Roll of Honor
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Richard Brinsley Sheridan
- School: University Extension
- Class Year: 1916
- War: World War I
- Date of Death: August 23, 1918
First Lieutenant Richard Brinsley Sheridan, E Company, 308th Infantry, U.S. Army, was killed on August 23, 1918. One of his legs was shattered by a shell, but he remained on the field to direct his troops. He received a posthumous Distinguished Service Medal. He was finitially buried in the American Cemetery, Fismes, Marne, France, but in 1921, his remains were disinterred and shipped to the United States--a not-uncommon practice for American soldiers who had died in Europe in World War I. On June 10, 1921, 1st. Lt. Richard B. Sheridan was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Tributes
First Lt. Richard B Sheridan was a courageous officer who "led his men from the front". He took charge of Company C, 308th Regiment when its commander, Cpt. Snowden A Fahnestock was wounded by artillery shrapnel on Aug 18, 1918. Lt. Sheridan led two Company C platoons in a counterattack against a very strong German position teeming with machine guns on Aug 23, 1918. He was seriously wounded by machine gun fire, but refused evacuation, and continued to direct his men in battle. He would die of his wounds within hours. On Sept 10, 1918, newspapers reported that Lt. Sheridan's mother received a relayed message from a hospitalized Cpt Fahnestock, who told the messenger that Lt. Sheridan was wounded. The poor confused mother, who had heard nothing official from the army, was assisted by Lt. Sheridan's employer, Mr. John S. Tunmore, who wrote a letter of inquiry to the 308th REGT on Sept 13. Mrs. Sheridan received a letter sometime between Sept 13 and Sept 24 from a comrade of Lt. Sheridan, confirming that he had been killed in action. (Related newspaper article attached.) Mr. Tunmore received official confirmation of Lt. Sheridan's death in a letter dated Oct. 6, 1918. (attached) Mrs. Sheridan received an official letter of sympathy dated Feb. 10, 1919 from the Commander, 308th REGT.(attached) The story of Lt. Sheridan's brave sacrifice and his mother's terrible loss would be repeated in the thousands by other American sons and mothers during the Great War. - Jim Lacombe, Grantham, NH
- James Lacombe
Is any of our information incorrect? You can submit corrections, additional photos, and/or tributes to uarchives@columbia.edu.