2nd Lieutenant Grosvenor Cather - Willa Cather, 'One of Ours�'

[ph0ebus]

Hi all,

For those who may have read and appreciated 'One of Ours', winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1923, you may not know that the book's protagonist was based on the author's cousin, Grosvenor P. Cather, who was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, having been killed in action near Cantigny on May 27, 1918.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant (Infantry) Grosvenor P. Cather, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, A.E.F., near Cantigny, France, 27 May 1918. During a strong enemy attack Lieutenant Cather mounted the parapet of his trench, and, although exposed to withering machine-gun fire, he so skillfully directed the fire of his automatic rifles that the attack was repulsed. In this action he fell mortally wounded.

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 44 (1919)

Action Date: 27-May-18

Service: Army

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Regiment: 26th Infantry Regiment

Division: 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces

(from http://projects.mili...cipientid=11161)

I mention this now as there was a piece on National Public Radio the other day telling the story behind the story, as the personal letters of Willa Cather have just been published. Read the story here:

http://www.npr.org/2...-secret-letters

I found this of particular interest as I have been researching a fellow killed at Cantigny the very next day.

-Daniel