USA > Washington DC > Washington DC > The Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the District of Columbia > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
No one ever more ardently cherished that revolution of independ- ence and liberty, whose purity of motives remains unsurpassed ; no one ever served it with greater fervor ; no one has worshipped it with more heartfelt piety, than he whose birth you are celebrating today.
Others may say what he did on the field of battle at the age of twenty years. What I wish to tell you, speaking at the base of this monument, is not that which his sword brought over to America, but, rather, that which his heart brought back to France. For it is not only the generous spontaneity with which he came to you, that causes you to bless his memory ; it is also the unfaltering fidelity with which, throughout the vicissitudes of a long career and in the midst of most troublous times, he never ceased to belong to you. He remained all his life the aide-de-camp of General Washington, whom he loved, as you
130
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
know, with the tenderness of a friend and the respect of a son. All his life he was the zealous missionary of the cause of which that great man was the inspired patriarch. He had first set foot on your shores filled with all the enthusiasm of youth, eager for adventure, seeking fame; you sent him back to us with a soul truly republican, having exchanged his courtly conduct.
This ideal, which was yours alone at that time, and whose lofty course more than a century of prosperity has not retarded, he pro- posed to his country. Through his example, America became popu- lar at the Court of Louis XVI. And later on, when the people of France, swayed by the spirit of the century and seized in their turn with the fever of Liberty, wished to build upon new foundations their political institutions and their social code, he had only one thought- to induce the French revolution to adopt the principles proclaimed by the revolution of America, and to start his own country along the road of this free and democratic government, of which your United States were then just beginning the great and conclusive experience.
Read the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, which is the charter of our public rights, and of which Lafayette was the principal author, you will see there more than one resemblance to the Declaration of Rights of Virginia. Is it astonishing that we should be fighting today for the same principles ?
On the morrow of the fall of the Bastille, Lafayette presented France with her new colors. These were, by a providential coinci- dence, which he was the first to perceive and to rejoice over, the three colors of your glorious flag. They had been, in your country, the symbol of national independence; with us, the emblem of political liberty. Today, illumined by the sun of victory and acclaim by two peoples whom they inspire with mutual love, they float together over the battlefields where are being decided the independence and liberty of all nations.
To this ideal, to these principles, to this flag, he was invariably faithful. He was the enemy of absolutism from whatever source, whether it issued from the court, from the omnipotence of an assem- bly or from a mob. At the Tuileries as at the Town Hall of Paris, at the sessions of the Constituante, or in the presence of popular upris- ings, and even in the dungeons of Prussia and Austria, where he was confined for five years (for the despots of Central Europe have never had any tenderness for those who cherish liberty) everywhere and always, in good fortune as in bad, you find him as you have known him, as you have loved him, as you have made him.
Such fidelity to the cause of Liberty and to America was bound to receive its reward. America was generous of it. When, in 1824, he came to pay you a visit and to say farewell, Washington and his
131
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
companions in arms were no longer there to welcome him; but he saw rise from the new generation, like a beneficent harvest, that immense gratitude which was the pride of his old age and one of the joys of France.
It was reserved to our generation, however, to witness more than he could have foreseen, more than would have surpassed his most ambitious dream; The United States sending millions of men to fight, on the soil of France, this war of all wars, and help humanity to win its suit.
The Honorable Secretary of the Navy has most eloquently recalled the historical words of noble General John Pershing when he was led to the family cemetery where the friend of America reposes. No Frenchman will ever forget them. But allow me to tell you some- thing more. At the time of the first Battle of the Marne-four years ago today-the enemy penetrated to the very hedge of Lafayette's property, Lagrange. At the second Battle of the Marne, they did not succeed in advancing so far; your own soldiers were there pro- tecting the approach.
Among those heroes of Chateau Thierry and of Fismes, among those who combat on our fields, among those who soar in our skies, may there be found many who have the soul of Lafayette; I mean to say who understand and love the land of France as he understood and loved America. That is the wish that I express today. Never have two countries been more intimately united than ours. If there is no written pact between us, there is a great act; there is a great fact. Your men are living at our firesides, and defending them. Your dead repose in our meadows, under the shadow of those thousands-those hundreds of thousands-of little white crosses, which will signify to future generations the meaning of their native land, and the price of Liberty. May the people of France and the people of America for ever live, according to the words of Washington, "as brothers should do, in harmonious friendship." May we, like our victorious soldiers, for ever remain united, through life and unto death, a la vie et a la mort!
