Thomas Q. Ashburn (November 17, 1874 – May 2, 1941) was a United States Army

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 ...

active 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 ...

.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975.P.17 Ashburn wrote a unit history of the 324th Field Artillery Brigade as well as articles on waterways, rivers, forest fires, and transportation.

Early life

Ashburn was born in

Batavia, Ohio Batavia ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,509 at the 2010 census. Geography Batavia is located at (39.077332, -84.179160). According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...

. He graduated number sixty-one of sixty-seven 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 1897.Davis, Henry Blaine Jr.. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. Pp. 13–14

Career

Ashburn's first duty was with the 25th Infantry at

Fort Missoula Fort Missoula was established by the United States Army in 1877 on land that is now part of the city of Missoula, Montana, Missoula, Montana, to protect settlers in Western Montana from possible threats from the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, ...

, in Montana, after which he was transferred to the artillery. Ashburn was commissioned a captain in the 34th United States Volunteer Infantry and was shipped to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. In May 1900, he commanded one column of the pursuit of

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...

. He was made a

brevet major In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

for gallantry in action at San Jacinto on November 11, 1899. From 1901 to 1902, Ashburn was the aide to General

Arthur MacArthur Arthur MacArthur is the name of: *Arthur MacArthur Sr. (1815–1896), lieutenant governor of Wisconsin and acting governor for four days; United States federal judge *Arthur MacArthur Jr. (1845–1912), his son, general in the United States Army an ...

, after which he was stationed in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

to command the 18th, 19th, and 24th Companies of Coast Artillery. He returned from Cuba in 1903, graduated from the School of Submarine Defense in 1907, and served a second tour in the Philippines. During World War I, Ashburn commanded and took to France the 324th Field Artillery Brigade and the 158th Field Artillery in 1918. Ashburn became chairman of the advisory board of the Inland Waterways Corporation and was made 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 1924. In 1927, he became a

. In 1938, he retired from the army, but remained with the Inland Waterways Corporation until 1939.

Awards

Ashburn earned a Silver

Citation Star The Citation Star was a Department of War personal valor decoration issued as a ribbon device which was first established by the United States Congress on July 9, 1918 (Bulletin No. 43, War Dept. 1918). When awarded, a silver star was placed o ...

and was commended publicly and personally by

General John J. Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the We ...

. He also received both 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

Legion of Honor 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 ...

from France, as well as the Mexican Order of Military Merit and 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 United States.

Writings

Ashburn authored ''History of the 324th Field Artillery'' and numerous articles dealing with military matters, river transportation, and forest fires.

Death and legacy

Ashburn died at age 66 on May 2, 1941.

Family

Colonel

Percy Moreau Ashburn Percy Moreau Ashburn (July 28, 1872 – August 20, 1940) was a colonel and medical officer in the United States Army. With then Lieutenant Charles Franklin Craig, Ashburn made the link that mosquitoes were involved in the transmission of Dengue ...

was his brother. Brigadier General

Julius Penn Julius A. Penn (February 19, 1865 - May 13, 1934) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of brigadier general during World War I, and commanded 170th Infantry Brigade, 85th Division and 76th Infantry Brigade, 3 ...

was his cousin.

References

Bibliography

*Ashburn, T. Q. ''History of the 324th Field Artillery, United States Army''. New York: George H. Doran Co, 1919. *Davis, Henry Blaine Jr.. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. *Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. *"Thomas Quinn Ashburn, Major General, United States Army." Thomas Quinn Ashburn, Major General, United States Army. Arlington National Cemetery, n.d. Web. 09 Aug. 2016.
Thomas Quinn Ashburn, Major General, United States Army
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburn, Thomas Q. 1874 births 1941 deaths 19th-century United States Army personnel American recipients of the Legion of Honour Military personnel from Ohio United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni American male non-fiction writers Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) People from Batavia, Ohio Recipients of the Silver Star