Daniel Warren Ketcham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniel Warren Ketcham
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| Born | May 1, 1867 Burns City, Indiana |
| Died | July 19, 1935 (aged 68) Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1890-1919 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Service number | 0-13377 |
| Wars | World War I |
Daniel Warren Ketcham (born May 1, 1867, died July 19, 1935) was an American soldier. He was an artillery officer in the U.S. Army. Artillery officers command big guns used in battles.
Growing Up
Daniel Ketcham was born in Burns City, Indiana in 1867. His parents were Seth and Almira Ketcham. He went to the U.S. Military Academy. This is a famous school for training army officers. He graduated in 1890, ranking twenty-first in his class.
Army Career
After graduating from West Point, Ketcham became a 2nd Lieutenant. He joined the 2nd Regiment of Artillery. He served there until 1894. Then, he went to the Artillery School and finished with high honors. After that, he spent two years at Fort Warren from 1895 to 1897.
In 1899, Ketcham was stationed in Honolulu for two years. From 1902 to 1903, he was at Fort Hamilton in New York. He then moved to Fort Totten from 1903 to 1904. While there, he completed the School of Submarine Defense.
In 1904, Ketcham moved to the Presidio of San Francisco. He stayed there until 1909. During this time, he was promoted to Major. He also switched from the Artillery Corps to the Coast Artillery Corps in 1908. In 1909, Ketcham went to the Philippines. He commanded Fort Wint until 1911. He then returned to Fort Warren as its commanding officer. In 1912, Ketcham joined the General Staff in Washington D.C. He held this important position until 1914.
World War I Service
When World War I began, Ketcham was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. He took charge of the Coastal Defenses of the Delaware until 1915. After that, he became President of the Artillery Board at Fort Monroe. He held this role until 1917. During this time, he also commanded Civilian Training Camps. These were at Chickamauga Park, Georgia, and Plattsburgh, New York. This happened during the summer of 1916.
In February 1917, Ketcham became the first commander of Fort Story, Virginia. This base had just started being built. His command was short. In April 1917, he joined the Ordnance Board at Sandy Hook, New Jersey.
After the U.S. joined World War I, Ketcham was promoted to Colonel. He returned to the General Staff in Washington D.C. He worked in the War Plans Division from August 1917 to May 1918. He was even the Acting Chief of War Plans Division for a few months. In June 1918, Ketcham went to France. He joined the American Expeditionary Forces. He attended the General Staff College at Langres. He graduated from there in September 1918.
On September 19, 1918, Ketcham took command of the 34th Brigade of the Coast Artillery Corps in Angers, France. He was promoted to Brigadier-General on October 1, 1918. He stayed in France, leading his Brigade, until early 1919.
After the War
After returning from France in early 1919, Ketcham commanded Camp Taylor, Kentucky. This was during the spring of 1919. On May 15, 1919, he returned to the rank of Colonel. He retired from the army on May 24, 1919. He had served for 32 years. In June 1930, his rank of Brigadier-General was restored.
Family and Later Life
On October 9, 1897, Daniel Ketcham married Edith Varnum Smith. He passed away in Indiana on July 19, 1935. He was sixty-eight years old. He is buried at the Burns City Cemetery in Burns City, Indiana.
