George G. McMurtry

George McMurtry
Captain George G. McMurtry
Born	November 6, 1876 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died	November 22, 1958 (aged 82)
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1898, 1917–1919
Rank	Major
Unit	2nd Battalion, 308th Infantry, 77th Division
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War World War I
Awards	Medal of Honor
Other work	Lawyer

George Gibson McMurtry (November 6, 1876 – November 22, 1958) was United States Army officer, a Medal of Honor recipient and a Harvard Law-educated Wall Street lawyer.

He first served in the Army as a member of the Rough Riders during the Spanish–American War. He received the Medal of Honor as the executive officer of the Lost Battalion during World War I.

Early life

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1876, McMurtry was described as a big, burly, Scotch-Irish American with a ruddy face who seemed to always be of good cheer. He attended law school at Harvard graduate prior to the Spanish–American War.

In the Rough Riders in the Spanish–American War

At the start of the Spanish–American War, at the age of 22, McMurtry left Harvard to serve as a member of Theodore Roosevelt's 1st US Volunteer Cavalary, known as the Rough Riders. He was a member of Troop D commanded by Captain Robert B. Huston. D Troop was part of the cavalry squadron commanded by Alexander Brodie.^[1] As part of D Troop, McMurtry participated in the Battle of Las Guasimas on Friday 24 June 1898 and in the Battle of San Juan Hill on 1 July 1898.^[2]

In the Lost Battalion in World War I

Monument to the Lost Battalion in the Argonne Forest, France.

When the Rough Riders were disbanded, McMurtry returned to Harvard College, graduating in 1899. Like Lt. Colonel Charles Whittlesey, the leader of the Lost Battalion, he was also a Wall Street lawyer. He would later make millions of dollars in the stock market after the war.^[2] He did not forget an Army career however; he obtained a commission when the Army established its first Officer Candidate Schools in May 1917. By the time World War I started, he was one of the most experienced officers of the newly formed 308th Infantry Regiment^[3]

In popular culture

In the 2001 made-for-TV movie The Lost Battalion, McMurtry was portrayed by Phil McKee.^[4][5][6]

See also

• Charles White Whittlesey
• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I
• The Lost Battalion
• McMurtry

References

1. "The Rough Riders – Online Book by Theodore Roosevelt". Charles Scribners & Sons. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
2. "The Lost Battalion". Joe McCarthy. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
3. "The Lost Battalion". Homeofheroes.com. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
4. Medal of Honor Recipients on Film
5. Beyond Hollywood.com Review. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
6. The Lost Battalion (2001) on the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 12, 2015.

Further reading

• Johnson, Thomas M., and Fletcher Pratt. The Lost Battalion. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8032-7613-3
• Miles, L. Wardlaw. History of the 308th Infantry, 1917–1919. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1927. OCLC 5142462
• Whittlesey, Charles W. and George G. McMurtry. “The Epic of the Lost Battalion”. The New York Times, September 30, 1928.

External links

• "The Lost Battalion of World War I". Retrieved September 29, 2010.