Category: Military History

Brigadier General James Virgil Thompson

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Military History, Mr. Burl's Writing, Thompson6 Comments
Reposting in honor of Memorial Day and for D-Day, which is right around the corner.

An American G.I. untangles communication wires that had become
wrapped around a cross in Pont l’Abbe during the fighting. (Photo from The Library of Congress)
                                           
 June 6th of this year marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the day when allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy during WWII.  Bath County can be proud that many, many men from here answered the call of duty during the Great War, but one in particular stands out because his name can be found in the history books as one who helped lead the charge during the Normandy invasion.  That “one” is James Virgil Thompson, commander of the 358th infantry of the 90th Division of the VII Corps.  The 90th Division bore the nickname “Tough Ombres.”   Mr. Thompson’s brothers were Ed, Bascom, Banks, Earle, and Arnold(1).From the journals:“Excuse me, may I have your autograph, Lt Lindbergh?” asked a person in the crowd.

“I am sorry, but I am not Lt. Lindbergh,” responded Lt. Thompson.

Incidents such as this occurred often.  Charles A. Lindbergh (an international hero) and Virgil Thompson of Owingsville were men of the same stature and their facial expressions were much the same when they smiled.  Lindbergh had just made his historic flight from Garden City, N.J. to an airfield near Paris, France in May of 1927. 

Close to that time, Thompson had graduated from West Point as a 2ndLieutenant.   Charles Lindbergh had been commissioned a 2ndLieutenant in 1925.  The two men were about the same age, looked alike, had that same military bearing, and of course wore army uniforms most of the time.

Lt. Thompson worked his way up through the ranks and it was apparent to those who knew him that he would achieve a high military rank someday.  Virgil served in the Philippine Islands, Panama, and other foreign posts as he climbed from rank to rank.  Finally, after this country was attacked by the Japanese, war was declared by the United States against the Axis powers.

Lt. Thompson became Colonel (Bird Colonel) Virgil Thompson and was a regimental commander.  He led his troops on the beaches of Normandy and was wounded by several machine gun slugs in the abdomen (2)  For many days, it was feared that Virgil would not make it.  Colonel Thompson did recover and returned to the ‘States’ where he was discharged.  He remained as a civilian for a short time, then went back on active duty.

Colonel Thompson was promoted to Brigadier General and went to Korea as an advisor to the South Korean military.  There is no doubt among his friends that Virgil would have risen to perhaps the rank of a Four Star General if he had not been badly wounded in France.

While at West Point, Virgil had the distinct honor of leading the “Army Mule” at an Army-Navy football game.  This was an honor bestowed upon only the top men in the academy. 

Bath Countians saw Virgil on the “Pathe” news at the Majestic Theatre.  Later, a movie starring Richard Dix entitled ‘The Quarterback’ was shown at the local theatre.  The shot of Cadet Thompson leading the mule was cut from the “Pathe” (3) news and inserted in the movie The Quarterback.

Brigadier General Virgil Thompson was a great Bath Countian and American who gave his best for his country.

Virgil seemed to enjoy visiting with people from all walks of life when he would return home on leave.  In the summer when Virgil was at home, he would chat with the boys in the Court House yard and seemed to enjoy it immensely.

(1) Captain Arnold Thompson, a recipient of both the Bronze and Silver Star prior to his death, was killed in Germany during WWII.   At one point he served under General Patton.

(2) In his book Hanging Sam:  A Biography of General Samuel T. Williams, Harold Myer includes this description of the fighting at Pont l’ Abbe, France:  “The 358thInfantry continued its attack on Pont l’ Abbe with the plan of eventually pushing on to occupy the high ground beyond the town. . . The 358th Infantry encountered severe resistance in its sector and was forced to engage the enemy in hedgerow to hedgerow combat.”

(3) Pathé news produced and distributed cinema newsreels.

If you want to read more about Virgil Thompson and his role in the Normandy Invasion, I would suggest searching for “Col. James V. Thompson.”  My good friend Harvey Thompson is the great nephew of Virgil Thompson, and I want to thank both him and his mother, Miss Ada June, for their help in providing me with more information about this great military hero from Bath County.

 
 
Members of the 358th infantry attempt to hide an
anti-tank gun in a stack of hay somewhere in the countryside of France. (Photo – Library of Congress)
Soldiers advancing towards Utah Beach during the invasion of Normandy. (Photo – Library of Congress)
A newspaper clipping announcing the death of Arnold Thompson
and the wounding of J.V. (Virgil) Thompson. (Clipping courtesy of the Thompson family.) 
Charles Lindbergh, who does indeed bear
a resemblance to Virgil Thompson. (Photo – Library of Congress)

A Letter from WWI in Honor of Veteran’s Day

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Brother, Dawson, Military HistoryLeave a comment
Jefferson Dawson Brother


           What follows is a letter written during WWI that Mr. Burl had kept in a box of his childhood mementos.  The “Dawson” who wrote the letter is Jefferson Dawson Brother, who was a relative. I’ve checked the WWI registration cards to try to find out who Addrou Kerns is, as well as Guy and Joe Arnold. I did find an “Augustus Adrien Kerns” who I think might be the Kerns who is referred to (perhaps “Addrou” is a nickname or misspelling) , but I have had zero luck finding out who Guy and Joe Arnold might be.  From what I understand, a lot of the Pioneer Infantries were made up of Black men, so that is one clue that might lead to discovering who they are.  Of course, if any of you reading this know the answer, please leave a comment or let me know.

