CAPT. iilit H. CHIS 
 
 
 
 if"' ■{ 
 
CM'W r.KX II. CHASTAIXE. 
 
STORY OF THE 36th 
 
 The Experiences of 
 THE 36th Division 
 IN THE World War 
 
 By 
 
 Capt. Ben H. Chastaine 
 142d Infantry, U. S. A. 
 
 HARLOW PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 Oklahoum City 
 1920 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 When the old First Regiment, Oklahoma Na- 
 tional Guard, went to the Mexican border in 1916, 
 Captain Ben H. Chastaine was with the outfit as a 
 second lieutenant. He had been a reporter for The 
 Daily Oklahoman and so he was asked to keep the 
 newspaper in touch with the home boys on the Rio 
 Grande. He did it well. When America's partici- 
 pation in the World War became a reality, the First 
 Regiment, then federalized, was the first Oklahoma 
 organization that went into the service. During the 
 first six months of training the regiment was at Fort 
 Sill, Oklahoma, later being consolidated with some 
 Texas companies to form the 142nd Regiment of the 
 Thirty-sixth division, which trained at Camp Bowie 
 Texas. Chastaine reported the development of the 
 unit into a vigorous fighting force in the clear narra- 
 tive of a finished reporter. He received the commis- 
 sion to keep The Daily Oklahoman informed of the 
 doings of the "old first Oklahoma" overseas and he 
 did it as well as he did his share of the fighting. 
 Chastaine's dispatches from France were printed in 
 a series of full-page stories in the Sunday edition Oi 
 The Daily Oklahoman. Chastaine was promoted on 
 the field of battle for valor. He went through until 
 armistice day and remained with the 142nd until it 
 started for port to ship for home. Then Chastaine 
 
 ^5! 695 
 
ii Foreword 
 
 was honored with a post in a regular army outfit that 
 remained overseas many months. He retained his 
 grade as captain and is at present an officer in the 
 regular army stationed at Camp Zachary Taylor, 
 Kentucky. 
 
 The Daily Oklahoman gladly gives its permission 
 to the rewriting and publication of Chastaine's dis- 
 patches in book form. The bound volumes of a daily 
 newspaper pass from the view of the public, but the 
 vivid narrative of Oklahoma's heroic manhood, penned 
 by the accurate and colorful Chastaine, deserves a 
 place on the bookshelf of every Oklahoman. 
 
 Walter M. Harrison, 
 
 Managing Editdr 
 The I>ailv Oklahoman 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter I. 
 
 I'AGK 
 
 Organization and Training — Fort Sill and Camp 
 
 Bowie -- 1 
 
 Chapter II. 
 From Camp Bowie to Brest and Redon 27 
 
 Chapter III. 
 Training in France 45 
 
 Chapter IV. 
 To the Front _.... 57 
 
 Chapter V. 
 St. Etienne 89 
 
 Chapter VI. 
 St. Etienne — (continued) ..-.. 137 
 
 Chapter VII. 
 St. Etienne and After 163 
 
 Chapter VIII. 
 The General Advance 195 
 
 Chapter IX. 
 Forest Ferme 217 
 
 Chapter X. 
 To Bar-le-Duc— The Armistice 239 
 
 Chapter XI 
 Operation of the 111th Engineers 251 
 
 Chapter XII. 
 Home Again 259 
 
 The Honor Roll 279 
 
THE STORY OF THE 36th 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ORGANIZATION AND TRAINING— FORT SILL 
 AND CAMP BOWIE. 
 
 Where the barren stretches of the Champagne 
 country spread out northward to blend with the 
 fertile valley of the Aisne ; where the planted pine 
 and wiry grass grow meagerly in the chalky earth; 
 where the shell-scarred ground upturns in sickly 
 defiance of any growing thing; there where the 
 warriors of Europe have battled since the days of 
 Charlemagne, the soldiers of Texas and Oklahoma 
 have left an imprint in the soil of France that will 
 remain long after those who grimly stamped it 
 have passed in their final review. Even though 
 the name of the Thirty-sixth Division may pass 
 from the organizations of the United States Army, 
 it will not be forgotten by the firesides of northern 
 France. Liberated French fathers and mothers 
 will tell liberated sons and daughters of the 
 onslaught of "le Trente-sixieme Division Ameri- 
 caine," in October 1918, when the soldiers from the 
 American plains swept the "boche" invaders back- 
 ward over the river, returning to France many 
 miles of territory and many villages that had been 
 
 in 
 
2 The Story of the 36th 
 
 under the rule of the tyrant for more than four 
 miserable years. 
 
 The National Guard units of Texas and Okla- 
 homa were among the first to be mobilized by the 
 War Department following the declaration that a 
 state of war existed between the United States and 
 Germany in the spring of 1917. The First Okla- 
 homa Infantry immediately was assembled at Fort 
 Sill, Oklahoma, while the Second, Third and 
 Fourth Texas Infantry regiments were sent to the 
 Mexican border, where they as well as the Okla- 
 homa Infantry had been on duty for many months 
 previous. The actual declaration that war was in 
 existence was published a day or two after some 
 of these units had reached their stations. Prepar- 
 ations for this mobilization had been in progress 
 about ten days before the movement began. Some 
 of the Texas infantrymen had no more than re- 
 turned to their homes after long service on the 
 border than they were called upon to once more get 
 into the uniform and take up military duty. 
 
 At this time the Oklahoma National Guard was 
 composed of one infantry regiment, one troop of 
 cavalry, the nucleus for a company of engineers, 
 for an ambulance company and a field hospital 
 company. All of these organizations had seen 
 service on the border during the year previous, and 
 contained seasoned troops. The Texas National 
 Guard was made up of the infantry regijnents al- 
 ready named, the First Squadron of cavalry. Bat- 
 tery A of the First Texas Artillery, Companies A 
 and B of the First Texas Engineers, and Field 
 Hospital Company No. 1. Most of these were made 
 up of troops who had seen considerable service. 
 
Fo7't Sill ayid Camp Boivie 3 
 
 The infantry regiments were organized at the close 
 of the Spanish-American war and the other units 
 had all served the year previous along the Mexican 
 border. The Texas troops composed a brigade 
 under the command of a brigadier general and his 
 staff. 
 
 Upon arrival of the Oklahoma Infantry at Fort 
 Sill, a schedule of intensive training that kept the 
 men in the field throughout the day was taken up 
 and continued through the entiie summer. In- 
 structors at the School of Musketry, then located 
 at Fort Sill, planned the details of the regiment's 
 training and assisted in bringing the officers and 
 men to a point of efficiency. At the time, hopes 
 were entertained by the personnel of the command 
 that it would form a part of a composite division 
 which would be among the first troops to be sent 
 overseas. At one time information was received 
 at the post that the transportation to take the regi- 
 ment east, where it would be mobilized as a part 
 of the "Rainbow" division, was on its way to Fort 
 Sill, but this information proved to be groundless. 
 However, to keep the command at a high point of 
 efficiency and to maintain its full strength, in order 
 to take advantage of such an opportunity, recruit- 
 ing parties were sent to all parts of the state so 
 that, in spite of the frequent discharge of soldiers 
 having dependents, the regiment retained its maxi- 
 mum strength. 
 
 In the training of the infantry the troops were 
 taken into the field to construct trenches, modeled 
 after those along the western front in Europe, and 
 bayonet practice was a part of the daily program. 
 The machine gun company was mstructed in the 
 
The Story of the 36th 
 
Fort Sill and Camp Bowie 5 
 
 use of the various types of machine gun then em- 
 ployed in the schools at the post and used the 
 weapons on the range. The rifle companies also 
 fired the prescribed course on the range. The 
 pistol range was utilized as well. The hardest part 
 of this training program was the trench construc- 
 tion m the sun-baked soil of the prairie. It was 
 impossible to drive a pick more than an inch or 
 two into the ground. The progress was slow and 
 painful but the results accomplished gave an ex- 
 cellent conception of actual fire trenches, support 
 trenches and reserve trenches with deep communi- 
 cations. 
 
 While the Oklahomans were in training at 
 Fort Sill, the Texans along the border were getting 
 their regularly established organizations in condi- 
 tion. There the troops were used for guard duty 
 for the most part but some time was found for 
 training purposes. Constant tours of guard duty 
 brought about a fine discipline within the com- 
 mands. Actual conditions replaced theory, but 
 there was no construction of trenches along the 
 plans taken up later. During this time these regi- 
 ments also found recruits to fill their ranks to the 
 required strength and trained them in the first 
 lessons of a soldier on the banks of the Rio Grande. 
 
 While these older guard organizations were 
 undergoing this period of training new organiza- 
 tions were being recruited in both states. In Texas 
 a great drive for enough units to complete an en- 
 tire Lone Star division was carried out with the 
 result that the larger state was far more success- 
 ful than the smaller one. In Texas four new in- 
 fantry regiments were completed. These were the 
 
6 The Story of the 36th 
 
 First Texas Infantry, recruited from the south- 
 western part of the state, where the Second Texas 
 Infantry originally was organized ; the Fifth Texas 
 Infantry from the southeastern part of Lhe state, 
 where had originated the Third Texas Infantry; 
 the Sixth Texas Infantry from the north and north- 
 central portions of the state, in the same general 
 area where the Fourth Texas Infantry had been re- 
 cruited ; and the Seventh Texas Infantry from the 
 Panhandle country, virgin soil. The old Texas Ar- 
 tillery units were increased to two complete regi- 
 ments of field artillery and the cavalry squadron 
 was brought up to regimental proportions. In ad- 
 dition a battalion of engineers was formed as also 
 had been a supply train, a field signal battalion, 
 two ambulance companies and a field hospital com- 
 pany. All of these were recruited to the strength 
 then required. 
 
 In Oklahoma three companies, or a complete 
 battalion, of engineers also had been recruited and 
 held in readiness for mobilization. Besides these 
 a squadron of cavalry, a field hospital company 
 and an ambulance company were completed. This 
 ambulance company as well as the Texas supply 
 train later was sent to Mineola, Long Island, to 
 become a part of the Forty-second or "Rainbow" 
 Division, and served throughout the war with that 
 command. All of these organizations had a nu- 
 cleus of former service men who aided materially 
 later in developing the recruits. 
 
 While this recruiting was going forward in 
 both states the troops along the border were get- 
 ting restless in the belief that they were to be 
 left in that situation while other troops over the 
 
Fort Sill and Camp Boivie 7 
 
 country would be sent to Europe. The same ru- 
 mors were current among the troops at Fort Sill. 
 These were the events that transpired from the 
 time the state of war was declared until five 
 months later the first contingents of troops began 
 to arrive at Camp Bowie, near Fort Worth, Texas, 
 and the first tasks of organizing the Thirty-sixth 
 Division were taken up. 
 
 Camp Bowie was well located on the hills 
 about two and a half miles to the west of Fort 
 Worth in that suburb of the city called Arlington 
 Heights and on the road from Fort Worth to 
 Weatherford, Texas. The site was ideal from 
 the standpoint of drainage, as it was higher than 
 any part of Fort Worth and was rolling so that 
 water ran off it rapidly. The wind and dust that 
 developed after the troops had been stationed 
 there for a short time however created discom- 
 fort in many ways, although those of the older 
 men who had been serving in the sandy country 
 along the border of the arid region around Fort 
 Sill, found the new camp pleasant in the extreme. 
 When the camp was opened to troops the last 
 week in August, 1917, it was not complete in some 
 areas, no roads having been constructed and the 
 water not being connected in the more remote por- 
 tions of the reservation. This difficulty was over- 
 come within a short time, in respect to the water 
 supply, but it was many months before the roads 
 were completed. 
 
 Major General Edwin St. John Greble. from the 
 Coast Artillery Corps, was selected to command 
 the newly mobilized division, and his staff for the 
 most part was made up of other officers from the 
 
The Story of the 36th 
 
 
 ■¥ 
 
Fort Sill and Camp Boiiie 9 
 
 regular army. His chief of staff was Colonel E. 
 ,!. Williams. Other officers were Lieutenant Colo- 
 nel R. F. Metcalfe, division surgeon; Major J. S. Up- 
 ham, assistant chief of staff; Major E. F. Graham, 
 division adjutant; Major J. V. Kuznik, division ord- 
 nance officer; Major Paul M. Goodrich, division 
 signal officer; Major John P. Hasson, division quar 
 termaster; and Major Harry S. Grier, division in- 
 ■^pector. Most of these officers reached the camp 
 shortly after General Greble arrived, August 25, 
 and about that time Brigadier General George 
 Blakely, also of the regular army, arrived to take 
 command of the division's artiller3^ 
 
 First to arrive at the new camp were the en- 
 gineer units from Oklahoma, under the command 
 of Major Frank B. King. These units were followed 
 a day or two later by the Oklahoma infantry, 
 commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Elta H. Jayne, 
 who had taken command of this organization when 
 its former colonel, Roy H. Hoffman, had been pro- 
 moted to be a brigadier general. This had occur- 
 red just before the Oklahoma troops departed from 
 Fort Sill. Later the Oklahoma cavalry unJer the 
 command of Major Donald R. Bonfoey arrived, as 
 did the Oklahoma field hospital company, com- 
 manded by Major Floyd J. Bolend. This complet- 
 ed the mobilization of the Oklahomans. 
 
 The day following the arrival of the Oklahoma 
 infantry the Texas troops began to come in. These 
 were the newly organized units, the oldc organi- 
 zations being sent up from the border more than 
 a month later. After the recruiting drive the 
 Texas infantry regiments had been formed into 
 two brigades of three regiments each with the 
 
JO The Storij of the 36th 
 
 Seventh regiment surplus. The First Texas In- 
 fantry Brigade was commanded by Brigadier Gen- 
 eral Henry Hutchings, and was made up of the 
 Second Texas Infantry under Colonel B. F, Dela- 
 meter, the third Texas Infantr}^ under Colonel 
 George P. Rains, and the Fourth Texas Infantry un- 
 der Colonel Charles W. Nimon. The Second Brigade 
 was commanded by Brigadier General John A. Hulen 
 and was composed of the First Texas Infantry, 
 under Colonel Oscar C. Guessaz, the Fifth Texas 
 Infantry under Colonel John S. Hoover, and the 
 Sixth Texas Infantry under Colonel Jules E. Much- 
 ert. The Seventh Texas Infantry was command- 
 ed by Colonel Alfred W. Bloor, the only one of all 
 the colonels to remain in command of a regiment 
 throughout the war. Brigadier G'^neral Hulen also 
 retained his command throughout the war, being 
 one of the few brigadier generals of the National 
 Guard to meet with such success. 
 
 The problems that faced the division com- 
 mander upon the arrival of the troops in Camp 
 Bowie, were staggering in their proportions. To 
 clothe and equip the men, to organize the staff, 
 to determine the courses of administration, and to 
 bring about discipline in the ranks of the raw re- 
 cruits were only a few of the most difficult tasks to 
 be accomplished. Although warehouses had been 
 constructed there was little or no clothing for issue 
 when the troops arrived. After weeks of waiting, 
 during which many of the recruits became bare- 
 foot and wore into rags their civilian clothes, a 
 small quantity of summer uniforms and shoes was 
 received but not sufficient to properly equip the 
 entire command and the middle of the winter had 
 
Fort Sill and Camp Bowie 11 
 
 passed before everyone had the required amount 
 of serviceable clothing. Before this could be ac- 
 complished a supply department had to be organ- 
 ized on a large scale. The greatest difficulty how- 
 ever was in the procurement of supplies. Although 
 large warehouses had been built they were empty 
 when the troops arrived and many requisitions, 
 were sent in before they began to fill up with the 
 required articles. 
 
 None but the organizations which had served 
 along the Mexican border was equipped with rifles 
 and all organizations had to be eciuipped with the 
 new pack and field equipment. The artillery had 
 no guns, the field signal battalion no apparatus, the 
 engineers no implements and other organizations 
 were equally handicapped. The old pack equip- 
 ment of the troops that had been in service, was 
 out of date and unwieldy. 
 
 Like all National Guard camps the men lived 
 in pyramidal tents calculated to hold eight men 
 comfortably. These tents were not provided with 
 floors and stoves until after the cold weather had 
 set in and were not provided with lights until 
 later. The mess halls, bath houses, stables and 
 offices were wooden structures, although the mess 
 halls were without floors. This condition finally 
 was overcome after many months of hard labor 
 but not until an epidemic of influenza had crowded 
 the hospital to its capacity and many deaths had 
 resulted. Fire added to the handicap of the medi- 
 cal corps by destroying two of the hospital build- 
 ings in the fall and another fire burned one of 
 the warehouses. Weeks were required to recon- 
 struct the burned buildings. Many of the resi- 
 
12 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Fort Sill and Camp Boivie 13 
 
 dents of the camp vicinity offered to take patients 
 from the hospital into their homes but this did not 
 become necessary. 
 
