Clarence M. Condon

Clarence Melville Condon (August 12, 1875 – July 20, 1916) was a United States Army Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Philippine–American War.

Clarence Melville (or Milville) Condon
Born(1875-08-12)August 12, 1875
South Brooksville, Maine
DiedJuly 20, 1916(1916-07-20) (aged 40)
Walter Reed General Hospital, Washington, D.C.
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1894–1916
RankLieutenant colonel
Unit3rd Artillery Regiment
Battles/warsPhilippine American War
AwardsMedal of Honor

Biography

Clarence Condon was born August 12, 1875 in South Brooksville Maine to Melville and Clara Redman Condon. He was educated in the public schools of Bucksport, Maine and attended the East Maine Conference Seminary and State Normal School at Castine.[1][2]

Military career

Clarence Condon joined service as a private in Battery E, 3rd Artillery in December, 1894.[3]

He was a corporal from December 8, 1894 to December 7, 1897 and sergeant from December 17, 1897 to July, 1900 while with Company G, 3rd United States Artillery. During the Philippine–American War, he served as chief of scouts for General MacArthur[1] and was five times commended for bravery in the face of the enemy.[4] On June 15, 1900 he was commissioned a second lieutenant with the Philippine Cavalry.[1]

After mustering out of the Philippine Cavalry, he was commissioned a second lieutenant with the Artillery Corps on February 2, 1901. He continued to serve in a variety of billets, obtaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. One of his tours of duty included teaching at Ohio Wesleyan University.[2]

Condon was promoted to first lieutenant on June 17, 1904[5] and captain on September 21, 1908.[6]

Condon graduated from the Army Artillery School in 1904,[1] and the Army Staff College in 1916.[7]

At the time of his death, he was one of few officers from the Coast Artillery Corps who had graduated from the ranks and obtained a commission through bravery in battle.[2]

Personal life

In May 1902, he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the National University School of Law.[8] He continued to study at National University and, in June the following year, obtained a Master of Laws degree.[9]

In April 1903, he married Fanchon "Fanny" O'Connell, the daughter of the Solicitor of the Treasury Maurice D. O'Connell,[10] and had three sons Maurice Melville, Reynolds and Clarence Melville Condon.

Colonel Condon died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on July 20, 1916, after a brief illness,[11] and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[12]

Honors

Clarence Condon was awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Army Certificate of Merit for bravery in fighting the Moros on the island of Jolo. He was the only man in the US Army to have earned both the Medal of Honor and the Certificate of Merit for gallantry in action.[1][2][13]

Condon Road in Fort Sill, Oklahoma is named for him.[14]

In 1921, the Junior Mine Planter Captain Clarence M. Condon was completed by Dafoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan.[15][16]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Battery G, 3d U.S. Artillery. Place and date: Near Calulut, Luzon, Philippine Islands, November 5, 1899. Entered service at: ------. Birth: South Brooksville, Maine. Date of issue: March 11, 1902.

Citation:

While in command of a detachment of 4 men, charged and routed 40 entrenched insurgents, inflicting on them heavy loss.

See also

References
  1. "Medal of Honor Man; Capt. C. M. Condon, Dead". Evening Star. Washington, DC. July 22, 1916. p. 10.
  2. "Wins Military Honors". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Lewiston, Maine. November 18, 1915. p. 12.
  3. "In Interest of Lieut. Condon". Evening Star. Washington, DC. December 1, 1903. p. 14.
  4. "Shades and Shadows". Evening Star. Washington, DC. February 19, 1902. p. 16.
  5. The Adjutant Generals Office (October 20, 1907). Officers of the Army. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 26.
  6. Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the Sixtieth Congress, Volume 43, Part 1. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 1909. p. 201.
  7. "Army Orders". Evening Star. Washington, DC. July 7, 1915. p. 15.
  8. "Law Class Graduates". Evening Star. Washington, DC. May 29, 1902. p. 8.
  9. "National University Law School Closes". The Washington Times. Washington, DC. June 6, 1903. p. 4.
  10. "Notes of Society in Washington". New-York Tribune. New York. April 30, 1903. p. 8.
  11. "Captain Condon Dead". Evening Times-Republican. Marshalltown, Iowa. July 21, 1916. p. 3.
  12. Burial Detail: Condon, Clarence M (Section 2, Grave 3834) – ANC Explorer
  13. "Contemporary Notes, 1900". Vassar Quarterly. 2 (1): 68. November 1916.
  14. Zabecki, David T. (1997). American Artillery and the Medal of Honor. Merriam Press. pp. 56–57. ISBN 1576380793.
  15. "Dafoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan". Pacific Marine Review. 18: 306. May 1921.
  16. Gibson, Charles Dana (2002). Over seas : U.S. Army Maritime Operations, 1898 through the fall of the Philippines (1. ed.). Camden (Me.): Ensign Press. p. 432. ISBN 0960899669.
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