THE DAWN OF VICTORY
The waited hour had come. The forced retreat of the German hordes had
begun. Hard on their heels, the American lines started their northward
push, backing the Boche off the Marne.
On the morning of July 21st I rode into Chateau-Thierry with the first
American soldiers to enter the town. The Germans had evacuated
hurriedly. Chateau-Thierry was reoccupied jointly by our forces and
those of the French.
Here was the grave of German hopes. Insolent, imperialistic longings for
the great prize, Paris, ended here. The dream of the Kultur conquest of
the world had become a nightmare of horrible realisation that America
was in the war. Pompously flaunted strategy crumpled at historic
Chateau-Thierry.
That day of the occupation, the wrecked city was comparatively quiet.
Only an occasional German shell--a final parting spite shell--whined
disconsolately overhead and landed in a cloud of dust and debris in some
vacant ruin that had once been a home.
For seven long weeks the enemy had been in occupation of that part of
the city on the north bank of the river. Now the streets were littered
with debris. Although the walls of most of the buildings seemed to be in
good shape, the scene was one of utter devastation.
The Germans had built barricades across the streets--particularly the
streets that led down to the river--because it was those streets that
were swept with the terrific fire of American machine guns. At the
intersections of those streets the Germans under cover of night had
taken up the cobblestones and built parapets to protect them from the
hail of lead.
Wrecked furniture was hip deep on the Rue Carnot. Along the north bank
of the river on the Quai de la Poterne and the Promenade de la Levee,
the invader had left his characteristic mark. Shop after shop had been
looted of its contents and the fronts of the pretty sidewalk cafes along
this business thoroughfare had been reduced to shells of their former
selves.
Not a single living being was in sight as we marched in. Some of the old
townsfolk and some young children had remained but they were still under
cover. Among these French people who had lived for seven weeks through
the hell of battle that had raged about the town, was Madame de Prey,
who was eighty-seven years old. To her, home meant more than life. She
had spent the time in her cellar, caring for German wounded.
The town had been systematically pillaged. The German soldiers had
looted from the shops much material which they had made up into packages
to be mailed back to home folks in the Fatherland. The church, strangely
enough, was picked out as a depository for their larcenies. Nothing from
the robes of the priests down to the copper faucet of a water pipe had
escaped their greed.
The advancing Americans did not linger in the town--save for small
squads of engineers that busied themselves with the removal of the
street obstructions and the supply organisations that perfected
communication for the advancing lines. These Americans were Yankees
all--they comprised the 26th U. S. Division, representing the National
Guard of New England.
Our lines kept pushing to the north. The Germans continued their
withdrawal and the Allied necessity was to keep contact with them. This,
the Yankee Division succeeded in doing. The first obstacle encountered
to the north of Chateau-Thierry was the stand that the Germans made at
the town of Epieds.
On July 23rd, our infantry had proceeded up a ravine that paralleled the
road into Epieds. German machine guns placed on the hills about the
village, swept them with a terrible fire. Our men succeeded in reaching
the village, but the Germans responded with such a terrific downpour of
shell that our weakened ranks were forced to withdraw and the Germans
re-entered the town.
On the following day we renewed the attack with the advantage of
positions which we had won during the night in the Bois de Trugny and
the Bois de Chatelet. We advanced from three sides and forced the
Germans to evacuate. Trugny, the small village on the edge of the woods,
was the scene of more bloody fighting which resulted in our favour.
Further north of Epieds, the Germans having entrenched themselves along
the roadway, had fortified the same with a number of machine guns which
commanded the flat terrain in such a way as to make a frontal attack by
infantry waves most costly. The security of the Germans in this position
received a severe shock when ten light automobiles, each one mounting
one or two machine guns, started up the road toward the enemy, firing as
they sped. It was something new. The Germans wanted to surrender, but
the speed of the cars obviated such a possibility. So the enemy fled
before our gasoline cavalry.
The Germans were withdrawing across the river Ourcq, whose valley is
parallel to that of the Marne and just to the north. The enemy's
intentions of making a stand here were frustrated by violent attacks,
which succeeded in carrying our forces into positions on the north side
of the Ourcq. These engagements straightened out the Allied line from
the Ourcq on the west to Fere-en-Tardenois on the east, which had been
taken the same day by French and American troops.
By this time the German withdrawal was becoming speedier. Such strong
pressure was maintained by our men against the enemy's rear guards that
hundreds of tons of German ammunition had to be abandoned and fell into
our hands. Still the retreat bore no evidences of a rout.
The enemy retired in orderly fashion. He bitterly contested every foot
of ground he was forced to give. The American troops engaged in those
actions had to fight hard for every advance. The German backed out of
the Marne salient as a Western "bad man" would back out of a saloon with
an automatic pistol in each hand.
Those charges that our men made across the muddy flats of the Ourcq
deserve a place in the martial history of America. They faced a
veritable hell of machine gun fire. They went through barrages of
shrapnel and high explosive shell. They invaded small forests that the
enemy had flooded with poison gas. No specific objectives were assigned.
The principal order was "Up and at 'em" and this was reinforced by every
man's determination to keep the enemy on the run now that they had been
started.
Even the enemy's advantage of high positions north of the river failed
to hold back the men from New York, from Iowa, Alabama, Ohio, Illinois,
Minnesota and Indiana, who had relieved the hard fighting Yankees. These
new American organisations went up against fresh German divisions that
had been left behind with orders to hold at all cost. But nothing the
enemy could do could prevent our crossing of the Ourcq.
On July 30th the fighting had become most intense in character. The fact
that the town of Sergy was captured, lost and recaptured nine times
within twenty-four hours, is some criterion of the bitterness of the
struggle. This performance of our men can be better understood when it
is stated that the enemy opposing them there consisted of two fresh
divisions of the Kaiser's finest--his Prussian Guard.
After that engagement with our forces, the Fourth Prussian Guard
Division went into an enforced retirement. When our men captured Sergy
the last time, they did so in sufficient strength to withhold it against
repeated fierce counter attacks by a Bavarian Guard division that had
replaced the wearied Prussians.
But before the crack Guard Division was withdrawn from the line, it had
suffered terrible losses at our hands. Several prisoners captured said
that their company had gone into the fight one hundred and fifty strong
and only seven had survived. That seven were captured by our men in hand
to hand fighting.
While our engineer forces repaired the roads and constructed bridges in
the wake of our advancing lines, the enemy brought to that part of the
front new squadrons of air fighters which were sent over our lines for
the purpose of observation and interference with communications. They
continually bombed our supply depots and ammunition dumps.
After the crossing of the Ourcq the American advance reached the next
German line of resistance, which rested on two terminal strongholds. One
was in the Foret de Nesles and the other was in the Bois de Meuniere.
