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Legge, Barnwell, BG.
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Contact Info
Home Town Charleston South Carolina
Last Address Washington DC
Date of Passing Jun 07, 1949
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Birth: July 9, 1891 Charleston Charleston County South Carolina, USA Death: Jun. 7, 1949 Washington District of Columbia District Of Columbia, USA
US Army Brigadier General. Legge's early education was in the Charleston City Schools. Afterwards he was awarded a scholarship to the "Citadel" where he graduated in 1911. He distinguished himself in athletics and earned the reputation of being the Citadel's most durable athlete.
In 1916 after studying law at the University of South Carolina, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the regular army. He served with the First Division 26th Infantry during World War I, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguised Service Medal, the French Croix de Guerre with palm, four Silver Stars and the Purple Heart. His Silver Stars were for conspicuous gallantry in the "Soissons" Campaign where during the last two days the casualties had been so heavy as to take off many of the field officers and most of the company commanders. Many of the battalions had shrunk from eight hundred men to one hundred.
Theodore Roosevelt would write in "Average Americans" that he served with Legge during his entire service in Europe, and during the latter part he was his second in command. He continued that he had seen him under all circumstances and he was always cool and decided. No mission was too difficult for him to undertake and his ability as a troop leader was of the highest order. Roosevelt concluded that in his opinion no man of his age had a better war record.
In 1939 he was named military attache to Switzerland where he served until 1947. While on duty there he was promoted to Brigadier general and decorated with the Legion of Merit. He died while still in the service of his country while living in Washington, DC.
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Distinguished Service Cross - Awarded for actions during the World War I
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Infantry) Barnwell R. Legge, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, A.E.F., near Verdun, France, 5 October 1918. Personally leading an attack against a strong enemy position, Major Legge inspired his men by his courage, cutting his way through entanglements and directing the attacks against three different strong points.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders 87 (1919)
Action Date: 5-Oct-18
Service: Army
Rank: Major
Regiment: 26th Infantry Regiment Division: 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces
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Army Distinguished Service Medal - Awarded for actions during the World War I
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Lieutenant Colonel (Infantry) Barnwell R. Legge, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As Company, Battalion, and Regimental Commander of the 26th Infantry throughout hostilities, Lieutenant Colonel Legge successfully led his command through each of the offensives of the 1st Division. By his superior tactical judgment, manifest ability, and tireless energy, coupled with unusual leadership, he contributed in a brilliant manner to the success of the 1st Division. Later, as a Division Adjutant, he gave further proof of the highest qualities of military character, again demonstrating conspicuous service in a position of great esponsibility.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 56 (1922) - Action Date: World War I
Service: Army - Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Company: Commanding Officer
Regiment: 26th Infantry Regiment Division: 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces
Other Comments:
The 1st Division took part in the first offensive by an American Army in the war, and helped to clear the Saint-Mihiel salient by fighting continuously from 11 to 13 September 1918. The last major World War 1battle was fought in the Meuse-Argonne Forest.
Description The European-Mediterranean-Middle East Theater was a major theater of operations during the Second World War (between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946). The vast size of Europe, Mediterranean and Middle East theatre saw interconnected naval, land, and air campaigns fought for control of the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The fighting in this theatre lasted from 10 June 1940, when Italy entered the war on the side of Germany, until 2 May 1945 when all Axis forces in Italy surrendered. However, fighting would continue in Greece – where British troops had been dispatched to aid the Greek government – during the early stages of the Greek Civil War.
The British referred to this theatre as the Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre (so called due to the location of the fighting and the name of the headquarters that controlled the initial fighting: Middle East Command) while the Americans called the theatre of operations the Mediterranean Theatre of War. The German official history of the fighting is dubbed 'The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942'. Regardless of the size of the theatre, the various campaigns were not seen as neatly separated areas of operations but part of one vast theatre of war.
Fascist Italy aimed to carve out a new Roman Empire, while British forces aimed initially to retain the status quo. Italy launched various attacks around the Mediterranean, which were largely unsuccessful. With the introduction of German forces, Yugoslavia and Greece were overrun. Allied and Axis forces engaged in back and forth fighting across North Africa, with Axis interference in the Middle East causing fighting to spread there. With confidence high from early gains, German forces planned elaborate attacks to be launched to capture the Middle East and then to possibly attack the southern border of the Soviet Union. However, following three years of fighting, Axis forces were defeated in North Africa and their interference in the Middle East was halted. Allied forces then commenced an invasion of Southern Europe, resulting in the Italians switching sides and deposing Mussolini. A prolonged battle for Italy took place, and as the strategic situation changed in southeast Europe, British troops returned to Greece.
The theatre of war, the longest during the Second World War, resulted in the destruction of the Italian Empire and altered the strategic position of Germany resulting in numerous German divisions being deployed to Africa and Italy and total losses (including those captured upon final surrender) being over half a million. Italian losses, in the theatre, amount to around to 177,000 men with a further several hundred thousand captured during the process of the various campaigns. British losses amount to over 300,000 men killed, wounded, or captured, and total American losses in the region amounted to 130,000.