The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Herbert Wallace Dutton, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Fismette, France, 5 September 1918. When his battalion commander was wounded during the crossing of the Vesle River, Lieutenant Dutton assumed command, rallied the scattered men, and reorganized them into fighting units, inspiring them by his own brave and determined spirit. His judgment in selecting strong points and making his dispositions made possible the success of the operation. In the course of the action Lieutenant Dutton encountered a hostile machine-gun nest, killing the officer in command of it with a rifle, and capturing 14 prisoners. He then turned the captured gun on the enemy and expended 4,000 rounds of captured ammunition in covering an exposed flank.