The fighting about these two strong points was particularly fierce. In
the Bois de Meuniere and around the town of Cierges, the German
resistance was most determined. About three hundred Jaegers held Hill
200, which was located in the centre of Cierges Forest, just to the
south of the village of the same name. They were well provided with
machine guns and ammunition. They were under explicit orders to hold and
they did.
Our men finally captured the position at the point of the bayonet. Most
of its defenders fought to the death. The capture of the hill was the
signal for a renewal of our attacks against the seemingly impregnable
Meuniere woods. Six times our advancing waves reached the German
positions in the southern edge of the woods and six times we were driven
back.
There were some American Indians in the ranks of our units attacking
there--there were lumber jacks and farmer boys and bookkeepers, and they
made heroic rushes against terrific barriers of hidden machine guns. But
after a day of gallant fighting they had been unable to progress.
Our efforts had by no means been exhausted. The following night our
artillery concentrated on the southern end of the woods and literally
turned it into an inferno with high explosive shells. Early in the
morning we moved to the attack again. Two of the Kaiser's most reputable
divisions, the 200th Jaegers and the 216th Reserve, occupied the wood.
The fighting in the wood was fierce and bloody, but it was more to the
liking of our men than the rushes across fire-swept fields. Our men
went to work with the bayonet. And for six hours they literally carved
their way through four kilometres of the forest. Before ten o'clock the
next morning, our lines lay to the north of the woods.
In consolidating the gains in the woods, our men surrounded in a small
clearing some three hundred of the enemy who refused to surrender.
American squads advanced with the bayonet from all sides. The Germans
were fighting for their lives. Only three remained to accept the
ignominy of capture.
Our forward progress continued and by August 4th the Germans were
withdrawing across the Vesle River. The immediate objective that
presented itself to the Americans was the important German supply depot
at Fismes. It was in and around Fismes that some of the bloodiest
fighting in the second battle of the Marne took place. The capture of
Fismes was the crowning achievement of one American division that so
distinguished itself as to be made the subject of a special report to
the French General Headquarters by the French army in which the
Americans fought. In part, the report read:
"On Aug. 4th the infantry combats were localized with terrible fury.
The outskirts of Fismes were solidly held by the Germans, where their
advance groups were difficult to take. The Americans stormed them and
reduced them with light mortars and thirty-sevens. They succeeded,
though not without loss, and at the end of the day, thanks to this
slow but sure tenacity, they were within one kilometre of Fismes and
masters of Villes, Savoye and Chezelle Farm. All night long rains
hindered their movements and rendered their following day's task more
arduous. On their right the French had, by similar stages, conquered
a series of woods and swamps of Meuniere Woods, to the east of St.
Gilles, and were on the plateau of Bonne Maison Farm. To the left
another American unit had been able to advance upon the Vesle to the
east of St. Thiebault.
"On Aug. 5th the artillery prepared for the attack on Fismes by a
bombardment, well regulated, and the final assault was launched. The
Americans penetrated into the village and then began the mean task of
clearing the last point of resistance. That evening this task was
almost completed. We held all the northern part of the village as far
as Rheims road, and patrols were sent into the northern end of the
village. Some even succeeded in crossing the Vesle, but were satisfied
with making a reconnaissance, as the Germans still occupied the right
bank of the river in great strength. All that was left to be
accomplished was to complete the mopping up of Fismes and the
strengthening of our positions to withstand an enemy counter attack.
"Such was the advance of one American division, which pushed the enemy
forward from Roncheres on July 30th a distance of eighteen kilometres
and crowned its successful advance with the capture of Fismes on Aug.
5th."
The German line on the Vesle river fell shortly after the capture of
Fismes. The enemy was forced to fall back to his next natural line of
defence on the Aisne. Between the Vesle and the Aisne, the Americans
assisted the French in the application of such persistent pressure that
the enemy's stubborn resistance was overcome and in many places he was
forced to withdraw before he had time to destroy his depots of supply.
On August 9th, General Degoutte, commanding the Sixth French Army,
issued the following order:
"Before the great offensive of July 18th, the American troops, forming
part of the 6th French Army, distinguished themselves by clearing the
'Brigade de Marine' Woods and the village of Vaux of the enemy and
arresting his offensive on the Marne and at Fossoy.
"Since then they have taken the most glorious part in the second
battle of the Marne, rivalling the French troops in ardour and valour.
"During twenty days of constant fighting they have freed numerous
French villages and made, across a difficult country, an advance of
forty kilometres, which has brought them to the Vesle.
"Their glorious marches are marked by names which will shine in future
in the military history of the United States: Torcy, Belleau, Plateau
d'Etrepilly, Epieds, Le Charmel, l'Ourcq, Seringeset Nesles, Sergy, La
Vesle and Fismes.
"These young divisions, who saw fire for the first time, have shown
themselves worthy of the old war traditions of the regular army. They
have had the same burning desire to fight the Boche, the same
discipline which sees that the order given by their commander is
always executed, whatever the difficulties to be overcome and the
sacrifices to be suffered.
"The magnificent results obtained are due to the energy and the skill
of the commanders, to the bravery of the soldiers.
"I am proud to have commanded such troops."
* * * * *
Through the month of August and up to the first days of September, the
Americans participated in the important operations to the north of
Soissons, where on August 29th they played a big part in the capture of
the Juvigny Plateau.
In this fighting, which was marked by the desperate resistance of the
enemy, the Americans were incorporated in the 10th French Army under the
command of General Mangin. Violent counter attacks by German shock
divisions failed to stem the persistent advances of our forces.
A large hill to the north of Juvigny constituted a key and supporting
position for the enemy. In spite of the large number of machine guns
concealed on its slopes, the Americans succeeded in establishing a line
between the hill and the town. At the same time the American line
extended itself around the other side of the hill. With the consummation
of this enveloping movement, the hill was taken by assault.
On Labor Day, September 2nd, after bitterly engaging four German
divisions for five days, the Americans advanced their lines to
Terny-Sorny and the road running between Soissons and St. Quentin. This
achievement, which was accomplished by driving the Germans back a depth
of four miles on a two mile front, gave our forces a good position on
the important plateau running to the north of the Aisne.
Our observation stations now commanded a view across the valley toward
the famous Chemin des Dames which at one time had been a part of the
Hindenburg line. Before the invasion of the German hordes, France
possessed no fairer countryside than the valley of the Aisne. But the
Germans, retreating, left behind them only wreckage and ashes and ruin.
The valley spread out before our lines was scarred with the shattered
remains of what had once been peaceful farming communities. To the
northwest there could be seen the spires above the city of Laon.
The American units which took part in this bitter fighting that had
continued without a day's cessation since July 18th, were mentioned
specifically in an order issued on August 27th by General Pershing. The
order read:
"It fills me with pride to record in general orders a tribute to the
service achievements of the First and Third Corps, comprising the
First, Second, Third, Fourth, Twenty-sixth, Twenty-eighth,
Thirty-second and Forty-second Divisions of the American Expeditionary
Forces.
