Sergeant Michael B. Ellis was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on October 5, 1918 near Exermont, France during World War I. At the time he was serving with Company C, 28th Infantry, 1st Division. Ellis was 23 years old.
One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on 1919 — presented by General John J. Pershing.
Ellis was born on October 28, 1894 in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri. His Medal of Honor is credited to East St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois. Ellis died on December 9, 1937 in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 43. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Ellis is one of 132 Medal of Honor recipients from World War I and one of 210 credited to Illinois.
Official Medal of Honor citation
During the entire day's engagement he operated far in advance of the first wave of his company, voluntarily undertaking most dangerous missions and singlehandedly attacking and reducing machine-gun nests. Flanking one emplacement, he killed two of the enemy with rifle fire and captured 17 others. Later he singlehandedly advanced under heavy fire and captured 27 prisoners, including two officers and six machine guns, which had been holding up the advance of the company. The captured officers indicated the locations of four other machine guns, and he in turn captured these, together with their crews, at all times showing marked heroism and fearlessness.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Other decorations and honors
Besides the Medal of Honor, Michael B. Ellis received:
Source: Wikidata. Gold chips link to our guide to that decoration.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: World War I.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →
Timeline
- October 28, 1894Born in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri
- October 5, 1918Act of valor — near Exermont, FranceAge 23. Company C, 28th Infantry, 1st Division
- 1919Medal of Honor presentedPresented by General John J. Pershing
- December 9, 1937Died in Chicago, IllinoisAge 43.
- Resting placeArlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia
Biography
Michael B. Ellis (October 28, 1894 – December 9, 1937) was a United States Army sergeant and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War I.
From the Wikipedia article “Michael B. Ellis”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