MARCUS BENJAMIN
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SONS OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
133
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
WHAT THE UNITED STATES OWES TO FRANCE
An address by Doctor Marcus Benjamin, Chairman, Committee of
Judges, upon presentation of the Gold Medal of the Sons of the Revolution to Charles Lanham, essayist, February 22, 1920.
It is one of the objects of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution to inspire its members with the patriotic spirit of their forefathers, and surely if such be the case, it never before in the history of our country has been so necessary for us to renew our appreciation, respect, and love for that great nation on whose sacred soil our own splendid soldiers have fought as bravely for the right as did that little band of Frenchmen who came to the assistance of the American colonies in the struggle for freedom during the trying years of our Revolution.
It was, therefore, when the honor of serving as the Chairman of the Committee on the Annual Prize Essay was conferred upon me, that I had no hesitation in choosing as the topic for competition:
WHAT THE UNITED STATES OWES TO FRANCE.
Moreover this subject has an important significance at this time for the sinister influence of the busy propagandist is ever active in his efforts to stir up discord between the people of the two great Repub- lics, both of which have done so much to gratify those longings and aspirations of the human heart for liberty.
Need I remind you of those early Colonial days when the English for the most part settled at convenient harbors along the Atlantic seacoast, while the French, ambitious for greater glory, followed the courses of the great rivers, and penetrated far into the interior of this continent. Champlain as early as 1603 entered the St. Lawrence, and New France was the result. Later, La Salle, after exploring the great lakes, reached the Illinois, which he followed till it joined the Mississippi and then continued along the mighty father of waters till he reached the Gulf of Mexico in 1682, and the vast territory of Louisiana became the possession of France.
The memory of these perilous and adventurous journeys is still pre- served to us by the names of such places as Eau Claire, Vincennes, Des Moines, Terre Haute, and others, whose French origin is so evident.
It would be a pleasant task to follow in detail the splendid services of our allies during the War of the Revolution.
Those who were present at the gathering in the Square facing the White House, around the statue of the immortal Lafayette on the anniversary of his birth, two years ago, will recall with more than
134
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
ordinary pleasure the eloquent address by his distinguished descendant, and it would be a bold speaker indeed who would undertake to im- prove on what was so well said at that time.
D'Estaing and Rochambeau bring up memories pregnant with deeds of valor that culminated in the surrender at Yorktown, but I dare not linger over them.
Happy and successful were the efforts of Franklin and Jefferson during that period at the Court of France in winning for the new country a friendship that has continued to the days of Jusserand, and which, I pray God, may never cease.
By far the greatest acquisition of territory that the United States ever received came from France through the so-called Louisiana Pur- chase which brought 1,171,931 square miles of rich farming land in 1803 to the young Republic. In area it is more than five times as large as France itself and includes the greater part of the States of Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Ne- braska, Wyoming, Montana, the two Dakotas, Minnesota, and Iowa, a veritable empire in itself.
Indirectly, it is true, but nevertheless most positively did the Louis- iana Purchase lead to the acquisition of that territory still farther westward, so that it is not too much to claim that France made possi- ble the present well rounded country that extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, which we so proudly call our own.
From then till now the relations between France and our own country have been most amicable save for the passing incident of the Maximilian sojourn in Mexico, and that, at most, was only a slight ripple on the surface.
In education do we not owe something to France? Surely Thomas Jefferson found his model for the University of Virginia in France and the unique character of that institution has not been without its effect upon other educational institutions in the United States.
Also in other ways, France has exerted a potent influence on edu- cation in this country. Our earliest mining engineers were graduates of the Ecole des Mines of Paris and the School of Mines of Columbia University, the first of its kind in this country, was patterned after its French prototype.
Even today to be a successful architect a course at the Beaux Arts is considered highly desirable. Our most distinguished painters and sculptors have studied in the ateliers in Paris and the measure of their eminence is gauged by the recognition that their works receive in the annual Salons.
135
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
And I would remind you that Henry Adams in his charming "Education" writes: "The world contains no other spot than Paris where education can be pursued from every side."
I should fancy that the great success achieved in preventive medi- cine by our American physicians could easily be traced to the epoch- making discoveries of Louis Pasteur, and if this be accepted, then from France came the inspiration that led to those studies that have for all time driven away the scourge of yellow fever and similar dis- eases from our shores.
But let us pass to other things, things of beauty. Do you realize that our beautiful Washington was the inspiration of a Frenchman ? Those of us who have eyes may look and see, and those who care to learn more about the eminent engineer may read the equally inspired words of his Excellency, the French Ambassador, who told the story of L'Enfant so well, a few years ago, beneath the dome of yonder Capitol on that Spring morning before we carried him to his last resting place across the river in historic Arlington.
