Old Missoula

Ellsworth ‘Eck’ Mosby

Modest Hero Tells of Winning French Honor on Western Front

Americans have heard of war’s modest heroes, how they suffered in hospitals without a murmur of regret. The story of the man who risked his life for his friend, is not new to us. We have read of them all and admire them and wished we could meet some of these overseas men. And now we know that modesty in war is a fact, for yesterday we discovered that a University warrior, First Lieutenant “Eck” Mosby, wounded in both arms, and still smiling, is a real hero. He won the Croix de Guerre with a palm. He landed in New York January 5, and it was not until yesterday that anyone outside of his family, knew he was awarded the war cross for bravery in action. And this was how he won one of France’s highest honors.

While on the western front southeast of Metz the Ninth infantry of the Second division, was occupying a sector with the Marines to the south and east of them. The Germans broke through the gap and entrenched behind the Ninth and in front of the Marines. It was then that the Second platoon of the Ninth infantry, under the command (sic), started to clean out the Huns. They did and not a German soldier was left alive in the area. The entire platoon, five men of which were wounded, and Lieutenant Mosby, won the Croix de Guerre. This decoration feat took place on the 5^th of August, 1918.

When the lieutenant was asked why he did not wear the decoration, he stated that people made too much of it, asked many questions and that the wearing of it would bring him undue publicity. “We just had a job to do and did it. It was nothing out of the ordinary; just one of the routines of war,” he said. “Please do not play me up as a hero, for I am not one,” said Mosby. “I did nothing to deserve it.”

The above article appeared in The Montana Kaimin on April 1, 1919.

Ellsworth Mosby was a son of O. P. J. Mosby, a well-known Montana pioneer from the Kalispell and Eureka area. The father operated a hotel in Eureka. Ellsworth was a brother of Missoula radio station owner, Arthur Mosby.

The book “Montana, Its Story and Biography” by Tom Stout stated the following about Ellsworth:

“Ellsworth is a student of the State University of Montana at Missoula and has a most honorable military record. He enlisted in the Second Montana National Guard, August 11, 1910, was promoted corporal September 10, 1911, promoted sergeant September 22, 1912, commissioned second lieutenant September 19, 1914. He saw service in the Butte riots from August to October, 1914. From June 29, 1916, to November 8, 1916, he was in service on the Mexican Border, and was called into service March 26, 1917, sent overseas December 15, 1917, was wounded at St. Mihiel September 13, 1918, received the Croix de Guerre in August, 1918, and was honorably discharged at New York, January 12, 1919. He returned to the University of Montana to finish his education.”

 

The battle of St. Mihiel was the first U.S. led offensive of the war. Allied troops were commanded by General John Pershing. It involved over 100,000 Allied troops, including such men as Lieutenant Col. George S. Patton, and General Douglas MacArthur.

 

While at U. of M., Ellsworth was a journalism student and worked on the student newspaper, The Montana Kaimin, with another WW 1 veteran, Joseph Townsend. Townsend, from Stevensville, was as an associate editor of the paper. Townsend was also the president of the student body in the 1919 – 20 school year. Townsend wrote an interesting article about their ex-army lives after returning to school in Missoula:

Eck Tows Joseph a la Truck Style; Hell Gate Defiant

He was hungry and cold. He staggered through the storm.

He dragged a Baby Ben [alarm clock] from somewhere under an assortment of sweaters and overcoats and lamped its fozen hands. They had stopped at 9:15. He had a 9 o’clock and four blocks to go.

He was a war veteran. But he was staging the biggest battle of his career. He seemed to be living again an early morning in the Argonne. Only there weren’t any friendly trees to protect him from those Hell Gate chunks of ice and snow in front of a 90-mile zephyr.

“God, men, but this is hell. Keep low. We’ll fox ‘em pretty soon.” He forgot that he was alone in a peaceful land – peaceful except for a wild wind and lost mercury.

Through the swirling haze of the artic morning another victim plowed in the general direction of the University campus. He bumped into the Argonne dreamer before he saw him through the cigarette smoked ice on his eyelids.

He said nothing. He couldn’t. But he grabbed an arm that was shoved deep in an overcoat pocket and hung on.

He was short and tubby. Argonne wasn’t so much bigger, but he had a powerful stride.

“Hullo! Cumon! Dammit, pick up your feet. What are yuh stoppin’ to rest for? I’m in some hurry. Gotta make a breakfast yet and whatsa use blowin around for a morning class in thuh middle of thuh afternoon? Huh?”

The storm seemed to lift and the chunks of ice hit ‘em easier and less often. A building loomed in the offing. The “Y” hut looked like heat and eats.

“Thanks ol’ fella. Kind of ya to let me ride. Well, I’ll be damned. Eck Mosby, by all thuh lil’ tin gods a bad weather. Have sumthin’ to eat on me. I ain’t had breakfast either and we’ll make that class together. Namer, Eck. Less eat.”

“Thanks, Joseph, I’d like to have a big plate of beans, but gimme a Hershey an’ a sack a peanuts.”

Joe Townsend, the Bitter Root editor, dropped a buck on the bar (excuse me, I mean counter) and the breakfast party was on.

 

The above article appeared in The Montana Kaimin on December 9, 1919.

 

Mosby died on April 26, 1960 in California. The obituary below appeared in The Daily Independent Journal of San Rafael, California on April 28, 1960:

E. Mosby, Ex-Marin Man, Dies

Ellsworth (Eck) Mosby, active in San Rafael clubs for many years, died Tuesday in Myers Flat, Humboldt County.

Mosby was active in Cub Scouting in San Rafael, was a former commander of the
American Legion post here, and was a member of the Episcopal Church.

He lived in San Rafael from 1936 to 1946 and was a public relations man with the California Wine Institute. Previously he had lived in San Francisco. He was born in Montana.

Mosby served overseas for four years in World War 1.

Mosby was in the editorial department of the Oakland Tribune and Sacramento Bee in the 1920s. He owned newspapers in Lennox, Los Angeles County, in the later ‘20s and in Fortuna, Humboldt County, in 1946-49.

For the last two years he had been manager of the Garberville office of the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

He was a member of Marin Lodge 191, F&AM; a member of the 40 et 8 and the Press and Union League Club in San Francisco.

He is survived by his wife, Mary, and daughter, Mrs. Joanne Cannon of Los Angeles; three sons, Peter, of San Diego; Merritt, of El Granada, San Mateo County, and John, with the Army in Alaska; two brothers and two sisters, Arthur, of Missoula, Mont.; Norman, of Woodland Hills, Los Angeles County; Mrs. Cecilia Riley of La Jolla, San Diego County, and Mrs. Victoria Baker, San Diego.