Charles Muir
Nickname(s)"Uncle Charley"
Born(1860-07-18)18 July 1860
Erie Township, Michigan, United States
Died8 December 1933(1933-12-08) (aged 73)
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1885−1920
Rank Major General
Service number0-33
Commands held28th Division
IV Corps
United States Army Command and General Staff College
Battles/warsSpanish–American War
Philippine–American War
Occupation of Cuba
World War I
AwardsIndian Campaign Medal

Spanish Campaign Medal
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Army of Cuban Occupation Medal
Philippine Campaign Medal
China Relief Expedition Medal
Croix de Guerre (with palms)
French Legion of Honor (Commandeur)

Order of St Michael and St George (Knight Commander)
RelationsMG James Irvin Muir (son)

Major General Charles Henry Muir (July 18, 1860 – December 8, 1933) was a United States Army officer.

During the final year of World War I, he commanded the 28th Division throughout most of its service on the Western Front. Previously, he served on active duty during the American Indian Wars, the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, and the occupation of Cuba.

Military career

Muir received an appointment to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York in 1881, graduating eighth in his class in 1885.[1] Among his classmates included several officers who would become future general officers, such as Beaumont B. Buck, Joseph E. Kuhn, Henry P. McCain, Robert Michie, George W. Burr, John D. Barrette, John M. Carson Jr., Robert A. Brown, Robert Lee Bullard, William F. Martin, Daniel B. Devore and Willard A. Holbrook.

After receiving his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army, Muir was sent to Dakota Territory and later to Fort D. A. Russell in Wyoming. He held first place on the Army Rifle Team in 1890.[2] In 1895, Muir graduated at the head of his class from the Infantry and Cavalry School in Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.[3]

Muir was deployed to Cuba during the Spanish–American War,[2] where he received the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry in action during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.[4] On July 2, 1898, he had voluntarily exposed himself to heavy enemy artillery and infantry fire in an action which resulted in the silencing of a piece of Spanish artillery.[1]

Major General Muir, the newly appointed commander of U.S. IV Corps, pictured here with his staff at Boucq, Meuse, France, October 31, 1918. Stood to Muir's left is his chief of staff, Brigadier General Briant H. Wells while Joseph Stilwell, then a major, stands to his right in the rank behind.

Muir was promoted to captain on 2 March 1899. Later that year he was promoted to major and sent to the Philippines. On 19 January 1900, Muir and ten other American soldiers attacked the headquarters of General Miguel Malvar at Rosario in Batangas province, driving Malvar and his men out. Muir's unit took possession of 25,000 Mexican pesos from Malvar's treasury and released 300 Spanish prisoners.

From 1903 to 1907, he was a member of the general staff at Washington, D.C.[5]

Major General Muir succeeded Charles M. Clement as Commander of the 28th Division from 15 December 1917 until 23 October 1918, when he was succeeded by William H. Hay. Muir commanded IV Corps, aided by Briant H. Wells as his chief of staff, until April, 1919 when he succeeded Hay as commander of the 28th Division and led it to the United States for its post-war demobilization.[1] He was succeeded by William G. Price Jr. when the division was reorganized as part of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

From July 1919 to August 1920, MG Muir served as Commandant of the United States Army Command and General Staff College. His final duty assignment was at the War Department in Washington, D.C., after which he retired from the army with the permanent rank of major general.[6][1]

Awards

He received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, and a Silver Star Citation.[4] From France, he received a Croix de Guerre. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.[6]

Death and legacy

He died at the age of 73 on December 8, 1933[6] and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[7]

Family

In 1887, Muir married May Bennett, the daughter of Colonel Clarence Edmund Bennett. They were the parents of three sons and a daughter, including James I. Muir, who was a career army officer and attained the rank of major general as commander of the 44th Infantry Division during World War II.

Namesakes

The General Muir, restaurant and deli, Atlanta, Georgia, is named for the ship.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Venzon 2013, p. 392.
  2. 1 2 Davis 1998, p. 277.
  3. ↑ Reynolds, Francis J., ed. (1921). "Muir, Charles Henry" . Collier's New Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier & Son Company.
  4. 1 2 "Valor awards for Charles Henry Muir".
  5. ↑ Davis 1998, p. 277−278.
  6. 1 2 3 Davis 1998, p. 278.
  7. ↑ Burial Details: Muir, Charles H – ANC Explorer
  8. ↑ "The General Muir, restaurant and deli, Atlanta, Georgia".

Bibliography

  • Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, North Carolina: Pentland Press. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
  • Venzon, Anne Cipriano (2013). The United States in the First World War: an Encyclopedia. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-1-135-68453-2. OCLC 865332376.
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