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Joseph D. Patch

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Joseph D. Patch
1942 black and white head and shoulders photo of Major General Joseph D. Patch in dress uniform and cap
Patch as commander of the 80th Infantry Division in 1942
Born(1885-12-08)December 8, 1885
Fort Huachuca, Arizona Territory, U.S.
DiedNovember 21, 1966(1966-11-21) (aged 80)
Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Buried
Seaside Memorial Park, Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
ServiceUnited States Army
Years of service1909–1945
RankMajor General
Service number03126
UnitU.S. Army Infantry Branch
Commands
WarsMexican Border War
World War I
World War II
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
Croix de guerre (France)
Alma materCarnegie Technical School
United States Army Command and General Staff College
United States Army War College
Spouse(s)
Minerva King
​
(m. 1916⁠–⁠1966)​
Children3
RelationsAlexander Patch (brother)
William S. Moore (grandfather)

Joseph D. Patch (December 8, 1885 – November 21, 1966) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Mexican Border War, World War I and World War II, his awards and decorations included the Distinguished Service Cross. Patch served from 1909 to 1945, and he attained the rank of major general as the Second World War commander of the 80th Infantry Division.

Born at Fort Huachuca and the son of an army officer who later became a railroad executive, Patch was raised primarily in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He attended St. Luke's School in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and Carnegie Technical School (now Carnegie Mellon University), then worked on construction of the Panama Canal. In 1909 he enlisted in the army, and in 1911 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Patch served in Texas during the Mexican Border War. During World War I, he served in combat in France, during which he was wounded and received the Distinguished Service Cross and French Croix de guerre for heroism, as well as the Purple Heart.

After the First World War, Patch advanced through the ranks in command and staff positions including professor of military science at Lehigh University and the University of Maryland, College Park. He was a 1925 graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College and a 1935 graduate of the United States Army War College. During the Second World War, he commanded: 87th Infantry Brigade, 44th Infantry Division; 80th Infantry Division; Trinidad Sector and Base Command; and Army Service Forces Training Center, Fort Lewis. He retired from the army in 1945.

In retirement, patch resided in Corpus Christi, Texas and was an author of military history books. He died in Corpus Christi on November 21, 1966. Patch was buried at Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Christi.

Early life

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Patch as a student at St. Luke's School

Joseph Dorst Patch was born at Fort Huachuca, Arizona Territory on December 8, 1885, a son of army Captain Alexander McCarrell Patch Sr. and Annie Brownlee (Moore) Patch.[a][2][3] Patch's mother was the daughter of William S. Moore, the U.S. congressman who appointed his father to the United States Military Academy.[4] Patch's father became a railroad executive after his military service, and Patch was raised and educated in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.[5] His siblings included twin sister Elizabeth (Elsie), who died before her second birthday, and brother William, the drama critic for the Pittsburgh Dispatch and later the manager of a Pittsburgh theater company.[4][6] Sister Lida was the wife of army officer Philip Gordon.[4] Brother Alexander Patch was a career officer who attained the rank of lieutenant general during World War II and was posthumously promoted to general.[7][8]

In 1902, Patch received an alternate appointment to the United States Military Academy (West Point).[9][10] He performed well on the 1903 examination, but the principal appointees began attendance at West Point on schedule, so Patch did not become a West Point student.[10] Patch later attended St. Luke's School in Wayne, Pennsylvania.[11] While at St. Luke's, he was captain of the football team and president of his senior class.[11] From 1906 to 1908, he was a student at the Carnegie Technical School (now Carnegie Mellon University).[12] In 1908, he took a civil engineering position in Panama during construction of the Panama Canal.[9] In June 1909, he enlisted as a private in the United States Army and was assigned to the 9th Infantry Regiment, first at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and later in the Philippines.[13] By April 1911, Patch was a corporal in the regiment's Company D and he was among several 9th Infantry soldiers selected to take the competitive examination for an officer's commission.[14] He attained a passing score, and in August he received appointment as a second lieutenant of Infantry.[15]

Start of career

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Patch as a major, circa 1919