 Among the other articles which were not sup- 
 plied in sufficient quantities, were blankets and 
 comforters. Through the agency of the Red Cross 
 Society comforters were collected from all the 
 larger cities of Texas and shipped to the camp to 
 be distributed where they assisted materially in 
 making ths personnel of the camp comfortable. 
 Tents also were lacking and for a short time there 
 was an average of twelve men to a tent. During 
 the period of influenza more tents arrived and the 
 crowded condition was relieved. During the early 
 winter stoves and hot water plants were installed 
 in the bath houses. 
 
 Immediately after the troops began to arrive 
 the problem of consolidating units to form larger 
 Linits and additional units as prescribed in the tables 
 of organization, published by the war department, 
 was taken up but it was not until after the old 
 Texas infantry regiments had arrived from the 
 border that reorganization was actually begun. 
 This was accomplished October 15. although organ- 
 izations as grouped together did not completely 
 adjust themselves to the new conditions until 
 weeks afterward. In this consolidation headquar- 
 ters troops for the division were made up from a 
 troop of Texas cavalry. The 131st Machine Gun 
 Battalion was composed of the machine gun com- 
 panies from the First Oklahoma Infantry, the Third 
 Texas Infantry and the Fourth Texas Infantry. 
 The Seventy-first Infantry Brigade was made up of 
 the 141st Infantry, (a consolidat^'on of the First 
 
14 The Story of the 36th 
 
 and Second Texas Infantry), the 142d Infantry, (a 
 consolidation of the First Oklahoma and the 
 Seventh Texas Infantry), and the 132d Machine 
 Gun Battalion comprised four machine gun com- 
 panies with the machine gun company of the First 
 Texas Infantry as a nucleus. The Seventy-second 
 Infantry Brigade was composed of the 143d Infan- 
 try (the Third and Fifth Texas Infantry), the 144th 
 Infantry (the Fourth and Sixth Texas Infantry) 
 and the 133d Machine Gun Battalion was formed 
 of four companies with the machine gun company 
 of the First Texas Cavalry as a nucleus. The Sixty- 
 first Field Artillery Brigade was composed of the 
 111th Trench Mortar Battery (formed from one 
 troop of the Texas Cavalry), the 131st Field Artil- 
 lery (made up for the most part from the Second 
 Texas Artillery), the 132d Field Artillery, made 
 up of dismounted Texas Cavalry and surplus artil- 
 lerymen, and the 133d Field Artillery, composed 
 of the First Texas Artillery. The 111th Engineers 
 were formed from the combined Oklahoma and 
 Texas Engineer Battalions. The First Texas Field 
 Signal Battalion was enlarged (d become the 
 111th Field Signal Battalion. The 111th Train 
 Headquarters and Military Police were formed from 
 the similar Texas organization reinforced by re- 
 cruits from all organizations in camp. The 111th 
 Ammunition Train was made up of the First 
 Squadron of Oklahoma Cavalry, which formed the 
 horse section, and suitable men from all arms of 
 the division to form the motorized section. The 
 111th Supply train was formed of men drawn from 
 all parts of the division. The 111th Sanitary Train, 
 containing the 141st, 142d, 143d and 144th Field 
 
Fo7't Sill and Camp Boivie 15 
 
 Hospital Companies, and the 141st, 142d, 143d and 
 144th Ambulance Companies, was formed from 
 elements of the First and Second Texas Ambu- 
 lance Companies. First and Second Field Hospital 
 Companies, and the First Oklahoma Field Hospital 
 Company, strengthened by recruits from all or- 
 ganizations in the division. The 111th Engineer 
 Train, formed from Officers and men taken from 
 the 111th Engineers, completed the organizations 
 of the division. 
 
 This was not accomplished without considera- 
 ble ill feeling. By the consolidation Brigadier Gen- 
 eral Hoffman was left without a command in 
 the division. A depot brigade was formed and he 
 was placed at its head but later he was ordered 
 away and did not return. Old organizations as 
 well as new had hoped to retain their identity and 
 serve under the officers by whom they had been 
 enlisted. Many surplus captains found themselves 
 without companies and were bitter in the extreme 
 after having wasted months of their time in the 
 vain hope of taking their companies to France. 
 These were attached to consolidated companies 
 for a short time and then were transferred to oth- 
 er camps or separated from the service. To add 
 to this bitterness about 200 reserve officers from the 
 training camp at Fort Sheridan, were distributed 
 throughout the division to assist in the instruction 
 di the troops. Most of these however were sent 
 to other camps before many months, only those 
 who accepted National Guard commissions re- 
 maining with the division. 
 
 Before they received their uniforms and while 
 they were still armed with clubs when on guard 
 
16 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Fort Sill and Camp Bowie IT 
 
 duty, the troops began to learn their first lessons 
 in drill and discipline. The last was not as easy 
 as the first. Men who had lived all their lives in. 
 the open and managed their own affairs found it 
 difficult to obey someone else in nearly everything 
 they did, especially as it was not always explained 
 why the thing was to be done. However, willing- 
 ness and cheerfulness accomplished this discipline 
 in the end and it may be said that no division in 
 the army could boast of a better personnel than 
 that of the Thirty-sixth. Its men were from many 
 races. Indians from Oklahoma, Mexicans from the 
 border country, German, Irish, Italian and Swedish 
 settlers in the central parts of Texas, mingled with 
 men whose parentage had been American so long 
 they had forgotten all other, and worked shoulder 
 to shoulder. Later they were seen in France by the 
 Commander in Chief of the American Expedition- 
 ary Forces, who exclaimed: "These men can go 
 anywhere!" 
 
 The Indians from Oklahoma presented one of 
 the most difficult problems. The division had more 
 Indians in its personnel than any other division 
 in the American army and at first most of these 
 were placed in one regiment, the 142d. In this 
 regiment a complete Indian company was formed, 
 containing fourteen tribes. Only a few whites were 
 in the company. One of these, a mechanic, was 
 an Irishman, while one of the cooks was a Ger- 
 man. Later the Indians were scattered somewhat 
 by transfer but the company retained its identity 
 as the Indian company until the division was de- 
 mobilized. 
 
18 The Story of the 36th 
 
 Practice on the target range, for machine 
 gunners and automatic riflemen, as well as for 
 troops armed with the rifle, was taken up in the 
 fall of 1917, even before many of the soldiers had 
 been armed with the rifle. The Springfield was 
 the weapon used at first but in December, 1917, a 
 shipment of 7,000 new United States Army rifles. 
 Model 1917, arrived and then the troops were in- 
 structed in the use of these. Enough of the new 
 rifles to equip the entire division did not arrive 
 until March, 1918, however, and at first the older 
 men had great difficulty in adjusting themselves 
 to the larger and more unwieldy weapon after hav- 
 ing used the 1903 model for so many years. In 
 the course of several months, however, every man 
 m the division had fired some kind of a course on 
 the target range and had become familiar with the 
 new arm. 
 
 Automatic riflemen and machine gunners were 
 handicapped to a considerably greater extent in 
 their practice. Instead of having the new Brown- 
 ing models of these weapons they practiced with 
 the French Cauchat automatic rifle and several 
 diflferent makes of machine gun, including the 
 LeMis gun, the Vickers, the Colt and the Hotch- 
 kiss. About this time Major General Greble, who 
 Iiad been in France with Colonel Williams, chief- 
 ■of-staflF, returned to the division and began train- 
 ing the command in the methods expected to be 
 •employed in Eur^e. 
 
 In the fall of 1917, officers and enlisted men 
 from the French and British armies had arrived at 
 Camp Bowie to establish schools for the instruc- 
 tion of officers and non-commissioned officers in 
 
Fort Sill arid Camp Bowie 19 
 
 warfare as developed during the first two years 
 of the war. They established schools in machine 
 gunnery, the use of the automatic rifle, bayonet 
 and grenade, the firing of mortars and defense 
 against gas. Also a school of military intelligence 
 was conducted and the intelligence section in all 
 units was organized. So eflficient was the gas 
 school that every officer and enlisted man in the 
 division passed through the divisional gas chamber 
 sometime during the winter and spring and learn- 
 ed how to manipulate the new gas mask that had 
 been fashioned for the American troops. In other 
 schools excellent progress also was made. Each 
 regiment and similar organization in the division 
 soon had its own instructors in the use of the 
 bayonet, grenade, and Stokes mortars. Bayonet 
 courts were constructed for the practical applica- 
 tion of this art. The bayonets were driven into the 
 bodies of dummies, and grenades were hurled into 
 trenches specially constructed to bring into play 
 the maximum skill on the part of the students in 
 the course. 
 
 While the schools were developing specialists 
 and the range was improving the ability of the 
 men to shoot, discipline was bemg instilled into 
 officers and men aiike on the drill ground and, as 
 the first rudiments of training were grasped the 
 more advanced work of maneuvering military bod- 
 ies in the tactics of attack and defense were taken 
 up. At first the training was entirely in the hands 
 of the officers of the various regiments, but later 
 the French officers in particular, gave their assist- 
 ance in the instruction of tactics. This training 
 during the winter months was hampered to a con- 
 
20 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
 o 
 
 a 
 
Foi't Sill and Camp Bowie 21 
 
 siderable extent by the heavy snows that covered 
 the camp at various times and rendered the ground 
 too soft for practical field w^ork for w^eeks after- 
 ward. Long marches took the place of drills at 
 such times, the men being taught road discipline as 
 well as being hardened to long marches. Later 
 in the spring these marches took the troops to 
 Lake Worth, an artificial body of water about ten 
 miles distant. On these occasions various situations 
 were assumed to cause the troops to function as 
 nearly as possible under battle conditions. 
 
 A short time after the reorganization of the 
 division in the fall, the commanding general ac- 
 companied by his chief of staff and an aide de 
 camp, had gone to Europe to get actual experience 
 with the troops in the trenches. In December he 
 returned and immediately efforts were redoubled 
 to complete an elaborate system of trenches which 
 had been started near the Fort Worth-Benbrook 
 road soon after the camp was established. This 
 was a reproduction of actual trenches in Europe. 
 Wide bands of barbed wire entanglements were 
 stretched in front of the trench system and deep 
 dugouts were constructed. As soon as possible the 
 troops were sent to this trench system to live for 
 four days at a time, during which combat problems 
 were worked out both for day iind night opera- 
 tions. Helmets and gas masks were worn and pa- 
 trols covered "no man's land" both day and night. 
 The telephones and buzzer systems of communica- 
 tion were actually in operation and barrage fire of 
 artillery was represented for the troops to follow 
 in attack and raiding formations. 
 
22 The Story of the 36th 
 
 In addition to their use for this training the 
 trenches were used to demonstrate the effect of 
 trench mortar fire, the front line of trenches being 
 the target. During one of these demonstrations, 
 May 8, 1918, one of the mortar shells exploded 
 prematurely while in the mortar, killing the officer 
 in charge of the gun crews as well as ten of the 
 enlisted men in the immediate vicinity. All of 
 these were members of the gun crew with the ex- 
 ception of one. The accident was witnessed by 
 approximately 10,000 officers and men and the di- 
 vision got its first impression of bloodshed under 
 battle conditions. 
 
 In spite of the disadvantages under which 
 the troops labored they made excellent progress. 
 The appearance of the division personnel attracted 
 favorable comment from various sources and par- 
 ticular pride was aroused through the fact that 
 the Thirty-sixth was the only National Guard di- 
 vision in the army to be allowed to conduct one of 
 the third officers' training camps. Excellent re- 
 sults were obtained from this, the graduates from 
 the school being about sixty percent of the num- 
 ber originally enrolled. So successful was the 
 school that a fourth officers' training camp v/as es- 
 tablished in May, 1918, but this had to be moved 
 elsewhere when the division finally received orders 
 to go to the port of embarkation. 
 
 During the spring of 1918 all of the regimen- 
 tal commanders were sent to a school at Fort Sam 
 Houston, Texas, for a period of six weeks and the 
 field officers remaining at the camp were given 
 special instruction under the direction of the Brit- 
 ish and French officers. Other officers that had 
 
Fort Sill and Camp Bowie 23 
 
 been found lacking in the proper qualities had been 
 transferred to other camps or had been dismissed 
 from the service and constant changes in the offi- 
 cer personnel was another difficulty that had to be 
 surmounted. In addition to this the division was 
 being called upon continually for soldiers skilled 
 in mechanical trades. These were sent to other 
 camps over the country to do special work while 
 some were sent to Europe to fill the gaps that had 
 been created there or to take up newly required 
 tasks brought about by the expansion of the Expe- 
 ditionary Forces. To fill the places of these men, 
 approximately 4,000 drafted men were added to the 
 division in the spring and every effort was neces- 
 sary to bring these up to a high point of efficiency. 
 
 Several officers from the regular army were 
 added to the personnel at division headquarters 
 during the last part of the winter and the first 
 of spring, at which time a considerable number of 
 promotions was made in all grades of the commis- 
 sioned personnel. At first there had been a keen 
 feeling of resentment on the part of many National 
 Guard officers against the officers from the regu- 
 lars but this gradually wore away. 
 
 Several times the entire division was reviewed 
 by the division commander and in the spring the 
 troops were marched in review through the streets 
 of Fort Worth for the governors of Texas and Ok- 
 lahoma. This occurred April 11. Thousands of 
 people from all parts of both states filled the 
 streets and specially constructed stands. The ap- 
 pearance of the animals and transportation in the 
 trains as well as the general appearance of the 
 men as they passed in review was the cause of 
 
24 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Fort Sill and Camp Bowie - 25 
 
 many compliments and high hopes were aroused 
 once more that the division soon would be called 
 upon to fight. 
 
 The troops had hardly started to settle down 
 in camp in the fall of 1917 before they were fixing 
 the date for departure overseas. All of the esti- 
 mates were for a date not later than Christmas 
 and many officers as well as enlisted men made 
 wagers on the subject. As the months passed and 
 no orders were received many of the men grew 
 restless and some actually transferred to casual 
 detachments to be used as replacements for the 
 divisions in France. During this time excellent 
 service was rendered at the camp by various wel- 
 fare associations. These provided reading rooms 
 and social entertainment for the enlisted men and 
 during the influenza epidemic ably assisted in 
 caring for the sick. 
 
 In the latter part of May, confidential instruc- 
 tions were issued to all officers, covering the move- 
 ment of the division to the port of embarkation. 
 Every detail was considered. Only the actual date 
 of departure was witheld. At this time the trench 
 warfare training was abandoned for maneuvers 
 by battalions in open warfare ^riving an indica- 
 tion of what was expected to develop in Europe. 
 Finally in June the actual order for departure was 
 received and published confi.dentially to the com- 
 mand, railway transportation was concentrated at 
 Fort Worth and all surplus property was turned 
 in preparatory to the departure. 
 
26 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 FROM CAMP BOWIE TO BREST AND REDON. 
 
 Preceding the division in its departure for the 
 port of embarkation the advance party, composed 
 of fourteen officers and as many enlisted men, left 
 Camp Bowie July 3, and arrived at Camp Mills, 
 Long Island, four days later, where they prepared 
 to continue their journey overseas. It was the duty 
 of this party to go ahead of the division to the ports 
 of embarkation in the United States and debarka- 
 tion in Europe, for the purpose of preparing the 
 way for the coming of the main body of troops. 
 Its duties also embraced the preparation of the 
 training area for the troops after they arrived 
 overseas. 
 
 The advance school detachment consisting of 
 more than 100 men and officers, left Camp Bowie 
 the day following the advance party, with inten- 
 tion of proceeding to France to enter schools, where 
 they would be given instruction in the latest meth- 
 ods employed at the front. When this school party 
 arrived at Camp Mills, however, the custom of 
 sending advance school detachments ahead of 
 divisions going abroad, had been discontinued. The 
 school detachment then remained for the main 
 body of troops and the personnel of the party 
 sailed with the respective organizations represent- 
 ed in it. 
 
 [27] 
 
28 The Story of the 36th 
 
 In the physical examination and classification 
 of men and officers before the departure from 
 Camp Bowie, all who were found to be physically 
 unfit were placed in a development battalion which 
 was to remain at the camp. Major General Greble, 
 camp commander, who had been demoted to a 
 brigadier general late in February, but who had 
 remained in command of the division, was left at 
 the camp also in command of the development 
 battalion and other troops that remained. 
 
