TODAY IN MILITARY HISTORY
11 September
◆1777 General George Washington and his troops were defeated by the British under General Sir William Howe at the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania.Posing as a gunsmith, British Sergeant John Howe served as General Gage's eyes in a restive Massachusetts colony.
◆1783 Benjamin Franklin drafted the Treaty of Paris.
◆1786 The US Convention of Annapolis opened with the aim of revising the articles of confederation.
◆1814 During the Battle of Plattsburg on Lake Champlain, a newly built U.S. fleet under Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough destroys a British squadron, forcing the British to abandon their siege of the U.S. fort at Plattsburg and retreat to Canada on foot.
◆1857 Mormon guerillas, stoked by religious zeal and a deep resentment of decades of public abuse and federal interference, murder 120 emigrants at Mountain Meadows, Utah.
◆1864 A 10-day truce was declared between generals Sherman and Hood so civilians could leave Atlanta, Georgia.
◆1904 The battleship Connecticut, launched in New York, introduced a new era in naval construction.
◆1918 US troops landed in Russia to fight the Bolsheviks.
◆1919 US marines invaded Honduras (again).
◆1939 Bear (AG-29) is commissioned by the U.S. Navy for Antarctic operations under command of RADM Richard Byrd, USN (Ret.).
◆1939 Churchill begins correspondence with Roosevelt which he signs as "A Naval Person".
◆1941 As a result of public outrage over the Greer incident, the president announces that American warships will be able to "shoot on sight" to ensure the protection of waters "necessary for American defense." This formalizes a situation which has been commonly occurring.
◆1943 On the Salerno beachhead, British and American forces of the US 5th Army fail to make significant progress against German resistance. German aircraft bomb the beachhead throughout the day despite the presence of Allied air forces. The cruiser Savannah is damaged by a German glider bomb.
◆1943 The US 27th Infantry Regiment lands on Arundel, reinforcing American forces.
◆1944 Leading elements of US 1st Army reach Germany north of Trier where Malmedy is occupied.
◆1944 Lead forces of US 7th Army capture Dijon and link up with elements of French 2nd Armored Division (part of US 3rd Army) near Sombernon.
◆1944 In the west of Italy, forces of US 5th Army continue to advance.
◆1944 The Octagon Conference begins. Churchill and Roosevelt and their staffs meet in Quebec to discuss strategy.
◆1945 General Hideki Tojo, former prime minister (October 1941 to July 1944), attempts suicide when American troops arrived at his house to arrest him, on General MacArthur's instructions, as a war criminal. Though shooting himself with a revolver below the heart, the wound is not fatal, and after blood transfusions and penicillin administration at the American hospital at Yokahama his condition improves.
◆1952 Six Marine Corps F9F-4s from VMF-115 crashed into a mountain during an instrument letdown in the vicinity of airfield K-2, Korea. All pilots were killed instantly.
◆1965 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) begins to arrive in South Vietnam at Qui Nhon, bringing U.S. troop strength in South Vietnam to more than 125,000.
◆1968 A major battle begins for control of Tay Ninh City. More than 1,500 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attacked the provincial capital, capturing part of the city. The next day, 2,000 South Vietnamese reinforcements were sent in to aid the local garrison and after a four-day battle, the North Vietnamese were driven out of the city. Elsewhere, South Vietnamese forces launched Operation Lam Son 261 in Thua Thien and Quang Tri Provinces in I Corps Tactical Zone. The operation lasted until April 24, 1969, resulting in 724 enemy casualties.
◆1969 Heavy bombing of Vietnam resumed under orders from President Nixon.
◆1990 President Bush addressed Congress on the Persian Gulf crisis, vowing that “Saddam Hussein will fail” in his takeover of Kuwait.
◆1990 The 4th MEB embarked and arrived in the Gulf of Oman in support of Desert Shield.
◆1992 President Bush announced he was approving the sale of 72 F-15 jet fighters to Saudi Arabia.
◆2001 At 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767--United Airlines Flight 175--appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center, and sliced into the south tower at about the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack.
◆2002 The "Don't Tread on Me" First Navy Jack is flown by Navy ships marking the first anniversary of the terrorists attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
SLUSHER, HENRY C.
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 22d Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: Near Moorefield, W. Va., 11 September 1863. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Washington County, Pa. Date of issue: 4 April 1898. Citation: Voluntarily crossed a branch of the Potomac River under fire to rescue a wounded comrade held prisoner by the enemy. Was wounded and taken prisoner in the attempt.
BARNES, WILL C.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, Signal Corps, U.S. Army. Place and date: At Fort Apache, Ariz., 11 September 1881. Entered service at: Washington, D.C. Birth: San Francisco, Calif. Date of issue: 8 November 1882. Citation: Bravery in action.
DE ARMOND, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company I, 5th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Butler County, Ohio. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in action.
JAMES, JOHN
Rank and organization: Corporal, 5th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Upper Wichita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at: ------. Birth: England. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in action.
MITCHELL, JOHN
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company I, 5th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in engagement with Indians.
MORRIS, WILLIAM W.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at:------. Birth: Stewart County, Tenn. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in engagement with Indians.
NEILON, FREDERICK S.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at:------. Birth: Boston, Mass. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in action.
PENNSYL, JOSIAH
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company M, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 11 September 1874. Entered service at:------. Birth: Frederick County, Md. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: Gallantry in action.
SHARPLESS, EDWARD C.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Upper Washita, Tex., 9-11 September 1874. Entered service at:------. Birth: Marion County, Ohio. Date of issue: 23 April 1875. Citation: While carrying dispatches was attacked by 125 hostile Indians, whom he (and a comrade) fought throughout the day.