Charles S. Kilburn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles S. Kilburn
Charles Solomon Kilburn (US Army brigadier general).jpg
Born(1895-01-02)January 2, 1895
Silver City, New Mexico, U.S.
DiedDecember 28, 1978(1978-12-28) (aged 83)
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchU.S. Army Cavalry Branch
Years of service1917-1946
RankBrigadier General
UnitUnited States Army
Commands held7th Field Signal Battalion
8th Cavalry Regiment
3rd Cavalry Brigade
Combat Command A, 11th Armored Division
11th Armored Division
Florida Military District
Camp Blanding, Florida
Battles/warsPancho Villa Expedition
World War I
World War II
AwardsLegion of Merit
Spouse(s)Edith Chabot (m. 1919-1978, his death)
Children4

Charles S. Kilburn (January 2, 1895 – December 28, 1978) was a career officer in the United States Army. he attained the rank of brigadier general and was most notable for his World War II command of the 11th Armored Division.

Early life[]

Charles Solomon Kilburn was born in Silver City, New Mexico on January 2, 1895, the son of John Franklin Kilburn and Harriet M. (Randall) Kilburn.[1][2] He was raised and educated in El Paso, Texas, where his parents operated a ranch.[1] He attended El Paso High School, from which he graduated in 1913, and he was president of his senior class.[3] After graduation, Kilburn competed for an appointment from William Robert Smith to the United States Military Academy.[4] Kilburn obtained the appointment and attended West Point from 1913 to 1917.[4] He graduated in April 1917 ranked 92nd of 139 and received his commission as a second lieutenant of Cavalry.[5] Because of his ranching background, during his West Point career his classmates nicknamed him "Rattlesnake Pete", the nickname of Peter Gruber, a Rochester, New York folk figure who operated a snake-themed museum and saloon in the early 1900s.[1][6]

Early career[]

Kilburn was initially assigned to the 17th Cavalry Regiment and posted to Camp Harry J. Jones in Douglas, Arizona, where he took part in defense of the Mexico–United States border during the Pancho Villa Expedition.[1] In May 1917 he was promoted to first lieutenant.[7] In August 1917, Kilburn was promoted to temporary captain as the army expanded during U.S. participation in World War I.[5] From September to December 1917, Kilburn was assigned to Camp Sherman, Ohio as aide-de-camp to Willard Ames Holbrook, the commander of the 165th Infantry Brigade.[5]

From December 1917 to February 1918, Kilburn was assigned to the 83rd Field Artillery Regiment at Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming.[5] From February to September 1918, Kilburn was assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment in Marfa, Texas.[7] From September to December 1918, Kilburn was again aide-de-camp to Willard Holbrook, who was commander of the 9th Division at Camp Sheridan near Montgomery, Alabama.[5] From January to March 1919, Kilburn was assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas as a student at the Machine Gun Officers' Course.[5] He was then assigned as aide-de-camp to DeRosey Caroll Cabell, commander of the Army's Southern Department.[5]

In December 1919, Kilburn married Edith Chabot of San Antonio.[1] They were the parents of three daughters and a son.[1]

Continued career[]

Following the First World War, Kilburn was promoted to permanent captain. His post-war assignments included instructor at the Southern Department's Military Government School , which was located at Fort Bliss,[7] commander of the 7th Field Signal Battalion at Fort Sam Houston, Texas,[7] and aide-de-camp to Edward Mann Lewis, commander of the Eighth Corps Area.[8] He graduated from the Infantry Officers' Course in 1924.[1] From July 1924 to June 1925 he was assigned to the 4th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Meade, South Dakota.[7]

In the mid 1920s, he served as aide-de-camp to General John L. Hines during Hine's term as chief of staff of the U.S. Army.[7] When Hines moved on to command of the Ninth Corps Area, Kilburn continued to serve as his aide.[9] Kilburn was a 1932 graduate of the Cavalry Officers' Advanced Course.[1] He was promoted to major in 1932 and was assigned to command of a squadron in the 2nd Cavalry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas.[7] In March 1933, Kilburn discovered two dead individuals in a room at his Fort Riley headquarters.[10] They were identified as a private in the 9th Cavalry Regiment and a woman employed employed as a maid at Fort Riley.[10] Police believed them to have been involved in a romantic relationship, and concluded that the soldier had killed the woman, then committed suicide.[10]

In 1937, Kilburn graduated from the United States Army War College and was assigned to the staff of the Office of the Chief of Cavalry.[1] He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1940, and from April until August 1941 he was assigned to the War Plans Section of the War Department General Staff.[7]

World War II[]