 The first of the units of the division to depart, 
 were the infantry brigades, the additional machine 
 gun battalion and the field signal battalion. The 
 first trains to leave the camp departed July 8, 
 and others followed in rapid succession, the artil- 
 lery and ammunition train being the last to get 
 under way. These left Camp Bowie, July 12, and 
 the last units had arrived at the ports of embarka- 
 tion July 22. All organizations of division went 
 to Camp Mills with the exception of the 143d In- 
 fantry, which embarked at Newport News. Vir- 
 ginia. Practically all railroads were made avail- 
 able for the troop trains. Some made their way 
 to New York by following the general outline of 
 the Gulf and Atlantic coasts while at least one of 
 the trains went far enough north to pass through a 
 portion of Canada. The greatest secrecy was prac- 
 ticed in covering the time of departure of the trains 
 as well as their itinerary in order to prevent all 
 possibility of wrecks suspected to have been planned 
 by agents of the German government. The trip 
 to the port consumed on an average of four days 
 for each train. Only one accident marred the 
 trip. One train was wrecked near Shreveport, 
 
Camp Bowie to Brest and Redon 29 
 
 Louisiana, one man being killed and several oth- 
 ers injured. 
 
 At Camp Mills, command of the division passed 
 to Major General William R. Smith, v^ho had 
 just been promoted from a brigadier general in 
 the Thirty-seventh Division, where he had com- 
 manded the Sixty-second Field Artillery Brigade. 
 Formal command of the Thirty-sixth v^as taken 
 over by General Smith, July 13, and he remained 
 at the head of the division until its return to the 
 United States. General Smith was a graduate of 
 the military academy at West Point and had a 
 recognized standing in the regular army before 
 the war, having been in the artillery arm of the 
 service. At the time he assumed command of the 
 division, the Sixty-first Artillery Brigade passed 
 to the command of Brigadier General John E. 
 Stephens, also of the coast artillery. Brigadier 
 General Blakely was relieved of his command in 
 the artillery brigade a short time before the move- 
 ment began from Camp Bowie. 
 
 "The Sam Browne Belt and Hov/ to Wear It" 
 might have been the subject of many a lecture at- 
 tended by one and conducted in the secrecy of the 
 individual officers' tents after the Thirty-sixth ar- 
 rived at Camp Mills. This was one of the first im- 
 portant self-assigned duties attended to by the 
 ofi'icers after they reached camp. Some amusing 
 sales were made to the over-zealons. Some of the 
 officers were persuaded to purchase great, long 
 belts that were sufficient to encompass their bodies 
 twice, by the statement that it would be necessary 
 to wear the belt over the overcoat in France. In 
 the same manner many useless articles were sold 
 
30 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Camp Bowie to Brest and Redon 31 
 
 by the enterprising vendors of officers' equipment, 
 who had established small stores in the vicinity 
 of the camp. 
 
 Rivalling the Sam Browne belt in its import- 
 ance was the new overseas cap which was to take 
 the place of the campaign hat. Officers and men 
 shared in the tnsk of adjusting this new contrivance 
 to their persons. A remarkable variety of ideas 
 were developed as to just how the cap should be 
 placed rn the head, many attempting to wear it 
 after the fashion of a "stocking cap" while others 
 gave an excellent impersonation of Napoleon. These 
 new articles of apparel however were not allowed 
 to be Vv'orn in New York, where men and officers 
 went as often as time and money allowed. 
 
 The privilege of seeing Nev/ York was not 
 given to all however. Some of the units arriving 
 at the camp August 14, vv'ere equipped and sent 
 aboard the transports at Hoboken the same day, 
 not being allowed to spend a night in the camp, 
 so great was the necessity for loading the ships 
 preparatory to departure. In this short space of 
 time passenger lists had to be compiled and the 
 numerous regulations of the camp regarding physi- 
 cal examinations, had to be complied with. Not 
 all of the troops were equipped with the new over- 
 seas cap, some of them being compelled to await 
 iheir arrival at the training area in France before 
 they received this part of their equipment. Other 
 units of the division remained at Camp Mills more 
 than two weeks, the artillery being the last to 
 ship. One of the regiments, the 141st Infantry, 
 had the misfortune to be sent aboard a transport 
 that was found to be defective, and the entire com- 
 
32 The Story of the 36th 
 
 mand was returned to Camp Mills to await another 
 boat. This caused a delay of only a couple of days 
 however. One battalion of the 1 12d Infantry also 
 was delayed because its transport had been found 
 to have a bad rudder. 
 
 While the troops were at Camp Mills they 
 underwent daily inspections as to physical fitness 
 as well as to ascertain whether their equipment 
 was complete. Inspectors declared some of the 
 companies to be the best in appearance of any 
 that had passed through the port, and the morale 
 of the entire division was at a high point. Each 
 lighter of troops that made its way from the ferry 
 landing at Brooklyn to the piers at Hoboken, was 
 crowded with the cheerful faces of men who seem- 
 ed somewhat more than delighted at the prospect 
 of soon entering upon the great adventure of their 
 lives. 
 
 Practically all of the troops sailing from Ho- 
 boken crossed the Atlantic over a southernly course 
 that took them far down into the Gulf Stream and 
 in the vicinity of the Azores. The 143d Infantry, 
 sailing from Newport News, however, went by 
 way of Halifax, Canada, and then crossed the 
 northern part of the ocean to Liverpool, England. 
 Passing through England, this regiment landed at 
 La Havre. The advance party also took the route 
 through England, and landing at the same port 
 'n France July 22, after crossing the English 
 Channel. For the greater part of the division the 
 crossing of the ocean was without excitement other 
 than that attending the first experience at sea and 
 the novelty of strange sights. Constant boat drills 
 were held on all the transports and every precau- 
 
Camp Bowie to Brest and Redon 33 
 
 tion taken to guard against attacks by submarines. 
 Only the convoy of eight transports which sailed 
 from New York harbor the night of July 31 was 
 the exception to this rule. 
 
 Convoyed by the United States cruiser "Charles- 
 ton," these ships, carrying the artillery brigade, 
 the ammunition train and the First Battalion of 
 the 142d Infantry, as well as parts of other units 
 of the division, was attacked three times by sub- 
 marines and the latter part of the voyage has been 
 declared to have been the most adventurous experi- 
 enced by any convoy crossing the Atlantic during 
 the entire war. The most serious of these attacks 
 occurred the day before the transports arrived at 
 Brest, France. Without warning the submarines 
 appeared in the center of the fleet, which was 
 guarded at the time by a flotilla of destroyers,, 
 the "Charleston" having turned back to the United 
 States a short time previous. The appearance of 
 the undersea craft was the signal for every avail- 
 able piece of naval artillery to open fire. It was 
 stated that more ammunition was used by the naval 
 gun crews in this voyage than by all the other 
 ships of the navy during the war up to that time. 
 The guns, however, had not been able to get into 
 action before the submarine had launched a tor- 
 pedo which barely missed the stern of the "Maui,** 
 the transport bearing the First Battalion of the 
 142d Infantry, probably the closest call experienced 
 by any of the troops. 
 
 Hardly had the periscope of the enemy craft 
 been sighted than one of the destroyers was bear- 
 ing down upon it, and although the submarine sub- 
 merged before the destroyer reached the spot, it 
 
34 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
 «•* ' rf J 1 i 
 _»~ -*«» i ^ ■■I ,^^ 
 
 
Camp Bowie to Brest and Redon 35 
 
 was not in time to escape. A depth bomb which 
 made the sides of the transports in the vicinity 
 groan from the shock of the explosion, ended the 
 career of the German boat. As soon as the bomb 
 had exploded the destroyer wheeled in her course 
 and sped back to the spot to drop a second 
 depth charge. In answer to this second explosion 
 the surface of the sea in that vicinity was covered 
 with oil and debris from the destroyer's prey. 
 
 This engagement was watched with the same 
 keen zest known to the football field. Every available 
 vantage spot aboard the transports was crowded 
 v.'ith troops who cheered and cheered again as the 
 gun crews fired their pieces and the destroyers dart- 
 ed here and there to drop their bombs. When the 
 oil and debris appeared on the surface of the 
 water the cheering was that attending a touchdown. 
 It is thought that the convoy was attacked by the 
 same submarines which sank the "San Juan" oflf 
 Fire Island the morning of July 29, although there 
 was no way of verifying this. In the engagements 
 with the U-boats no damage was inflicted to the 
 transports and the entire convoy arrived safely in 
 Brest Harbor, the morning of August 12, being the 
 last of the division to reach France. 
 
 In spite of the excitement that prevailed in 
 the battle with the submarines the infantrymen 
 aboard the "Maui" learned to display strategy 
 that was worthy of the best. For many days it 
 had been difficult to get enough to eat, due to 
 the over-crowded condition of the boat. The ship's 
 galley was not capable of feeding so many men. 
 When the greater part of the personnel rushed 
 on deck, the hungry doughboys found their way 
 
36 The Storij of the 36th 
 
 below and obtained a supply of provisions from 
 the unguarded galley that left the larder practi- 
 cally exhausted. Another incident that later caus- 
 ed general amusement was brought about when 
 all transports put on full steam to get away from 
 the vicinity of the submarine as soon as possible. 
 The convoy was a slow one, taking fourteen days 
 to cross, and the troops blamed the speed on the 
 rearmost ship, an Italian steamer, which common 
 rumor declared to be the slow boat and the one 
 which the rest of the ships had to wait for. When 
 the submarines appeared, this ship developed speed 
 that astonished those who were watching. She 
 sped through the balance of the convoy and was 
 lost to sight within a short time. Later it developed 
 that the Italian boat was laden with explosives to 
 such an extent that had she been hit by a torpedo 
 it would have been disastrous to any other ships 
 in her vicinity. 
 
 Not all the troops of the Thirty-sixth debarked 
 at Brest. The sanitary units as well as some others 
 landed at Bordeaux and St. Nazaire. However 
 the greater number went ashore at Brest and had 
 cause long afterward to remember their hardships 
 there. After long days and nights in crowded 
 ship holds where the air was bad and where they 
 could not get sufficient exercise, the four miles 
 between the docks at Brest and the rest camp 
 seemed like twenty. Many of the men were so 
 weakened that they were unable to march more 
 than half a mile up the steep slope toward the 
 camp before they were compelled to fall out and 
 rest. The rest camp was a camp only in name. 
 It consisted of open fields in the vicinity of Pon- 
 
Camp Bourne to Brest tmd Redon 37 
 
 lanezean Barracks, constructed by Napoleon I. 
 These fields were covered with manure and were 
 wholly without sanitary necessities. The only baths 
 to be had were at the old Barracks and were not 
 adequate, although for those who were able to 
 get under them, they proved a blessed relief. While 
 most of the troops were at the camp there was a 
 constant downpour of rain although during the first 
 two weeks of August it was declared that the 
 weather was more pleasant than at any time dur- 
 ing the year. The only shelter available was the 
 shelter tents the men carried in their packs. At 
 night it frequently was cold in addition to the 
 dampness and one death was reported from ex- 
 posure. 
 
 In spite of these hardships the troops found 
 many things to interest them. Pontanezean Bar- 
 racks was one of the places to draw the greatest 
 attention. Many of the relics of the day when 
 Napoleon's troops had lived there, still were in 
 evidence. One of these was the guillotine then in 
 use. The Barracks were of stone and were in- 
 closed by a high stone wall, for the purpose of 
 defense. In this enclosure the First Battalion of 
 the 142d Infantry passed in review before Presi- 
 dent Poincaire of France, who visited the camp at 
 that time. 
 
 As soon as they could do so most of the sol- 
 diers began their efforts to master the French lan- 
 guage. They were startled when they marched 
 through the streets of Brest to hear the French 
 children sing "Hail Hail, The Gang's All Here," 
 and very quickly they learned to understand what 
 "Oo la la!" meant, when spoken by the demois- 
 
38 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Camp Boivie to Brest and Redon 39 
 
 selles along the way. Much disgust was ex- 
 pressed at the mud fences surrounding the tiny 
 fields as well as at the lack of automobiles and 
 sanitation. Apparently nowhere were there facil- 
 ities for bathing. Not far from the camp were sev- 
 eral chateaux which were inspected with the 
 greatest interest. The strange garb of the priests 
 as well as the peasants and their combination 
 houses wherein the stock as well as the family 
 found residence, were the subject of every letter 
 written home, and the use of the antiquated flail 
 by the peasants in threshing their grain was so 
 astounding that many of the troops declared the 
 land to be not worth fighting for. 
 
 At Brest the soldiers obtained their first view 
 of German prisoners of war. These were employed 
 in the handling of cargoes at the docks and looked 
 so Vv^ell fed that the Americans found room to 
 envy them after the long ocean experience. Also 
 they saw in Brest the first moat and walled de- 
 fenses that characterize so many European cities. 
 Although the moat was dry and a tiny street car 
 ran along its bottom in places, yet it visualized 
 things that had been read about in all the liter- 
 ature of Europe. Men, women and children were 
 wearing wooden shoes everywhere, leather foot- 
 wear being th'^ exception. Later the "sabots" 
 were the most common thing to be seen but to the 
 newly arrived Americans they v;ere wonders of 
 another world. Every house was of stone, no 
 wooden structures being visible. 
 
 French cafes located near the camp came in 
 for their full share of attention. These were al- 
 lowed by the regulations to sell light wines to the 
 
40 The Story of the 36th 
 
 troops during certain hours of the day but were 
 forbidden to sell cognac. In spite of these regu- 
 lations however it was not difficult to obtain any 
 and all varieties of drinks in the evening. Some 
 of the officers as well as the men attempted to 
 sample all of the known varieties in one evening 
 with disastrous results. One of these, from the 
 commissioned personnel, arrived home in the late 
 hours of evening and discovered that his tent mate 
 had become so disgusted with the lack of sanita- 
 tion that he had posted certain signs to remind 
 himself of home. The late arrival became so 
 wrought up over one of these that he immediately 
 repaired to an adjoining tent where he put his 
 arms around the neck of a brother officer and 
 sobbed his grief into the other's ear: ''What do 
 you think of that blankety-blanked tent mate of 
 mine? He's put up a sign which says, 'Don't spit 
 on the floor!' " 
 
 Practically all of the units were required to 
 remain at Brest an average of six or seven days 
 before trains could take them away to the training 
 area. The destination of the Thirty-sixth Division 
 was known as the Thirteenth training area, and 
 was located in the district of Aube, about 100 
 miles east of Paris. The principal town in the 
 area was Bar-sur-Aube, about forty miles slightly 
 south of east from the city of Troyes. Here divi- 
 sion headquarters was established while the various 
 units, other than the artillery brigade, were scat- 
 tered through the smaller towns in the area. The 
 Seventy-first Infantry Brigade had its headquar- 
 ters at Bligny, eleven kilometers south of Bar-sur- 
 Aube, while the Seventy-second Brigade headquar- 
 
Camp Bowie to Brest and Redon 41 
 
 ters was placed in Soulaines, about the same dis- 
 tance to the north of Bar-sur-Aube. The engineers 
 and other units were nearer division headquarters. 
 
 Part of the troops enroute to Bar-sur-Aube 
 from Brest passed through the environs of Paris 
 and Versailles, but there was no opportunity to 
 see the wonders of those places. Other units were 
 sent over a more southernly route which enabled 
 them to see such old cities as Orleans, Tour and 
 Dijon. These latter organizations found their im- 
 pressions of France greatly improved after the 
 filth at the Brest camp. Wonderful vistas of cul- 
 tivated country, where the farms were laid out 
 in patchwork of beautiful colors, met the gaze 
 of the travel-weary troops as the train wound in 
 and out of the hills of central France. 
 
 Fatigued with the trip on the train, as well 
 as the experiences at Brest and on the ocean, most 
 of the units were exhausted when they reached 
 their training area and the march from Bar-sur- 
 Aube to the various billets was the hardest that 
 they had been called upon to make. The tovm 
 lies in the valley of the little Aube river and is 
 only approached from the north and south by 
 means of two long and unusually steep hills. Up 
 these two slopes the doughboys of the two infan- 
 try brigades were compelled to toil as soon as 
 they unloaded from the stock cars in which they 
 had made the journey from the port of debarka- 
 tion. These were the "40 hommes, 8 cheveaux," 
 or "A. E. F. Pullmans." made famous by the wit 
 of the American soldier. 
 
 At Brest the Sixty-first Artillery Brigade was 
 separated from the division, never to rejoin it. The 
 
42 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Camp Boi&ie to Brest arid Redon 43 
 
 personnel remained at Brest until August 20, 
 when the troops were taken by rail to Redon, 
 France. The 131st and 132d Field Artillery were 
 billeted in Redon proper as was the headquarters, 
 Supply Company and Headquarters company of the 
 133d Field Artillery, but the Second and Third 
 Battalions of the 133d were billeted in Nicholas 
 de Redon. and the First Battalion in Avasac, both 
 places only a short distance from Redon. The 111th 
 Ammunition Train, less Companies C and D, also 
 were billeted near Redon, and remained with the 
 artillery throughout. Companies C and D had 
 been sent with the infantry of the division to Bar- 
 sur-Aube. 
 
