Hugh Lewallen
Hugh Taylor Lewallen (Sept. 3, 1895 – Oct. 6, 1918) was a Glenmary man who was killed in action at the Argonne Forest in France during World War I.
See Also: Scott Countians killed in war
Biography
Born Sept. 3, 1895 in Glenmary, Hugh T. Lewallen was the son of John Harrison Lewallen (1870-1954) and Lydia Landrum (1873-1957). The Lewallen family was one of Glenmary’s earliest families, dating back to Anderson Grant Lewallen (1764-1829), who settled near Wolf Creek. Hugh’s grandfather, Campbell County Lewallen, was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil War. His great-grandfather, John Lewallen, was the first sheriff of Scott County.
Hugh had eight siblings: Archie Leroy (1893-1982), George Henderson (1897-1979), Nellie Mae (1899-1973), Raymond Eli (1901-1976), Millie Louvana (1903-1926), Ernie Reva Huckeby (1906-1988), Mary Etta (1908-2004) and Virginia Kathleen Fulwiler (1922-2012).
World War I
Pvt. Lewallen enlisted in the U.S. Army on Oct. 2, 1917 and was assigned to Co. L, 117th Infantry Division. He was involved in the Offensive South of Soissons and the Battle of Argonne Forest.
Pvt. Lewallen was killed on Oct. 6, 1918 when he was gassed by Germans at the Argonne Forest in France, during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Three other Scott Countians were also killed in the battle — William Brown on Oct. 5, Clovis Jeffers on Oct. 9, and William Blevins on Oct. 15. Lonus Reed died on Dec. 8, 1918 from wounds he suffered during the battle. It was likely at the same battle that Sherman Stanley, of Oneida, was killed on Oct. 1. It was the deadliest campaign in the history of the U.S. Army, with more than 350,000 casualties, including more than 26,200 American lives. It marked the end of the war, lasting from Sept. 26, 1918 until the Armistice of Nov. 11, 1918.
Aftermath
A cross on the battlefield near Montfaucon, France marks the spot where Pvt. Lewallen fell. His body was returned home to Glenmary, and he was buried at Archie Lewallen Cemetery at Coal Hill. His parents were also buried there in 1954 and 1957.
Pvt. Lewallen had a sister, Millie, who died in 1926 at age 22 and was buried at the family cemetery.