Edwin Burr Babbitt (July 26, 1862 – December 9, 1939) was a major general in the

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 ...

Biography

Babbitt was born at

Watervliet Arsenal The Watervliet Arsenal (WVA) is an arsenal of the United States Army located in Watervliet, New York, on the west bank of the Hudson River. It is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the arti ...

Watervliet, New York Watervliet ( or ) is a City (New York), city in northeastern Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 10,375 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, New York, Albany, the capital city, ...

on July 26, 1862, to Lawrence Sprague Babbitt, a U.S. Army Colonel, and Francis P. "Fannie" (McDougall) Babbitt. He was the grandson of

Charles McDougall Charles McDougall is a British Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning director. Biography McDougall has directed for popular television series which include the pilot episode of ABC's ''Desperate Housewives'' (which includes the unaired pilot as well). M ...

and nephew of Thomas Mower McDougall.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. p. 22 Babbitt died on December 9, 1939, in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

. He is buried at

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. ...

Career

Babbitt graduated from 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 ...

in 1884 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He served as a brigade commander during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12 to 15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States again ...

during

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 ...

. Awards he received include 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. ...

for "exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous services" in World War I; Officer, Legion d'Honour (France); Comendator,

Order of the Sun of Peru The Order of the Sun of Peru (Spanish: ''Orden El Sol del Perú''), formerly known as the Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in ...

(Peru) and Order of Abdon Calderón, First Class (Ecuador). The citation for his Army DSM reads: He retired from military service in 1924.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Babbitt, Edwin Burr 1862 births 1939 deaths United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel People from Watervliet, New York United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of the Sun of Peru Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from New York (state) 19th-century United States Army personnel