Charlie Thomas Monroe

Charlie Thomas Monroe Personal Narrative was derived from information found in public records, military personnel files, and local/state historical association materials. Please note that the Robb Centre never fully closes the book on our servicemembers; as new information becomes available, narratives will be updated to appropriately represent the life story of each veteran.

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Military Honor(s):

Distinguished Service Cross

Citation: 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 Sergeant Charlie T. Monroe (ASN: 2463911), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with HQ Company, 370th Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., at Mont-de-Sanges, France, 24 September 1918. Sergeant Monroe, then a private, in the absence of a platoon commander took charge of a platoon of Stokes mortars, directing the work of the men under heavy shell fire. Although the shelling was so intense that guns were at times buried, Sergeant Monroe and his men worked unceasingly in placing them back into action. He himself was buried by the explosion of a shell, but on being dug out, continued to direct the work of the men and encouraged them by his fearless example.

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Life & Service

  • Birth: 12 May 1896, Seneca, VA, United States
  • Place of Residence:
  • Race/Ethnicity: African American
  • Death: 12 September 1978 Lynchburg, VA, United States
  • Branch: Army
  • Military Rank: Sergeant
  • Company: [HQ]
  • Infantry Regiment: 370th
  • Division: 93rd

Personal Narrative

Early Life (Pre-War): Includes general parent information, sibling information, education Toggle Accordion

Charlie Thomas Monroe was born to George W. (1861-1944) and Willie Ann Washington (1869-1958) on 12 May 1896 in Seneca, Campbell, Virginia. Monroe was the fourth of nine children; Pearlie (1888-1972), Lena (1891-1966), JoAnna (1894-1971), Elnora (1898-1948), Samuel Louis (1900-1981), Houston (1904-1943), Mary (1908-1948), and Hermon Armstrong (1909-1986). The children assisted on the family farm Seneca, Virginia. As there are no plat maps for Campbell County, VA, it is unknown where the property lay- though it most likely neighbored the Staunton River in Southern Campbell County.

Monroe married Virginia Estelle Dean (1900-1942) sometime between 1916-1917; they had one son, Archie Percell (1917-2010).

Service: Includes a summary of transfers, rank change(s), training, enlistment, and discharge locations Toggle Accordion

Monroe enlisted in the U.S. Army on 30 November 1917; Private Monroe and the 155th Depot Brigade (Camp Lee Replacement Draft) left Hoboken, New Jersey in early 1918. Then-Sergeant Monroe, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 370th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions near Mont-de-Sanges, France on 24 September 1918;

“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 Sergeant Charlie T. Monroe (ASN: 2463911), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Headquarters Company, 370th Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., at Mont-de-Sanges, France, 24 September 1918. Sergeant Monroe, then a private, in the absence of a platoon commander took charge of a platoon of Stokes mortars, directing the work of the men under heavy shell fire. Although the shelling was so intense that guns were at times buried, Sergeant Monroe and his men worked unceasingly in placing them back into action. He himself was buried by the explosion of a shell, but on being dug out, continued to direct the work of the men and encouraged them by his fearless example.” WD, G.O. No. 46.

Sergeant Monroe and his company returned to the United States on an unknown date, he was Honorably Discharged on 25 February 1919.

Later Life (Post-War): Includes post-war education, occupation, marriage(s) and/or children, location and date of death Toggle Accordion

Upon Monroe’s arrival home, he, his wife, and son, lived on the farm with Monroe’s parents. By 1930, the family had moved into their own home, and operated either the same, or a neighboring, farm up until the 1940s. Mrs. Monroe died of Leukemia in 1942; about a year later, on 19 June 1943, Monroe married Christine Mae Pugh (1923-2001), a Long Island, VA native, in Lynchburg. The couple had six children, Charlie Leon (1946-2016), Julius (?-), Julian (?-), Gloria (?-), Doris (?-), and Virginia (?-).

Monroe and the family lived in Lynchburg until his death on 12 September 1978 of a suspected heart attack. It is unknown where Mr. Monroe is buried.