Edward L Grant was born and bred in Franklin, Ma. He was one of the first men to enlist when the United States entered World War I in April 1917, and he served as a Captain in the 77th Infantry Division. During the fierce battle of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, all of Grant's superior officers were killed or wounded, and he took command of his troops on a four-day search for the "Lost Battalion." During the search, an exploding shell killed Grant on October 5, 1918. He was the first, and one of three, Major League Baseball players killed in action in World War I. He is buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Lorraine, France.