Is it too commonplace to call attention to the fact that all that is dainty and pretty in the attire of the fair sex comes from Paris, and a gown from Worth or Paquin may be a chef d'oeuvre as truly as a figure by Barye or a romance by Guy de Maupassant.
There is a story somewhere of Madame de Stael who, exiled from Paris hy Napoleon, found herself comfortably located in Geneva, but dissatisfied with her environment, she is said to have even longed for the odors of the Rue du Bac. The odors as well as the perfumes of that lovely city on the Seine have their fascinations, and was it not Miss Flora McFlimsey who bewailed the fact that her "sad feet die to press the asphalt of the Boulevards?"
And lastly, O France! my country owes you an eternal debt of gratitude for your unfailing hope, your splendid courage, and your irresistible strength, qualities of life which if incorporated into the character of the people of the United States would make us greater than ever before; for then would vanish all war, and peace and pros- perity would reign supreme from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Vive La France!
HEAD OF MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE, AFTER ENGRAVING BY LAVACHER, USED ON PROGRAMS OF CELEBRATION OF LAFAYETTE DAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1918
137
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
ROLL OF HONOR
OF THE MEMBERS OF THE
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
WHO
IN THE SPIRIT OF SELF SACRIFICE ENROLLED THEMSELVES
IN THE
SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY
IN THE
WORLD WAR OF 1914-1918
139
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
He puts not off the citizen when he enters the Camp, but it is because he is a citizen and would wish to continue so, that he makes himself for a while a soldier .- SIR WILLIAM BLACKSTONE.
MONUMENTUM
XECI
ABRE PEREN
1776
SONS
1883
NOILATO
OF
REVOLU
THE RE
HENRY TURMAN ALLEN: Colonel, U. S. Army; Brigadier- General, May 15, 1917; Major General, August 5, 1917. At Fort Bliss, Texas; Commanded Fort Riley, Kansas and Camp Travis, Texas; Commanded Ninetieth Division; Commanded Eighth Army Corps, American Expeditionary Forces, France; Commanded American Expeditionary Forces, France; Commanded Seventh Artillery Corps in Germany; Commanded American Forces in Germany; Participated in operations as follows : Villersen-
Haye Sector, St. Mihiel Offensive, Puveralle Sector, Meuse- Argonne Offensive. Awarded Distinguished Service Medal for ex- ceptional meritorious and distinguished service in the St. Mihiel salient and in the Argonne-Meuse Offensive. Foreign Decorations: Croix de Guerre with palm, Commander Legion of Honor, Com- mander Order of Leopold, Order of Prince Danilo First (Mon- tenegro) Medal La Solidari Urid (Panama).
EDWIN BURR BABBITT: Colonel, Ordnance Department, U. S. Army; Brigadier-General, Ordnance Department, August 5, 1917; Brigadier-General, February 12, 1918. Commanded Fourth Field
140
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
Artillery Brigade ; participated in following major operations: Aisne- Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Army of Occupation. Awarded Distinguished Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious and con- spicuous service participating with marked distinction in the actions of the Vesle River, in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives.
GEORGE LIVINGSTON BAYARD: Commander (Chaplain's Corps), U. S. Navy ; Captain (Chaplain's Corps), July 1, 1918. Washington, D. C .; Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Fifth Regiment, U. S. Marines, American Expeditionary Forces, France; Naval Train- ing Station, San Francisco, California.
LAURENCE VINCENT BENET: Member Committee to aid in repa- triating American refugees; Chairman Executive Committee of the American Ambulance ; Organized Transportation Section of American Ambulance of which was commandant with relative rank of Major ; Member Committee of American Relief Clearing House; Vice-Presi- dent of Union des Colonies Etrangeres; Vice-Chairman Advisory Board of the General Purchasing Board of the American Expedition- ary Forces; Served in the Field in connection with the Ambulance Ser- vice on various occasions, notably at the first battle of the Marne. Awarded Medal of Honor, First Class, by Sanitary Service of the French War Department for distinguished services in Hospital and Ambulance Work; Decorated Commander of the Legion of Honor for distinguished services from the outbreak of the war.