 At Redon the artillery was taken in hand by 
 officers from the French army to begin its final 
 preparation for service at the front. The brigade 
 remained at Redon only until September 3, when 
 it proceeded by marching overland, to Camp de 
 Coetquidan, the famous French artillery training 
 center which had been established by Napoleon 
 I, and which was the first school of its kind in the 
 world. Two days later the brigade began a 
 course of eight weeks instruction which it did not 
 complete. At the end of six week.s it was declared 
 ready for service and was ordered to rejoin the 
 division, then in the front lines. Due to delay on 
 account of an insufficient number of draft animals 
 for the light artillery, and tractors for the heavy 
 pieces, it did not get started before the armistice 
 was signed, November 11. The tractors which 
 were to have been allotted to the heavy artillery 
 were lost when the ship bringing them from the 
 United States was sunk off the French coast. Aft- 
 
44 The Story of the 36th 
 
 er the armistice the order sending the artillery to 
 the front was cancelled. Thus the Artillery was not 
 enabled to get into the fighting zone, much to the 
 chagrin of its officers and men who had made an 
 excellent record in their training. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 TRAINING IN FRANCE. 
 
 Following their arrival in the Thirteenth train- 
 ing area the officers and soldiers of the Thirty- 
 sixth were given a couple of days in which to set- 
 tle themselves in billets, to locate ground for ma- 
 neuvering, drill and target practice, and rest after 
 the wearisome journey from the United States. 
 Immediately division headquarters was established 
 in Ear-sur-Aube, reorganization along the lines 
 prescribed by the American Expeditionary Forces 
 was demanded. In addition to the chief of staff 
 it was necessary to have three assistant chiefs of 
 staff and other subordinates in order to handle 
 the movements that would be demanded of the di- 
 vision in the field. The three assistants to the 
 chief of staff were known as G-1, G-2 and G-3. The 
 first of these handled all administrative matters, 
 such as transportation, supplies and subsistence 
 The duties of G-2 were to get intelligence of the 
 enemy and prevent intelligence or information be- 
 ing sent to the enemy. The third officer was in 
 charge of all training and operations of the divi- 
 sion. In this manner the handling of the division 
 was systematized in a way then unknown in the 
 United States. When the division left Camp Bowie 
 it left a considerable number of its clerks and 
 stenographers there with the former division com- 
 mander, to take care of the camp, and correspond- 
 
 [45] 
 
46 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Training in Frwnce 47 
 
 ingly was handicapped as soon as it arrived in 
 Europe. 
 
 Besides the necessary changes at division head- 
 quarters there were many other shifts in the units 
 of the division. The first task taken up by the 
 new division staff was to eliminate officers re- 
 garded as unfit for service in the battle lines. 
 Within a short space of time forty-five officers, 
 including Brigadier General Hutchings, command- 
 ing the Seventy-first Infantry Brigade, two colonels, 
 two lieutenant colonels, five majors, eighteen cap- 
 tains and thirteen first lieutenants and four second 
 lieutenants were sent to Blois, France, for reclassi- 
 fication or discharge. Also the division lost sixty- 
 eight other oflFicers for various reasons, some of 
 them being sent to school and others being trans- 
 ferred. To help fill these vacancies in the ranks 
 of the oflficers, ninety-eight new officers were re- 
 ceived, among them Brigadier General Pegram 
 Whitworth, who took command of the Seventy-first 
 Infantry Brigade. From these officers it was nec- 
 essary to obtain two new regimental commanders, 
 a division quartermaster, a division ordnance offi- 
 cer, a division machine gun officer and other spec- 
 ially trained officers. At this time an order was 
 received making it impossible for certain positions 
 on the staflf to be filled by officers of the regular 
 army. Consequently field officers from the regi- 
 ments had to be transferred to headquarters and 
 vice versa. 
 
 Not waiting for the new officers to adjust 
 themselves to their tasks or become acquainted 
 with the personnel of their commands, the divi- 
 sion was plunged into an intensive training period 
 
48 The Story of the 36th 
 
 that was expected to overcome some of the handi- 
 caps the men were facing. At Camp Bowie morale 
 and discipline had been built up to a high degree. 
 The men were healthy and willing, although some- 
 times awkward in appearance, especially in mat- 
 ters connected with strict military etiquette. Be- 
 j^ond the belief that they could whip the whole 
 German army, their discipline, their willingness to 
 do, their ability to shoot and use the bayonet, and 
 their knowledge of conditions connected with trench 
 warfare they were not ready to enter the field. 
 
 Only a few weeks before they departed from 
 Camp Bowie they had been equipped with the 
 Browning machine gun and automatic rifle and 
 some of the units had never seen this weapon. 
 The first task that faced the platoon and com- 
 pany commanders was to master the weapon them- 
 selves and see that it was taught to the men who 
 were to use it. Another task was the instruction 
 of the men in the handling of live grenades. They 
 had handled dummy grenades in Texas for many 
 months but not until they arrived in Europe did 
 they use one that would explode when thrown. 
 Also the knowledge of how to maneuver and fight 
 in the open was limited and a system of liaison had 
 to be developed from its very foundation. At no 
 time in their training had the infantrymen advanced 
 under the cover of actual artillery fire and this was 
 not possible in the Thirteenth training area because 
 of the absence of artillery to train with. Neither 
 had a machine gun barrage ever been attempted. 
 March discipline was another thing that had not 
 been developed in Texas, because the division had 
 never made long moves by marching. Many of the 
 
Training in France 49 
 
 officers who had just been promoted were unfa- 
 miliar with their work and had to learn by actual 
 experience. 
 
 To overcome these deficiencies many marches 
 in which the strictest discipline was observed and 
 daily maneuvers were the principal features of the 
 training program. Problems for all units from 
 squads to the division were worked out. On the 
 target ranges the men were taken through maneuv- 
 ers which called for them to fire real ammunition 
 while advancing from one position of cover to an- 
 other. In this manner the enlisted personnel ob- 
 tained their best idea of what actual battle condi- 
 tions would be. In all of these exercises, espe- 
 cially where the regiment or larger organizations 
 were participating, the greatest stress was laid on 
 the writing of messages and the ability of the 
 junior officers to estimate situations. Special 
 schools w^here officers and non-commissioned offi- 
 cers were taught the art of writing clear messages 
 were conducted in some of the units and general 
 progress was noted. 
 
 In the midst of this training the division was 
 called upon to supply a large portion of its most 
 seasoned personnel to fill the gaps in other divi- 
 sions that had been fighting at the front. Eighty 
 officers and approximately the same number of 
 non-commissioned officers were sent away to 
 schools to obtain special instruction in the handling 
 of various weapons. To assist in filling the va- 
 cancies among the officers about seventy-five re- 
 cently commissioned officers from the candidate 
 school at Langres came to the division as instruct- 
 ors. Practically all of these were retained wdth 
 
50 
 
 The Storij of the 36th 
 
Training in France 51 
 
 the division permanently and went into action with 
 it later. Most of these men had been at the front 
 and rendered great assistance in training the troops 
 in the handling of the automatic weapons. 
 
 The failure to conduct proper liaison between 
 units large and small and the difficulty in getting 
 the proper kind of information from the assault- 
 ing troops were the greatest difficulties to be over- 
 come in the training. In the short time allotted 
 these defects were only partially overcome. The 
 maps provided for the maneuvers were inadequate 
 and there were not sufficient instructors but at 
 every exercise and maneuver the greatest stress 
 was placed on proper liaison and its importance 
 was brought home to everyone. 
 
 Although supplied with a certain number of 
 automatic rifles and machine guns, the equipment 
 of the division was by no means complete, because 
 it did not exist in Europe. Practically all avail- 
 able shipping had been used to transport troops 
 with the result that the amount of supplies for 
 these was insufficient. No Very pistols, for the 
 firing of rockets, had ever been seen by the great- 
 er part of the personnel, and the ability to use 
 other means of signaling was limited. Nothing 
 was left undone to overcome these difficulties 
 however and at no time was there a lack of confi- 
 dence. Many of the units developed excellent abil- 
 ity to maneuver; to advance, taking advantage of 
 every possible cover and to flank positions rather 
 than take them by direct frontal attack. In the 
 142d Infantry a model platoon of the very best 
 men available, was developed to demonstrate the 
 manner in which the assault should be conducted 
 
52 The Story of the 36th 
 
 against one or more machine gun nests. This dem- 
 onstration was conducted for the benefit of several 
 organizations with excellent effect. All efforts 
 to obtain a sufficient amount of motor transporta- 
 tion and horses to haul the wagons and carts, al- 
 ready issued the division, were without result, 
 these supplies not being in existence. Food was 
 not always of the best or of the greatest variety. 
 Lack of transportation caused this to a certain de- 
 gree while another cause was the fact that the 
 troops fighting at the front were supplied even 
 when it was necessary to stint other units in the 
 training areas. 
 
 Immediately upon their arrival in the little vil- 
 lages where they were billeted the troops began 
 to make friends with the French peasants, with 
 \yhom they lived, and in this manner obtained 
 many little favors that made life more endurable. 
 Often their billets were uncomfortable. The men 
 frequently slept in the lofts of barns and in other 
 undesirable places where there were no heating 
 arrangements and where they could not keep 
 clean. But they shared the food of the French 
 people and spent their money freely. They learn- 
 ed to jabber a little French and get what recrea- 
 tion they could in the evening by attempting to tell 
 the natives about the wonders of America. Train- 
 ing went forward under any and all weather condi- 
 tions and the little time they could get in the 
 homes of the natives proved the greatest redeem- 
 ing feature of the period. 
 
 Influenza again attacked the ranks of the di- 
 vision during the month of August but only a few 
 organizations were seriously hampered. The dis- 
 
Trcdning in France 53 
 
 ease was in a milder form than that which was 
 raging in the United States and the number of 
 deaths was comparatively small. It was necessary 
 to move some of the troops into better quarters 
 but the schedule of training was not interfered 
 with. Some of the infantry regiments tired an 
 entire course of instruction on the rifle ranges. 
 From early morning to late at night the officers 
 and men were engaged in various tasks connected 
 with their training and the period was filled with 
 almost as much discomfort and hardship as was to 
 be found at the front. 
 
 The strength of the division was still further 
 depleted by the departure of the 111th Engineers, 
 September 10. These troops were transferred to 
 the First American Army Corps as corps engineers 
 and remained with that command throughout the 
 fighting. This brought the strength of the divi- 
 sion down to 15,590 enlisted men and 656 officers, 
 a shortage of approximately five percent in offi- 
 cers and twenty percent in enlisted men. Without 
 the artillery, ammunition train and engineers the 
 division should have had about 20,000 men and 
 oft"icers. 
 
 Although under great handicaps in some re- 
 spects the division was fortunate in others. It was 
 the first division to be armed with the Browning 
 automatic rifles and machine guns. All other 
 troops, including the regular army divisions had 
 gone into the fighting zone armed with the Chau- 
 chat automatic rifle and the Hotchkiss machine 
 gun. This had necessitated additional work in 
 bringing up ammunition. With the Browning 
 weapons the same ammunition that was used for 
 
54 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Trcuining in France 55 
 
 the rifles of the infantry was used also for the ma- 
 chine guns and the automatic rifle. The person- 
 nel of every unit was hardy and accustomed to 
 making the best of every condition. Most of the 
 men had lived in the open and the hardships at- 
 tending campaigning without shelter did not lessen 
 m any degree their ardor to get into the fight and 
 the belief that they were superior to any similar 
 unit in the German army. Although the officers 
 and men had known each other at home in the 
 United States the discipline was not marred by 
 this. In nearly every case the troops were loyal 
 to the greatest degree to their officers, the most 
 of whom by this time had come to the division from 
 organizations other than the National Guard units 
 from which the division originally had been form- 
 ed. 
 
 During the entire training period the troops 
 were without Stokes mortars, of which a certain 
 number was assigned to every regiment of infan- 
 try as well as the mortar battery attached to the 
 artillery. Neither did the infantry have tanks to 
 train with ^ in their maneuvers and knew next to 
 nothing about the use of these in the field. 
 
 Considering these things the ability of the 
 troops to take care of the most difficult situations 
 later on, may be looked upon as all the more 
 remarkable. Other divisions, especially the first 
 divisions to reach France had been given many 
 months of training before they went into the bat- 
 tle line to occupy a quiet sector. These divisions 
 had been trained with artillery as well as tanks, 
 and had been given detailed instruction in advanc- 
 ing by the aid of a machine gun barrage, the guns 
 
56 The Story of the 36th 
 
 actually firing for their benefit. The Thirty-sixth 
 had none of these things and instead of going into 
 a quiet sector to become acquainted with the enemy 
 under advantageous conditions, was entered in 
 battle under the worst possible surroundings and 
 facing the most stubborn kind of resistance. One 
 of the regular army divisions v^hich landed in 
 France almost simultaneously with the Thirty- 
 sixth, was sent to a quiet sector to the east of the 
 St. Mihiel salient, and remained there throughout 
 the conflict. The men from Texas and Oklahoma 
 were sent to drive their bayonets forward through 
 the desperate resistance of the German army, fight- 
 ing with its back to the wall, and fiercely contest- 
 ing every inch of ground to save itself from disas- 
 ter. But the division was ready. It had been in 
 training only a little more than four weeks but it 
 was ready and the hearts of the men beat high at 
 the prospect. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TO THE FRONT. 
 
 Orders taking the Thirty-sixth Division from 
 the Thirteenth training area were so brief that even 
 the division headquarters was unaware just how 
 close to the line the command was destined to go. 
 The order merely stated that the movement would 
 be by rail to a new area. Prior to the receipt 
 of this order, the division commander had been 
 directed to send three officers to the Belfort front 
 to make a preliminary inspection of that sector, 
 with the supposed view that the division would be 
 moved there for its first operation. This however 
 developed only into a ruse for the purpose of de- 
 ceiving the enemy. False field orders, maps and de- 
 tails of an attack, were left purposely where they 
 might be picked up by enemy agents. These false 
 plans promptly disappeared and within a short time 
 five enemy divisions were moved to that point to 
 make a defense against the supposed attack, while 
 the First American Army was hammering its way 
 forward in the great drive between the Meuse River 
 and the Argonne Forest. 
 
 The orders sending the division from the Thir- 
 teenth area were received at headquarters in Bar- 
 sur-Aube, September 23, and two days later the 
 actual movement of the troops began. First all 
 salvage was collected and disposed of. A great 
 amount of extra equipment that had been issued 
 
 [57] 
 
58 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
To the Front ^^ 
 
 at Camp Mills before the troops sailed from the 
 United States, was discarded because it could not 
 be carried in the field. The small amount of 
 transportation in the division was not adequate 
 to gather up all the salvage and much of this was 
 left in the little towns where the troops were bil- 
 leted, to be collected later by the salvage organiza- 
 tion of the army. Grenades and other explosives 
 were buried in places where they could do little 
 or no damage and much privately owned equip- 
 ment, that had been carried up to that time was 
 presented to the French peasants. A few com- 
 panies carried all their blankets many miles to the 
 trains, while others employed French carts to trans- 
 port this part of their equipment. 
 
 Although in the area but a short time the sol- 
 diers and the peasants had formed strong attach- 
 ments. Many of the older women, who had lost 
 relatives in the war, wept as the troops marched 
 out of the little villages and everywhere the na- 
 tives lined the roads to wish the soldiers a "bon 
 chance" (good luck). Entraining points were at 
 Bar-sur-Aube, Bar-sur-Seine and Brienne le Cha- 
 teau, and although some of the units found it nec- 
 essary to march many miles over hills to the rail- 
 way stations, the march was conducted in an ex- 
 cellent manner. The troops were placed on the 
 trains .in good order and all sections began the 
 movement promptly. This was done in spite of 
 the fact that machine gun carts had to be hauled 
 to the railroads by hand, there being no animals 
 to draw them. In one instance it was necessary 
 for an organization to march sixteen miles, al- 
 though the march table had been prepared with 
 
60 The Story of the 36th 
 
 a view to cause the minimum amount of marching 
 to all units. 
 
 The day the Thirty-sixth left the area around 
 Bar-sur-Aube, the grand assault of the First Am- 
 erican Army between the Meuse and the Aisne 
 Rivers was launched. The St. Mihiel salient had 
 been reduced earlier in September and in the 
 month previous the line between Reims and Sois- 
 sons had been straightened, until the Marne salient 
 had been eliminated. This had followed the as- 
 sault of the First and Second American Divisions 
 operating with the First Moroccan Division (French 
 Foreign Legion) south of Soissons. At the same 
 time the First American Army was fighting its 
 way forward in the operation of the Meuse-Ar- 
 gonne, the Fourth French Army under General 
 Gourard was forcing the Germans out of their Hind- 
 enburg defenses in the Champagne. This was be- 
 tween Reims and the Aisne river, o" just to the west 
 of the First American Army. The First American 
 Army had as its aim the capture of Sedan and the 
 severing of the German forces, while the Fourth 
 French Army was working in the direction of Me- 
 zieres, another important railroad center just to the 
 west of Sedan. To the east of the Fourth French 
 Army was the Fifth French Army, the two being 
 under the general command of General Retain. 
 The drive that was being conducted by all of these 
 combined forces in reality was that which had been 
 expected to develop in the spring of 1919. The 
 tendency of the German forces i;o retire however 
 called for the advance to be made at this time 
 and strategy demanded that every available com- 
 bat unit be hurled against the crumbling enemy 
 
To the Front 61, 
 
 defenses, in order to hasten their collapse and 
 bring about a hasty end to the struggle. For this 
 and only this reason was the Thirty-sixth Division 
 called upon to perform a herculean task, although 
 unequipped and without experience under fire. 
 