In late 1941, Kilburn was assigned to command of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, and he was promoted to colonel in December.[1] Kilburn subsequently commanded the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, and he was promoted to brigadier general in June 1942.[1] Kilburn commanded Combat Command A, 11th Armored Division during its organization and training at Camp Polk, Louisiana.[1] In 1943, he took command of the 11th Armored Division, which he led during training at Camp Cooke, California and in England.[1]

The division landed in Normandy in December 1944, and was assigned to units of the German Army in the Lorient pocket.[11] During the Battle of the Bulge, the 11th Armored Division executed a forced march to the Meuse and took up the defense of a 30-mile sector from Givet to Sedan.[11] In later December 1944 and early January 1945, the division counterattacked German units near Neufchâteau, Belgium, then defended the highway from Neufchâteau to Bastogne in order to halt the German advance.[11]

The division made contact with units of the First United States Army at Houffalize, Belgium on January 16, then took part in the breaching of the Siegfried Line.[11] The 11th Armored continued the attack into Germany throughout the spring of 1945.[11] In late March 1945, Kilburn was relieved of command as the result of his performance in combat during the division's crossing of the Rhine.[12] Kilburn lost communications with his subordinate units during the attack, and his superiors, Troy H. Middleton and George S. Patton decided to replace him.[12] He was a recipient of the Legion of Merit for his wartime service.[13]

Post-World War II[]

In June 1945, Kilburn returned to the United States and was assigned as Chief of Post War Plans on the Army staff.[1] In January 1946, he assumed command of the Florida Military District and Camp Blanding, Florida.[1] He retired on December 1, 1946.[1]

At the first reunion of the 11th Armored Division in August 1947, attendees passed a resolution expressing appreciation for Kilburn's service as their commander and regret at his removal from command.[14] In addition, they elected him the honorary president of the 11th Division Veterans Association.[14]

In retirement, Kilburn was a resident first of Larkspur, California, and later of Kentfield, California.[14][15] In the 1950s he served as Larkspur's civil defense director.[16] At an August 1954 meeting of the 11th Armored Division Veterans Association, Kilburn and Willard Ames Holbrook Jr., who had succeeded Kilburn as wartime commander of Combat Command A, received commissions as Kentucky Colonels from Lieutenant Governor Emerson Beauchamp.[17]

In addition to his civil defense work, Kilburn was also involved in civic and charitable efforts, including raising funds for The Salvation Army in Marin County, California.[15] Kilburn died in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California on December 31, 1978.[1] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Krisman, Michael J., ed. (December 1980). "Death Notice, Charles S. Kilburn". Assembly. West Point, NY: Association of Graduates, USMA. p. 128 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Chabot, Frederick Charles (1937). With the Makers of San Antonio. San Antonio, TX: Artes Graficas. p. 312 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "High School Grads Burn Books At Farewell Held At School". El Paso Herald. El Paso, TX. May 22, 1913. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Charles Kilburn Gets West Point Appointment". El Paso Herald. El Paso, TX. June 21, 1913. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Cullum, George W. (1920). Robinson, Wirt (ed.). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy. Vol. VI–B. Saginaw, MI: Seemann & Peters. p. 1897 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Nickell, Joe (April 15, 2013). "The Story of "Rattlesnake Pete"". Center for Inquiry.org. Amherst, NY: Center for Inquiry.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Brigadier General Charles Solomon Kilburn". General's Histories. 11th Armored Division Legacy Group. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  8. ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General (1923). Army List and Directory. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 5 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General (1929). Army List and Directory. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 6 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b c "Find Soldier and Maid with Throats Slashed". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS. Associated Press. March 14, 1933. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e "A Brief History of the Thunderbolt Division". Our History. 11th Armored Division Legacy Group. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Moeller, Kenneth W. "Memories: The European Theater Of Operations 1944-45". Our History. The 11th Armored Division Legacy Group. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  13. ^ "Legion of Merit, Charles Solomon Kilburn". The Hall of Valor Project. Tysons, VA: Military Times. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c "Ousted General Given Ovation". The San Bernardino Sun. San Bernardino, CA. Associated Press. August 18, 1947. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "700 Volunteers Ask Fund For Salvation Army". San Rafael Independent-Journal. San Rafael, CA. May 22, 1957. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "First Aid Class for Civil Defense Starts for Larkspur Citizens". San Rafael Independent-Journal. San Rafael, CA. January 24, 1951. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Barkley Says War Involving U.S. Inevitable If Reds Stab At Formosa". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, KY. August 15, 1954. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[]

Military offices
Preceded by Commanding General 11th Armored Division
1944–1945 		Succeeded by
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