JOEL THOMPSON BOONE: Lieutenant Commander, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy. U. S. S. Wyoming, Vice-Admiral's Flagship, Atlantic Fleet ; Battalion Surgeon, First Battalion, Sixth Regiment Marines; Assistant to Regimental Surgeon, Sixth Regiment Marines; Brigade Litter Bearer Officer, Fourth Brigade Marines; Regimental Surgeon, Sixth Regiment Marines ; Assistant Division Surgeon, Second Division, American Expeditionary Forces; Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department, Washington, D. C. Arrived in France, October, 1917; attended course of instruction First Corps Schools, at Gondre- court, France, and Army Sanitary School, Langres, France; partici- pated in Defensive trench sector south of Verdun, Aisne-Marne Defen- sive, Aisne-Marne Offensive, the St. Mihiel Offensive, the Meuse- Argonne (Champagne-Mont Blanc) ; and the Meuse-Argonne Offen- sive; marched to the Rhine with Army of Occupation. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (U. S. Navy), the Distinguished Ser- vice Cross (U. S. Army), the Croix de Guerre (twice, each time with palm), Distinguished Service Citation by General Pershing, Distin- guished Service Citation by General Lejeune; Recommended three times for Distinguished Service Cross (U. S. Army) ; Recommended for Distinguished Service Medal (U. S. Army) ; Recommended for Congressional Medal of Honor (U. S. Army). Wounded at Belleau Woods and at Blanc-Mont, Champagne Sector.
141
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
MERRITT DANIEL BOOTH: Warrant Gunner, His Majesty's Navy. Enlisted in Canadian forces, Toronto, Canada, November 9, 1917; served overseas; served aboard His Majesty's ship, Niobe; His Majesty's ship, Lansdowne; His Majesty's ship, Calgarian, and His Majesty's ship, Queen Elizabeth at Constantinople, Turkey, Port Said, Egypt, Malta, and Gibraltar; torpedoed in battle of Jut- land and wounded during the Zeebrugge raid. Awarded the Queen's Good Conduct Medal from London, England, and the King George Gold Badge for services rendered King and British Empire as an American Volunteer from Ottawa, Canada.
GRANVILLE CARTER BRADFORD: Enlisted November 24, 1917, Company A, Fortieth Engineers, U. S. Army; 302d Motor Car Company, Motor Transport Corps, American Expeditionary Forces ; Gassed at Verdun Sector; Honorably discharged May 20, 1919.
JOHN FULTON CARMODY: Sergeant, Coast Artillery, U. S. Army. Enlisted June 12, 1917 ; Fort Washington, Maryland; Camp Stuart, Virginia; Participated in following major offensives: St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne; Gassed in the Argonne-Meuse Offensive; Honor- ably discharged February 21, 1919.
GEORGE FREDERICK CHAPLINE: Ensign, U. S. Navy; promoted Lieutenant (Junior Grade), February 1, 1918; promoted Lieutenant, June 3, 1918. Served on the U. S. S. Arizona, with Battleship Division Number Six, in the War Zone.
VANCE DUNCAN CHAPLINE: Lieutenant (Junior Grade), U. S. Navy ; promoted June 5, 1917 to Lieutenant ; promoted July 1, 1918 to Lieutenant Commander. Office of Judge Advocate General, Navy Department, Washington, D. C .; Queenstown, Ireland, with destroy- er force, assigned to the Burrows; Commanded U. S. S. Harvard, Fairfax, Reid; Naval Headquarters, Brest, France; Aide on Staff of Commander of Squadron Five; Patrol Force, Atlantic Fleet, U. S. S. Carola Flagship.
MURRAY ADDISON COBB : Captain, U. S. Army. Troop C, District of Columbia Cavalry, December 15, 1917, Fort Myer, Va .; Fifty- Fourth Field Artillery, Twenty-Ninth Division; Aide-de-Camp to Major General Charles G. Morton, Commanding Twenty-Ninth Division, American Expeditionary Forces, France. Awarded Croix de Guerre and one citation.
HARRY DUNNELL COPENHAVER: Enlisted September 29, 1917, U. S. Army (Air Service), 312th Machine Gun Battalion, 154th Aero Squadron; 200th Aero Squadron; 436th Aero Squadron, Ameri- can Expeditionary Forces, France; Detached duty in Paris, France. Honorably discharged February 1, 1919.
142
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
CHARLES LEONARD FRAILEY: Major, Judge Advocate General, U. S. Army, February 27, 1918; Lieutenant Colonel, April 22, 1919. Judge Advocate General's Office, War Department, Washington, D. C .; Assistant Judge Advocate, Fourth Division, N. C .; Camp Mills, N. Y .; Duty with Fourth Division, American Expeditionary Forces, France; Chateau Thierry (Defensive) Sector, Aisne-Marne Offensive; Judge Advocate General's Office, War Department, Washington, D. C.
