https://www.vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/files/original/887dd43660e153ee9e8ad2d3a4cf3606.jpg 292db62f1790c5f2568a4e6d710f3993 https://www.vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/files/original/35e8754c15a678a3f597a18437d6efd2.jpg 49479b01be42a8a246b54815647f13ac https://www.vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/files/original/233420ca5913c7c8959afed17a04bc49.jpg a0159498dd1c96db0ad3da1fbd4c29da https://www.vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/files/original/d0fd5a95e93f2e0d09bf35943a83d6e4.jpg abd031e80035e72327cd373d256d9746 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource VPI Class of 1917 Description An account of the resource This collection contains the profiles of all World War One veterans from the VPI Class of 1917. Person An individual. Last Name Ellingsworth First and Middle Name Walton Marshall Nicknames or Other Names "Cabbage" Birth Date 6/21/1894 Birthplace Norfolk, VA Hometown Norfolk, VA VPI Graduating Class In what VPI class did this individual graduate or what class should they have graduated from? 1917 Undergraduate Major What did this individual major in while at VPI? Mining Engineering Graduated Yes or no, did this individual graduate from VPI? Y 1927 "Virginia Polytehnic Institute in the World War" booklet Did this individual appear in the 1927 booklet "Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the World War"? If so what page? Y Rank What military rank did this individual hold? First Lieutenant Retired Rank What military rank did this individual hold upon retirement? N/a Death Date 4/7/1982 Cause of Death N/a Place of Death N/a Military Events What significant military events occurred in this individual's life? Training May 1917 Service Branch What branch of the military did this individual serve in? Army Unit What unit or ship did this individual serve in or on? Battery E, 12th Field Artillery, 2nd Division Decorations or Citations Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Croix de Guerre Citation from Major General LeJeune, CG of 2nd Division: "He [Ellingsworth] performed his duties as Reconnaissance Officer and Observation Officer under heavy shell fire with great courage and coolness, and aided materially in the efficient firing of his battalion" Silver Star citation: "By constant and faithful attention to duty in the face of the most trying hardships and exposure to both element and hostile fire, rendered valuable service to his country during the recent engagements with the enemy" Battles or Engagements What battles or engagements was this individual involved in during World War One? Aisne-Marne Offensive (fought at the Battle of Soissons) Parents J Ellingsworth and Lulu Ellingsworth Siblings None Spouse(s) Margaret Ellingsworth Children Walter Marshall Ellingsworth Jr. Occupation Construction Engineer Bibliography 1940 Federal Census Biographical Text <div style="text-align:center;">“He performed his duties as Reconnaissance Officer and Observation Officer under heavy shell fire with great courage and coolness, and aided materially in the efficient firing of his battalion.”</div> <div style="text-align:center;">-Citation from General Preston Brown regarding 1st Lieutenant Walton Ellingsworth’s bravery during the Battle of Soissons</div> Walton Ellingsworth was completing his last semester at VPI when the United States entered the war. Just days after he graduated he joined the Army, boarded a train, and entered officer training in May 1917. A year later, in May 1918, Ellingsworth and his unit arrived in France and quickly joined the Allied offensive along the Aisne and Marne rivers. Soissons, a French town located along the Aisne River, was one of the most seriously affected towns during World War I. The town, being only miles away from German trenches, was heavily bombarded throughout the war. When the town was captured by German forces in the spring of 1918, French and American units were sent to the area to recapture it that July. Ellingsworth’s unit, the 12th Field Artillery, was among the American troops dispatched to recapture the town. On July 18, twenty-four French divisions, alongside two American divisions, launched an all out assault upon German positions in the town. American troops who attacked Soissons described passing through gas, artillery bombardments, and withering machine gun fire. It was here, on July 21, that Ellingsworth, in the face of constant attack, held his ground. He commanded his battalion to continue firing upon German positions to support advancing American Marines. For his actions in the Battle of Soissons, Ellingsworth received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and the Croix de Guerre. Ellingsworth went on to serve with the 12th Field Artillery for the entirety of the war, fighting in the St. Mihiel Offensive and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Walton Ellingsworth returned to the United States and married Margaret Parker, with whom he had a son in 1920. Ellingsworth moved to Alabama where he worked as a civil engineer. He died on April 7, 1982. <div></div> <div> </div> Postwar Life What did this individual do after the war? Walton Ellingsworth returned to the United States and married Margaret Parker, with whom he had a son in 1920. Ellingsworth moved to Alabama where he worked as a civil engineer. He died on April 7, 1982. Contributing Researchers Daniel Newomb and Gregory Milhiser Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ellingsworth, Walton Marshall