James Andrew Shannon Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army

October 20, 1918:

“Lieutenant Colonel James A. Shannon, a son-in-law of Brigadier General Eli D. Hoyle, U.S.A., until recently in command at Governors Island, has been killed in action.  Colonel Shannon was on the staff of General Pershng, and was a West Pointer in the Class if 1902.  When Congress declared war he was on duty as a military instructor at Harvard.  He was born in Minnesota thirty-nine years ago and leaves a wife and three children.

James Andrew Shannon, of Virginia, Minnesota, was born on 25 May 1879 and had a distinguished military career. He was the son of the late C. E. Shannon, of Duluth, Minnesota, and brother of Mrs. Harry Sleepack, of 2419 East Fourth Street, and had passed through West Point, having been appointed to the United States Military Academy by Judge Page Morris, then Congressman from this district.

Colonel Shannon was killed-in-action in World War I on 8 October 1918, having attained the grade of Lieutenant Colonel and a place on the staff of General John J. Pershing, in France.

Colonel Shannon was subsequently buried with full military honors in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery.

SHANNON, JAMES A.
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, A.E.F.

• Date of Action: October 5 – 6, 1918
• General Orders No. No. 130, W.D., 1918
• Home Town: Duluth, Minnesota

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to James A. Shannon, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Chatel-Chehery, France, October 5 – 6, 1918.

Lieutenant Colonel Shannon voluntarily led an officer’s patrol to a depth of three kilometers within the enemy lines. As a result of his exceptional bravery and skill in leading this patrol in its contact with the enemy, vital information was obtained at a critical period of the battle, to which much of the success of the next few days was due. The information thus secured was followed up by an attack the next morning, which this officer personally led and wherein he was fatally wounded. His superb leadership and personal courage furnished the necessary inspiration to an exhausted command.

SHANNON, JAMES A
LIEUT COL U S A

• DATE OF DEATH: 10/08/1918
• BURIED AT: SECTION SW  SITE 4438
• ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard