Charles A. Doyen

Charles Augustus Doyen
BGen Charles A. Doyen
Born	(1859-09-03)September 3, 1859 Concord, New Hampshire
Died	October 6, 1918(1918-10-06) (aged 59) Quantico, Virginia
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1881–1918
Rank	Brigadier general
Commands held	5th Regiment 4th Brigade, 2nd Division(RA) 2nd Division(RA)
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal

Charles Augustus Doyen (September 3, 1859 – October 6, 1918) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general and the first recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

Biography[]

Born in Concord, New Hampshire, Brigadier General Doyen was a member of the Naval Academy class of 1881, later commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He organized and commanded the 5th Marine Regiment in World War I, and in France took command of the 4th Brigade, 2d Division, composed of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion. From October 26 to November 8, 1917, he served as commanding general, 2nd Division (United States), the first Marine officer to command a U.S. Army division. He returned to the United States, dying of influenza during the height of the global pandemic on October 6, 1918, at Quantico, Virginia.^[1] The 4th Brigade went on to win a historic victory in Belleau Wood. Brigadier General Doyen's contribution to these victories was recognized by the posthumous award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the first to ever be awarded.

Namesake[]

Two ships have been named USS Doyen for him.

Footnotes[]

This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

References[]

• "Doyen". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History & Heritage Command, Department of the Navy. Retrieved November 19, 2006.
• United States Army records of World War I
• Bastedo, Russell (2007). "General Charles Augustus Doyen". Publications - Likenesses of New Hampshire War Heroes & Personages in the Collections of the New Hampshire State House & State Library. New Hampshire State Curator. Retrieved March 27, 2009.

Attribution[]

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

External links[]

Media related to Charles Augustus Doyen at Wikimedia Commons

• Arlington National Cemetery