Charles Henry Muir (July 18, 1860 – December 8, 1933) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer. He served from 1885 to 1920, and attained the rank of major general. During the final year of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he commanded the 28th Division throughout most of its service on the Western Front. Previously, he served on active duty during the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

, the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, and the occupation of Cuba.

Military career

Muir received an appointment to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

(USMA) at

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

in 1881, graduating eighth in his class in 1885. Among his classmates included several officers who would become future

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

s, such as Beaumont B. Buck, Joseph E. Kuhn, Henry P. McCain,

Robert Michie Major General Robert Edward Lee Michie (June 1, 1864 – June 4, 1918) was a U.S. Army general. Early life Michie was born in Bellair, Virginia, in Albemarle County on June 1, 1864, to Dr. J. Augustus Michie and Susan Jackson Michie. He gradua ...

, George W. Burr, John D. Barrette, John M. Carson Jr., Robert A. Brown,

Robert Lee Bullard Lieutenant General Robert Lee Bullard (January 5, 1861 – September 11, 1947) was a senior officer of the United States Army. He was involved in conflicts in the American Western Frontier, the Philippines, and World War I, where he commanded t ...

, William F. Martin, Daniel B. Devore and Willard A. Holbrook. After receiving his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army, Muir was sent to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

and later to Fort D. A. Russell in

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. He held first place on the Army Rifle Team in 1890. In 1895, Muir graduated at the head of his class from the Infantry and Cavalry School in

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. Muir was deployed to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

during the Spanish–American War, where he received the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry in action during the

Battle of Santiago de Cuba The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an United States, American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Restoration (Spain), Spanish fleet led by Pascu ...

. On July 2, 1898, he had voluntarily exposed himself to heavy enemy

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

and

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

fire in an action which resulted in the silencing of a piece of Spanish artillery. Muir was promoted to captain on 2 March 1899. Later that year he was promoted to major and sent to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. On 19 January 1900, Muir and ten other American soldiers attacked the headquarters of General

Miguel Malvar Miguel Malvar y Carpio (September 27, 1865 – October 13, 1911) was a Filipino general who served during the Philippine Revolution and, subsequently, during the Philippine–American War. He assumed command of the Philippine revolutionary forc ...

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...

province, driving Malvar and his men out. Muir's unit took possession of 25,000 Mexican pesos from Malvar's treasury and released 300 Spanish prisoners. From 1903 to 1907, he was a member of the

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Major General Muir succeeded Charles M. Clement as Commander of the 28th Division from 15 December 1917 until 23 October 1918, when he was succeeded by William H. Hay. Muir commanded IV Corps, aided by Briant H. Wells as his

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

, until April, 1919 when he succeeded Hay as commander of the 28th Division and led it to the United States for its post-war demobilization. He was succeeded by William G. Price Jr. when the division was reorganized as part of the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

. From July 1919 to August 1920, MG Muir served as Commandant of the United States Army Command and General Staff College. His final duty assignment was at the War Department in Washington, D.C., after which he retired from the army with the permanent rank of major general.

Awards

He received the Distinguished Service Cross, the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...

, and a Silver Star Citation. From France, he received a

Croix de Guerre The (, ''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 awarded during World ...

. He was made a Knight Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

Death and legacy

He died at the age of 73 on December 8, 1933 and is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Family

In 1887, Muir married May Bennett, the daughter of Colonel Clarence Edmund Bennett. They were the parents of three sons and a daughter, including James I. Muir, who was a career army officer and attained the rank of major general as commander of the 44th Infantry Division during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Namesakes

Muir Army Airfield The Muir Army Airfield is a military airport at Fort Indiantown Gap, near Annville, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade and Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS), operated by the Penn ...

* USS General C. H. Muir (AP-142) a transport ship The General Muir, restaurant and deli, Atlanta, Georgia, is named for the ship.

References

Bibliography

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External links

History of Rosario, Batangas
at rosariobatangas.com, visited 16 December 2010 * * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Charles Henry 1860 births 1933 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Commandants of the United States Army Command and General Staff College Military personnel from Michigan American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) American recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Silver Star