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) Nathaniel Watson Ellis, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Montbrehain, France, 7 October 1918. When his company was held up by sweeping machine-gun fire, Lieutenant Ellis rushed forward alone, in the face of direct machine-gun fire, to an enemy machine-gun nest 60 yards in advance of his platoon and by the effective use of his pistol killed five of the enemy and captured 26 prisoners, together with the machine-gun. Although he had been seriously wounded in two places while advancing, he held the position until his platoon came up.