Warren Whitside
Encyclopedia
Warren Webster Whitside was a career U.S. Army Colonel
who served as a Cavalry
and Quartermaster officer.
. He spent the first fifteen years of his life among soldiers and Indians on the Western plains. He was educated at Kemper Military School
, Boonville, Missouri
, and the Washington and Lee University
, Lexington, Virginia
.
’s call to service during the Spanish American War. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry in 1899, and served for the next seven years as a lieutenant in the 10th Cavalry and 15th Cavalry
Regiments. In 1906 he was promoted to Captain of Quartermaster Corps, and for the next 33 years he served in a variety of command and key leadership positions within the Quartermaster field.
Colonel Whitside served on numerous campaigns including the Spanish American War in 1898; the Cuban Occupation from 1899 to 1902 with service as the aide-de-camp to his father, the Commanding General of the District of Santiago Cuba; the Army of Cuban Pacification from 1906 to 1909 serving as a troop commander in the 15th Cavalry Regiment; the Punitive Expedition
along the Mexico-U.S. border in 1916 serving as the Commander of Motor Truck Company No. 11; and World War I during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel
and Meuse-Argonne Offensive
serving as the Commander of the 89th Division Trains and Military Police, a regimental level command for which he was awarded what was then the U.S.’s highest decoration for service, the Distinguished Service Medal.
From 1912 to 1915 he was instrumental in the establishment and construction of the Aleshire Quartermaster Remount Depot, Front Royal, Virginia, serving as one of its first commanders. Following his return from the Punitive Expedition, he was the commander of Fort Apache
from 1916 to 1917.
From 1920 to 1925 he served as the Fort Riley
Post Quartermaster where he was singularly responsible for modernizing much of the post including training sites for the National Guard, one of which was named in his honor and to this day is recognized as Camp Whitside. From 1925 to 1930 he served as the Department Quartermaster for the Panama Canal Division.
From 1930 to 1934 he served as the Post Quartermaster of West Point, New York, followed by an assignment in Washington, D.C.
, as the Chief of Storage and Distribution in the Office of the Quartermaster General (OQMG). While assigned to OQMG, Colonel Whitside was featured on the cover of the July–August 1934 edition of the Quartermaster Review. From 1934 until his retirement in 1939 he returned to Front Royal as the Commander of the Remount Depot, which had evolved into the largest remount depot in the Army and served as a vital economic enterprise throughout the lower Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia
.
Colonel Whitside was married for over 63 years to the former Miss Lillian Rigney of Bridgeport, Connecticut
. He died in 1964 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
.
Colonel Whitside was inducted posthumously as member of the Quartermaster Hall of Fame in June 2010.
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
who served as a Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and Quartermaster officer.
Early life
Colonel Whitside was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 2, 1875, the son of a career cavalry officer, Brig. Gen Samuel M. WhitsideSamuel Whitside
Brigadier General Samuel M. Whitside was a United States Cavalry officer who served from 1858 to 1902. He commanded at every level from platoon to department for 32 of his 43 years in service, including Army posts such a Camp Huachuca, Jefferson Barracks, and Fort Sam Houston, the Departments of...
. He spent the first fifteen years of his life among soldiers and Indians on the Western plains. He was educated at Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" .-Early years under Frederick T. Kemper:...
, Boonville, Missouri
Boonville, Missouri
This page is about the city in Missouri. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville Boonville is a city in Cooper County, Missouri, USA. The population was 8,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cooper County. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil...
, and the Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
, Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
.
Military career
In May 1898 Colonel Whitside left college just before graduating in answer to President William McKinleyWilliam McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
’s call to service during the Spanish American War. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry in 1899, and served for the next seven years as a lieutenant in the 10th Cavalry and 15th Cavalry
15th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
The 15th Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It was one of the Expansion Units originally established for the Spanish American War, but has been a general workhorse unit ever since.-Origins:...
Regiments. In 1906 he was promoted to Captain of Quartermaster Corps, and for the next 33 years he served in a variety of command and key leadership positions within the Quartermaster field.
Colonel Whitside served on numerous campaigns including the Spanish American War in 1898; the Cuban Occupation from 1899 to 1902 with service as the aide-de-camp to his father, the Commanding General of the District of Santiago Cuba; the Army of Cuban Pacification from 1906 to 1909 serving as a troop commander in the 15th Cavalry Regiment; the Punitive Expedition
Pancho Villa Expedition
The Pancho Villa Expedition—officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition and sometimes colloquially referred to as the Punitive Expedition—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the paramilitary forces of Mexican insurgent Francisco "Pancho" Villa...
along the Mexico-U.S. border in 1916 serving as the Commander of Motor Truck Company No. 11; and World War I during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel
Battle of Saint-Mihiel
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12–15, 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and 48,000 French troops under the command of U.S. general John J. Pershing against German positions...
and Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
serving as the Commander of the 89th Division Trains and Military Police, a regimental level command for which he was awarded what was then the U.S.’s highest decoration for service, the Distinguished Service Medal.
From 1912 to 1915 he was instrumental in the establishment and construction of the Aleshire Quartermaster Remount Depot, Front Royal, Virginia, serving as one of its first commanders. Following his return from the Punitive Expedition, he was the commander of Fort Apache
Fort Apache
-Places:* Fort Apache, Arizona* Fort Apache Indian Reservation, the White Mountain Apache tribe's reservation and former US Army cavalry post near Whiteriver, Arizona* Fuerte Apache, a housing project outside Buenos Aires, Argentina.-Military:...
from 1916 to 1917.
From 1920 to 1925 he served as the Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
Post Quartermaster where he was singularly responsible for modernizing much of the post including training sites for the National Guard, one of which was named in his honor and to this day is recognized as Camp Whitside. From 1925 to 1930 he served as the Department Quartermaster for the Panama Canal Division.
From 1930 to 1934 he served as the Post Quartermaster of West Point, New York, followed by an assignment in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, as the Chief of Storage and Distribution in the Office of the Quartermaster General (OQMG). While assigned to OQMG, Colonel Whitside was featured on the cover of the July–August 1934 edition of the Quartermaster Review. From 1934 until his retirement in 1939 he returned to Front Royal as the Commander of the Remount Depot, which had evolved into the largest remount depot in the Army and served as a vital economic enterprise throughout the lower Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Colonel Whitside was married for over 63 years to the former Miss Lillian Rigney of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
. He died in 1964 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Decorations and honors
- Distinguished Service Medal (Army)Distinguished Service Medal (Army)The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
- Spanish Campaign MedalSpanish Campaign MedalThe Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those members of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish-American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish Campaign Medal, one for members of the United...
- Army of Cuban Occupation MedalArmy of Cuban Occupation MedalThe Army of Cuban Occupation Medal was a military award which was created by the United States War Department in June 1915. The medal recognizes those service members who performed garrison occupation duty in Cuba, following the close of the Spanish-American War.To be awarded the Army of Cuban...
- Army of Cuban Pacification MedalArmy of Cuban Pacification MedalThe Army of Cuban Pacification Medal is a military award of the United States Army which was created by orders of the United States War Department on May 11, 1909...
- Mexican Service MedalMexican Service MedalThe Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military which was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December 12, 1917...
- World War I Victory Medal (United States) with three battle clasps (St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and Defensive Sector)
- Army of Occupation of Germany MedalArmy of Occupation of Germany MedalThe Army of Occupation of Germany Medal is a type of decoration of the United States military which was created by the act of the United States Congress on November 21, 1941. The decoration recognizes those members of the U.S...
- French Croix De GuerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
with two stars
Colonel Whitside was inducted posthumously as member of the Quartermaster Hall of Fame in June 2010.