The Doughboy Foundation’s mission is to keep the story of "the War that Changed the World" in the minds of all Americans, so that the 4.7 million who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWI will never again be relegated to the mists of obscurity. LEARN MORE
The Doughboy Foundation’s mission is to keep the story of "the War that Changed the World" in the minds of all Americans, so that the 4.7 million who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWI will never again be relegated to the mists of obscurity. LEARN MORE
There have been few monuments in the history of Clarksville that have had as long a lifespan as the Doughboy. This statue of an American soldier holding a grenade in one hand, his rifle in the other, was dedicated to those who fought for the U.S. during World War I. It is one of Clarksville’s most beloved pieces of civic art.
Since its dedication in 1929, this statue has had an interesting existence. It has seen generations of Clarksville High School students grow up before its marble eyes. It has also been relocated around Clarksville several times.
According to The Leaf-Chronicle, the statue spent 43 years in front of Clarksville High School, before being moved to the armory on Ft. Campbell Boulevard in 1972.
On April 15, 2010, the Doughboy was rededicated in front of the Transit Station on Legion Street, in downtown Clarksville. Many descendants of World War I veterans were in attendance for the rededication ceremony, including the children of Alvin York, one of Tennessee’s most iconic World War I heroes.
In 2015, the Doughboy was relocated yet again to the Brigadier General Wendell H. Gilbert Tennessee State Veterans Home.
It was one of the few Doughboy statues of its type made out of stone. The Clarksville Doughboy is a rarity because it was sculpted from marble. Most of them were cast out of bronze. The inscription reads:
In honor of Montgomery County's Soldiers and Sailors, World War 1917-1918
World War I Doughboy
Dedicated June 9, 1929 Restored and re-dedicated by the City of Clarksville, April 15, 2010 To those who fell and those who served: Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen
Individual Contributors (List of those who contributed money to restore the monument)
During World War I, Cates served with the 6th Marine Regiment, fighting in France. For his heroism in the Aisne defensive at Boursches and Belleau Wood, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross and Oak Leaf Cluster, in addition to the Purple Heart. He was awarded a Silver Star for his gallantry at Soissons. In addition to his medals from the U.S. military, he was recognized by the French government with the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star and two palms.
Cates returned to the United States in September 1919, and he served in Washington, D.C. as a White House aide and Aide-de-Camp to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In 1920, he served in San Francisco, California, as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, Department of the Pacific. From 1923 to 1925, he served a tour of sea duty as commander of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS California.
In 1929, Cates was deployed to Shanghai, China, where he rejoined the 4th Marines, where he served for three years. He then returned to the U.S. for training at the Army Industrial College and in the Senior Course in the Marine Corps Schools. In 1935, was assigned to the War Plans Section of the Division of Operations and Training at Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC). In 1936, he returned to Shanghai as a battalion commander with the 6th Marine Regiment. In 1938, he rejoined the 4th Marines in Shanghai.
In 1940, and he was named the Director of the Marine Officers Basic School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. In 1942, Col Cates took command of the 1st Marines.
Colonel Cates led the 1st Marine Regiment at Guadalcanal, for which he was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat “V". He then took command of the 4th Marine Division in the Marianas operation, the Tinian campaign and the seizure of Iwo Jima. For his services at Tinian he received the Distinguished Service Medal and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal for his service at Iwo Jima.
After his first tour of duty in the Pacific, returned to the United States to serve as Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools at Quantico until 1944. He then returned to the Pacific theater until the end of the war as commander of the 4th Marine Division.
On January 1, 1948, he was promoted to the rank of General and sworn in as Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served as Commandant for four years and then returned to serve again as Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools. He retired on June 30, 1954. General Cates died on June 4, 1970 in Annapolis, Maryland. A Marine for thirty-seven years, he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
This tree was planted May 24th 1919 by the Catholic Children of Nashville in grateful memory of Lieutenant James Simmons Timothy of the 80th Company, 6th Regiment U.S.M.C. who was killed in action at Belleau Wood, France, June 14th 1918, aged 25 years.
He was first wounded while serving with the French in the Verdun Sector, Mar. 22, 1918. On the day of his death he took his company of two hundred men "over the top" and returned with only five. Later in the day he was killed by an enemy shell. Lieutenant Timothy was the first Tennessee officer to make the supreme sacrifice in the Great War for justice and humanity. His last words were, "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my soul."
Strong in faith, no fear he knew, this gallant Knight of God so true: Pure, courageous, grand was he - our hero son of Tennessee.
