Charles P. Hall

Charles P. Hall
Charles P. Hall
Born	December 12, 1886 Sardis, Mississippi
Died	January 26, 1953 (aged 66) San Antonio, Texas
Buried at	Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1911–1948
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	93rd Infantry Division XI Corps
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of Soissons Battle of Château-Thierry Battle of Saint-Mihiel Second Battle of the Marne World War II New Guinea campaign Philippines Campaign
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star (4) Bronze Star Purple Heart

Charles Philip Hall (December 12, 1886–January 26, 1953) was a senior officer of the United States Army who fought in both World War I and World War II. He is most notable for being the commander of XI Corps during World War II and the principal commander during the Battle of Bataan to liberate the Philippines from Japanese forces.^[1]

Early career and World War I

Hall was born in Sardis, Mississippi and attended the University of Mississippi from 1905 to 1907. He then entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned in 1911 as a second lieutenant of infantry. He served with the 20th Infantry Regiment until 1914, when he became an instructor in mathematics at West Point. In August 1917, he transferred to the 23rd Infantry Regiment, and then went to France for World War I. In March 1918, he became the adjutant of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He served at Verdun, Chateau Thierry, at Soissons in the Marne Offensive, in the St. Mihiel sector, and at Champagne in the Aisne Offensive.

Hall received the Army Distinguished Service Cross, second to the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism in action at Vierzy, France on July 18, 1918. His citation read: "At a critical time in the battle, when information was difficult to obtain, Lieutenant Colonel Hall, Brigade Adjutant, volunteered to report on the fighting in Vierzy, which was then in the hands of the enemy. Accompanying a group of French tanks, he entered the town under intense fire; and, during the advance, went forward through machine-gun fire and carried to safety a wounded man. He assisted materially in maintaining organization among the troops and established a first aid station at which many wounded were cared for, returning later to Brigade Headquarters with valuable information." ^[2]

In addition, Hall was awarded three silver star medals for gallantry. He also received the French Croix de Guerre for bravery on October 4, 1918, as well as the Legion of Honor.

Between the wars

After service with the Army of Occupation until August 1919, Hall returned to the United States with the 2nd Division, remaining as brigade and then division adjutant until 1922. He served on the Infantry Board from 1922 to 1923, and was then a student at the Infantry School. From 1924 to 1925, he attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, where he was a distinguished graduate. He then served as an instructor at the Infantry School until 1929, when he entered the Army War College.

After graduation from the Army War College in 1930, he spent two years in the Philippines. He then returned to Fort Benning as an instructor at the Infantry School from 1932 to 1937. From 1937 to 1940, he was Director of Ground Arms, Air Corps Tactical School, Maxwell Field, Alabama. In 1940, he took command of the 11th Infantry Regiment.

World War II to retirement

In 1941-42, he served with the 3rd Infantry Division as assistant division commander and briefly as division commanding general. He then commanded the 93rd Infantry Division from May to October 1942.^[3]

In October 1942, he took command of XI Corps. He led the corps in combat in the Pacific War, fighting on New Guinea and at Morotai. The corps then fought at Leyte and on Luzon in the Philippine Campaign, most notably in the Battle of Bataan. In September 1945, the corps landed at Yokohama for the initial occupation of Japan. Hall relinquished command of the corps on March 15, 1946.

From March 1946 to December 1948, he served as the Director of Organization and Training on the War Department General Staff (from 1947 the Department of the Army). He retired on December 31, 1948 and was placed on the retired list as a lieutenant general on January 1, 1949. He died on January 26, 1953 in San Antonio, Texas, and was buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.^[4]

Decorations

Lt. general Hall's decorations were:

1st Row	Distinguished Service Cross								Army Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
2nd Row	Silver Star with three Oak Leaf Clusters				Bronze Star Medal				Purple Heart				World War I Victory Medal with four Battle Clasps
3rd Row	Army of Occupation of Germany Medal				American Defense Service Medal				American Campaign Medal				Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with seven service stars
4th Row	World War II Victory Medal				Army of Occupation Medal				Knight of the Legion of Honor (France)				Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 with Palm (France)
5th Row	Commander of the Philippine Legion of Honor				Philippine Liberation Medal with two Bronze Stars				Commander of the Egyptian Order of the Nile				Medal of Solidarity (Panama)

References

1. "Biography of Lieutenant General Charles Philip Hall (1886 - 1953)". generals.dk. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
2. "Valor awards for Charles Philip Hall". militarytimes.com. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
3. "Officers of US Army 1939-1945". unithistories.com. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
4. "Charles Philip Hall (1886 - 1953) - Find a Grave Memorial". findagrave.com. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-02-22.

External links

• Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of USMA
• "Charles P. Hall". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-02-20.