December 27, 1918.
When you landed in France you were acclaimed as comrades in arms,
brothers in a great cause. In the days that have passed, no man,
no little child, has had cause to regret that first glorious
welcome. Surrounded by new and unusual conditions, beset by subtle
temptations, you have kept your hearts high, and with purpose fixed
on the high ideal of service, you have put away those things that did
not contribute strength for the task at hand. You have been men.
Through rain and in tents, or in cold billets, you have cheerfully
pushed on to fit yourselves for the final test, and at length you
came to the front lines. There under fire by day and night you
served the pieces, sending back gas for gas, and shell for shell,
two for one. The orders reached the guns because you maintained the
connections; the ammunition was there because neither the elements
nor enemy stopped you. The mission has been accomplished and you have
been what America expects her sons to be—brave soldiers.
Your first six months of service on foreign soil have ended;
accordingly, all officers and enlisted men of the 351st Field
Artillery are authorized and ordered to wear one Service Chevron.
As surely as this chevron stands for something accomplished, just
as surely it imposes an added obligation; it sets a new standard
of soldierly qualities; it is a reminder of what manner of men you
are. As you have earned it fairly and well, so you will strive to
be worthy of it, and of the things for which it stands, every man a
guardian of the good name of the regiment.
By Command of COLONEL WADE H. CARPENTER.
GEORGE C. MATHER,
_Capt. F. A., U. S. A., Adj. 351st Field Artillery._
In taking his farewell of the 167th Field Artillery Brigade, Brigadier
General Sherburne recorded the following:
1. In leaving the 167th Field Artillery Brigade to take up other
duties, the Brigade Commander wishes to record in General Orders the
entire satisfaction it has given him to have commanded the first
brigade of Negro Artillery ever organized. This satisfaction is due
to the excellent record the men have made. Undertaking a work that
was new to them, they brought it faithfulness, zeal, and patriotic
fervor. They went into the line and conducted themselves in a manner
to win praise of all. They had been picked for important work in the
offensive which had been planned to start after November 11th.
2. The Brigade Commander will ever cherish the words of the Commander
in Chief, the compliments he paid in all sincerity to this Brigade
while he watched it pass in review last Wednesday. He wishes the
Brigade to understand that these words of appreciation were evoked
only because each man had worked conscientiously and unflaggingly to
make the organization a success.
3. The Brigade Commander feels that he should also make
acknowledgment in General Orders of the remarkable _esprit-de-corps_
displayed by the officers of the Brigade. They were pioneers in a
field, where at the start, success was problematical. This being the
first Brigade of its kind ever organized, it has been only natural
that the work of the men should have been featured prominently,
yet the same prominence and the same praise should be accorded the
officers. While the Brigade Commander takes this occasion to speak
of their splendid work, he believes that their greatest praise will
come from the men themselves, not only now, but ever in greater
measure when they have returned to civilian life and have secured the
perspective of time and experience that will teach them how fortunate
they were in making the race’s initial effort as artillerymen under
officers who were both skilful artillerymen, and sympathetic leaders.
By Command of BRIGADIER GENERAL SHERBURNE.
HENRY KING TOOTLE,
_1st Lieut., F. A., U. S. A., Acting Adjutant._
In concluding the story of the 92nd Division, nothing could be said
of more significance than the farewell words used by Major General
Ballou, who had crushed the spirit of the officers and men in the very
beginning of its existence by the notorious Bulletin No. 35, and who
had continued his policy of catering to southern prejudice up until the
time he was removed from the organization; the memorandum is signed
by Col. Allen J. Greer, who had used his good offices in every way
possible to get all the colored officers removed from the Division.[2]