 It was to move into the area occupied by the 
 Fifth French Army that the division left Bar-sur- 
 Aube, although this information was not received 
 until the first elements were ready to go aboard 
 the trains. The Thirty-sixth and the Second Divi- 
 sions had been placed at the disposal of the French 
 high command, the Second Division being assigned 
 to the sector of the Fourth French Army. Later 
 it became known that the Thirty-sixth was expected 
 to be used in a follow up movement should the 
 French develop strength sufficient to break the 
 German line east of Reims. Had this been the 
 case the Americans would have been used to push 
 forward vigorously after the line was broken and 
 to exploit the ground beyond. At the time the Texas- 
 Oklahoma division was sent to the Fifth Army, 
 large bodies of cavalry were massed in the same 
 vicinity with the hope that they might be able to 
 operate successfully should the German line col- 
 lapse. 
 
 Epernay, second only to Reims in the produc- 
 tion of champagne, was designated as one of the 
 detraining points for the division in the new area, 
 and Avize, a village a short distance southeast of 
 Epernay was the other. Both of these places were 
 about thirty miles almost due east of Chateau- 
 Thierry and directly south of Reims, At Avize the 
 headquarters of the French Group of Armies of 
 the Center was established but in spite of this the 
 
62 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
To the Front 63 
 
 French officials apparently were not expecting the 
 troops of the Thirty-sixth when they arrived there 
 in the middle of the night. The trip from Bar-sur- 
 Aube had been only about eighty miles in length 
 but more than five hours had been consumed in 
 travel. At the detraining places the troops unload- 
 ed in pitch darkness, lights of any kind being pro- 
 hibited. The advance parties that had been de- 
 tailed to precede the division had been unable to 
 reach their destinations ahead of the first troop 
 trains because they did not know where the des- 
 tinations were to be. In a drizzle of rain that came 
 down steadily officers as well as soldiers found 
 shelter, side by side, wherever shelter of any sort 
 was available. The ruins of the abandoned rail- 
 way stations served to protect some while others 
 sought refuge in other ruined houses in the towns, 
 that had been bombed repeatedly by German air- 
 craft. When the dawn came it revealed the first 
 destruction that the men of the Thirty-sixth had 
 witnessed. This was the first time the troops had 
 approached near enough to the fighting zone to 
 see the effect of bombs and frequently during the 
 night they had hushed their conversation to listen 
 to the artillery fire just to the north of them. Some 
 of those who had been unable to find a place to 
 sleep had gone to the edge of the towns to see the 
 flashes of the big guns, which at times were faintly 
 visible. 
 
 The motor transportation of the division had 
 been sent overland from the Thirteenth training 
 area but the troops did not wait for the arrival of 
 this. As soon as they were able to see their way 
 about they began preparations for breakfast. In- 
 
64 The Story of the 36th 
 
 genious cooks were able to prepare coffee and some 
 hot food and immediately afterward the troops fell 
 into ranks and marched away to the north. The 
 roads were heavy with mud and the marching was 
 difficult in the extreme. The men were cramped 
 with cold and attempts to sleep in uncomfortable 
 places but the sound of the guns, that were to be 
 heard more plainly with every mile traversed, 
 served as an incentive to keep up the spirits of all. 
 No preparations had been made in this area to 
 billet the American troops but each unit was as- 
 signed certain villages and, although these were 
 insufficient to care for all, the best was made of 
 the condition. Due to the lack of transporLatiun the 
 problem of bringing up subsistence and other stores 
 from the railways was the greatest. In this work 
 all of the motor transportation was employed and 
 the French furnished some relief with a small num- 
 ber of wagons. In this area the machine gun bat- 
 talions received a few mules for their machine gun 
 carts. Rolling kitchens and water carts for all 
 units were promised but were not received. The 
 division had to rely on its field ranges, which were 
 not enough for the number of men who had to be 
 fed and were difficult to move from one point to 
 another. Only one water cart to a regiment was 
 issued and this did not begin to supply the de- 
 mands of the troops. In the matter of ordnance 
 the division was more fortunate. All the necessary 
 trench mortars were supplied by the French as 
 well as grenades and other munitions. In the 
 moves, however, the grenades were lost by the di- 
 vision's service of supply and were not available 
 until too late. The French also supplied the di- 
 
To the Front 65 
 
 vision with all the necessary equipment for firing 
 signal rockets, as well as spare parts for the mor- 
 tars and 37 millimeter guns. 
 
 All units of the division were billeted in the 
 area by September 29, three days after the depar- 
 ture from Bar-sur-Aube, division headquarters be- 
 ing located at Pocancy, a little less than ten miles 
 to the west of Chalons-sur-Marne. In the various 
 towns around Pocancy the balance of the division 
 was concentrated. It was in this area that the 
 troops gained their first knowledge of how it feels 
 to be under the enemy's bombing squadrons. Both 
 Chalons-sur-Marne and Epernay were bombed by 
 the Germans two nights after the division entered 
 the area. The greater part of the personnel was 
 located in billets about half way between these 
 two places and the explosion of the giant missiles 
 caused the earth to tremble throughout the interven- 
 ing territory. Up overhead the steady roar of the 
 avions' motors brought a sound of possible menace 
 to the soldiers on the ground belov.% but in spite of 
 this every officer and man was outside the billets 
 straining their eyes to pierce the darkness and get 
 a possible glimpse of the enemy planes. Some of 
 the men appeared with their rifles to take a shot 
 and no one seemed to think of seeking cover. The 
 destruction wrought by the bombs was frightful. 
 Six houses in a row in Chalons were reduced to 
 fine pieces of debris by half that number of bombs. 
 Several women and children were wounded, as were 
 some French soldiers billeted in Epernay. Fol- 
 lov/ing the raid the French avions were heard go- 
 ing over the enemy's lines all through the night 
 and the following day reports were circulated 
 
66 The Story of the 36th 
 
 that a dozen towns occupied by the German troops 
 had been bombed in retaliation for the enemy's 
 attack. 
 
 While in this part of France the soldiers heard 
 many stories about the first battle of the Marne, 
 when the Huns had been turned back in their first 
 effort to seize Paris. At Avize they were told how 
 the French infantry in their red breeches had 
 i-harged the German machine guns with no weap- 
 ons but their bayonets, having exhausted all their 
 ammunition, and how the Huns had been forced to 
 flee for their lives. The Pocancy area lies just 
 to the south of the river. In the little villages the 
 Hun cavalry had paused to feed on the chickens 
 and other food to be procured from the farmers. 
 While preparing to sit down to such a meal in a 
 farm house near Champigneul the German horse- 
 men had been so surprised by the rapid advance 
 of the French that they abandoned their chickens 
 and rabbits on the table, where they had just been 
 placed for them. The poilus ate the feast that the 
 Uhlans had prepared and then pressed on to the 
 north to push the enemy back over the river. 
 
 "The Marne has been a very good river to 
 France," a French aviator explained earnestly. "It 
 has been a good river to us twice. Each time it 
 stopped the Hun when for him to have advanced 
 -would have meant disaster for us. Yes it is a 
 -very good river." 
 
 Following the air raids on Chalons and Eper- 
 nay the men were more careful about displaying 
 lights in their billets at night and about smoke ap- 
 pearing during the day. 
 
To the Front 67 
 
 At Pocancy the division was joined by Special 
 Service Unit No. 586, one of the ambulance organi- 
 zations from the United States that had been serv- 
 ing with the French for many months, and which 
 had twenty-four Ford ambulances that later were 
 of the greatest assistance in handling the wounded. 
 
 The G-2 section of the division experienced 
 the greatest difficulty in getting a sufficient quan- 
 tity of maps of the area. Only small maps that 
 gave little information of the country were avail- 
 able and these were insufficient in number to be 
 of any service to the units that needed them most. 
 The map making machinery allowed for all divi- 
 sional organizations, was not furnished. Perhaps 
 from this more than from any othor reason the di- 
 vision was handicapped in its future operations. 
 Accurate maps of the country and more definite 
 information would have saved many lives in the 
 first engagements. But the morale of the men ap- 
 parently was not affected by these shortages. Ev- 
 erywhere they remained cheerful under the most 
 trying circumstances and made the best of every- 
 thing. While grave anxiety was causing those at 
 division headquarters many sleepless hours and 
 the division commander was seeking in vain to get 
 supplies from G. H. Q., the troops were going 
 calmly about their training. This had to be car- 
 ried on in the sheltered places where they could not 
 be observed by the German aircraft. Under the 
 trees the individual soldiers carried on in their 
 various tasks, supremely confident of their ability 
 to beat the enemy no matter how short the supplies 
 might be. 
 
68 The Story of the 36th 
 
 To take care of any sickness or injuries that 
 might develop in the area two of the field hospi- 
 tal companies set up their hospitals immediately 
 upon arrival but only a few patients were received. 
 In spite of the cold and damp and the extremely 
 poor quarters in which most of the men were 
 housed, the personnel remained healthy. Billeted 
 in shacks that had been occupied by the native 
 troops from Africa as well as labor troops com- 
 posed mostly of coolies from the East Indies, the 
 men yet remained remarkably free from vermin and 
 most of them managed to bathe at least once in 
 a while in the area. Part of the good health 
 may be attributed to the fact that canteens oper- 
 ated by English women afforded several of the 
 towns a place for writing letters, reading and re- 
 freshments. A great number of letters were writ- 
 ten each day, every man making an effort to de- 
 scribe to the people at home what his surround- 
 ings were and the impressions made by the artil- 
 lery fire. 
 
 When the general assault by the French Ar- 
 mies had been launched against the Hindenburg 
 line in the Champagne late in September, they had 
 succeeded in breaking through that defense in 
 practically all places where the assault was made, 
 but they had been unable to force the Germans 
 any great distance beyond. The defense had been 
 especially stubborn to the northeast of Chalons- 
 sur-Marne, in the vicinity of what was known as 
 Blanc Mont. This was a high ridge due north 
 of the town of Suippes and at whose southern 
 base lay the ruins of the town of Somme-Py. Here 
 two assaults of the French had failed. Then the 
 
To the Front 69" 
 
 Second American Division, composed of the Ninth 
 and Twenty-third Infantry, forming the Third Bri- 
 gade, and the Fifth and Sixth Marines, forming 
 the Fourth Brigade, as well as the Twelfth, Fif- 
 teenth and Seventeenth Field Artillery, and other 
 units, had been called upon to take the heights. 
 The Americans succeeded so well that the Ger- 
 mans were caught in their observation towers on 
 the ridge before they were aware that the attack- 
 ing troops were upon them. But beyond the hill 
 the Marines especially came under such heavy fire 
 that they were obliged to halt and consolidate their 
 positions as best they could. Their ranks were ter- 
 ribly depleted and it was not considered possible 
 for them to advance further, if indeed they could 
 hold their ground in the face of a serious counter- 
 attack. In this delicate situation a hurry call was 
 sent to the Thirty-sixth for one brigade to fill in 
 the gap, by forming a second line of supporting 
 troops behind the Fourth Brigade. For this pur- 
 pose the entire division was transferred to the 
 Fourth French Army under General Gourard and 
 the Seventy-first Brigade was ordered to proceed 
 to the relief of the Marines. 
 
 Camions or French trucks to take the reliev- 
 ing troops in two relays, arrived in the Pocancy 
 area the afternoon of October 4, and the 142d In- 
 fantry as well as the 132d Machire Gun Battalion 
 was directed to proceed in the first relay to Suippes 
 and Somme-Suippe, where they would rest until 
 the other troops in the brigade were brought up. 
 This night will be recalled as one of the greatest 
 discomfort to all members of the brigade. In the 
 early evening the soldiers loaded into the camions 
 
70 The Story of the 36th 
 
 which set out in the dark, without the aid of lights. 
 At this time the men were equipped with only one 
 blanket each. The night air was cold in the ex- 
 treme. The movement of the camions, or trucks, 
 made it colder. Jolting made it impossible for 
 their passengers to sleep. The best that could be 
 done was to huddle together for the sake of 
 warmth and hope that the destination would be 
 reached as soon as possible. Passing through 
 Chalons, the grotesque figures of the military po- 
 lice appeared in the gloom to give the drivers di- 
 rections. The camions halted just long enough 
 for these instructions and then sped on into the 
 night. Cigarettes were barred. The lights from these 
 might reveal the movement to the enemy. 
 
 Finally, about two hours before the dawn the 
 last of the camions in the first convoy arrived in 
 the ruins of Suippes. Those who had been asleep 
 in the bottoms of the trucks were aroused from 
 their slumber and all unloaded, to march to their 
 camp about two miles further to the east nearer 
 the village of Somme-Suippe, while the camions 
 retraced their way to the area west of Chalons, to 
 pick up the 141st Infantry. It was several hours 
 after dawn when the latter arrived and found places 
 in the half-dugouts, half-shacks that had been al- 
 lotted to the brigade for the resting places dur- 
 ing the day. Still without rolling kitchens, the 
 cooks set up the field ranges and prepared coffee 
 and warm food. Many of the men were so hungry 
 they could not sleep. Breakfast over, the only 
 order issued was obeyed immediately, every fellow 
 went to bed and obtained as much rest as possible. 
 
To the Front 71 
 
 Brigade as well as regimental headquarters 
 tor both regiments of infantry were established in 
 the town of Somme-Suippe, where later the dump 
 for baggage for the entire division was located. In 
 and about the town also were numerous French 
 and French colonial troops as well as military police 
 from the Second Division. Here the men of the Thir- 
 ty-sixth learned to recognize tanks for the first time, 
 some of the small models being parked in the town 
 under camouflage awaiting a time when they were 
 to be used. Here the roll of the artillery at the 
 front was continuous and all through the day the 
 airplanes of the enemy as well as the Allies could 
 be seen circling in the air while the shells from 
 the anti-aircraft guns dotted the sky with tiny puffs 
 of smoke when they exploded. An observation bal- 
 loon floating lazily behind the Allied lines proved 
 keenly interesting, especially with so many of the 
 enemy planes in view. 
 
 In fact so many interesting things were tak- 
 ing place that most of the troops preferred to 
 sleep only a short time during the morning. In 
 the afternoon they were paid for their lack of 
 rest when a large batch of German prisoners were 
 brought back from the front lines where they had 
 been captured a few hours before. There were 
 both old and young men among these and for the 
 most part appeared to be in a bad plight. They 
 were dirty and unkempt in appearance, none hav- 
 ing shaved for several days. Their clothing was 
 ragged and hunger was expressed in every face. 
 All were herded into a pen surrounded by barbed 
 "wire where they were to remain until sent further 
 to the rear. Several of the men attempted to talk 
 
72 The Story of the 36th 
 
 to the "krouts," in the German tongue, only to be 
 astounded when some of the prisoners replied in 
 very good English and explained that they had 
 been in the United States. Some had lived for 
 many years in America and most of them appear- 
 ed to be rather glad that they had been captured. 
 The strength of the brigade at the time it ar- 
 rived in the Suippes and Somme-Suippe area was 
 247 officers and 5,955 men. The authorized 
 strength for the brigade was 267 officers and 8,211 
 men, as provided for in the tables of organization. 
 Attached to the brigade at this time was a detach- 
 ment of the 111th Field Signal Battalion, consist- 
 ing of one officer and fifty-five men. Both the in- 
 fantry regiments as well as the machine gun bat- 
 talion were short a great number of draft animals 
 and wagons. The 141st Infantry by this time had 
 received two rolling kitchens. These were all that 
 were in the brigade. Partly because they did not 
 realize the extent of this handicap*, partly because 
 they could not have been discouraged under any 
 conditions, the troops were in fine spirit. The field 
 signal detachment was better equipped than the 
 others in everything but transportation, and efforts 
 were not being spared at division headquarters to 
 get equipment to the brigade before it entered the 
 line. Officers were sent to Chalons and other places 
 to procure additional means of transporting water 
 and rations. The next day these efforts were 
 partially successful in that some water casks were 
 hauled to the command posts of the regiments 
 actually in the front line and later rolling kitchens 
 enough for the whole brigade were received. 
 
