On the 12th of December, 1918, the 371st and 372nd R. I. U. S. have
been placed at the disposal of the American High Command.
With a deep feeling of emotion, on behalf of the 157th Division, and
in my own personal name, I come to bid farewell to our brave comrades.
For seven months we have lived brothers in arms, partaking in the
same activities, sharing the same hardships and the same dangers.
Side by side we took part in the great Champagne Offensive which was
to be crowned by a tremendous victory.
Never will the 157th Division forget the indomitable dash, the
heroical rush of the American regiments up the Observatory Ridge
and into the Plain of Monthois. The most powerful defenses, the
most strongly organized machine-gun nests, the heaviest artillery
barrages—nothing could stop them. These crack regiments overcame
every obstacle with a most complete contempt for danger; through
their steady devotion the Red Hand Division, for nine whole days of
severe struggle, was constantly leading the way of the advance of the
Fourth Army.
Officers, non-commissioned officers and men, I respectfully salute
our glorious comrades who have fallen, and I bow to your colors, side
by side with the flag of the 333rd Regiment of Infantry that have
shown us the way to victory.
Dear Friends from America, when you will be back again on the
other side of the ocean, don’t forget the Red Hand Division; our
brotherhood has been cemented in the blood of the brave, and such
bonds will never be destroyed.
Remember your General, who is so glad of having commanded you, and be
sure of his grateful affection to you forever.
GENERAL GOYBET,
_Commanding the 157th Division_.
On January 24, 1919, for taking strategic town in Champagne Offensive
the 372nd Infantry was cited with the Croix de Guerre and palm, the
highest honor of the kind in the gift of the French Army. It was the
first entire organization of the American Expeditionary Forces to be
thus cited.[3] It was received at the hands of Vice-Admiral Moreau,
French Commander of the Port of Brest, and the ceremony took place at
Cours Dajot, overlooking the Port of Commerce of that city.
[Illustration: MISCELLANEOUS VIEWS OF OFFICERS AND MEN
1. Officers engaged in automatic rifle practice. 2. Sergeant Charles
T. Monroe, a winner of the Croix de Guerre and Distinguished Service
Cross. 3. Group of Officers of 372nd Infantry and French Associates.
4. At the mouth of a dugout. 5. Sergeants Ray Williams and Wadley
Ellis receiving wireless messages from Eiffel Tower. 6. French
Officer giving instructions in machine-gun tactics. 7. Two comrades
of the famous “Red Hand Division.”]
In a word of conclusion with regard to the entire record of the
combatant troops, many of whom went overseas with hesitations and
misgivings because of the great battle they had already been compelled
to fight against the ill-will of their own countrymen, it seems that
their wonderful achievements in the face of a propaganda that continued
even across the seas, make them fully worthy of the beautiful tribute
paid them in the following poem by Roscoe C. Jamison:*
These truly are the Brave,
These men who cast aside
Old memories, to walk the blood-stained pave
Of sacrifice, joining the solemn tide
That moves away, to suffer and to die
For freedom,—when their own is yet denied!
O Pride! O Prejudice! When they pass by,
Hail them, the Brave, for you now crucified!
These truly are the Free,
These souls that grandly rise
Above base dreams of vengeance for their wrongs,
Who march to war with visions in their eyes
Of peace through Brotherhood, lifting glad songs
Aforetime, while they front the firing line.
Stand and behold! They take the field to-day,
Shedding their blood like Him now held divine,
That those who mock might find a better way!
——
* By permission of _The Crisis_.
——————————————————
If the muse were mine to tempt it
And my feeble voice were strong,
If my tongue were trained to measure
I would sing a stirring song.
I would sing a song heroic
Of those noble sons of Ham
Of the gallant colored soldiers
Who fought for Uncle Sam.