Patch's first assignment as a lieutenant was with the 10th Infantry Regiment in Panama.[13] From 1914 to 1917, he served with the 26th Infantry Regiment in Texas during the Mexican Border War. While in Texas, he established a temporary military base in Kingsville, Texas which has been commemorated as Camp Kingsville.[16] During World War I, he served with the 18th Infantry Regiment and participated in extensive combat in France.[13] He advanced to major as commander of the regiment's 1st Battalion, and received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism while leading his command during combat near Chaudun in July 1918.[13][17][b] He was wounded during this attack, and convalesced at the base hospital in Bordeaux; news articles from September 1918 indicated that he was shot in the right shoulder, with the bullet passing down his right side and through his lung.[19] From December 1918 to June 1919, Patch commanded 1st Battalion, 805th Pioneer Infantry as it conducted post-war duty in France that included identifying and stockpiling ammunition and other materiel so it could be destroyed or transported back to the United States.[20]

After World War I, Patch served at Fort Benning's Infantry School as an instructor of engineering.[21] In 1922, he completed the school's advanced course for Infantry Officers.[13] From 1922 to 1924, he was professor of military science and tactics at Lehigh University and commander of the university's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) unit.[22][23] In 1925, Patch graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College.[24] From 1925 to 1929, he served with the 29th Infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia.[13]

Continued career

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L to R: Army officers Karl Truesdell, Avery Cooper, and Patch, May 8, 1936
Patch and aide H. C. Byrd, Camp Forrest, 1942

In 1929, Patch was assigned to staff duty in the office of the army's Chief of Infantry.[25] In 1933, he was assigned to duty with the 23rd Infantry at Fort Sam Houston.[13][26] From 1934 to 1935, Patch attended the United States Army War College.[24][27] In 1935, he was appointed professor of military science and tactics at the University of Maryland, College Park and commander of the school's ROTC program.[28][29] In 1939, Patch was assigned to the faculty at the Army War College.[30] From 1940 to 1941, Patch commanded the 34th Infantry Regiment.[13] During the 1941 Carolina Maneuvers, he commanded the 87th Infantry Brigade, a unit of the 44th Infantry Division.[13]

In May 1942, Patch was promoted to major general and in August he was appointed to command the 80th Infantry Division.[13][24] He assumed command during the unit's initial organization and training at Camp Forrest, Tennessee.[31] He remained in command until March 1943, when he was posted to the Caribbean Defense Command as commander of the Trinidad Sector and Base Command.[32] In July 1944, Patch was assigned to command the Army Service Forces Training Center at Fort Lewis, Washington.[33] He continued to serve in this post until the end of the war, and retired from the military in December 1945.[34]

Retirement and death

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In retirement, Patch resided in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he authored several historical works.[35] Among his books were: The Battle of Ball's Bluff (1958); Concentration of Zachary Taylor's Army at Corpus Christi, Texas (1962); The Battle of Bladensburg (1963); Bloody Shiloh (1964); Hannibal, 249-183 B.C. (1965); and A Soldier's War (1966).[35][36]

Patch died in Corpus Christi on November 21, 1966.[35] He was buried at Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Christi.[37]

Awards

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In addition to the Distinguished Service Cross for his First World War heroism, Patch was a recipient of the Purple Heart and the French Croix de guerre.[13]

Distinguished Service Cross citation

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The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Infantry) Joseph D. Patch, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, A.E.F., near Chaudun, France, 18 July 1918. The leading battalion having encountered heavy resistance and his battalion having been ordered to pass through the leading battalion, Major Patch, because so many of his officers and men had been killed or wounded, with the greatest courage, coolness, and efficiency, personally led the assault of his battalion on the final objective. As a result of his fearlessness and leadership the objective was carried and he was severely wounded.

Service: Army Rank: Major Division: 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 56 (1922)[38]

Family

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In November 1916, Patch married Minerva M. King of Alfred, Texas, a granddaughter of Richard King and Henrietta King.[39] They were married until his death and were the parents of three sons, Army officers William A. Patch (Major General) and Richard King Patch (Captain), and artist Joseph D. Patch Jr (Corporal, United States Marine Corps).[35][40]