To the Front 73 
 
 During the afternoon of October 5, Brigadier 
 General Whitworth, who had been instructed that 
 his brigade would be employed with the Marine 
 brigade, reported to the commander of the Second 
 Division, Major General John A. Lejeune, whose 
 post of command was located on the road from 
 Suippes to Somme-Py, about a mile north of Souain, 
 or three miles south of Somme-Py, At that time 
 the Second Division had not received instruc- 
 tions that the brigade from the Thirty-sixth was to 
 operate with it. After a short conference, in which 
 the general situation was discussed. General Whit- 
 worth and his adjutant returned to their head- 
 quarters in Suippes to await further instructions. 
 
 These instructions arrived about 8 o'clock in 
 the evening following the conference. General Le- 
 jeune summoned General Whitworth and his unit 
 commanders, Colonel William E. Jackson, com- 
 manding the 141st Infantry, Colonel Alfred W. 
 Eloor, 142d Infantry, and Major Preston A. Weath- 
 ered, 132d Machine Gun Battalion, for another 
 conference. This word reached the machine gun 
 commander too late to attend but the general and 
 his two colonels reported to the command post of 
 the Second Division, where they received orders 
 that the brigade had been placed in the twenty-first 
 French Army Corps, and that it would relieve the 
 front line of the Second Division the night of Octo- 
 ber 6. This was received with considerable sur- 
 prise, as former instructions had been to the effect 
 that the brigade would only take over from the 
 Marines, or half of the front occupied by the Second 
 Division. The instructions received from General 
 Lejeune were that the entire front line of the Sec- 
 
74 The Story of the 36th 
 
 ond Division would be relieved. This was the be- 
 ginning of misunderstandings which later cost the 
 relieving troops heavy losses. 
 
 Sunday morning, October 6, orders were is- 
 sued to all units of the brigade to get under way 
 for the front. All company and other organiza- 
 tion property, as well as personal belongings of the 
 officers, that would not be of actual service in bat- 
 tle, was placed in the regimental dumps at Somme- 
 Suippe. Field ranges were abandoned since they 
 could not be carried into the Imes and set up 
 there, and all extra subsistence supplies were 
 stored to be salvaged. The troops fell into columns 
 and all units were on the march before 7 o'clock. 
 By this time most of the men realized that they 
 were marching into actual battle. This was the 
 time of trial that all had been looking toward ever 
 since they first donned the uniform more than a 
 year before. In the marches of previous days they 
 had always felt that there was no particular rea- 
 son why they should not fall out if their strength 
 failed. But this was a different kind of march. To 
 fall out on the way to the battle Ime was disgrace, 
 and although it was to be the hardest test of 
 strength and endurance that they ever were des- 
 tined to face, there was to be no straggling as long 
 as will power remained. 
 
 Retracing their steps to Somme-Suippe, and 
 then to Suippes, the columns turned due north in 
 their march and deserted the highway. The main 
 road from Suippes to the north was literally filled 
 with all kinds of traffic on wheels. Here was a 
 field artillery piece, being dragged along by men 
 as well as bv horses when the occasion demanded. 
 
To the Front 75 
 
 Behind it would be a string of combat wagons 
 filled with all kinds of supplies for the fighting 
 men. Then would be a water cart, a camion laden 
 with water casks and trucks filled with ammuni- 
 tion and supplies for the various branches of ser- 
 vice. These were all going toward the front. On 
 the other side of the road would be a counter-cur- 
 rent of ambulances carrying wounded, empty trucks 
 and wagons going to the rear for more supplies, 
 and here and there on both sides of the road would 
 be a wrecked wagon or other vehicle, broken in 
 the press of getting to and from the lines. In this 
 jam of traffic there was no room for the dough- 
 boy. Before the column had proceeded more than 
 a kilometer from Suippes it was necessary to 
 march by the side of the road. 
 
 Before two kilometers had been placed behind 
 them the marching troops found themselves cross- 
 ing the lines of defense which had been occupied 
 by the French through more than four years of 
 fighting. A little farther to the north, in the vi- 
 cinity of Souain, of which scarcely a vestige re- 
 mained, the former German defenses were en- 
 countered. No more desolate scene existed in all 
 the western front, than existed here. For miles on 
 every side there was no vegetation. The entire 
 face of the earth was covered with debris. Mines 
 had added their fury to the exploding shells, up- 
 heaving the ground in all directions. Trees had 
 been shot away until they were only jagged stumps 
 sticking out of the mangled soil. This is the 
 "naked land" of France, the "Champagne pouil- 
 leuse." Since the beginning it has refused the ef- 
 forts of those who have tried to cultivate it. The 
 
76 
 
 The Storif of the JHth 
 
To the Front 77 
 
 pine trees represent the first victory over the land 
 which formerly was entirely barren. First the 
 resinous trees and then late the wiry grass. Noth- 
 ing else has been produced there simply because 
 the soil refuses to give it life except here and there 
 where the tiny streams connect the scattered vil- 
 lages. 
 
 Formerly this had been a land of beauty, of 
 inhabited places where the grass furnished graz- 
 ing and where the planted pine groves not only 
 relieved the barren appearance but added a fresh- 
 ness to the scenery that was highly attractive. The 
 whole Champagne country is a great knoll of 
 heavy chalk. Along its rivers, the Seine, the Aube, 
 the Marne, the Velse and the Aisne it had present- 
 ed graceful outlines that were lovely in the ex- 
 treme. From the great knoll tiny streams had run 
 in every direction to empty into the larger rivers. 
 The Suippe is the largest of these tributary streams 
 and into it empty the Ain and the Py, while the 
 Tourbe, the Bionne, the Dormoise and the Alin 
 empty directly into the Aisne. At the source of 
 each of these little streams formerly was a village, 
 or in the language of the country a "Somme." As 
 the result of this the villages have been called 
 Somme-Tourbe, Somme-Suippe. Somme-Bionne and 
 Somme-Py. Sometimes the "somme" was short- 
 ened into "sou" thus developing the name Souain, 
 
 This was the scene of the most terrible strug- 
 gles between the French and the German armies 
 in September and October, 1915, or just two years 
 before the men of the Thirty-sixth marched across 
 it. Here the grandest offensive conducted by the 
 French during the entire war took place. On a 
 
78 The Story of the 36th 
 
 front more than twenty-five miles in width they 
 drove into the German lines and tried to break 
 through to hurl the invaders out of the land. Fail- 
 ing, they settled down to a subborn defense that 
 made raids of nightly occurrence. Sometimes the 
 lines would be raided by both sides twice in one 
 night. Here the bursting shells had set fire to 
 the houses of interlaced logs and thatched roofs 
 with such readiness that scarcely one of these re- 
 mained. Constant exposure to fire had left hard- 
 ly an undemolished stone in Souain. Of the giant 
 mill that formerly was located there nothing but 
 a bit of the wheel remained. Churches that had 
 stood through six centuries were crushed to powder 
 by the high explosive shells of both sides and the 
 splendid highways that had been main arteries 
 of travel since the days the first Roman road build- 
 ers entered the country, were torn and shattered 
 by shells until in places they ceased to exist. 
 
 The Champagne pouilleuse has always been 
 historic ground. Frederick the Great in his cam- 
 paigns met his first serious reverses in this country 
 around Valmy, and before that time through all 
 the history of France the battles in the Champagne 
 had been most numerous. The highway of the 
 Romans from Lyon to the English Channel had 
 passed through this country. In 1915, the French 
 cavalry had practically its only opportunity to 
 fight in this locality. At a critical moment in the 
 fighting two squadrons of Huzzars had the bold- 
 ness to go to the assistance of the French infantry, 
 which was attacking Allonge wood, and to assault 
 s-!vord in hand, the German defenses. In the fight 
 more than 600 Germans were captured. 
 
To the Front 79 
 
 Here the country also lent itself admirably to 
 the construction of deep galleries and shelters. The 
 chalk made sleek sides for the trenches and re- 
 tained its form readily. It did not wash in the 
 rain, thus being easy to keep up. In their defenses 
 the German officers were especially comfortable. 
 Their dugouts elaborated year after year until they 
 were not only safe but comfortable in all kinds of 
 weather. In one was found a piano and billiard 
 table, while many were well furnished with large 
 beds and upholstered chairs. In one was found 
 some women's garments. 
 
 But the country as witnessed by the marching 
 doughboys in 1918, had lost all its former attrac- 
 tiveness. Unable to follow the road on account of 
 the congestion of traffic, they made their way in 
 and out among the barbed wire entanglements 
 and maze of trenches which had been occupied but 
 a short time before by the opposing forces. Thick- 
 ly scattered through all parts of the former lines 
 were "dud" shells of all calibers. Some of these 
 were almost as large as a man and all were avoid- 
 ed carefully. They had been known to explode 
 with but a slight jar after remaining in exposed po- 
 sitions. Here and there were the graves of both 
 French and German dead. In that part of the field 
 which had been "no man's land" for a long time, 
 these graves were particularly noticeable, the dead 
 having been buried in the night where they had 
 fallen. The marching of necessity was slow. It 
 was in the afternoon before the columns approach- 
 ed the vicinity of Somme-Py and for the first time 
 came within the zone of fire. 
 
80 
 
 The St'T^: of il ( -Uiih 
 
To the Front 81 
 
 Through the greater part of the previous night 
 the regimental commanders with Brigadier General 
 Whitworth had been in conference with Major Gen- 
 eral Lejeune concerning the details of the relief. 
 The plan outlined by the commander of the Second 
 Division provided that during the morning and aft- 
 ernoon of October 6, the troops would be assem- 
 bled in the valley of the Py, near Somme-Py, and 
 would wait there until nightfall before attempting 
 to relieve the lines of the Second Division. The 
 shortage of transportation, ordnance equipment 
 and other supplies in the Thirty-sixth Division, 
 was pointed out to the commander of the Second 
 Division and he provided for his supply train to 
 haul the ammunition, machine gun carts and ma- 
 chine guns to a point near Somme-Py from where 
 they could be taken into the lines by the troops 
 that were to handle them. In addition it was di- 
 rected that the Second Division would establish 
 a dump near Somme-Py, that it would furnish the 
 Seventy-first Brigade with a certain number of 
 water carts, a million rounds of rifle ammunition 
 and a sufficient amount of signal pyrotechnics and 
 grenades. Due to the fact that the brigade had 
 no animals to haul its one-pounders and mortars 
 from. Suippes, it was agreed that these weapons 
 in use by the Second Division Vv^ould be turned 
 over to the relieving troops. Another confer- 
 ence was held the afternoon of October 6, at which 
 time a roll of maps was handed to each regimental 
 commander but it was found later that the front 
 lines had not been traced on these and that they 
 contained little or no information. The maps had 
 to be pieced together, which required so much 
 
82 The Story of the 36th 
 
 time that they were not completed soon enough for 
 the use to which they were to be put. At this con- 
 ference the details of the relief were gone over. 
 The relief was to start immediately after dark and 
 was to be completed by 3 o'clock the following 
 morning. Guides were to be furnished from the 
 front line organizations and were to meet the re- 
 lieving troops at Somme-Py. 
 
 When the Second Division had attacked the 
 Germans at this point in the line they had gained 
 the heights of Blanc Mont with ease but when they 
 pressed forward along the northern slopes of the 
 hill, they met such heavy resistance from the enemy 
 that they were compelled to halt and dig in. Some 
 of the assaulting troops made places for them- 
 selves in shell holes while others dug small fox 
 holes and some utilized a portion of German 
 trenches apparently constructed for training pur- 
 poses. Blanc Mont is a range about 250 feet high 
 running generally east and west, for seven or 
 eight kilometers, and having its highest point about 
 four kilometers northwest from Somme-Py. Its 
 northern slopes form half of the water shed for the 
 Arnes, a small tributary of the Suippe. About 4 
 kilometers from the summit of the hill and lo- 
 cated on the little stream is the village of St. 
 Etienne-a-Arnes, before which the Marines had 
 been halted and north of which was rising ground 
 on which the Germans had planted their artillery 
 and machine guns in such fashion as to observe 
 and sweep every foot of the ground north of Blanc 
 Mont. This had been the cause of heavy casual- 
 ties among the units of the Second Division. On 
 these slopes the enemy had constructed some in- 
 
To the Front 83 
 
 trenchments and arranged a defense of barbed 
 wire, which while not elaborate, was well placed 
 for the purpose. 
 
 A line running generally north and south 
 through the village of St. Etienne marked the 
 western boundary of the Second Division sector, as 
 well as the western boundary of the Twenty-first 
 French Corps. West of this line was the Eleventh 
 French Corps whose right element was the Seventh 
 French Infantry. From this line the sector of the 
 Second Division extended about four kilometers to 
 the east and the advanced positions of the Marines 
 and Third Brigade were generally about halfway 
 down the slope from the top of the hill to the vil- 
 lage of St. Etienne, which had been entered but not 
 held by the assaulting troops. Tne right elements 
 of the Second Division, the Ninth and Twenty-third 
 Infantry, were to be relieved by the 141st Infantry, 
 while the left elements, the Fifth and Sixth Ma- 
 rines, were to be relieved by the 142d Infantry. 
 Both the regular army brigades had been organ- 
 ized into provisional battalions. Two of these pro- 
 visional organizations held the firsi line, two others 
 were placed in the support positions while the re- 
 serve line was held by a third pair. 
 
 Before the actual relief was begun each regi- 
 mental commander designated the distribution of 
 his troops as follows: In the 141st Infantry the 
 First Battalion was ordered into the forward posi- 
 tion, the Second Battalion into the support posi- 
 tion and the Third Battalion into the reserve line. 
 In the 142d Infantry the Second Battalion was 
 placed in front, the First Battalion in support and 
 the Third Battalion in reserve. Companies of the 
 
84 The Story of the 36th 
 
 132d Machine Gun Battalion were given to each 
 regiment. The 141st Infantry was to establish 
 headquarters in the command post of the Ninth 
 Infantry, while the 142d Infantry was to take over 
 the headquarters of the Sixth Marines. Two days 
 rations, water and ammunition were to be supplied 
 the relieving troops at the dumps, in Somme-Py. 
 The ammunition was distributed as were the ra- 
 tions but on account of the constant shelling by the 
 enemy's guns little water was obtained. Also 
 the blanket rolls of the men were dumped at this 
 point, nothing being carried to the front lines other 
 than the lightest equipment. 
 
 When the guides from the Second Division 
 arrived at Somme-Py in the afternoon the shelling 
 in the town was so heavy that they immediately 
 took shelter and did not make their appearance 
 until about 8 o'clock. All of these guides had been 
 brought back to Somme-Py in trucks and were 
 not as familiar with the roads as was necessary. 
 In addition to this handicap, some of them were 
 not found in time to guide the relieving elements. 
 Others who were to report to the 142d Infantry 
 reported to the 141st Infantry instead, and vice 
 versa. Resulting from this most of the elements 
 of both regiments were led astray. Before some 
 of them had been gone from the village an hour 
 they were completely lost. The guides and troops 
 then retraced their steps to Somme-Py and began 
 all over again. Some of the elements repeated this 
 performance a third time before they finally emerg- 
 ed on the right road. 
 
 The beginning of the movement out of Somme- 
 Py was marked by a heavy increase in the number 
 
To the Front 85 
 
 of shells being hurled at the village by the long 
 range enemy guns. When they arrived south of 
 the village earlier in the day the troops came un- 
 der fire from the enemy for the first time. With 
 nothing less than awe the men had watched the 
 bursting of the gigantic missiles loosed from the 
 enemy artillery. With widened eyes they watched 
 furtively for the flash and smoke accompanying 
 the bursting of each shell, sometimes as far as a 
 mile away, sometimes near at hand. Each burst 
 shook the ground for a great distance in every 
 direction and each made a hole in the earth that 
 would have harbored a small delivery wagon or 
 a half-platoon of men. But all of the shells did 
 not burst. Now and then the senses of the soldiers 
 would be drawn taut at the screaming approach 
 of one of the great missiles, but instead of the crash 
 of the explosion with its blinding flash and deafen- 
 ing roar, there would be only the thud of steel 
 against mud. These invariably elicited the expres- 
 sion : "Another friend of the United States in the 
 German munition factories." 
 
 This shelling was directed for the most part on 
 the roads and as it increased in the early evening 
 the wandering troops frequently found it neces- 
 sary to break up into detachments and hug the 
 places of shelter to avoid casualties. This could 
 not but result in confusion. Some of the troops 
 became separated from their commands in this 
 manner and only were located and directed prop- 
 erly after hours of effort. By this time it had been 
 discovered at headquarters that something had 
 gone wrong. Staff officers were sent hurriedly 
 out on all roads regardless of shell craters over 
 
86 The Story of the 36th 
 
 which their motorcycles were operated. The con- 
 fusion gradually was overcome and all units headed 
 in the proper direction. 
 