A few comments:

  • Dawson mentions Burl, Jr. in his military uniform, and Don says there is a picture of his dad wearing it somewhere.  We still haven’t made it through everything, but if we find it in the future, I will post it on here.  Mr. Burl would have been three years old at the time this letter was written.
  • The letter mentions the flu.  The Spanish Flu pandemic was occurring at that time, and you can read what my great uncle Bill Karrick wrote about the flu in Bath County here.
  • The Cousin Henry referred to is Henry Ficklin, a preacher who baptized countless people in the area, often down in the Slate Creek at Kendall Springs. He was related to Mr. Burl on his maternal side (as was Jefferson Dawson Brother), and then he married Mr. Burl’s aunt (Aunt May) on his father’s side. 


Rugendorf, Germany
2 Feb. 1919

Dear Jane:
           Well I received that nice letter of yours some few days ago and it surely was a pleasant surprise.  Burl Junior certainly does look quite military in his uniform and when I come back will try and give him a little drilling. Believe me! it wouldn’t be long until he would hate the sight of that uniform.  But laying all jokes aside I was so glad to hear that you have all been well and I trust have escaped the flu.
           I came awfully near seeing Guy and Joe Arnold when we were on the front. One afternoon I was going down the road to our Reg. Headquarters and there were several squads of infantry men working the road and I asked one fellow who happened to be a Kentuckian what outfit he was in and he said Pioneer Inf.  I then asked him if he knew Guy or Joe Arnold and he said “yes” but they belonged to the Supply Co. and they were expecting him later there that afternoon.  So I waited all afternoon but never succeeded in seeing him.  Surely did hate to miss him too, because the only fellow I’ve seen over here that I know except those in our outfit was Addrou Kerns  from Sharpsburg. Wrote Willie [164 Inf] a card some time ago but I wasn’t sure of his outfit and of course don’t know whether he got it or not.
          Tell Cousin Henry that I still talk plain USA and haven’t acquired any brogue as expected.  Give my regards to all the folks and let me hear from you again sometime.  Dawson

          We hope you enjoy this letter.  I confess I have romanticized it a great deal and even have plans to frame and hang it.  I picture him writing it in a tent, huddled over and cold.  It is obvious that he misses home, so let it act as a reminder to all of us on this Veteran’s Day of the sacrifices that all who serve make on our behalf.  From our family to yours, Happy Veterans Day and God bless all who serve. ~ Ginger

 

A Book Review and a Bit of History

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Military HistoryLeave a comment
George Nicholas Owings Bascom, 1836-1862

“History has been hard on Bascom and his judgment,
 but there can be little doubt about his courage. . .” 
– Terry Mort, The Wrath of Cochise


What do the Apache Wars of the American Southwest have to do with Owingsville, Kentucky?  Well, actually quite a bit.

In January of 1861, a young, inexperienced second lieutenant was called upon to track down a group of Chiricahua Apache Indians who had been accused of  kidnapping a twelve year old boy.  It was the second lieutenant’s first big assignment and one that would end up being referred to in Native American oral history as “Cut- the-Tent.”

Cut-the-Tent – it is called that because after the young second lieutenant (a graduate of West Point) had invited a chief named Cochise to come inside his temporary abode to discuss the whereabouts of the child and partake of coffee, the young officer abruptly stated that he was holding Cochise and party prisoners until he brought forth the missing boy, a pronouncement that caused Cochise to pull a knife, cut the tent, and escape.

But it doesn’t end there.

Cochise escaped, coffee cup still in hand according to legend, but the rest of his party didn’t. The young lieutenant held them as hostages, which caused Cochise to go get some hostages of his own (some very unlucky folks who were riding through in a wagon train).  There was a standoff.  Cochise made it known he wanted his people back.  The young lieutenant wouldn’t give in, perhaps thinking the hostages were his only way out of the mess he had gotten himself into.  Hostages were held and then hostages were killed, including the chief’s brother.  It got ugly fast and many scholars claim the incident was the trigger for the Apache Wars, while others say it didn’t exactly cause the Apache Wars, but most definitely embittered the Apache even more towards the whites. 

That’s very much the condensed version but you get the gist.

Cut-the-Tent  is more commonly called The Bascom Affair because George Nicholas Bascom, native son of Owingsville, Kentucky, and grandson of the town’s namesake, Thomas D. Owings, was the young second lieutenant at the heart of the story.

If you want to read more about The Bascom Affair, I highly recommend Terry Mort’s The Wrath of Cochise.  Mort presents a very balanced view of the incident, explaining, for instance, that although Bascom had graduated from West Point, his education there would have in no way prepared him for Indian warfare. In fact, while Bascom is often portrayed as inept in regard to his handling of the incident, Mort argues that it is possible that Bascom was actually drawing upon his military training in making some key decisions.  For instance, Bascom’s hostage holding was probably done in part to guard against a direct assault against his troops, but the Apaches rarely engaged in such a tactic (preferring guerrilla warfare), a fact Bascom most likely didn’t know and certainly hadn’t been taught.

Mort doesn’t let Bascom off the hook, but he does attempt to explain why Bascom made the decisions he did.   He also doesn’t allow Bascom to bear the entire weight of the blame, as some seem fond of doing.

He mentions Owingsville a few times, which might make his book especially intriguing for anyone with roots here.

By the way, Bascom was promoted to captain and was killed by Confederate forces in the Battle of Val Verde.  Fort Bascom was named for him, but he is buried in an unmarked grave.

You can find a short overview of the Bascom Affair on Wikipedia.
You can buy Terry Mort’s book at Amazon or check it out at the library.

I’ll warn you, once I started reading about The Bascom Affair, I got hooked! ~ Ginger

Apache Pass, the place where Bascom and Cochise met.
The historic marker for Fort Bascom, named after one of Bath County’s own.