Charles Clarendon Ballou

Charles Clarendon Ballou (June 13, 1862 – July 23, 1928) was a United States Army officer who attained the rank of major general during World War I.

Early life Ballou was born in Orange, New York. He graduated number sixty-three of seventy-seven in the class of 1886 from the United States Military Academy. John J. Pershing was among his fellow classmates.

Military career Upon graduation, Ballou was commissioned in the Sixteenth Infantry and was on frontier duty in the Far West. He was part of the Sioux Campaign of 1890 and 1891. From 1891 to 1893, Ballou was Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Florida State Agriculture College.

During 1897 and 1898, he went to the Infantry and Cavalry School. From July 8 to October 20, 1898, he was a major in the Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was then regimental quartermaster in the Philippines in 1899, where he participated in the battle of Zapote River.

Ballou retired in 1926 as a colonel with forty years of service.

Awards Ballou's decorations included a Silver Star Citation, as well as the Croix de Guerre with palm and the Legion of Honor from France.

Personal Ballou married Cora May Hendrick on June 30, 1886 in Hornby, New York. Their daughter Julia Bertha Ballou was a painter of portraits and Western American Art. Their son Charles Nelson Senn Ballou briefly attended West Point and then joined the Army, retiring as a colonel after World War II.

Death and legacy The grave of Major General Charles C. Ballou at West Point cemetery. Charles Clarendon Ballou died at the age of sixty-six on July 23, 1928. His rank of major general was restored by act of Congress in June 1930.

The USS General C. C. Ballou (AP-157), a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship used during World War II, was named after him.