preparations. Despite this, they were able to maintain their focus and calm. On August 10, 1918, they were able to report to the commanding general of the Forty-Eighth Division that their objective had been reached. Those in the 131st regiment commended Colonel Sanborn for his bravery and inspiring leadership. Sergeant C. William Keane recounted a story when Sanborn brought his men food through gunfire: "Col. Sanborn personally brought us rations on his back...He did that because he wanted to be sure that the food would reach us and he figured the best way to make sure was to carry it himself. Who wouldn't fight like the devil under a commander like that?" At the time of the battle, Colonel Sanborn was 62 years old. The 131st Regiment's victory at Gressaire Wood was a "decisive stroke in the Somme offensive." In a letter written to Bernard A. Eckhart, Colonel Sanborn wrote, "I am very proud of the record of the regiment in the offensive of August 9...and as a result twenty-two men in the regiment received decorations of various kinds and Great Britain has conferred upon me the D.S.O decoration, which I understand is the first that has been given any American in this war." He also wrote that the regiment continued to push on despite difficulties, especially bad weather.

Retirement

In March 1921, Sanborn was removed from command of the state troops and put on the

retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

list. This was done in order to make room for Major General

Milton J. Foreman Milton J. Foreman (1863–1935) was a Lieutenant General, who served as Commander in Chief of the Illinois National Guard. Prior to that, he led the 33rd Division, Illinois National Guard. Foreman attended the Paris Caucuses in 1919 of the Amer ...

. Also, Adjutant General Dickson explained that Sanborn had passed the age limit of 64 years and all state military codes required that all officers of retiring age be put on the retirement list. Sanborn transferred command on June 20, 1921. He retired as

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on April 6, 1931.

Awards

For his services in World War I, Sanborn was recognized by the American, British, French, and Belgian governments. For bravely leading his regiment at Gressaire Wood and Chippilly Ridge, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

by the American government and the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

by the British government. He also received 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 ...

from the American government, the decorations of Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

and

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 ...

with Palm from the French government, and Officer of the Order of Leopold from the Belgian government.

Later years

Joseph B. Sanborn was the president of the J. B. Sanborn Co., a mercantile agency from 1886 to 1925. From 1919 to 1921, he was the State Tax Commissioner. Sanborn died on December 22, 1934, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Personal life

He was married to Julie Flanders. They had two daughters, Helen and Katherine. He later remarried to Willa Alice Weck.

References

External links and further reading