John C. Villepigue

Infobox Military Person
name= John Canty Villepigue
born= birth date|1896|3|29
died= death date and age|1919|4|18|1896|3|29
placeofbirth= Camden, South Carolina
placeofdeath= Camden, South Carolina
placeofburial=Old Quaker Cemetery, Candem, SC


caption=Medal of Honor recipient
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=
rank= corporal
commands=
unit=
battles= World War I
awards= Medal of Honor
laterwork=

John Canty Villepigue (March 29, 1896 - April 18, 1919) was an American Army Corporal during World War I, notable for being a Medal of Honor recipient.

Biography

Villepigue was a descendent of Confederate Army General John Bordenave Villepigue, and like John Bordenave Villepigue he was born and raised in Camden, South Carolina. Kershaw County, South Carolina, in which Camden is located, has a rich military history, and was home to several war heroes from different wars.

Villepigue entered the army in Camden, assigned to Company M, 118th Infantry, 30th Division. While fighting near Vaux-Andigny, France, on October 15, 1918, Villepigue and two other soldiers were ordered to scout through the village of Vaux-Andigny. During their trek through the village, they were ambushed by German machine gun fire, which killed one of his fellow soldiers, and wounded the other. Advancing forward on his own for more than 500 yards, with his platoon left far behind, Villepigue encountered four enemy soldiers manning the machine gun pit. He engaged them with handgrenade, killing them. Crawling another 150 yards forward, he encountered a second machine gun pit, which he rushed, alone, killing another four enemy soldiers and capturing another six, along with securing two machine guns. He had been badly wounded in the arm during this action, from which he would later die on April 18, 1919.

Villepigue was buried near John B. Villepigue in the "Old Quaker Cemetery", in his hometown of Camden, South Carolina. That cemetery also maintains the grave of fellow World War I Medal of Honor recipient Richmond Hobson Hilton, the graves of Civil War Confederate Generals Joseph B. Kershaw and John Doby Kennedy, as well as Confederate soldier and hero from the Battle of Fredericksburg, Richard Rowland Kirkland. In 2004 Villepigue was honored by the South Carolina House of Representatives for his heroism during World War I.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company M, 118th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and date: At Vaux-Andigny, France, October 15, 1918. Entered service at. Camden, S.C. Born: March 29, 1896, Camden, S.C. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919.

Citation::Having been sent out with 2 other soldiers to scout through the village of Vaux-Andigny, he met with strong resistance from enemy machinegun fire, which killed 1 of his men and wounded the other. Continuing his advance without aid 500 yards in advance of his platoon and in the face of machinegun and artillery fire he encountered 4 of the enemy in a dugout, whom he attacked and killed with a handgrenade. Crawling forward to a point 150 yards in advance of his first encounter, he rushed a machinegun nest, killing 4 and capturing 6 of the enemy and taking 2 light machineguns. After being joined by his platoon he was severely wounded in the arm.

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients

References

* [http://distantcousin.com/Military/MedalofHonor/WWI/2/016.html John C. Villepigue]
* [http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess115_2003-2004/bills/5315.htm SC House of Representatives]
*findagrave|11294 Retrieved on 2008-02-01

Persondata
NAME= Villepigue, John C.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=