"You came to the battlefield at a crucial hour for the Allied cause.
For almost four years the most formidable army the world has yet seen
had pressed its invasion of France and stood threatening its capital.
At no time has that army been more powerful and menacing than when, on
July 15th, it struck again to destroy in one great battle the brave
men opposed to it and to enforce its brutal will upon the world and
civilisation.
"Three days later in conjunction with our Allies you counter-attacked.
The Allied armies gained a brilliant victory that marks the turning
point of the war. You did more than to give the Allies the support to
which, as a nation, our faith was pledged. You proved that our
altruism, our pacific spirit, and our sense of justice have not
blunted our virility or our courage.
"You have shown that American initiative and energy are as fit for the
tasks of war as for the pursuits of peace. You have justly won
unstinted praise from our Allies and the eternal gratitude of our
countrymen.
"We have paid for our successes with the lives of many of our brave
comrades. We shall cherish their memory always and claim for our
history and literature their bravery, achievement and sacrifice.
"This order will be read to all organisations at the first assembly
formations following its receipt.
"PERSHING."
* * * * *
August 10th marked a milestone in the military effort of the United
States. On that day the organisation was completed of the First American
Field Army. I have tried to show in this record how we began the
organisation of our forces overseas. Our first troops to reach France
were associated in small units with the French. Soon our regiments began
to reach the front under French Division Commanders. Then with the
formation of American divisions, we went into the line under French
corps commanders. Later still, American corps operated under French Army
Commanders. Finally, our forces augmented by additional divisions and
corps were organised into the First American Field Army.
Through these various stages of development, our forces had grown until
on August 10th they had reached the stage where they became practically
as independent an organisation as the British armies under Field Marshal
Sir Douglas Haig and the French armies under General Petain. From now on
the American Army was to be on a par with the French Army and the
British Army, all three of them under the sole direction of the Allied
Generalissimo, Marshal Ferdinand Foch.
The personnel of this, the greatest single army that ever fought beneath
the Stars and Stripes, is reproduced in the appendix. It might not be
amiss to point out that an American division numbers thirty thousand
men and that an American corps consists of six divisions and auxiliary
troops, such as air squadrons, tank sections, and heavy artillery, which
bring the strength of an American army corps to between 225,000 and
250,000 men. By the 1st of September, the United States of America had
five such army corps in the field, martialling a strength of about one
and one-half million bayonets. General Pershing was in command of this
group of armies which comprised the First American Field Army.
It was from these forces that General Pershing selected the strong units
which he personally commanded in the first major operation of the First
American Field Army as an independent unit in France. That operation was
the beginning of the Pershing push toward the Rhine--it was the Battle
of St. Mihiel.
It was a great achievement. It signalised the full development of our
forces from small emergency units that had reached the front less than a
year before, to the now powerful group of armies, fighting under their
own flag, their own generals, and their own staffs.
The important material results of the Battle of St. Mihiel are most
susceptible to civilian as well as military comprehension. The St.
Mihiel salient had long constituted a pet threat of the enemy. The
Germans called it a dagger pointed at the heart of eastern France. For
three years the enemy occupying it had successfully resisted all efforts
of the Allies to oust them.
The salient was shaped like a triangle. The apex of the triangle--the
point of the dagger--thrusting southward, rested on the town of St.
Mihiel, on the river Meuse. The western flank of the triangle extended
northward from St. Mihiel to points beyond Verdun. The eastern flank of
the triangle extended in a northeasterly direction toward
Pont-a-Mousson. It was the strongest position held by the Germans in
Lorraine--if not on the entire front.
The geographical formation of the salient was an invitation for the
application of a pincers operation. The point of leverage of the
opposing jaws of the pincers was, most naturally, the apex of the
triangle at St. Mihiel.
One claw of the pincers--a claw some eight miles thick, bit into the
east side of the salient near Pont-a-Mousson on the west bank of the
Moselle River. The other claw of the pincers was about eight miles thick
and it bit into the western flank of the salient in the vicinity of the
little town of Haudiomont, on the heights of the Meuse and just a little
distance to the east of the Meuse River.
The distance across that part of the salient through which the pincer's
claws were biting was about thirty miles, and the area which would be
included in the bite would be almost a hundred and seventy-five square
miles. This, indeed, was a major operation.
The battle began at one o'clock on the morning of September 12th, when
the concentrated ordnance of the heaviest American artillery in France
opened a preparatory fire of unprecedented intensity.
At five o'clock in the dim dawn of that September morning, our infantry
waves leaped from their trenches and moved forward to the assault. The
claw of the pincers on the eastern flank of the salient began to bite
in.
One hour later the claw of the pincers on the western flank of the
salient began to move forward.
On the east, our men went forward on the run over ground that we had
looked upon with envious eyes from the day that the first American
troops reached the front. Before noon we had taken the villages of
Lahayville, St. Baussant, Vilcey and the Bois de Mortmare and we were
still advancing. By nightfall, our lines were still on the move beyond
Essey and we were holding the important town of Thiaucourt and claimed
Villers sur Penny for our own.
The seemingly impregnable fortress of Mont Sec had been surrounded, our
tanks had cleared the way through Pannes, we had taken Nonsard and the
towns of Woinville and Buxieres had fallen into our hands.
On the west side of the salient the day had gone equally well for us.
The western claw of the pincers had pushed due east through the towns of
Spada and Lavigneville. Our men had swept on in the night through
Chaillon, we had taken St. Remy and had cleared the Foret de Montagne.
By midnight their advanced patrols had reached the western part of the
town of Vigneulles. In the meantime, our forces on the eastern side of
the salient were pushing westward toward this same town of Vigneulles.
At three o'clock in the morning the forces from the east were occupying
the eastern part of the town. The pincers had closed; the St. Mihiel
salient had been pinched off.
Our forces actually met at nine o'clock on the morning of September
13th. The junction was made at the town of Heudicourt to the south of
Vigneulles. We had pocketed all of the German forces to the south of
that town. Our centre had moved forward at nine o'clock the night before
and occupied St. Mihiel on the heels of the retreating Germans. But the
withdrawal was too late. Large numbers of them found themselves
completely surrounded in the forests between St. Mihiel on the south and
Heudicourt on the north.
We closed in during the afternoon and started to open the prize
package. Located in the area, encircled by our troops, was the Bois de
Versel, the Bois de Gaumont and the Bois de Woeuvre. Each one of these
little forests gave up its quota of prisoners, while much material and
rich booty of war fell into our hands.
