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 ...

Charles Evans Kilbourne Jr. (December 23, 1872 – November 12, 1963) was the first American to earn the United States' three highest military decorations. As an officer in 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 ...

he received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

for his actions during the Philippine–American War. He served as a general officer 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 received 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) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

and Army Distinguished Service Medal. After World War I, he served as the superintendent of the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

, succeeding General John A. Lejeune, and had a post-military career as a distinguished writer.

Biography

Kilbourne was born at

Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and Fort Whipple, ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

on December 23, 1872, a son of Charles E. Kilbourne (1844–1903) and Ada (Coolidge) Kilbourne. The senior Kilbourne was a career

officer who served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

and attained the regular rank of major and brevet 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 o ...

. The younger Kilbourne graduated from the

(VMI) in 1894 with academic distinction, winning the Second Jackson-Hope Medal for academic achievement. Kilbourne was an Honor Graduate of the Artillery School in 1903, a graduate of the General Staff College in 1920, and served as VMI's sixth superintendent, October 1, 1937, to July 11, 1946. Prior to joining the army, he worked for the

Weather Bureau The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...

. He was also a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

fraternity.

Military service

He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, May 20, 1898 in the Signal Corps and eventually reached the rank of major general, July 9, 1935. Kilbourne served in the Philippine–American War as a second lieutenant in the campaign which captured

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

and included operations in

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

, Laguna and

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...

Provinces. He served in the Boxer Rebellion in China and the relief of the Allied legations in

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and in operations in South Sulu. Kilbourne had five tours of duty in the Philippines. He was responsible for much of the military development of the island fortress of Corregidor. During his third assignment there, from 1908 to 1913, he established the first artillery garrison on Corregidor. In later Philippine duty in the late 1920s, Gen. Kilbourne initiated the elaborate tunnel system of Corregidor (Malinta Tunnel) which served American troops during the early stages of World War II and enabled Gen. MacArthur's troops to resist as long as they did in the face of the overwhelming odds in favor of the Japanese. 111-SC-20441 - NARA - 55200584

He was assigned to duty with the General Staff from 1911 to 1913 and again in 1915. He arrived in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

on January 1, 1918, for service in

where he served on both the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and French fronts for a short period and then returned to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in March. While on an inspection tour, he lost the vision in his right eye in the explosion of a trench mortar shell. He returned to France in May 1918 with the 89th Division, continuing with that unit until October 6, 1918. He commanded the 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade and the 3rd Infantry Brigade during the remainder of his service in France and Germany. He was the head of the U.S. Mission inspecting the coastal defenses of Europe and Turkey and returned to the U.S. in May 1919 to serve on the faculty of the Army War College from, 1920–1924. He later served as one of the directors of the college. He was Commandant of Boston Harbor from 1924 to 1925 and executive assistant to the chief of Coast Artillery from 1925 to 1928. In 1928 he commanded the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Division until 1929 after which he commanded the Coast Artillery District of Manila and Subic Bay from 1929 to 1932 and served in the War Plans Division in Washington, D.C., from 1932 to 1934. He commanded the

Sixth Corps Area Sixth Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army from 1921 to the 1940s. The headquarters was established at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, in August 1920, from portions of the former Central Department, but t ...

and 2nd Army, 1936. Kilbourne retired from the army in 1936 as a major general. He died on November 12, 1963, and is buried with his wife and son 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 ...

Educator

According to William H. Milton, Jr, superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, 1952–60, "In April, 1937, the Virginia Military Institute board of visitors named him superintendent of V.M.I. to succeed General John A. Lejeune. He came to the Institute in time to plan and direct the centennial celebration of the founding of V.M.I. and served during the trying war years when problems of discipline and of economy in operation were staggering in number and complexity. He brought to V.M.I. not only the training of a soldier but the compelling power of his own example as a Christian gentleman.

Writer

Gen. Kilbourne was also a prolific writer. He wrote ''An Army Boy in the Philippines'', ''An Army Boy in Pekin'', ''An Army Boy in Mexico'', ''An Army Boy in Alaska'',Kilbourne, Charles Evans, and R. L. Boyer. ''An Army Boy in Alaska''. Philadelphia: The Penn Pub. Co, 1917. the Baby Animal Stories (10 volumes) published between 1913 and 1917, ''Rolfe of Ebon: A Novel of Romance, War and Adventure in Ancient England'', and he was the editor of the National Service Library which was a 5 volume set published in 1917.

Awards and honors

During his career in the Army, Kilbourne received numerous awards including the following: * Medal of Honor for "distinguished gallantry at Paco Bridge, Philippine Islands, February 5, 1899 * Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism in action" near Thiacourt, France, September 12, 1918 * Distinguished Service Medal "for services in 89th Division and 36th Artillery Brigade" * Croix de Guerre (France) for "reconnaissances preparatory to assault on the St. Mihiel Salient," * Legion of Honor * Philippine and Victory Medals

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Volunteer Signal Corps. Place and date: At Paco Bridge, Philippine Islands, February 5, 1899. Entered service at. Portland. Oreg. Birth: Fort Myer, Va. Date of issue: May 6, 1905. Citation:

Within a range of 250 yards of the enemy and in the face of a rapid fire climbed a telegraph pole at the east end of the bridge and in full view of the enemy coolly and carefully repaired a broken telegraph wire, thereby reestablishing telegraphic communication to the front.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kilbourne, Charles E. American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army generals American military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion Virginia Military Institute alumni 1872 births 1963 deaths United States Army Signal Corps personnel Military personnel from Virginia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Philippine–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) United States Army generals of World War I Virginia Military Institute faculty Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College faculty