Charles White Whittlesey
| Charles White Whittlesey | |
|---|---|
 
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Galloping Charlie" |
| Born |
January 20, 1884 Florence, Wisconsin, United States |
| Died | November 26, 1921 (aged 37) (Presumed) |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1917–1919 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Colonel
|
| Unit |
 Infantry Branch
|
| Commands held | 1st Battalion, 308th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Other work | Attorney |
Lieutenant Colonel Charles White Whittlesey (January 20, 1884 – presumed dead November 26, 1921) was a United States Army officer and an American Medal of Honor recipient who led the "Lost Battalion" in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in October 1918 during the final stages of World War I.
Whittlesey was born in Florence, Wisconsin, where his father worked as a logger, and he attended school in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He moved with his family in 1894 to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Pittsfield High School class of 1901. He enrolled at Williams College, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall, graduating in 1905. He was voted the "third-brightest man" in his class, and because of his aristocratic manner was nicknamed "Count." He earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1908. Soon after graduating he formed a law partnership with his Williams classmate J. Bayard Pruyn in New York City. Influenced by his friend and roommate at Williams, Max Eastman, Whittlesey spent several years as a member of the American Socialist Party before resigning his membership in disgust over what he viewed as the movement's increasing extremism.
In May 1917, a month after the American entry into World War I, Whittlesey took a leave from his partnership and joined the U.S. Army. He shipped for the Western Front as a captain in the 308th Infantry Regiment, 154th Infantry Brigade, part of the 77th Infantry Division. The 77th was known as the "Metropolitan Division," because it was made up largely of New York City men, principally from the polyglot Lower East side. Its members spoke 42 different languages or dialects.
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