Major General Louis Emerson Hibbs (October 3, 1893 − April 28, 1970) 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 who served in both

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 ...

and

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 ...

, where he commanded the

63rd Infantry Division 63rd Division may refer to: ; Infantry divisions : *63rd Infantry Division CireneItalian Army (Second World War) *63rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union) *63rd Guards Rifle Division (Soviet Union) *63rd Division (Spain) *63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division ...

Military career

Louis Emerson Hibbs was born on October 3, 1893, in

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 ...

In 1912 he entered 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) and graduated from there as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery Branch of the

four years later in June 1916. He was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

on July 1, 1916, less than a month after graduating, and was by then serving with the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, then stationed at

Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County, Texas, United States. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across the ...

. Hibbs saw service in

, which the United States had entered in April 1917. On May 15, 1917, Hibbs was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He was eventually transferred to the

5th Field Artillery Regiment The 5th Field Artillery Regiment was constituted as part of the Regular Army (United States), Regular Army in January 1907. Individual battalions have lineages which date back further. Currently, it is a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Reg ...

, which was then serving in Western Front, the main

theater of war In warfare, a theater or theatre is an area in which important military events occur or are in progress. A theater can include the entirety of the airspace, land, and sea area that is—or that may potentially become—involved in war operation ...

, as part of the 1st Division of the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

(AEF). On July 3, 1918, he was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He was

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

to a battalion of the 5th Field Artillery and, from April 1918, he commanded a battalion of the 5th Field Artillery until he was wounded in June at the

battle of Cantigny The Battle of Cantigny, fought May 28, 1918, was the first major American battle and offensive of World War I. The U.S. 1st Division, the most experienced of the five American divisions then in France and in reserve for the French Army near th ...

. After recovering from his injury he then served as

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 ...

to the chief of artillery of II Corps between September and October 1918 but was again wounded, this time during an attack on the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...

near Le Cateau. He was then sent to a hospital in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, but returned to the United States in late December. By this time the

Armistice with Germany {{Short description, none This is a list of armistices signed by the German Empire (1871–1918) or Nazi Germany (1933–1945). An armistice is a temporary agreement to cease hostilities. The period of an armistice may be used to negotiate a peace t ...

had brought World War I to an end. On July 1, 1938, Hibbs was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In the following year Hibbs found himself returning to the USMA, where he was Graduate Manager of Athletics. While there, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

on June 26, 1941. He retained this post until February 1942, two months after the United States had entered

, when he was made the commander of the Artillery of the 36th Infantry Division, an

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

formation recruiting from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and commanded by Major General Fred L. Walker, who had been one of Hibbs's instructors at the Army War College. On March 11, 1942, Hibbs was promoted to brigadier general. He died in

Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about south ...

on April 28, 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hibbs, Louis E. 1893 births 1970 deaths Military personnel from Washington, D.C. United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel