Robert Lester Blackwell (October 4, 1895 – October 11, 1918) was an American

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

who

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

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 ...

. He was born in the vicinity of Hurdle Mills, in

Person County, North Carolina Person County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 39,097 as of the 2020 census. The county seat is Roxboro. Person County is included in the Durham- Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

, to James B. and Eugenia Blackwell. Robert's father was originally from nearby Orange County, and was a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran; his mother died when he was young. Blackwell was raised on his family's farm, and entered the Army from Hurdle Mills.

Biography

He was born on October 4, 1895. He was assigned to Company K, 119th Infantry, 30th Division. He was one of two soldiers from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

to be awarded the Medal of Honor for service in the

First World War 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 is buried in

Somme American Cemetery and Memorial The Somme American Cemetery and Memorial in Picardie, France, is an American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery, situated ½ mile southwest of the commune of Bony, Aisne in northern France. It is located on a gentle slope typical of the ope ...

, Somme Picardie, France. His grave can be found in plot D, row 20, grave 2. Robert's father received the medal May 6, 1919, from North Carolina Governor

Thomas Bickett Thomas Walter Bickett (February 28, 1869December 28, 1921) was the 54th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1917 to 1921. He was born in Monroe, North Carolina. Bickett was a graduate of Wake Forest College. Prior to being elect ...

in a ceremony in the

North Carolina State Capitol The North Carolina State Capitol is the former seat of the legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina which housed all of the state's government until 1888. The Supreme Court and State Library moved into a separate building in 1888, and th ...

. The family later donated the medal to what is now the

North Carolina Museum of History The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archi ...

.Robert L. Blackwell, North Carolina Highway Historical Marker G-87. http://www.ncmarkers.com.

Honors

A statue to honor his heroism stands today in

Roxboro, North Carolina Roxboro is a city in and the county seat of Person County, North Carolina, Person County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 8,134 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The city is north of Durham, North Carolina, D ...

, and shortly after World War I there was the Robert Lester Blackwell

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

Post No. 138 in

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company K, 119th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and date: Near St. Souplet, France, October 11, 1918. Entered service at: Hurdle Mills, N.C. Birth: Person County, N.C. G.O. No.: 13, W.D., 1919. Citation:

When his platoon was almost surrounded by the enemy and his platoon commander asked for volunteers to carry a message calling for reinforcements, Pvt. Blackwell volunteered for this mission, well knowing the extreme danger connected with it. In attempting to get through the heavy shell and machinegun fire this gallant soldier was killed.

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