The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant (Infantry) Bayard Brown, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Soissons, France, from 2 to 22 July 1918, and near Verdun, France, 9 October 1918. Lieutenant Brown took command of his battalion at Soissons after all his senior officers had been killed or wounded, organized for a counterattack, and held his command all day, although he was dangerously wounded. In the fight for Hill 212, in the Argonne, he took command of his company after his company commander had been killed, and led it forward until mortally wounded within 50 yards of the enemy position.