Effective dates of rank

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Notes

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  1. ^ Among family and friends, Patch was usually known as "Dorst".[1]
  2. ^ Patch received the award at a ceremony that took place in January 1923; it was presented by Major General Charles Henry Muir with the Lehigh University student body and faculty in attendance.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Major General J. D. Patch To Visit Lebanon". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, PA. August 24, 1948. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Marker Is Unveiled". Corpus Christi Caller. Corpus Christi, TX. November 12, 1971. p. 8E – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Mrs. A. M. Patch Passed Away This Morning". The Daily News. Lebanon, PA. November 22, 1915. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c McAllister, Addams Stratton (1917). The Descendants of John Thomson, Pioneer Scotch Covenanter. Easton, PA: Chemical Publishing Company. p. 65 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "Capt. Patch Is Called By Death Easter Sunday". Lebanon, PA. April 21, 1924. pp. 1, 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Sentenced Man Dies In Hospital". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. August 8, 1930. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Late Alexander Patch Jr. Made Full General". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, PA. July 20, 1954. pp. 1, 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Patch Property Is Purchased By Catholics". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, PA. January 5, 1950. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Is Going To Panama". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, PA. January 6, 1908. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b "West Point Cadetship". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, PA. August 11, 1902. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Yearbook of St. Luke's School: Class of 1906. Wayne, PA: St. Luke's School. 1906. p. 20 – via Ancestry.com.
  12. ^ General Catalogue of the Carnegie Technical Schools. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Technical Schools. 1906. p. 76 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Gen. Patch Commands 80th Div.: Comes From Famous Military Family Of This City". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, PA. August 6, 1942. pp. 1, 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Troops At Post Will Get Their Pay For March". The Leavenworth Times. Leavenworth, KS. April 6, 1911. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Commissions for 6 Soldiers Who Took Exams Here". The Leavenworth Times. Leavenworth, KS. August 29, 1911. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Anderson, Brian (March 7, 2022). "Camp Kingsville, U.S.A. (1915–1917)". Kingsville in Kleberg County, Texas. The Historical Marker Data Base. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  17. ^ World War Records: First Division, A.E.F. Fort Meade, MD: 1st Infantry Division. 1919. p. 28 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ "Major Patch Honored at Lehigh Uni". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, PA. January 23, 1923. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Maj. J. D. Patch Wounded While In Action In France". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, PA. September 19, 1918. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Bliss, Paul S. (1919). Victory: History of the 805th Pioneer Infantry, American Expeditionary Forces. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House. pp. 190–191 – via Internet Archive.
  21. ^ "273 Officers Here For Benning School". The Enquirer-Sun. Columbus, GA. September 17, 1921. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Army and Navy Orders". The Washington Herald. Washington, DC. May 15, 1922. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Military Parade Weekly At Lehigh". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. October 12, 1923. pp. 4, 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b c U.S. Army Adjutant General (1949). Official Army Register. Vol. I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 769 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ "Maj. Patch Ordered to D.C." The Evening Star. Washington, DC. March 2, 1929. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Army Orders". The Evening Star. Washington, DC. May 11, 1933. p. B-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Army Orders". The Washington Times. Washington, DC. March 23, 1934. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Maryland Briefs: College Park". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, MD. April 11, 1935. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Chief of R.O.T.C. At U. of M. Called "Rain Breaker"". The Evening Star. Washington, DC. Associated Press. October 27, 1936. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Patrick Ordered to S.C. Station". The News and Courier. Charleston, SC. July 9, 1940. p. 2 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  31. ^ "Commanders Announced". The Richmond News Leader. Richmond, VA. May 28, 1942. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Taking Over Command". Ottawa Journal. Ottawa, Canada. Canadian Press. March 31, 1943. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "New Commander No Stranger at Fort Lewis". The News Tribune. Tacoma, WA. August 3, 1944. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General (1946). Official Army Register. Vol. I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1301 – via Google Books.
  35. ^ a b c d "Obituary, Joseph D. Patch". Corpus Christi Times. Corpus Christi, TX. November 22, 1966. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Magee, Rex B. (November 2, 1958). "Ball's Bluff Is Political Target". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, MS. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Burial Notice, Joseph D. Patch". Corpus Christi Times. Corpus Christi, TX. November 23, 1966. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ "Distinguished Service Cross Citation, Joseph D. Patch". Hall of Valor. Tysons, VA: Military Times. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  39. ^ "Border Romance Culminated In Wedding At St. Louis". Houston Post. Houston, TX. November 12, 1916. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "Richard K. Patch Taken By Death". Nevada State Journal. Reno, NV. October 1, 1963. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ a b c d e U.S. Army Adjutant General (1918). Official Army Register. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 688 – via Google Books.
  42. ^ a b c d e f U.S. Army Adjutant General (1945). Official Army Register. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 723 – via Google Books.
  43. ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General (1946). Official Army Register. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1301 – via Google Books.
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