The principal avenue that had been opened for the Germans to make a
possible withdrawal led through Vigneulles and before our pincers had
completely closed, the fleeing enemy had poured out through that gap at
the rate of several thousand an hour. The roads were blocked for miles
with their transportation, and when the American artillery turned its
attention to these thoroughfares, crowded with confused Germans, the
slaughter was terrific. For days after the battle our sanitation squads
were busy at their grewsome work.
In conception and execution the entire operation had been perfect.
Confusion had been visited upon the method-loving enemy from the
beginning. By reason of the disruption of their intercommunications,
faulty liaison had resulted and division had called to division in vain
for assistance, not knowing at the time that all of them were in equally
desperate straits. The enemy fought hard but to no purpose.
One entire regiment with its commander and his staff was captured. With
both flanks exposed, it had suddenly been confronted by Americans on
four sides. The surrender was so complete that the German commander
requested that his roll should be called in order to ascertain the
extent of his losses. When this was done, every one was accounted for
except one officer and one private.
As his command was so embarrassingly complete, the German commander
asked permission to march it off in whatever direction desired by his
captors. The request was granted, and there followed the somewhat
amusing spectacle of an entire German regiment, without arms, marching
off the battlefield under their own officers. The captured regiment was
escorted to the rear by mounted American guards, who smilingly and
leisurely rode their horses cowboy fashion as they herded their captives
back to the pens.
Tons upon tons of ammunition fell into our hands in the woods. At one
place twenty-two railroad cars loaded with large calibre ammunition had
to be abandoned when an American shell had torn up the track to the
north of them. But if the Germans had been unable to take with them
their equipment, they had succeeded in driving ahead of them on the
retreat almost all of the French male civilians between sixteen and
forty-five years that had been used as German slaves for more than four
years.
The Americans were welcomed as deliverers by those French civilians that
remained in the town. They were found to be almost entirely ignorant of
the most commonly known historical events of the war. Secretary of War
Baker and Generals Pershing and Petain visited the town of St. Mihiel a
few hours after it was captured. They were honoured with a spontaneous
demonstration by the girls and aged women, who crowded about them to
express thanks and pay homage for deliverance.
One of our bands began to play the "Marseillaise" and the old French
civilians who, under German domination, had not heard the national
anthem for four long years, broke down and wept. The mayor of the town
told how the Germans had robbed it of millions of francs. First they had
demanded and received one million five hundred thousand francs and later
they collected five hundred thousand more in three instalments. In
addition to these robberies, they had taken by "requisition" all the
furniture and mattresses and civilian comforts that they could find.
They took what they wanted and usually destroyed the rest. They had
stripped the towns of all metal utensils, bells, statues, and water
pipes.
The St. Mihiel salient thus went out of existence. The entire point in
the blade of the dagger that had been thrust at the heart of France had
been bitten off. Verdun with its rows upon rows of sacred dead was now
liberated from the threat of envelopment from the right. The Allies were
in possession of the dominating heights of the Meuse. The railroads
connecting Commercy with Vigneulles, Thiaucourt and St. Mihiel were in
our hands. Our lines had advanced close to that key of victory, the
Briey iron basin to the north, and the German fortress of Metz lay under
American guns.
The battle only lasted twenty-seven hours. In that space of time, a
German force estimated at one hundred thousand had been vanquished, if
not literally cut to pieces, American soldiers had wrested a hundred and
fifty square miles of territory away from the Germans, captured fifteen
thousand officers and men and hundreds of guns. General Pershing on
September 14th made the following report:
"The dash and vigour of our troops, and of the valiant French
divisions which fought shoulder to shoulder with them, is shown by the
fact that the forces attacking on both faces of the salient effected a
junction and secured the result desired within twenty-seven hours.
"Besides liberating more than 150 square miles of territory and taking
15,000 prisoners, we have captured a mass of material. Over 100 guns
of all calibres and hundreds of machine guns and trench mortars have
been taken.
"In spite of the fact that the enemy during his retreat burned large
stores, a partial examination of the battlefield shows that great
quantities of ammunition, telegraph material, railroad material,
rolling stock, clothing, and equipment have been abandoned. Further
evidence of the haste with which the enemy retreated is found in the
uninjured bridges which he left behind.
"French pursuit, bombing and reconnaissance units, and British and
Italian bombing units divided with our own air service the control of
the air, and contributed materially to the successes of the operation."
And while this great battle was in progress, the Allied lines were
advancing everywhere. In Flanders, in Picardy, on the Marne, in
Champagne, in Lorraine, in Alsace, and in the Balkans the frontier of
freedom was moving forward.
Surely the tide had turned. And surely it had been America's God-given
opportunity to play the big part she did play. The German was now on the
run. Suspicious whisperings of peace began to be heard in neutral
countries. They had a decided German accent. Germany saw defeat staring
her in the face and now, having failed to win in the field, she sought
to win by a bluff at the peace table.
The mailed fist having failed, Germany now resorted to cunning. The
mailed fist was now an open palm that itched to press in brotherhood the
hands of the Allies. But it was the same fist that struck down the peace
of the world in 1914. It was the same Germany that had ravished and
outraged Belgium. It was the same Germany that had tried to murder
France. It was the same Germany that had covered America with her net of
spies and had sought to bring war to our borders with Mexico and Japan.
It was the same Germany that had ruthlessly destroyed the lives of women
and children, American citizens, non-combatants, riding the free seas
under the protection of the Stars and Stripes. It was the same Germany
that had drugged Russia with her corrupting propaganda and had throttled
the voice of Russian democracy. This Germany, this unrepentant
Germany--this unpunished Germany, launched her drive for peace.
Germany was willing to make any concessions to bring about negotiations
that would save her from a defeat in the field. There was one thing,
however, that Germany wanted to save from the ruin she had brought down
upon herself. That thing was the German army and its strong auxiliary,
the German navy. Neither one of them had been destroyed. The army was in
general retreat and the navy was locked up in the Baltic, but both of
them remained in existence as menaces to the future peace of the world.
With these two forces of might, Germany could have given up her booty of
war, offered reparation for her transgressions and drawn back behind the
Rhine to await the coming of another _Der Tag_ when she could send them
once more crashing across friendly borders and cruising the seven seas
on missions of piracy.
Germany was in the position of a bully, who without provocation and
without warning had struck down from behind a man who had not been
prepared to defend himself. The victim's movements had been impeded by a
heavy overcoat. He had been utterly and entirely unprepared for the
onslaught. The bully had struck him with a club and had robbed him.
The unprepared man had tried to free himself from the overcoat of
pacifism that he had worn so long in safety and in kindliness to his
fellows. The bully, taking advantage of his handicap, had beaten him
brutally. At last the unprepared man had freed himself from the
overcoat and then stood ready not only to defend himself, but to
administer deserved punishment. Then the bully had said:
"Now, wait just a minute. Let's talk this thing over and see if we can't
settle it before I get hurt."
