Charles Hartwell Bonesteel, Jr.

Charles H. Bonesteel, Jr.
File:Charles H. Bonesteel, Jr..jpg Major General Charles H. Bonesteel, Jr.
Born	April 9, 1885 (1885-04-09) Fort Sidney, Nebraska
Died	June 5, 1964 (1964-06-06) (aged 79) Washington, D.C.
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1908-1947
Rank	Major General
Unit	United States Army Infantry School
Commands held	1st Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment 19th Infantry Regiment VI Corps Area 5th Infantry Division Iceland Base Command United States Army Infantry School Western Defense Command G-1 Section, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force General Inspectorate Section, U.S. European Theater of Operations War Department Manpower Board
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal
Relations	Major Charles Hartwell Bonesteel, Sr. (Father) General Charles Hartwell Bonesteel III (Son)

Charles Hartwell Bonesteel, Jr. (April 9, 1885 – June 5, 1964) was a Major General in the United States Army. He commanded the United States Army Infantry School and the G-1 (personnel) staff section of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II. He was the father of General Charles H. Bonesteel III.

Early life

The son of U.S. Army Major Charles Hartwell Bonesteel, Sr. (1851 – 1902; West Point, 1876), the second Charles H. Bonesteel (pronounced "Bonn-eh-stel") was born at Fort Sidney, Nebraska on April 9, 1885. His mother Mary Greene Bonesteel, was the daughter of Oliver Duff Greene, who received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Antietam. Bonesteel graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1908 and was appointed a Second Lieutenant of Infantry.

Start of career and World War I

His initial assignments included postings in the Philippines, Hawaii and Texas. During World War I he served with the 55th Infantry Regiment, and later at the Newport News, Virginia point of embarkation.

Post-World War I

From 1919 to 1924 Bonesteel was an instructor at West Point.

Bonesteel graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1926 and served on the staff of the Chief of Infantry until 1930. From 1930 to 1931 Bonesteel was assigned to the 18th Infantry Regiment, first as Commander of its 1st Battalion, and later as the regiment's Executive Officer, or second in command. In 1932 he graduated from the United States Army War College.

From 1932 to 1940 Bonesteel's assignments included: Instructor and Section Chief at the Infantry School; Commander, 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Regiment; and Commander of the 19th Infantry Regiment.

World War II

Beginning in 1940 Bonetseel's service covered several command positions, to include: Chief of Staff, VI Corps Area and Second U.S. Army; Commander, VI Corps Area; Commander, 5th Infantry Division; Commander, Iceland Base Command; Commandant of the Infantry School; Commander, Western Defense Command; and Assistant to the Commanding General, Twelfth United States Army Group. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1940 and Major General in 1941.

In 1944 Bonesteel was assigned as Commander of the G-1 (Personnel) Staff Section at SHAEF Headquarters. He remained in this position until 1945, when he was assigned as Chief of the General Inspectorate Section for the U.S. European Theater of Operations. Later in 1945 Bonesteel returned to the United States as President of the War Department Manpower Board, where he served until retiring in 1947.

Death and burial

Bonesteel died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. on June 5, 1964. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Site 1374-A.

Awards and decorations

• Army Distinguished Service Medal
• Legion of Merit
• Bronze Star Medal
• Honorary Companion of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom)
• Légion d'Honneur (France)

Family

In 1908 Bonesteel married Caroline Standish Mead Hudson (1885-1965). Their children included daughter Eleanor and son Charles H. Bonesteel III. Eleanor Bonesteel was the wife of United States Air Force General Nils O. Ohman (1914-1993).

External links

• Arlington National Cemetery: Charles Hartwell Bonesteel, Jr.
• Charles H. Bonesteel at Find A Grave

• New York Times, Bonesteel of Iceland, May 17, 1942
• James Terry White, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 51, 1969, page 248
• George Washington Cullum, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, Volume 5, 1910, page 820
• A. N. Marquis, The Monthly Supplement: A Current Biographical Reference Service, Volumes 1-2, 1940, page 194
• Marquis Who's Who, Who Was Who In American History: The Military, 1975, page 56
• Maxine Block, E. Mary Trow, Current Biography: Who's News and Why, 1942, pages 95 to 96
• Chicago Tribune, Gen. Bonesteel Made Chief of 6th Corps Area, October 11, 1940
• H. W. Wilson Company, Current Biography Yearbook, Volume 3, 1942, page 95
• New York Times, Bonesteel Made Chief in Iceland, April 28, 1942
• Peggy A. Stelpflug, Richard Hyatt, Home of the Infantry: The History of Fort Benning, 2007, page 152
• Christian Science Monitor, Petition Seeks to Allow Nisei Return to Coast, July 6, 1944
• New York Times, Eleven promoted in High Army Ranks, April 25, 1940
• Chicago Tribune, Name Bonesteel and Nine Others Major Generals, April 11, 1941
• Brenda Moore, To Serve My Country, to Serve My Race, 1997, Notes for Chapter 5
• Associated Press, Army Slashes its Civilian Personnel, Daytona Beach Morning Journal, August 30, 1946
• New York Times, Maj. Gen. Charles H. Bonesteel, Officer in 2 Wars, Dead at 79, June 6, 1964
• Baltimore Sun, Bonesteel, General, Dies, June 6, 1964
• Thomas E. Spencer, Where They're Buried, 2009, page 457