EDWARD ALONZO GREENE: Captain, U. S. Marine Corps ; Major, May 31, 1917; Lieutenant Colonel, October 31, 1918. Expeditionary duty near Guantanamo, Cuba; Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia; Commanded Base Detachment, Fifth Regi- ment Marines; Commanded First Battalion, Fifth Regiment Marines in France, in trenches, Toulon-Troyon Sector; Commanded Base Port Rochefort, Service of Supply; Commanded First Regiment Marines, Cuba; with Fixed Defense Force, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Second Provisional Brigade, Ma- rine Corps, San Domingo, D. R.
WILLIAM CARVEL HALL: Commissioned Second Lieutenant, July 15, 1918, after eight months enlisted service ; promoted First Lieuten- ant, August 16, 1918. Served at Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Nor- folk, Virginia, to October 10, 1918, when assigned to sea duty with Marine Detachment, U. S. S. New York. In war zone as a unit of the British Grand Fleet.
FREDERIC LOUIS HUIDEKOPER : Commissioned Major (Adjutant General's Department), U. S. Army, May 16, 1917; Lieuten- ant Colonel, September 25, 1918. Assistant Department Adju- tant, Southeastern Department, Charleston, S. C .; Division Adju- tant, Thirty-third Division, Camp Logan, Texas; and with American Expeditionary Forces, France; Army General Staff College, Langres, France; participated in the following major opera- tions: With the British Fourth Army and in Argonne-Meuse Offen- sive. Cited in Division Orders for gallantry in action by General Pershing "for exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous service as Division Adjutant, Thirty-third Division, American Expeditionary Forces, France." Recommended for Distinguished Service Medal, Croix de Guerre, and Legion of Honor ; Honorably discharged April 1, 1919.
MARCUS ALEXANDER JORDAN: (Deceased), Commissioned Sec- ond Lieutenant, U. S. Marine Corps, April 21, 1917. Marine Bar- racks, Quantico, Va .; Expeditionary duty in France; Detached to Foggia, Italy, for training as Naval Aviator; killed in aeroplane accident at Foggia, Italy, March 27, 1918.
143
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
HARRY RANDOLPH LAY: Major, U. S. Marine Corps, Lieu- tenant Colonel, July 1, 1918. Division Marine Officer, Fourth Division, Atlantic Fleet, . U. S. S. Minnesota, Fourth Brigade Marines, Second Division; Adjutant, Fifth Regiment of Marines; Adjutant, Fourth Brigade of Marines; Division Inspector, Second Division, American Expeditionary Forces; Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D. C. Participated in the Aisne-Marne Defensive; Served with the French Army in the Champagne, ( Blanc- Mont) ; participated in the St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offen- sives. Awarfded citation by General Pershing for meritorious and conspicuous service ; recommended for Distinguished Service Medal ; awarded the Navy Cross by the Secretary of the Navy; Awarded Croix de Guerre (Corps Citation) and Croix de Guerre with palm for gallantry in action at Blanc-Mont, Champagne, and the Bois-de- Belleau; Recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross.
HOMER WINTHROP LOCKWOOD: Enlisted May 15, 1917, Ambu- lance Service, U. S. Army ; Active duty with French Army ; Prisoner of war after Montdidier-Noyon defensive, June 8-9, 1918, until signing of Armistice. Honorably discharged June 12, 1919.
GEORGE RALPH MARVELL: Captain, U. S. Navy. Director of Naval Districts, Office of Chief of Naval Operations, Wash- ington, D. C., Navy Department; Commanded U. S. S. Louisiana; Temporary duty with Cruiser and Transport Forces; in two engagements with submarines.
WILLIAM MITCHELL: Major, Signal Corps, U. S. Army ; Lieutenant Colonel, May 15, 1917; Colonel, August 5, 1917; Brigadier-General (Air Service), October 1, 1918. Chief of Air Service, First Army, American Expeditionary Forces; Director U. S. Army Air Service, Washington, D. C. First American officer under German fire in Europe; first American flying officer to cross lines in European War, on April 22, 1917; Commanded the Air Service of the First Army Corps, the Brigade Air Service, the Air Service of the First Army, the Air Service of the Group of Armies, and at the time of the Armistice, took the Aviation of the Army of Occupation into Germany. Participated in the following major operations. American : The Somme Defensive, the Aisne-Marne Defensive, the St. Mihiel Offensive, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. British : Ypres, May, 1917, Ballecourt. French: Mont Sans Nom, Mont Counillet, Champagne Offensive, April, 1917, Bois de la Grille, April, 1917, Verdun, August, 1917, Malmaison, October, 1917. Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, Commander of the Legion of Honor. French Croix de Guerre with five palms, the British Order of St. Michael and St. George.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.