The bully's pockets bulge with the loot he has taken from the man. The
victim's face and head are swollen and bloody and yet the bully invites
him to sit down to a table to discuss the hold-up, the assault, and the
terms of which the loot and the loot only will be returned. The bully
takes it for granted that he is to go unpunished and, more important
still, is to retain the club that he might decide to use again.
The rule of common sense that deals with individuals should be the same
rule that applies to the affairs of nations. No municipal law anywhere
in the world gives countenance to a compromise with a criminal.
International law could be no less moral than municipal law. Prussian
militarism made the world unsafe for Democracy, and for that reason, on
April 6th, 1917, the United States entered the war.
We wanted a decent world in which to live. And the existence of the
Prussian army and its conscienceless masters was incompatible with the
free and peaceful life of the world. We entered the war for an ideal.
That ideal was in the balance when Germany made her 1918 drive for
peace.
Our army in France knew that if peace came with an unwhipped Prussian
army in existence, the world would be just as unsafe for Democracy as it
had ever been. Our army in France wanted no compromise that would leave
Germany in possession of the instruments that had made possible her
crimes against the world. Every man that had shed blood, every man that
had paid the final price, every woman that had shed tears, every
cherished ideal of our one hundred and forty years of national life,
would have been sacrificed in vain, if we had condoned Germany's high
crimes against civilisation and had made a compromise with the criminal.
Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, spokesman of the Allied
world, sounded the true American note when, in his reply to the
insincere German peace proposals, he referred the German Government to
Marshal Foch, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied armies. War by the sword
was to bring peace by the sword.
And as I write these lines in the last days of October, 1918,
unconditional surrender is the song of the dove of peace perched on our
bayonets as we march into the dawn of victory.
* * * * *
APPENDIX
PERSONNEL OF THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES IN FRANCE
=1ST ARMY CORPS=
Major Gen. Hunter Liggett, commanding.
1st and 2nd Division, Regular Army; 26th, (New England), 32d, (Michigan
and Wisconsin), 41st, (Washington, Oregon, North and South Dakota,
Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Minnesota), and 42d
(_Rainbow_, troops from twenty-six States) Divisions, National Guard.
1ST DIVISION--Major Gen. Charles P. Summerall, commanding; Lieut. Col.
Campbell King, Chief of Staff; Major H. K. Loughry, Adjutant General.
1ST BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Major John L. Hines; 16th and 18th Regiments; 2d
Machine Gun Battalion.
2D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Major Gen. Beaumont B. Buck; 26th and 28th
Regiments; 3d Machine Gun Battalion.
1ST BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--(Commanding officer not announced); 5th,
6th, and 7th Regiments; 1st Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--1st Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--2nd Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--1st Machine Gun Battalion.
2ND DIVISION (U. S. M. C.)--Brig. Gen. John E. Le Jeune, commanding;
Brig. Gen. Preston Brown, Chief of Staff.
3RD BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Hanson E. Ely; 9th and 23rd Regiments;
5th Machine Gun Battalion.
4TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY (MARINES)--Brig. Gen. John E. Le Jeune; 5th and
6th Regiments; 6th Machine Gun Battalion.
2D BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig Gen. A. J. Bowley; 12th, 15th, and
17th Regiments; 2d Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--2d Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--1st Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--2d Division Headquarters Troops; 4th Machine Gun
Battalion.
26TH DIVISION--Major Gen. Clarence R. Edwards, commanding; Lieut. Col.
Cassius M. Dowell, Chief of Staff; Major Charles A. Stevens, Adjutant
General.
51ST BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. George H. Shelton; 101st and 102d
Regiments; 102d Machine Gun Battalion.
52D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. C. H. Cole; 103d and 104th Regiments;
103d Machine Gun Battalion.
51ST BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. D. E. Aultman; 101st Trench
Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--101st Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--101st Field Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--26th Headquarters Troop; 101st Machine Gun Battalion.
32ND DIVISION--Major Gen. W. G. Haan, commanding; Lieut. Col. Allen L.
Briggs, Chief of Staff; Major John H. Howard, Adjutant General.
63D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. William D. Connor; 125th and 126th
Regiments; 120th Machine Gun Battalion.
64TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. E. B. Winans; 127th and 128th
Regiments; 121st Machine Gun Battalion.
57TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. G. LeRoy Irwin; 119th, 120th
and 121st Regiments; 107th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--107th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--107th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--32d Headquarters Troops; 119th Machine Gun Battalion.
41ST DIVISION (_Sunset_)--Major. Gen. Robert Alexander, commanding;
Colonel Harry H. Tebbetts, Chief of Staff; Major Herbert H. White,
Adjutant General.
81ST BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Wilson B. Burt; 161st and 162nd
Regiments; 147th Machine Gun Battalion.
82D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Edward Vollrath; 163rd and 164th
Regiments; 148th Machine Gun Battalion.
66TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--(Commanding officer not announced);
146th, 147th, and 148th Regiments; 116th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--116th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--116th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--41st Division Headquarters Troop; 146th Machine Gun
Battalion.
42D DIVISION (_Rainbow_)--Major Gen. C. T. Menoher, commanding; (Chief
of Staff not announced); Major Walter E. Powers, Adjutant General.
83D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. M. Lenihan; 165th and 166th Regiments;
150th Machine Gun Battalion.
84TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. R. A. Brown; 167th and 168th
Regiments; 151st Machine Gun Battalion.
67TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. G. C. Gatley; 149th, 150th and
151st Regiments; 117th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--117th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--117th Field Signal Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--42d Division Headquarters Troop; 149th Machine Gun
Battalion.
=2ND ARMY CORPS=
Major Gen. Robert Lee Bullard, Commanding.
4th Division, Regular Army; 28th, (Pennsylvania,) 30th, (Tennessee,
North and South Carolina, and District of Columbia), and 36th (Missouri
and Kansas) Divisions, National Guard; 77th (New York) and 82d (Georgia,
Alabama, and Florida) Divisions, National Army.
4TH DIVISION--Major Gen. George H. Cameron, commanding; Lieut. Col.
Christian A. Bach, Chief of Staff; Major Jesse D. Elliott, Adjutant
General.
7TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. B. A. Poore; 39th and 47th Regiments;
11th Machine Gun Battalion.
8TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. E. E. Booth; 58th and 59th Regiments;
12th Machine Gun Battalion.
4TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. E. B. Babbitt; 13th, 16th and
77th Regiments; 4th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--4th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS---8th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--4th Division Headquarters Troop; 10th Machine Gun
Battalion.
28TH DIVISION--Major Gen. C. H. Muir, commanding; (Chief of Staff not
announced); Lieut. Col. David J. Davis, Adjutant General.
55TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. T. W. Darrah; 109th and 110th
Regiments; 108th Machine Gun Battalion.
56TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Major Gen. William Weigel; 111th and 112th
Regiments; 109th Machine Gun Battalion.
