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 ...

Charles Augustus Doyen (September 3, 1859 − October 6, 1918) was an officer in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

(USMC). He is notable for having commanded the 4th Marine Brigade 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 ...

and was the first recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

Military career

Charles Augustus Doyen was born in Concord, New Hampshire, on September 3, 1859. He entered the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1881, from where he graduated as a second lieutenant into the

(USMC) in 1883. His early military career consisted mainly of tours with marine detachments aboard ship, barracks assignments and service overseas, such as in 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 ...

. Here, from 1905−1906, he commanded a battalion, before going on to command the

2nd Marine Regiment The 2nd Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division (United States), 2nd Marine Division and th ...

, and finally the 1st Marine Brigade. He returned again to the Philippines from 1913−1914, again commanding the 1st Marine Brigade. In 1914, the year when

began in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, he was commanding the 5th Marine Regiment 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 ...

and the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

. He later commanded the Marine Barracks at

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

. 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, p ...

in April 1917, Doyen had been chosen to command the 5th Marine Regiment, which had been the first unit of the USMC to be sent to France, having arrived there in June 1917, along with the first elements of the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...

(AEF). Shortly afterwards, Doyen received a promotion to

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 ...

. The 4th Marine Brigade was created with the arrival in France of the 6th Marine Regiment and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, in addition to the 5th Marines, with Doyen being given command of the brigade towards the end of October 1917. The brigade eventually became part of the 2nd Division of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, which began to be formed at around the same time. A headquarters for the division began forming. Doyen, then the most senior officer present, assumed temporary command until the first week of November when Major General

Omar Bundy Major General Omar Bundy (June 17, 1861 – January 20, 1940) was a career United States Army officer who was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I. A n ...

, U.S. Army, took over, with Doyen reverting to control of the 4th Marine Brigade. Although brief, he was still the first marine officer to command a division. The next few weeks and months were to gain Doyen a reputation as an excellent trainer of troops. Knowing what his men would face when they ultimately engaged in combat, he worked strenuously to prepare his mostly green and inexperienced men for that task. In doing so, however, his health was badly affected. He remained in command of his beloved brigade only until May 1918 when a medical board declared him to be medically unfit for any further active service abroad. Brigadier General

James Harbord Lieutenant General James Guthrie Harbord (March 21, 1866 – August 20, 1947) was a senior officer of the United States Army and president and chairman of the board of RCA. Early life Harbord was born in Bloomington, Illinois, the son of Geo ...

, U.S. Army, former chief of staff of the AEF, soon took over the brigade. The brigade soon found itself fighting at Belleau Wood and its performance there and in other battles that were yet to come were a tribute to Doyen and his efforts to prepare his marines. Soon after his return to the United States he was placed in command of the Marine Corps Training Camp and the Marine Barracks located at

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east ...

. It was here where his experience as a trainer was put to good use as he trained officers and men for overseas service. It was cut short, however, as, his health having been severely weakened by his time in France, he was struck by the Spanish influenza (or

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...

) which plagued the world at the time and he died of

bronchial pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity of ...

on October 6, 1918, shortly after turning 59. He was buried in

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 ...

. Not long after his death, the Navy Department presented Doyen's wife with the first ever Navy Distinguished Service Medal, in recognition of her husband's distinguished efforts during the war. The citation for the medal reads:

Namesake

Two ships have been named USS ''Doyen'' for him.

References

Sources

* *
United States Army records of World War I
*

Attribution

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyen, Charles A. 1859 births 1918 deaths Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in Virginia Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Marine Corps World War I generals United States Marine Corps generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Naval Academy alumni People from Concord, New Hampshire Military personnel from New Hampshire American military personnel killed in World War I