The 2nd Division A. E. F. — Cpl. Edmund Devitt

Cpl. Edmund Devitt

	Devitt, Edmund; Crawfordsville, Ind,; C; Cpl; Chateau Thierry; Soissons; St. Mihiel; Blanc Mont; Evacuated Wounded, Attigny.
	Edmund Devitt's Insignia

Edmund Devitt Biography By Kirkland D. Casey (Great-Grandson) Edmund, or Ed as he was known, was born in December of 1883 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He was born to Patrick and Bridget Devitt, both immigrants from Ireland that came to the United States in May of 1860. Ed joined the US Army on 28 April 1917 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Engineers Regiment, Company C. In September of 1917, the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Division and was one of the first to sail for France where it began fighting as Infantry at the Battle of Belleau Woods from 1-26 June 1917 and then at the Battle of Chateau Thierry on 18 July 1918. He and his company were present at the Battle of Soissons from 18-22 July 1918. Then, the Battle of Mihiel from 12-15 September 1918. Finally, while the regiment was assisting the 36th Division at Attigny, Corporal Devitt was injured and sent home to the States. While there, he received a promotion to Sergeant, which was his final standing rank in the US Army when he was honorably discharged from Camp Sherman, Ohio on 14 August 1919. Following his service in the Army, it is believed that Ed got a job with the B&O Railroad, doing similar work that he did in the Army and which he had done at age 16 at a railroad in Indiana. Eventually, he ended up working for the railroad in Cumberland, Maryland where he met Lucy Leonard. They married on September 20th, 1921. They had two children, Mary Genevieve Devitt, born November 20th, 1922 and then Joseph Leonard Devitt, January 1st, 1925.