WHITTLESEY, CHARLES W. - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army, 308th Infantry, 77th Division.
Place and date: Northeast of Binarville, in the forest of Argonne France,
2-7 October 1918. Entered service at: Pittsfield, Mass. Birth. Florence,
Wis. G.O. No.: 118, W.D., 1918. Citation: Although cut off for 5 days from
the remainder of his division, Maj. Whittlesey maintained his position,
which he had reached under orders received for an advance, and held his
command, consisting originally of 46 officers and men of the 308th Infantry
and of Company K of the 307th Infantry, together in the face of superior
numbers of the enemy during the 5 days. Maj. Whittlesey and his command
were thus cut off, and no rations or other supplies reached him, in spite
of determined efforts which were made by his division. On the 4th day Maj.
Whittlesey received from the enemy a written proposition to surrender,
which he treated with contempt, although he was at the time out of rations
and had suffered a loss of about 50 percent in killed and wounded of his
command and was surrounded by the enemy.
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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