Harry Lispenard Kimmell, Jr., was born 13 October 1895 in the District of Columbia, the son of Commander Harry L. Kimmell, Sr., an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy, and Helen Nicholson Kimmell. He had three sisters.
Kimmell was a fourth-generation U.S. military officer; his great-grandfather, Major Augustus A. Nicholson, was U.S. Marine Corps quartermaster before the Civil War.
Kimmell was appointed a midshipman in July 1914 but withdrew and joined the Army after the U.S. entered World War I.
He was in command of Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Forces in France.
Captain Kimmell earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on July 19, 1918, south of Soissons, when his company was halted by machine-gun fire. He led a platoon through a heavy barrage and captured a German machine-gun nest, forcing them to surrender. The citation says. "His gallantry enabled the entire battalion to continue the advance."
He earned a second Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. He led two platoons of his company against a strongly held enemy position in the Argonne Forest. He fell mortally wounded while leading the advance. His citation reads, "But other members of his command, inspired by his gallantry, successfully assaulted the enemy position."
Captain Kimmell was killed in action near Fleville, France, on Oct. 9, 1918. Captain Kimmell was 22 years old when he died and was posthumously promoted to major. His remains were interred in Argonne American Cemetery; in 1921 they were buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Grave 4089. He was posthumously promoted to major. His parents rest beside him.
In 1928 the 16th Infantry named a road at Fort Jay, on Governors Island, New York Harbor, in honor of Captain Kimmell. The scenic island perimeter Kimmell Road begins at Pier 101 and runs along the water facing Red Hook, Brooklyn. It terminates at Yankee Landing. A memorial bronze plaque was affixed to a boulder on the roadway post-World War II. At some point the memorial went missing. A replica of the plaque was dedicated in 2017 by the WWI Centennial Committee for New York City. One issue remains: the road misspells Kimmell's surname.
Kimmell was a fourth-generation U.S. military officer; his great-grandfather, Major Augustus A. Nicholson, was U.S. Marine Corps quartermaster before the Civil War.
Kimmell was appointed a midshipman in July 1914 but withdrew and joined the Army after the U.S. entered World War I.
He was in command of Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Forces in France.
Captain Kimmell earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on July 19, 1918, south of Soissons, when his company was halted by machine-gun fire. He led a platoon through a heavy barrage and captured a German machine-gun nest, forcing them to surrender. The citation says. "His gallantry enabled the entire battalion to continue the advance."
He earned a second Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. He led two platoons of his company against a strongly held enemy position in the Argonne Forest. He fell mortally wounded while leading the advance. His citation reads, "But other members of his command, inspired by his gallantry, successfully assaulted the enemy position."
Captain Kimmell was killed in action near Fleville, France, on Oct. 9, 1918. Captain Kimmell was 22 years old when he died and was posthumously promoted to major. His remains were interred in Argonne American Cemetery; in 1921 they were buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Grave 4089. He was posthumously promoted to major. His parents rest beside him.
In 1928 the 16th Infantry named a road at Fort Jay, on Governors Island, New York Harbor, in honor of Captain Kimmell. The scenic island perimeter Kimmell Road begins at Pier 101 and runs along the water facing Red Hook, Brooklyn. It terminates at Yankee Landing. A memorial bronze plaque was affixed to a boulder on the roadway post-World War II. At some point the memorial went missing. A replica of the plaque was dedicated in 2017 by the WWI Centennial Committee for New York City. One issue remains: the road misspells Kimmell's surname.
Harry Lispenard Kimmell, Jr., was born 13 October 1895 in the District of Columbia, the son of Commander Harry L. Kimmell, Sr., an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy, and Helen Nicholson Kimmell. He had three sisters.
Kimmell was a fourth-generation U.S. military officer; his great-grandfather, Major Augustus A. Nicholson, was U.S. Marine Corps quartermaster before the Civil War.
Kimmell was appointed a midshipman in July 1914 but withdrew and joined the Army after the U.S. entered World War I.
He was in command of Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Forces in France.
Captain Kimmell earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on July 19, 1918, south of Soissons, when his company was halted by machine-gun fire. He led a platoon through a heavy barrage and captured a German machine-gun nest, forcing them to surrender. The citation says. "His gallantry enabled the entire battalion to continue the advance."
He earned a second Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. He led two platoons of his company against a strongly held enemy position in the Argonne Forest. He fell mortally wounded while leading the advance. His citation reads, "But other members of his command, inspired by his gallantry, successfully assaulted the enemy position."
Captain Kimmell was killed in action near Fleville, France, on Oct. 9, 1918. Captain Kimmell was 22 years old when he died and was posthumously promoted to major. His remains were interred in Argonne American Cemetery; in 1921 they were buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Grave 4089. He was posthumously promoted to major. His parents rest beside him.
In 1928 the 16th Infantry named a road at Fort Jay, on Governors Island, New York Harbor, in honor of Captain Kimmell. The scenic island perimeter Kimmell Road begins at Pier 101 and runs along the water facing Red Hook, Brooklyn. It terminates at Yankee Landing. A memorial bronze plaque was affixed to a boulder on the roadway post-World War II. At some point the memorial went missing. A replica of the plaque was dedicated in 2017 by the WWI Centennial Committee for New York City. One issue remains: the road misspells Kimmell's surname.
Kimmell was a fourth-generation U.S. military officer; his great-grandfather, Major Augustus A. Nicholson, was U.S. Marine Corps quartermaster before the Civil War.
Kimmell was appointed a midshipman in July 1914 but withdrew and joined the Army after the U.S. entered World War I.
He was in command of Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Forces in France.
Captain Kimmell earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on July 19, 1918, south of Soissons, when his company was halted by machine-gun fire. He led a platoon through a heavy barrage and captured a German machine-gun nest, forcing them to surrender. The citation says. "His gallantry enabled the entire battalion to continue the advance."
He earned a second Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. He led two platoons of his company against a strongly held enemy position in the Argonne Forest. He fell mortally wounded while leading the advance. His citation reads, "But other members of his command, inspired by his gallantry, successfully assaulted the enemy position."
Captain Kimmell was killed in action near Fleville, France, on Oct. 9, 1918. Captain Kimmell was 22 years old when he died and was posthumously promoted to major. His remains were interred in Argonne American Cemetery; in 1921 they were buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Grave 4089. He was posthumously promoted to major. His parents rest beside him.
In 1928 the 16th Infantry named a road at Fort Jay, on Governors Island, New York Harbor, in honor of Captain Kimmell. The scenic island perimeter Kimmell Road begins at Pier 101 and runs along the water facing Red Hook, Brooklyn. It terminates at Yankee Landing. A memorial bronze plaque was affixed to a boulder on the roadway post-World War II. At some point the memorial went missing. A replica of the plaque was dedicated in 2017 by the WWI Centennial Committee for New York City. One issue remains: the road misspells Kimmell's surname.
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