 No one can describe properly the misery of 
 this march. Few thought of making complaint. If 
 a man chose to swear it was done under his breath. 
 All realized that the hardship was a matter of ne- 
 cessity and all demonstrated a training discipline 
 that would have been a credit to any troops. They 
 stuck to the task and "carried on" as long as 
 strength lasted. A few did fall out. In each in- 
 stance the man would stagger onward until the 
 help of his comrades on either side and the deter- 
 mination to stick it out would avail no longer. But 
 these were few. They had been tired with the 
 march of the morning and because of the excite- 
 ment of being under fire, the necessity of securing 
 rations and ammunition and of disposing of their 
 packs, not many had obtained any sleep during 
 the afternoon. There had been no straggling dur- 
 ing the day and there was none in the night. Men 
 and officers who fell by the side of the road were 
 evacuated to the hospitals but pride kept the oth- 
 ers going. Many a man would have given up in 
 the early hours of the night had they been in any 
 other place. But going into battle, each gritted 
 his teeth a little harder, and although the straps 
 of even the light combat packs numbed his shoul- 
 ders, although the rub of a stiif boot heel was like 
 the scorch of a branding iron, although his knees 
 wobbled a bit under his weight, continued to strug- 
 gle on through the darkness, laughing at the futile 
 blasts of exploding shells, which shook the earth 
 and rumbled their detonations of intended death. 
 
To the Front 87 
 
 Now and then one of these would make a direct 
 hit on this or that roadway and one of them took 
 away two men of the 142d Infantry. These were 
 the only casualties. Although warm enough for 
 comfort while marching, each halt left the ranks 
 shivering from the night air. Midnight came but 
 brought little rest. At stated intervals the col- 
 umns would be allowed to take a breath. At these 
 times men dropped in their tracks from sheer ex- 
 haustion but when the time came for them to move 
 forward again, somehow they managed to get to 
 their feet. As measured by the standards of the 
 American soldier, it always has been a stain on a 
 man's reputation to fall out on a march. Even in 
 times of peace and training periods it had not 
 been approved in the Thirty-sixth and now that 
 they were going forward in the face of possible 
 death it was not to be thought of. Rather than 
 fall out it were better to die ! 
 
 It seemed that dawn would never come. But 
 few kept track of time. The night was divided 
 into periods of marching and stops. Toward morn- 
 ing the men were so exhausted that the officers 
 leading the columns dared not march for periods 
 longer than thirty minutes. But ar last the gray of 
 dawn came and with it the blessed announcement 
 that just ahead where the pine trees were dripping 
 with the weight of fine rain the troops dug in by 
 the side of the Second Division men they had come 
 to relieve. In the shallow holes they excavated 
 to secure shelter from the constant fire of the 
 enemy artillery, they made themselves as com- 
 fortable as possible. With gravel for a bed and 
 their equipment for a pillow most of them fell 
 
88 The Story of the 36th 
 
 into fitful slumber, too weary to know or care 
 how close the shells were falling. The last of the 
 infantry line companies settled into position about 
 7 o'clock in the morning, but elements of the 132d 
 Machine Gun Battalion did not arrive in position 
 until noon. Headquarters company of the 142d 
 Infantry did not get into position until night, it 
 having been returned to Somme-Py after having 
 been lost hopelessly. 
 
 In the meantime the adjutant of the Seventy- 
 first Brigade had received three copies of a map 
 showing the distribution of the troops in the sector 
 and the relative positions of the enemy. But he 
 failed to deliver these maps to the regimental com- 
 manders until the afternoon of October 7, too late 
 to serve their full purpose. This and the fact that 
 many of the troops did not get into position in the 
 line until the night of the seventh were regarded 
 as two of the main contributing factors in the 
 losses that followed. But of these things the men 
 in the fox holes knew nothing. Scarcely conscious 
 of their surroundings they lay in waiting through- 
 out the day in the drizzle that made their shelters 
 all the more comfortable. Patiently they rested 
 in their holes ready for the time when they would 
 go forward to the attack. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 ST. ETIENNE. 
 
 The northern slopes of Blanc Mont are covered 
 with growths of pine and underbrush which thin 
 out as the village of St. Etienne and the Arnes 
 are approached. Beyond the edge of these trees 
 and underbrush the country is open and for any- 
 one to venture out of the cover was to draw fire 
 immediately in the day time. At night the roads 
 and trails, all of which had been accurately plot- 
 ted by the Germans during the years they had oc- 
 cupied the ground, were harassed by macnine gun 
 fire as well as artillery fire. When the troops of 
 the Second Division had pressed on after they cap- 
 lured Blanc Mont, some of their elements had been 
 able, by means of depressions in the ground to gain 
 positions in advance of the points where the trees 
 ended and the open ground began. But these po- 
 sitions could not be consolidated and resulted in 
 large gaps in the front line, through which it was 
 possible for the enemy to filter his troops under 
 cover of darkness as well as during the morning 
 fogs which were frequent. In this way the badly 
 disorganized units of the assaulting forces were 
 constantly threatened with being cut off from 
 the rear and captured. There were not enough 
 troops to continue the advance farther and it was 
 impossible to consolidate the lines because the ex- 
 isting gaps were directly under fire from the 
 enemy's carefully selected positions. The plight 
 of the Second Division units was serious when the 
 
 [89] 
 
90 The Story of the 36th 
 
 relieving troops of the Seventy-first Brigade ar- 
 rived and it was soon explained why the men of 
 the Thirty-sixth had been obliged to endure such 
 hardship in order to avoid the possibility of having 
 to abandon the ground that had been gained at 
 such heavy cost. Everywhere through the trees 
 were to be found the bodies of the German and 
 American dead, testifying to the slaughter. 
 
 Opposing the Americans in this sector were 
 three divisions of the enemy, the Seventeenth, the 
 195th and the 213th. These divisions were made up 
 of the Eighth Jager regiment, the 149th Infantry reg- 
 iment, the Eighteenth Pioneer Battalion, the 368th 
 Infantry, the Seventy-fourth Reserve regiment, the 
 Seventy-eighth Infantry, the Ninetieth Infantry, 
 and the Eighty-ninth Infantry. Their strength never 
 was accurately determined by the intelligence sec- 
 tion but it was assured that they were much be- 
 low their normal battle strength. Also their morale 
 had been affected to a certain extent by the re- 
 verses the German armies had been meeting along 
 all fronts since the early part of the summer. At 
 least this was true in some of the regiments. Oth- 
 ers, however, could not have fought better under 
 any conditions. Also these troops apparently were 
 supplied with sufficient food although this was of 
 a poor quality. Their bread was black and coarse 
 and their meat was inferior. Of munitions the 
 enemy was supplied far beyond what could possi- 
 bly be used. Through his shortage of gasoline 
 it was impossible to move many of his field pieces 
 and everywhere in the area there were huge stacks 
 of ammunition. Added to this the enemy, to a 
 man, knew every foot of the ground. They were 
 
St. Etienne 91 
 
 able to lay their guns, large and fcimall, where they 
 would cause the greatest execution. 
 
 To a naturally defensive position the Ger- 
 mans had added strength by stringing barbed wire 
 from tree to tree in the woods and placing strands 
 of entanglements in the low places where they 
 would serve best agamst troops advancing under 
 any cover that the folds of the earth provided. 
 Each possible opening through these positions was 
 covered by machine guns and snipers, armed large- 
 ly with the far-carrying Luger automatic pistol. 
 These machine gun positions were arranged one in 
 rear of the other so that no sooner would one be 
 captured than another would open fire. With 
 enormous stores of ammunition available and no 
 opportunity to take it away with them in the event 
 they were forced to retire, the German artillery- 
 men apparently were trying to shoot it all at the 
 Allied lines. From the time the Seventy-first 
 Brigade entered the sector it was under a constant 
 bombardment. Shells from German 155s and Aus- 
 trian 88s, the two calibers most commonly used by 
 the Huns, crashed among the trees throughout 
 the day and night, the bombardment being espe- 
 cially violent in the early morning and late after- 
 noon, when it reached the volume of a barrage. 
 
 The day and night of October 7 was in the 
 nature of a day of preparation although little prep- 
 aration was possible. Many of the units did not 
 finally get into position until the night of the 
 seventh or the early morning of the eighth. Lack 
 of transportation made it impossible to bring up 
 warm food to the front lines and the men were 
 forced to eat a part of their reserve rations. 
 
92 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
 Church 111 St. Kti('iiii(\ Nor<' rho Steeple. 
 
St. Etienyie 93 
 
 The water in their canteens was exhausted and there 
 was little opportunity to secure more, because none 
 could be hauled from the wells at Somme-Py except 
 in the one water cart provided for the brigade. But 
 if they could do nothing else the men could bur- 
 row down in their shallow fox-holes and rest in 
 spite of the constant crashing of j-hells in the pine 
 groves about them. Now and then an enemy 
 plane would appear overhead and spray the 
 ground with bullets from machine guns before the 
 Allied planes could come up to interfere. The 
 troops were so well hidden under the thick branch- 
 es of the pines that little damage was done, how- 
 ever. Late in the evening of the seventh all the 
 cooks in the regiments were sent to the rear to 
 prepare a hot meal on some rolling kitchens that 
 had been provided, but in the darkness and the 
 confusion the meal v/as not prepared in time to 
 get to the troops in the support and first lines. 
 
 During the morning of the seventh the trains 
 of the brigade arrived from the area west of 
 Chalons, from whence they had been marching 
 since the day following the departure of the troops 
 in camions. They had reached the camp near 
 Somme-Suippe the afternoon of the sixth, and then 
 had been ordered to the vicinity of Somme-Py by 
 Colonel Bloor, commanding the 142d Infantry. 
 However, the supply of rolling kitchens did not ar- 
 rive and the water cart situation was not relieved. 
 The greatest difficulty had been encountered in the 
 march from Suippes to Somme-Py. The French 
 Military police had insisted that the trains take 
 the same route as the infantry, off the main road, 
 because of the great congestion in traffic, but this 
 
94 The Story of the 36th 
 
 had been found impossible and the commanding 
 officer of the trains, had gone back to the high- 
 way over the protests of the police and managed to 
 get to the lines in time to serve the troops during 
 the engagements that followed. 
 
 In the evening of the seventh, details were 
 sent back from practically all the infantry line 
 companies to secure supplies of hand grenades. 
 These were the light offensive grenades of the 
 French, It was generally understood that there 
 v/as to be an attack the morning of the eighth. 
 This had been expected from the time the troops 
 began to enter the sector but as the day grew 
 into night and no instructions were received by 
 the company and battalion commanders it was 
 thought that the plan had been abandoned. Each 
 company and platoon commander trusted that this 
 was true because up to that time only the smallest 
 amount of information had been obtained of the 
 position. No maps had been distributed to the 
 companies and only the most general idea of the 
 terrain was to be had. It was known that the 
 enemy had particularly commanding positions on 
 the right and left of the sector because during the 
 afternoon of the seventh, messengers attempting to 
 communicate with the Marine outpost on what was 
 known as Hill, or elevation, 140, in the right of 
 the 142d Infantry sector, reported that they could 
 not reach the position because of fire from the 
 enemy machine guns. One runner was killed at- 
 tempting the passage and the others gave up the 
 effort. During the morning of October 7, a patrol 
 of six Germans was captured in the rear of this 
 hill, having been enabled during the darkness and 
 
St. Etienne 95 
 
 fog of the morning to filter in through the gap in 
 front of the village of St. Etienne, At the time 
 of their capture they were trying To return to their 
 lines with the information they had gathered. 
 
 The evening of the seventh regimental com- 
 manders were summoned to the command post of 
 the brigade to receive verbally from General Whit- 
 worth, the following warning order: 
 
 "71st Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 
 7th October, 1918—19:45 O'clock, (7:45 P. M.) 
 
 "Warning Order: 
 
 "1. This brigade will attach upon its front 
 in the direction of Cauroy-Machault, within the 
 lines of the sector now existing. We will be as- 
 sisted in the attack by tanks and supported by the 
 Third and Fourth Brigades, Fourth Machine Gun 
 Battalion and the Artillery of the Second Division. 
 
 "2. We are to take and hold line as indicat- 
 ed on map. The scheme of action will be — posi- 
 tions of regiments unchanged, battalions will ad- 
 vance close behind the barrage with the tanks. A 
 standing barrage will be laid down at a point to 
 be given, which will last one half hour. Battal- 
 ions will pass through the first line battalions dur- 
 ing the standing barrage of one half hour. When 
 the final objective is reached a standing barrage 
 of one hour will be laid, at which time, the third 
 line battalions will pass through to take positions, 
 either to exploit the success or to prepare to hold 
 the objective. 
 
 "3. Tanks assisting in the attack will aid in 
 destroying machine gun nests. As these nests are 
 
96 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
St. Etienne 97 
 
 encountered infantry will delay their attacks to 
 allow the tanks to overcome the machine gun 
 nests. As soon as this is accomplished the attack 
 will continue. 
 
 "4. Outposts beyond our present line will be 
 withdrawn at H hour minus thirty minutes. The 
 rate of advance will be 100 meters in four minutes. 
 
 "5. Carrying parties should be immediately 
 organized and sent to the divisional dump to secure 
 grenades (on the basis of four hand grenades and 
 one rifle grenade per each man) and also obtain 
 the necessary pyrotechnics. 
 
 "6. Plan of Liaison will be that prescribed 
 by the Second Division. 
 
 P. Whitworth, 
 Brigadier General." 
 "Delivered in Person." 
 
 This verbal order from the brigade command- 
 er was the result of orders issued from the head- 
 luarters of the Fourth French Army and the 
 'wenty-first French Army Corps in turn, for an 
 attack which was calculated to not only capture 
 the village of St. Etienne-a-Arnes but Machault, 
 the next village five kilometers to the north. This 
 was for the purpose of hurrying the withdrawal 
 of the enemy from the vicinity of Reims, twenty- 
 five miles to the west. To stay the assaulting 
 troops and enable the German forces to retire in 
 good order from the direction of Reims, it was ex- 
 pected that desperate resistance would be offered. 
 At the time they received the verbal warning 
 order the regimental commanders were given maps 
 
98 The Story of the 36th 
 
 showing their sectors and the objectives that were 
 to be taken. It was after midnight, however, when 
 the regimental commanders reached their posts 
 of command and after 3 o'clock the morning of 
 October 8, when all of the battalion commanders 
 reached these headquarters for their instructions. 
 In the meantime the regimental commanders had 
 been sent copies of the Second Division order direct- 
 ing the attack and accompanying this was a chart 
 indicating where the barrage was to fall and the 
 points where it would be laid for prolonged pe- 
 riods. Before these instructions could be explained 
 to the battalion commanders and these command- 
 ers could return to their posts, it was time for the at- 
 tack to start and they were useless as far as the 
 commanders of the combat units were concerned. 
 During the day of the seventh, repeatedly it 
 had been reported from the French on the left as 
 well as the Marines in the front line positions that 
 they had possession of St. Etienne. Contrary in- 
 formation which came back to the commander of 
 the 142d Infantry, caused that officer to request 
 that a body of Marines be sent to occupy the vil- 
 lage until morning to assure that the assaulting 
 troops would be protected from that location. 
 Sometime during the night of the seventh it was 
 reported to Colonel Bloor that two provisional com- 
 panies of Marines had occupied the town. 
 
 Preparatory to the attack Colonel Bloor had 
 arranged for transportation to bring up the Stokes 
 mortars and 37 Millimeter guns from the point 
 where they had been left near Suippes. These had 
 been distributed in the line and were for service in 
 the attack. Conditions as to information received 
 
St. Etienne 99 
 
 by both assaulting regiments were about the same. 
 The front lines were practically parallel and it 
 took as much time to get the information to one 
 as to the other. Inaugurating its assault the left 
 of the 142d Infantry line would debouch into the 
 open with Companies E, F, G, and H, in the two 
 assaulting waves. The right of these companies 
 were facing a small patch of irregular pines on 
 Hill 140, or what became known later as Barton's 
 Hill. Practically all the front of the 141st In- 
 fantry composed of Companies A, B, C, and D, was 
 facing similar woods, which had to be penetrated 
 before the assaulting troops would debouch into the 
 open for the second phase of the attack, against 
 the heights beyond St. Etienne and the Arnes rivu- 
 let. Those company commanders who had been 
 warned that an attack might begin the morning 
 of October 8, waited in vain for any intimation of 
 it the evening of the seventh. In the cold drizzle 
 that made the atmosphere heavy and depressing 
 and which seemed to accentuate the crash of the 
 bursting shells in the pines, they waited as patient- 
 ly as they could and prepared their commands 
 with what instructions they could give. Several 
 men had been wounded by the shell fire during 
 the afternoon and evening and there was a grow- 
 ing restlessness to be doing something. 
 
