Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Jr. (April 9, 1885 – June 5, 1964) was a major general in the United States Army. He commanded the United States Army Infantry School and the G-1 (personnel) staff section of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II. He was the father of General Charles H. Bonesteel III.
Charles H. Bonesteel Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Major General Charles H. Bonesteel Jr. | |
| Born | April 9, 1885 Fort Sidney, Nebraska, US |
| Died | June 5, 1964 (aged 79) Washington, D.C., US |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1908–1947 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Service number | 0-2372 |
| Unit | United States Army Infantry School |
| Commands | 1st Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment 19th Infantry Regiment Sixth Corps Area 5th Infantry Division Iceland Base Command United States Army Infantry School Western Defense Command G-1 Section, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force General Inspectorate Section, U.S. European Theater of Operations War Department Manpower Board |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal |
| Relations | Major Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Sr. (Father) General Charles Hartwell Bonesteel III (Son) Lieutenant General Charles Bertody Stone III (Nephew) |
Early life
editThe son of U.S. Army Major Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Sr. (1851 – 1902; West Point, 1876), the second Charles H. Bonesteel (pronounced "Bonn-eh-stel")[1] was born at Fort Sidney, Nebraska, on April 9, 1885.[2] His mother Mary Greene Bonesteel, was the daughter of Oliver Duff Greene, who received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Antietam.[3] Bonesteel graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1908 and was appointed a second lieutenant of Infantry.[4]
Start of career and World War I
editHis initial assignments included postings in the Philippines, Hawaii and Texas. During World War I he served with the 55th Infantry Regiment, and later at the Newport News, Virginia point of embarkation.
Post-World War I
editFrom 1919 to 1924 Bonesteel was an instructor at West Point.[5]
Bonesteel graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1926 and served on the staff of the Chief of Infantry until 1930. From 1930 to 1931 Bonesteel was assigned to the 18th Infantry Regiment, first as Commander of its 1st Battalion, and later as the regiment's Executive Officer, or second in command. In 1932 he graduated from the United States Army War College.[6]
From 1932 to 1940 Bonesteel's assignments included: Instructor and Section Chief at the Infantry School; Commander, 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment; and Commander of the 19th Infantry Regiment.[7]
World War II
editBeginning in 1940 Bonetseel's service covered several senior staff and command positions, to include: Chief of Staff, VI Corps Area and Second U.S. Army; Commander, Sixth Corps Area;[8] Commander, 5th Infantry Division;[9] Commander, Iceland Base Command;[10] Commandant of the Infantry School;[11] Commander, Western Defense Command;[12] and Assistant to the Commanding General, Twelfth United States Army Group. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1940[13] and Major General in 1941.[14]
In 1944 Bonesteel was assigned as Commander of the G-1 (Personnel) Staff Section at SHAEF Headquarters. He remained in this position until 1945, when he was assigned as Chief of the General Inspectorate Section for the U.S. European Theater of Operations.[15] Later in 1945 Bonesteel returned to the United States as President of the War Department Manpower Board, where he served until retiring in 1947.[16]
Death and burial
editBonesteel died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on June 5, 1964.[17][18] He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Site 1374-A.[19]
Awards and decorations
edit- Army Distinguished Service Medal[20]
- Legion of Merit[20]
- Bronze Star Medal[20]
- Honorary Companion of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom)[21]
- Légion d'Honneur (France)[21]
Family
editIn 1908 Bonesteel married Caroline Standish Mead Hudson (1885–1965).[17] Their children included daughter Eleanor and son Charles H. Bonesteel III.[17] Eleanor Bonesteel was the wife of United States Air Force General Nils O. Ohman (1914–1993).[17]
References
edit- ^ New York Times, Bonesteel of Iceland, May 17, 1942
- ^ James Terry White, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 51, 1969, page 248
- ^ "Memorial: Charles H. Bonesteel, 1908". West Point Association of Graduates. 1964. Archived from the original on 2017-09-29.
- ^ George Washington Cullum, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, Volume 5, 1910, page 820
- ^ A. N. Marquis, The Monthly Supplement: A Current Biographical Reference Service, Volumes 1-2, 1940, page 194
- ^ Marquis Who's Who, Who Was Who In American History: The Military, 1975, page 56
- ^ Maxine Block, E. Mary Trow, Current Biography: Who's News and Why, 1942, pages 95 to 96
- ^ Chicago Tribune, Gen. Bonesteel Made Chief of 6th Corps Area Archived 2018-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, October 11, 1940
- ^ H. W. Wilson Company, Current Biography Yearbook, Volume 3, 1942, page 95
- ^ New York Times, Bonesteel Made Chief in Iceland, April 28, 1942
- ^ Peggy A. Stelpflug, Richard Hyatt, Home of the Infantry: The History of Fort Benning, 2007, page 152
- ^ Christian Science Monitor, Petition Seeks to Allow Nisei Return to Coast Archived 2018-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, July 6, 1944
- ^ New York Times, Eleven promoted in High Army Ranks, April 25, 1940
- ^ Chicago Tribune, Name Bonesteel and Nine Others Major Generals Archived 2018-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, April 11, 1941
- ^ Brenda Moore, To Serve My Country, to Serve My Race, 1997, Notes for Chapter 5
- ^ Associated Press, Army Slashes its Civilian Personnel, Daytona Beach Morning Journal, August 30, 1946
- ^ a b c d "Maj. Gen. Charles H. Bonesteel, Officer in 2 Wars, Dead at 79". The New York Times. New York, NY. Associated Press. June 6, 1964. p. 23 – via TimesMachine.
- ^ Baltimore Sun, Bonesteel, General, Dies, June 6, 1964
- ^ Thomas E. Spencer, Where They're Buried, 2009, page 457
- ^ a b c "Official US Army Register". U.S. Army Adjutant General. 1946. p. 68.
- ^ a b Houterman, Hans. "US Army Officers 1939–1945: Bonesteel, Charles Hartwell". World War II unit histories. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2014.