Charles Treat



Charles Gould Treat was a Major General in the United States Army.

Biography

Charles Gould Treat was born in Dexter, Maine on December 30, 1859, and was a direct descendant of Governor Robert Treat. He was raised in Monroe, Wisconsin, and graduated from Monroe High School in 1878. His father, Joseph B. Treat, was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee and his grandfather, Nathaniel Treat, was a member of the Maine House of Representatives. Treat graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1882, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Artillery.
He attended Columbia Law School in 1884 and 1885, while stationed at Fort Schuyler.

Early military career

Treat served in Artillery assignments in the United States, including postings to the western states during the American Indian Wars and duty as aide-de-camp to Oliver O. Howard. During the Spanish–American War he served in Cuba as Assistant Adjutant of an Artillery brigade. From 1901 to 1905 he served as Commandant of Cadets at West Point. Treat was Inspector General for US forces in Cuba from 1906 to 1908. In 1910 he graduated from the United States Army War College.

Later military career

Treat served on the Army's General Staff for several years, and commanded the Hawaiian Department in 1917.

World War I

During World War I Treat commanded the 37th Infantry Division at Camp Sheridan, near Montgomery, Alabama, receiving temporary promotion to Major General. In 1918 he was assigned to command the Western Department, stationed at Fort Mason, California.
He was Chief of the U.S. Military Mission to the Italian Army from 1918 to 1919, and took part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.

Post–World War I

After the war Treat returned to his permanent rank of Brigadier General and served as commander of Fort Stotsenburg, Philippines, remaining on active duty until retiring in 1922.
In 1930 he was promoted to Major General on the retired list.

Awards

Treat received the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his World War I service. He was also a recipient of the Order of the White Eagle with swords and the Italian Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus.
His Distinguished Service Medal citation reads:

Death and burial

Treat resided in Washington, D.C., and died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on October 11, 1941. He is buried at West Point Cemetery, Section 1, Site B-25.

Family

In 1889 Treat married Margaret Louise Cornell, the daughter of John Black Cornell, a wealthy New York City businessman. She died in 1921, and he later married Edith Pennington, the widow of Lieutenant Colonel Godfrey MacDonald and daughter of Alexander Cummings McWhorter Pennington Jr.
Treat's son Joseph Bradford Treat, grandson Archibald Vincent Arnold Jr., and great-grandson Archibald Vincent Arnold III all graduated from West Point.