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MAJ Mark E Cooper
to remember
Eddy, Manton Sprague, LTG.
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Contact Info
Home Town Chicago
Last Address Fort Benning, GA
Date of Passing Apr 10, 1962
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Manton Sprague Eddy was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He attended the Shattuck Military School in Faribault, Minnesota, United States between 1910 and 1913. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1916 and served in France during WW1 as an infantryman of the 4th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces. With the war time rank of major, he served during the occupation of Germany until 1919. In 1920, he was reverted to the regular rank of captain. Between 1920 and 1934, he took the Infantry School Officers Course, advanced course, and the Command and General Staff School. On 23 Nov 1921, he married Mamie Peabody Buttolph. In the 1920s, he served as a member of the Infantry Board and an instructor of tactics at the Command and General Staff College, Kansas, United States. In 1941, he became commanding officer of the 114th Regiment of the 44th Division and led this unit through fighting in Tunisia, Sicily, and France. US Army infantry officer Lieutenant Charles Scheffel recalled Eddy as the officer who saved Patton from a bad choice of words on the eve of the Sicily invasion.
Patton began an amazingly bellicose and agitated tirade about what we were going to do to the enemy when we got to Sicily. Then he said, "And gentlemen, when we land on the beaches of Sicily, there will be no prisoners taken."
I sat stunned in the first row of officers, not ten feet away from the pompous man. His words made my skin crawl. Nobody said anything for a long moment.
General [Manton] Eddy stepped forward and tugged gently at Patton's shirtsleeve. "General," he said so softly I could barely hear him, "you might want to rethink your last statement."
Patton looked out over the group of officers sitting on the sand before him. Then he wagged his hand toward us. "Forget what I just said."
In France, Eddy won the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership during the capture of the city of Cherbourg. In 1944, he was given command of the XII Corps, which fought in the southern front of the Battle of the Bulge. In Apr 1945, he returned to the US due to illness and largely ended his involvement in WW2. After the war, in 1946, he commanded the 3rd Service Command and Deputy Command of the 2nd Army. In 1947, he served as the Information Chief of the US Army. In 1948, he became the commanding general of the Command and General Staff College and was involved in developing modern US Army officer schooling programs. In 1950, he was nominated as a candidate to lead all US Army personnel in Europe, though did not receive the appointment. He went on to command the 7th Army. He retired at the rank of lieutenant general. Eddy passed away in 1962 and now rests in peace at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, United States.
Beyond the Distinguished Service Cross, Eddy's American awards also included the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Purple Heart. From the United Kingdom, Eddy was given the rank of Honorary Companion of the Order of the Bath. From France, he received the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre. The Russians gave him the Order of War For The Fatherland and the Medal for Valor. From Belgium, he received the title of Commander of the Order of Leopold.
Sources:
Charles Scheffel with Barry Basden, Crack! and Thump
Arlington National Cemetery
1921-1928, Infantry Board, Infantry Center and School, Fort Benning, GA
Infantry Board, Infantry Center and School, Fort Benning, GA Details
On 15 December 1919, War Department Orders established the Infantry Board as a development and testing laboratory with permanent station at Fort Benning, Georgia. The Board's mission was to consider, with continuity of effort, the improvement of the Infantry.
The history of the Infantry Board has been coincident with that of the Infantry Center and Fort Benning, "The Home of the Infantry".
(continued on other side)
(Side 2)
THE INFANTRY BOARD
From its very beginning, the Infantry Board was concerned with everything the Infantry Soldier used. Whether he shot it, rode in it, slept in it, ate it, wore it, or used it to accomplish his tactical missions, the Infantryman operating under combat conditions used products that had been tested by the Infantry Board. In consonance with its mission, the Infantry Board's motto was "ONLY THE BEST FOR THE FINEST!"
From 1946 to 1991 the Infantry Board was headquartered in Building 76, on Anderson Street. The Infantry Board was discontinued effective 23 March 1991.
Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and Fort Benning Infantry Board 1991