53RD BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. W. G. Price, 107th, 108th,
and 109th Regiments; 103rd Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--103d Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--103d Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--28th Division Headquarters Troop; 107th Machine Gun
Battalion.
30TH DIVISION (_Wild Cat_)--Major Gen. Edward M. Lewis, commanding;
Lieut. Col. Robert B. McBride, Chief of Staff; Lieut. Col. Francis B.
Hinkle, Adjutant General.
59TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Lawrence D. Tyson; 117th and 118th
Regiments; 114th Machine Gun Battalion.
60TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Samuel L. Faison; 119th and 120th
Regiments; 115th Machine Gun Battalion.
55TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--(Commanding officer not announced);
113th, 114th and 115th Regiments; 105th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--105th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--165th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--30th Division Headquarters Troop; 113th Machine Gun
Battalion.
35TH DIVISION--Major Gen. Peter E. Traub, commanding; Colonel Robert
McCleave, Chief of Staff; Major J. M. Hobson, Adjutant General.
69TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Nathaniel McClure; 137th and 138th
Regiments; 129th Machine Gun Battalion.
70TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Charles I. Martin; 139th and 140th
Regiments; 130th Machine Gun Battalion.
60TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. L. G. Berry; 128th, 129th, and
130th Regiments; 110th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--110th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--35th Division Headquarters Troop; 128th Machine Gun
Battalion.
77TH DIVISION (Upton)--Major Gen. George B. Duncan, commanding; (Chief
of Staff not announced); Major W. N. Haskell, Adjutant General.
153D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Edward Wittenmeyer; 205th and 306th
Regiments; 305th Machine Gun Battalion.
154TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Evan M. Johnson; 307th and 308th
Regiments; 306th Machine Gun Battalion.
152D BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Thomas H. Reeves; 304th, 305th
and 306th Regiments; 302d Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--302d Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--302d Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--77th Division Headquarters Troop; 304th Machine Gun
Battalion.
82D DIVISION--Major Gen. W. P. Burnham, commanding; Lieut. Col. Royden
E. Beebe, Chief of Staff; Lieut. Col. John R. Thomas, Adjutant General.
163D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Marcus D. Cronin; 325th and 326th
Regiments; 320th Machine Gun Battalion.
164TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Julian R. Lindsay; 327th and 328th
Regiments; 321st Machine Gun Battalion.
157TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Charles D. Rhodes; 319th,
320th and 321st Regiments; 307th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--307th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--307th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--319th Machine Gun Battalion.
=3D ARMY CORPS=
Major Gen. William M. Wright, commanding.
3d and 5th Divisions, Regular Army; 27th (New York) and 33d (Illinois)
Divisions, National Guard; 78th (Delaware and New York) and 80th (New
Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and District of Columbia)
Divisions, National Army.
3D DIVISION--Major Gen. Joseph T. Dickman, commanding; Colonel Robert H.
Kelton, Chief of Staff; Captain Frank L. Purndon, Adjutant General.
5TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. F. W. Sladen; 4th and 7th Regiments;
8th Machine Gun Battalion.
8TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--(Commanding officer not announced); 30th and 38th
Regiments; 9th Machine Gun Battalion.
3D BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. W. M. Cruikshank; 10th, 76th and
18th Regiments; 3d Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--6th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--5th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--3d Division Headquarters Troop; 7th Machine Gun
Battalion.
5TH DIVISION--Major Gen. John E. McMahon, commanding; Colonel Ralph E.
Ingram, Chief of Staff; Major David P. Wood, Adjutant General.
9TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. J. C. Castner; 60th and 61st
Regiments; 14th Machine Gun Battalion.
10TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Major Gen. W. H. Gordon; 6th and 11th Regiments;
15th Machine Gun Battalion.
5TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. C. A. F. Flagler; 19th, 20th,
and 21st Regiments; 5th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--7th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--9th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--5th Division Headquarters Troop; 13th Machine Gun
Battalion.
27TH DIVISION (New York)--Major Gen. J. F. O'Ryan, commanding; Lieut.
Col. Stanley H. Ford, Chief of Staff; Lieut. Col. Frank W. Ward,
Adjutant General.
53D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Alfred W. Bjornstad; 105th and 106th
Regiments; 105th Machine Gun Battalion.
54TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Palmer E. Pierce; 107th and 108th
Regiments; 106th Machine Gun Battalion.
52ND BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. George A. Wingate; 104th,
105th and 106th Regiments; 102d Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--102d Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--102d Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--27th Division Headquarters Troop; 104th Machine Gun
Battalion.
33D DIVISION--Major Gen. George Bell, Jr., commanding; Colonel William
K. Naylot, Chief of Staff; (Adjutant General not announced).
65TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Edward L. King; 129th and 130th
Regiments; 123d Machine Gun Battalion.
66TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Paul A. Wolff; 131st and 132nd
Regiments; 124th Machine Gun Battalion.
58TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. James A. Shipton; 122d, 123d
and 124th Regiments; 108th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--108th Battalion.
SIGNAL TROOPS--108th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--33d Division Headquarters Troop; 112th Machine Gun
Battalion.
78TH DIVISION--Major Gen. James H. McRae, commanding; Lieut. Col. Harry
N. Cootes, Chief of Staff; Major William T. MacMill, Adjutant General.
155TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Mark L. Hersey; 309th and 310th
Regiments; 308th Machine Gun Battalion.
156TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. James T. Dean; 311th and 312th
Regiments; 309th Machine Gun Battalion.
153D BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Clint C. Hearn; 307th, 308th
and 309th Regiments; 303d Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--303d Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--303d Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--78th Division Headquarters Troop; 307th Machine Gun
Battalion.
80TH DIVISION--Major Gen. Adelbert Cronkhite, commanding; Lieut. Col.
William H. Waldron, Chief of Staff; Major Steven C. Clark, Adjutant
General.
159TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. George H. Jamerson, 317th and 318th
Regiments; 314th Machine Gun Battalion.
160TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Lloyd M. Bratt; 319th and 320th
Regiments; 315th Machine Gun Battalion.
155TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Gordon G. Heiner; 313th,
314th and 315th Regiments; 305th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--305th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--305th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--80th Division Headquarters Troop; 313th Machine Gun
Battalion.
=4TH ARMY CORPS=
Major Gen. George W. Read, commanding.
83d (Ohio and Pennsylvania), 89th (Kansas, Missouri South Dakota,
Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona), 90th (Texas and Oklahoma),
and 92d (negro troops) Divisions, National Army; 37th (Ohio) and 29th
(New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and District of Columbia)
Divisions, National Guard.
29TH DIVISION--Major Gen. C. G. Morton, commanding; Colonel George S.
Goodale, Chief of Staff; Major James A. Ulio, Adjutant General.
57TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Charles W. Barber; 113th and 114th
Regiments; 111th Machine Gun Battalion.
58TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. H. H. Bandholtz; 115th and 116th
Regiments; 112th Machine Gun Battalion.
54TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--(Commanding officer not announced) 110th,
111th and 112th Regiments; 104th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--104th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--104th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--29th Division Headquarters Troop; 110th Machine Gun
Battalion.
37TH DIVISION--Major Gen. C. S. Farnsworth, commanding; Lieut. Col. Dana
T. Merrill, Chief of Staff; Major Edward W. Wildrick, Adjutant General.
73RD BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. C. F. Zimmerman; 145th and 146th
Regiments; 135th Machine Gun Battalion.
74TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. W. P. Jackson; 147th and 148th
Regiments; 136th Machine Gun Battalion.
62D BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--(Commanding officer not announced); 134th,
135th and 136th Regiments; 112th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--112th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--112th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--37th Division Headquarters Troop; 134th Machine Gun
Battalion.
83RD DIVISION--Major Gen. E. F. Glenn, commanding; Lieut. Col. C. A.
Trott, Chief of Staff; Major James L. Cochran, Adjutant General.
165TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Ora E. Hunt; 329th and 330th
Regiments; 323d Machine Gun Battalion.
166TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Malin Craig; 331st and 332d
Regiments; 324th Machine Gun Battalion.
158TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Adrian S. Fleming; 322d,
323d, and 324th Regiments; 308th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--308th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--308th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--83d Division Headquarters Troop; 322d Machine Gun
Battalion.
89TH DIVISION--Brig. Gen. Frank L. Winn, commanding; (Acting) Colonel C.
E. Kilbourne, Chief of Staff; Major Jerome G. Pillow, Adjutant General.
177TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Frank L. Winn; 353rd and 354th
Regiments; 341st Machine Gun Battalion.
178TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Thomas G. Hanson; 355th and 356th
Regiments; 342d Machine Gun Battalion.
164TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Edward T. Donnelly; 340th,
341st and 342d Regiments; 314th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--314th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--314th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--89th Division Headquarters Troop; 340th Machine Gun
Battalion.
90TH DIVISION--Major Gen. Henry T. Allen, commanding; Colonel John J.
Kingman, Chief of Staff; Major Wyatt P. Selkirk, Adjutant General.
179TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. John T. O'Neill; 357th and 358th
Regiments; 344th Machine Gun Battalion.
180TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. W. H. Johnston; 359th and 360th
Regiments; 345th Machine Gun Battalion.
165TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Francis C. Marshall; 343d,
344th, and 345th Regiments; 315th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--315th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--315th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--90th Division Headquarters Troop; 349th Machine Gun
Battalion.
92ND DIVISION--Major Gen. C. C. Ballou, commanding; Lieut. Col. Allen J.
Greer, Chief of Staff; Major Sherburne Whipple, Adjutant General.
183D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Malvern H. Barnum, 365th and 366th
Regiments; 350th Machine Gun Battalion.
184TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. W. A. Hay; 367th and 368th
Regiments; 351st Machine Gun Battalion.
167TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--(Commanding officer not announced);
349th, 350th and 351st Regiments; 317th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--317th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--317th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--92d Division Headquarters Troop; 349th Machine Gun
Battalion.
=5TH ARMY CORPS=
Major Gen. Omar Bundy, commanding.
6th Division, Regular Army; 36th (Texas and Oklahoma) Division, National
Guard; 75th (New England), 79th (Pennsylvania, Maryland and District of
Columbia), 85th (Michigan and Wisconsin), and 91st (Washington, Oregon,
Alaska, California, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and Utah),
Divisions, National Army.
6TH DIVISION--Brig. Gen. James B. Erwin, commanding; Colonel James M.
Pickering, Chief of Staff; Lieut. Col. Robert S. Knox, Adjutant General.
11TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. W. R. Dashiell; 51st and 52d
Regiments; 17th Machine Gun Battalion.
12TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. J. B. Erwin; 53d and 54th Regiments;
18th Machine Gun Battalion.
6TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. E. A. Millar; 3rd, 11th, and
78th Regiments; 6th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--318th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--6th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--6th Division, Headquarters Troop; 16th Machine Gun
Battalion.
36TH DIVISION--Major Gen. W. R. Smith, commanding; Colonel E. J.
Williams, Chief of Staff; Major William R. Scott, Adjutant General.
71ST BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Henry Hutchings; 141st and 142d
Regiments; 132d Machine Gun Battalion.
72D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. John A. Hulen; 143d and 144th
Regiments; 133d Machine Gun Battalion.
61ST BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. John A. Stevens; 131st, 132d
and 133d Regiments, 111th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--111th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--111th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--36th Division Headquarters Troop; 131st Machine Gun
Battalion.
76TH DIVISION--Major Gen. Harry F. Hodges, commanding; (Chief of Staff
not announced); Major George M. Peek, Adjutant General.
151ST BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Frank M. Albright; 301st and 302d
Regiments; 303d Machine Gun Battalion.
152D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. F. D. Evans; 303d and 304th
Regiments; 303d Machine Gun Battalion.
151ST BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Major Gen. William S. McNair; 301st,
302d, and 303d Regiments; 301st Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--301st Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--301st Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--76th Division Headquarters Troop; 301st Machine Gun
Battalion.
79TH DIVISION--Major Gen. Joseph E. Kuhn, commanding; Colonel Tenny
Ross, Chief of Staff; Major Charles B. Moore, Adjutant General.
157TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. William L. Nicholson; 313th and
314th Regiments; 311th Machine Gun Battalion.
158TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--(Commanding officer not announced); 315th and
316th Regiments; 312th Machine Gun Battalion.
154TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Andrew Hero, Jr., 310th,
311th and 312th Regiments; 304th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--304th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--304th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--79th Division Headquarters Troop; 310th Machine Gun
Battalion.
85TH DIVISION--Major Gen. C. W. Kennedy, commanding; Colonel Edgar T.
Collins, Chief of Staff; Lieut. Col. Clarence Lininger, Adjutant
General.
169TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Thomas B. Dugan; 337th and 338th
Regiments; 329th Machine Gun Battalion.
170TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--(Commanding officer not announced); 339th and
340th Regiments; 330th Machine Gun Battalion.
160TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Guy M. Preston; 328th, 329th
and 330th Regiments; 310th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--310th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--310th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--85th Division Headquarters Troop; 328th Machine Gun
Battalion.
91ST DIVISION--Brig. Gen. F. H. Foltz, commanding; Colonel Herbert J.
Brees, Chief of Staff; Major Frederick W. Manley, Adjutant General.
181ST BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. John B. McDonald; 361st and 362d
Regiments; 347th Machine Gun Battalion.
182D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Frederick S. Foltz; 363d and 364th
Regiments; 348th Machine Gun Battalion.
166TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Edward Burr; 346th, 347th and
348th Regiments; 316th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--316th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--316th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--91st Division Headquarters Troop; 346th Machine Gun
Battalion.
=UNASSIGNED TO CORPS=
81ST DIVISION--Major Gen. C. J. Bailey, commanding; Colonel Charles D.
Roberts, Chief of Staff; Major Arthur E. Ahrends, Adjutant General.
161ST BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. George W. McIver; 321st and 322nd
Regiments; 317th Machine Gun Battalion.
162D BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. Monroe McFarland; 323d and 324th
Regiments; 318th Machine Gun Battalion.
156TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--Brig. Gen. Andrew Moses; 316th, 317th
and 318th Regiments; 306th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--306th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--306th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--81st Division Headquarters Troop; 316th Machine Gun
Battalion.
93RD DIVISION--(Commander not announced); Major Lee S. Tillotson,
Adjutant General.
185TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--(Commanding officer not announced); 369th and
370th Regiments; 333d Machine Gun Battalion.
186TH BRIGADE, INFANTRY--Brig. Gen. George H. Harries; 371st and 372d
Regiments; 334th Machine Gun Battalion.
168TH BRIGADE, FIELD ARTILLERY--(Commanding officer not announced);
332d, 333d and 334th Regiments; 318th Trench Mortar Battery.
ENGINEER TROOPS--318th Regiment.
SIGNAL TROOPS--318th Battalion.
DIVISION UNITS--332d Machine Gun Battalion.
* * * * *
Transcribers Notes
1. Passages in italics are surrounded by _underscores_.
2. Passages in bold are indicated by =bold=.
3. Obvious punctuation errors and omissions in original text have been
repaired.
4. Text spelling was common at the time of its publication.
5. ILLUSTRATIONS TEXT - Spelling, accent and hypenation corrections have
been made to conform with text.
6. pg. xi (M. FLOYS GIBBONS) appears in the original text of the letter
and has been corrected to M. FLOYD GIBBONS.
7. pg. xvii - Table of Contents - Chapter XVIII, pg. 328; the chapter
correctly starts on Pg. 338 - this was corrected.
8. The word manoeuvre uses an oe ligatgure in the original text, and
has be here represented as oe.
9. All possibly dialectic-phonetic phrases have been retained, including
the following;
pg. 31 - "stear" (steer), (we can stear with an oar), quote
pg. 91 - "Sourkraut" (Sauerkraut), (German as Sourkraut), remembrance
pg. 276 - "dimonds" (diamonds), (filled wid dimonds), quote
pg. 370 - "Lueger" (Luger), (of the Lueger make), remembrance
10. 21 Spelling corrections: (x) shows no. of times word was already
correctly spelled in text.
pg. xv - "citatation" to "citation" (he received a citation)
pg. 38 - "tatooed" to "tattooed" (tattooed arms of the)
pg. 50 - "Harboard" to "Harbord" (4) (Brigadier General Harbord)
pg. 73 - "practise" to "practice" (9), (began to practice)
pg. 99 - "surpised" to "surprised" (I was not surprised)
pg. 107 - "dicharge" to "discharge" (signal for the discharge)
pg. 139 - "aves-vous" to "avez-vous" (3) (Aves-vous de chevaux?)
pg. 143 - "Nicholas" to "Nicolas" (2) (Saint-Nicolas-du-Port)
pg. 157 - "milimetre" to "millimetre" (2), (battery of 150 millimetre)
pg. 208 - "Ukelele" to "Ukulele" (tending the Ukulele crop)
pg. 222 - "perigrinations" to "peregrinations" (trace the
peregrinations)
pg. 248 - "harrassed" to "harassed" (harassed the road intersections)
pg. 315 - "ricochetted" to "ricocheted" (had ricocheted upward)
pg. 346 - "desposit" to "deposit" (would solemnly deposit)
pg. 349 - "McDougal" to "MacDougal" (7), (MacDougal then began)
pg. 365 - "turrent" to "turret" (the tank's turret)
pg. 367 - "blow" to "blown" (trunks were blown high)
pg. 376 - "barracades" to "barricades" (built barracades across)
pg. 382 - "distingushed" to "distinguished" (that so distinguished
itself)
pg. 383 - "reconnaisance" to "reconnaissance" (2), (making a
reconnaissance).
pg. 391 - "knowng" to "knowing" (knowing at the time)
11. 17 hyphenation, Capitalization or diacritical accent corrections made
as follows:
pg. xi - "ARMEES" to "ARMEES" (2) (DES ARMEES DU NORD) - Fr.
pg. 24 - "victrola" to "Victrola" ( a cabinet Victrola) - Trademark
pg. 88 - "coryphees" to "coryphees" (male coryphees who hold) - Fr.
pg. 88 - "under-sized" to "undersized" (2), (toughest set of
undersized)
pg. 111 - "zigzagging" to "zig-zagging" (3) (through zig-zagging
avenues)
pg. 183 - "hand grenades" to "hand-grenades" (2), (post with
hand-grenades)
pg. 194 - "counter-battery" to "counter battery" (3) (casual counter
battery work)
pg. 232 - "debris" to "debris" (4) (person in the debris)
pg. 251 - "debris" to "debris (4) (the debris ceased falling)
pg. 269 - "tricolour" to "tri-colour" (2) (of the French tri-colour)
pg. 274 - "Americains" to "Americains" (les bons Americains) - Fr.
pg. 307 - "Chatel" to "Chatel" (La Voie du Chatel) - Fr.
pg. 367 - "dug-outs" to "dugouts" (10), (crushed the enemy dugouts)
pg. 370 - "t'-ell" to "t'ell" (Allay veet t'ell outer here), as on pg.
275.
pg. 373 - "dug-out" to "dugout" (24), (in a dugout with)
pg. 383 - "Thibault" to "Thiebault" (9) (east of St. Thiebault)
pg. 385 - "country-side" to "countryside" (5), (no fairer countryside)
12. List of same word variations appearing in this text which have been
retained.
"cooperation" (1) and "co-operation" (1)
"dockside" (1) and "dock-side" (1)
"farmhouse" (1) and "farm-house" (1)
"heartbroken" (1) and "heart-break" (1)
"manpower" (1) and "man-power" (1)
"midday" (1) and "mid-day" (1)
"old-timer" (1), "old-timers" (2), "old timer" (3)
"well kept" (1) and "well-kept" (1)
13. Printers error correction;
pg 394: - two lines of text were exchanged as follows:
original text;
"It was the same Germany
many that had covered America with her net of spies and
that had tried to murder France. It was the same Ger-
had sought to bring war to our borders with Mexico and"
as corrected;
"It was the same Germany
that had tried to murder France. It was the same Germany
that had covered America with her net of spies and
had sought to bring war to our borders with Mexico and"