Francis Marshall

Francis Cutler Marshall (26 March 1867 – 7 December 1922) was a brigadier general in the United States Army during World War I. He served as commanding officer of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his achievements in this command during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Early life and education Marshall was born in Galena, Illinois, on 26 March 1867. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated with the Class of 1890.

On February 9, 1920, Kentucky Governor Edwin P. Morrow called the Federal government to send Federal troops to Lexington, Kentucky, because of the ongoing tense situations in the city. The Kentucky Army National Guard and Lexington Police Department had already killed six people, while holding back a crowd from advancing on a courthouse to lynch Will Lockett, an African-American serial killer who was on trial for murdering 10-year-old white girl Geneva Hardman. Later that afternoon, Marshall arrived to Lexington on special trains with 1,200 Army soldiers under his command. He imposed martial law in the city. The day after the shootings, Marshall declared, "This community has set a fine example against lawlessness and Bolshevism and has killed several of its own citizens in upholding law and order."

To prevent more lynchers from organizing, Marshall enacted citywide censorship. He ordered local telephone and telegraph companies to shut down all communication within 100 miles from Lexington. He banned any messages from leaving the city. Marshall also organized 12 patrols to guard certain areas of the county. Those areas included the local armory, the home of the judge, the home of the head of the county, and the black districts of Lexington.

The following year, the new Marshall Army Airfield at Fort Riley, Kansas, was named in his honor and a monument was erected at the crash site on the Cuyamaca Mountains Japacha Ridge.