 "OVER THE TOP" 
 
 As the first gray of dawn began to appear 
 through the pine tops, runners scurried here and 
 there through the brush to all parts of the line 
 summoning company commanders to the battalion 
 
100 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
St. Etienne 101 
 
 command posts. Practically at the same time the 
 batteries in the rear began to thunder their first 
 barrage. It was time for the troops to be under 
 way. Hurried instructions, all too brief, all too in- 
 definite were flung at company commanders and 
 these hurried back to their commands to state as 
 briefly as possible to their platoon leaders what 
 they had learned at the battalion command post. 
 Before this could be accomplished it was time for 
 the barrage to move on and for the troops to be 
 pressing forward. Before the company command- 
 ers could get back to their commands the shells 
 from the enemy batteries were beginning to fall 
 thick and fast in the trees, a barrage that was in- 
 tended to block off the supporting waves from the 
 front, so that they could not assist in the advance. 
 In the front lines rapidly the word of instruc- 
 tion was passed from captains to lieutenants, and 
 from lieutenants to non-commissioned officers and 
 privates. In the din of the barrage bursting well 
 beyond in the open, words of command were 
 drowned but first one man here and there and then 
 all rose from the places where they had burrowed in 
 the chalky soil and moved steadily forward. Some- 
 what dazed by the newness of it all, uncertain as 
 just what task they had to perform, handicapped by 
 the lack of complete instruction, yet they never 
 faltered. Sure and confident that they could meet 
 and master any foe, unafraid of any death that 
 might await them, gloriously they went forward in 
 a manner that might do credit to the best trained 
 troops in the world. For a few moments they were 
 an organized whole, moving as if in practice ma- 
 neuver. Then they encountered the wire. They 
 
102 'The Story of the 36th 
 
 had not been able to take full advantage of the 
 barrage where this was properly laid. Some were 
 a little late in starting because the word had not 
 reached them. Picking their way through the 
 strands of wire that had been cut here and there 
 they were met by a perfect hail of machine gun 
 and rifle bullets. Trained through the months for 
 just this kind of emergency, promptly they sought 
 cover wherever available on the 'ground and then 
 took up a series of isolated fights for the capture 
 of this or that position from which the enemy had 
 opened fire. 
 
 Ensconced behind trees before the 141st and 
 well camouflaged in positions between the 142d 
 and St. Etienne, in many instances the "boche" 
 machine gunners had not come under the Ameri- 
 can barrage. This had been laid beyond them. 
 The information that told of the occupation of the 
 village had caused the artillery to lay their fire 
 down beyond this. Actually between the first line 
 troops and the village was one of the strongest 
 positions held by the Germans. All the "boche" 
 gunners had to do was to lay their sights and wait 
 for the men of the Thirty-sixth to reach the wire. 
 
 THE ASSAULT OF THE 141st INFANTRY. 
 
 Short and irregular ravines, which were over- 
 grown with scrub pine thickets and some under- 
 brush and which afforded every opportunity for 
 laying machine guns so that the enemy would have 
 every advantage, featured the terrain over which 
 the 141st Infantry was called upon to advance. 
 The front line of this regiment followed generally 
 
St. Etienne 103 
 
 the road from St. Etienne to Orfeuil being slightly 
 north of this road at the left of the regimental 
 sector but dropping away to the southeast until it 
 was considerably south of the road in the center 
 and on the right flank. It was a poorly consoli- 
 dated line, large gaps existing between the posi- 
 tions in front of the road on the left and the posi- 
 tions occupied by the troops in the center. 
 
 To overcome these conditions the troops of 
 the assaulting as well as the supporting battalion 
 had considerable difficulty. Major Edwin G. 
 Hutchings. commanding the First Battalion, in the 
 assault position, assembled his company command- 
 ers a short time after midnight, the morning of 
 October 8, and gave them detailed instructions as 
 to the disposition of their troops in the attack. All 
 companies were represented at this conference with 
 the exception of Company A, whose commander 
 on the extreme right of the sector had not been 
 located by the runners sent to summon him to the 
 battalion command posts. It afterward developed 
 that one of the runners was killed in attempting to 
 carry the message to the company and others lost 
 their way in the darkness. Instructions were given 
 at similar conferences held by Major Hawkins of 
 the Second Battalion and Major Benjamin F. 
 Wright of the Third Battalion, in the support and 
 reserve positions respectively. 
 
 The only thing that the battalion command- 
 ers had not been able to tell their officers was the 
 exact hour at which the barrage would commence 
 and the assault get under way. This word was 
 received shortly after 5 o'clock or only a few min- 
 utes before the firing began, but it was passed 
 
104 The Story of the 36th 
 
 hurriedly to the companies in time for them to get 
 set for the start with but little confusion. Company 
 A was the only exception and the commander of 
 that organization, taking his cue from the move- 
 ment of the other companies, began to advance 
 only a few moments later. A short time before 
 the time for the assault to begin, Company B of 
 the 132d Machine Gun Battalion, formed to ac- 
 company and support the assault echelons of the 
 First Battalion. Company A of the 132d Machine 
 Gun Battalion was assigned for duty to the sup- 
 porting battalion and the regimental machine gun 
 company was with the reserve. 
 
 Hardly had the drumming regularity of the 
 American and French barrage been fairly well 
 launched before the enemy batteries began to re- 
 taliate into the ranks of the regiment formed for 
 the assault, as well as among the ranks of the 
 supporting battalion several hundred yards to the 
 rear. For the first few minutes of the advance 
 the men of the 141st found little difficulty in mak- 
 ing their way forward in the center but no sooner 
 had they appeared across the St Etienne-Orfeuil 
 road than they came under machine gun and rifle 
 fire in such volume that they were staggered and 
 took cover. On the left the units already across 
 the road met instant resistance when they started 
 to advance. The men of Company A also met 
 early resistance on the nght. In spite of the gall- 
 ing fire of the enemy artillery and the deadly 
 accurate firing of the Maxims here and there small 
 groups or individuals worked themselves forward 
 for a short distance and closed with the enemy ma- 
 chine gunners. Th^s was slow work and costly. 
 
St. Etienne 105 
 
 Having advantage of a complete knowledge of 
 the ground as v^^ell as concealment the German 
 snipers and machine gunners manned their guns 
 skilfully. Those machine guns which were cap- 
 tured only opened the way for others to begin 
 firing. In a short space of time all liaison between 
 units of the assaulting companies had been broken 
 up. Many officers had been put out of the fight 
 by wounds and several killed. Platoons broke up 
 into small groups and then became intermingled 
 as the men fought for themselves. 
 
 In order to give strength to the assault Major 
 Hutchings had placed himself at the head of Com- 
 pany C, after sending the company commander 
 with a part of his force to lead the attack else- 
 where. Hardly had he started forward with this 
 company than the battalion headquarters group 
 with the battalion commander leading came within 
 the range of a high explosive shell. Major Hutch- 
 ings was killed instantly, several of his runners 
 were severely wounded and direction of the at- 
 tack was lost completely. Here and there offi- 
 cers with small groups of men working forward, 
 strengthened themselves in their positions and held 
 on. By the most dogged kind of work they dis- 
 lodged the enemy machine guns here and there but 
 failed to drive the gunners from their vantage 
 places farther forward, with the result that the ad- 
 vance was halted. 
 
 Troops of the supporting battalion coming up 
 from the rear only served to make the line denser 
 and increase the number of casualties. These men 
 of the Second Battalion rendered able assistance 
 in dislodging some of the Germans from their po- 
 
106 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
 a 
 
 H 
 
St. Etienne 107 
 
 sitions but they also had been thrown into confus- 
 ion in starting the attack. In the excitement that 
 followed the beginning of the barrage and the 
 rain of enemy shells the battalion commander had 
 lost control of the situation. This was largely 
 through his determination to swap the positions 
 of his two flank companies. The left company had 
 been ordered to take position on the right and the 
 right company to take position on the left. Later 
 the battalion commander left the field and although 
 some of the companies were completely confused 
 they made their way to the line and joined the as- 
 saulting waves. 
 
 The Third Battalion also became identified 
 with the assault battalion before the morning had 
 grown into the afternoon. But the addition of 
 these men to the line failed to continue the ad- 
 vance. Major Wright commanding the reserve bat- 
 talion had been wounded severely, and was evac- 
 uated before he had time to effectively place his 
 battalion in the line. He later died of his wounds. 
 This left the entire regiment without majors to 
 take charge of the various units, which in many 
 instances were under non-commissioned officers. 
 Some of the companies had all of their officers 
 killed or wounded. 
 
 In this emergency Colonel Jackson, command- 
 ing the regiment, went to the line in person and 
 directed the attack as best he could. Apparently 
 the situation could not be improved. The advance 
 had been slight, especially on the left and the 
 slaughter had been terrible. In the trees and un- 
 derbrush it was practically impossible to co-ordi- 
 nate the many separate little groups of men for any 
 
108 The Story of the 36th 
 
 concerted movement. With seasoned troops this 
 condition might have righted itself but with men 
 Who were in the firing line for the first time it was 
 a superhuman task. In some places the assaulting 
 elements retired to their original line and remained 
 there. Others, notably a detachment on the ex- 
 treme left remained in the advanced position it had 
 gained and held its ground despite threatened 
 counter attacks from the enemy in the late after- 
 noon. The automatic riflemen and machine gun- 
 ners laid their weapons in such fashion that the 
 one counter attack which developed was repelled 
 immediately before it could hardly get started. 
 
 Some of the units coming up from the rear 
 had wandered to the left and entered the sector 
 of the 142d Infantry, where a few of the men be- 
 came identified with the ranks of that regiment, 
 but the greater part found their way back to the 
 141st during the afternoon. Toward noon the 
 enemy repeatedly sent his airplanes over the line 
 and obtained observation that enabled his artil- 
 lery to register with deadly effect while there was 
 no apparent effort of the Allied planes to retaliate. 
 In addition to directing the artillery fire the "boche" 
 airmen swooped down over the 141st lines and 
 poured bursts of machine gun fire at the men 
 among the trees. The number of casualties from 
 this was not large but it served materially to halt 
 the efforts to advance the line farther. 
 
 At the close of the day the front line con- 
 tinued to follow in a general way the outline of 
 the St. Etienne-Orfeuil road. Most of the assault- 
 ing elements were north of the road but not suffi- 
 ciently advanced to dislodge the machine gun posi- 
 
St. Etienne 109 
 
 tions of the enemy, which were registering on the 
 troops advancing in the left half of the brigade 
 sector. Two detachments of the regiment had 
 pushed so far in advance of their supporting troops 
 that they were threatened with being cut off but 
 they were not in positions where they could bring 
 their fire to bear on the marching, gunners, who 
 were holding up the attack on the left flank. In 
 the first darkness of the night efforts at reorganiz- 
 ing the line were begun and as many as possible 
 of the positions were consolidated, or connected 
 together. Few efforts were made to re-establish 
 companies as originally organized, but here and 
 there detachments were grouped into provisional 
 organizations and placed under an officer. 
 
 The regiment had suffered heavily among the 
 officers. Besides Majors Hutchings and Wright, 
 five other officers had been killed outright. In the 
 First Battalion, First Lieutenant Graham B. Luhn 
 had fallen while leading a portion of Company D. 
 Other officers of this battalion had been wounded 
 severely and sent to the rear, but this was the only 
 death. 
 
 In the Second Battalion. First Lieutenant Clyde 
 T. Morrison had been brought down while in the 
 very front of the fight. He had advanced with his 
 men well into the woods, giving a splendid example 
 of courage, when he had been mortally wounded. 
 
 The heaviest casualties apparently were in 
 the Third Battalion, the last to get into the assault 
 waves but which suffered the loss of Second Lieu- 
 tenants Aubrey W. Cox and L. C. Alcorn of Com- 
 pany K, Second Lieutenant John C. McKinney of 
 Company L, and Second Lieutenant Joseph M. 
 
110 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
St. Etienne 111 
 
 Burchill of Company M. The death of these offi- 
 cers, each of whom had been a platoon command- 
 er, made reorganization difficult in the extreme. 
 At the beginning of the assault the strength of the 
 regiment had been approximately 2,560 officers 
 and men. Of this number seven officers and 187 
 enlisted men had been killed. Eighteen officers 
 and 348 enlisted men had been wounded. Addi- 
 tional officers and enlisted men had been reported 
 missing in action and gassed sufficient to bring the 
 total casualty list to thirty officers and 607 enlist- 
 ed men. 
 
 In considering the losses that occurred among 
 the officers and men of the Seventy-first Infantry 
 Brigade in its attack on St. Etienne-a-Arnes, it is 
 noted with increasing interest that regiments en- 
 gaging in every major operation participated in by 
 American troops, including the assault at Canti- 
 gny, the terrible fighting in the drive south of Sois- 
 sons in July, 1918, in the St. Mihiel operation and 
 in those desperate struggles that took place in the 
 Argonne between the Meuse and the Aisne rivers, 
 lost only about thirty officers killed and in many 
 of the companies lost less in killed on the battle 
 field than was lost by many of the companies of 
 the Seventy-first Brigade in the three days before 
 St. Etienne. 
 
 THE ATTACK OF THE 142d INFANTRY. 
 
 Conferences and detailed plans for the ad- 
 vance in the sector of the 142d Infantry had been 
 rendered impossible by the delayed arrival of the 
 battalion commanders. These had a much longer 
 
112 The Story of the 36th 
 
 distance to travel from the regimental command 
 post to their own headquarters than had been the 
 case with the 141st Infantry and Colonel Bloor 
 had been delayed in receiving his instructions. In 
 the Second Battalion, selected as the assault Bat- 
 talion and commanded by Major William J. Mor- 
 rissey, the company commanders had been sum- 
 moned to assemble at the battalion command post 
 by means of a telephone message from regimental 
 headquarters. This message had directed that the 
 captains be assembled by the time the battalion 
 commander again reached his dugout. However, 
 Major Morrissey was not able to return over the 
 long distance from the command post of the regi- 
 ment to the front line until approximately 5 :20 
 o'clock, by which time the barrage already had 
 been under way several minutes. The troops had 
 received no word of an expected attack and merely 
 waited in their positions as the friendly barrage 
 developed and the counter barrage from the 
 enemy's batteries began to fall m the areas be- 
 hind them. Similar conditions existed in the First 
 Battalion in the support position, commanded by 
 Captain Charles Kuhlman, as well as in the Third 
 Battalion, under the command of Captain A. M. 
 Greer, and which was in the regimental reserve. 
 In the Third Battalion however the instructions 
 were given a few minutes after the conference at 
 regimental headquarters, the short distance enab- 
 ling Captain Greer to meet his officers immediately 
 and to outline the plan for the assault and explain 
 the mission of his troops. In the First Battalion 
 the officers were summoned to the battalion com- 
 mand post only a minute before the first guns be- 
 
St. Etienne 113 
 
 gan to roar their defiance at the enemy. Gathering 
 there they received a few brief words of instruction, 
 to the effect that the attack was to be launched at 
 5:15 o'clock and to be conducted in a generally 
 northern direction. All were enabled to glance at a 
 map but none had an opportunity to study its de- 
 tails. They were informed that before they could 
 return to their commands it would be time to go 
 and they scurried away without further parley. 
 
 Under the circumstances no troops in the world 
 could have behaved better. As soon as possible 
 Major Morrissey had sent his company commanders 
 back to their companies and these in turn had de- 
 livered their instructions to their subordinates. By 
 this time the barrage had lifted from the posi- 
 tion on which it had been falling for twenty min- 
 utes and rolled on. The most advanced posi- 
 tions of the Germans had been relieved from the 
 crash of the bursting shell. Realizing this the 
 front line company commanders waited for the one- 
 pounder sections and the Stokes mortar platoon to 
 send over a few shells to disconcert the enemy 
 and then, as steadily as if at maneuvers the men 
 rose from their places and began to move forward. 
 By this time the enemy's shells were falling thick 
 and fast in the entire sector. The crash of the 
 larger shells mingling with the sharp crack of the 
 smaller projectiles made a deafening roar. Here 
 and there men were being hit but no one gave heed. 
 
 The assault battalion had been arranged with 
 Companies H and G in the first wave and Com- 
 panies E and F in the second wave. On the right 
 of the sector where the troops jumped off from a 
 position directly on top of Hill 140 they came un- 
 
114 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
St. Etienne 11& 
 
 der fire from the enemy machine guns in a strong 
 position among the trees on the northern slope of 
 the hill before they had advanced fifty paces. To 
 add to their discomfort they also were caught by 
 flank fire from the right. Taking advantage of 
 the cover afi'orded by a sunken load they rushed 
 forvv^ard in groups, that ran and fell and rose to 
 advance again, until the men w^ere flanking the po- 
 sition on two sides. In this part of the assault the 
 captain of the leading company was among the first 
 to fall, being hit by two machine gun bullets a 
 short distance in front of the jumping-off position. 
 Other officers, among them Captain David T. Han- 
 son, Medical Corps, and First Lieutenant Richard 
 Harrison, Company F, were killed in the first few 
 minutes after the attack started. Captain Hanson, 
 wearing the red cross insignia of his service was 
 killed instantly while seeking to take care of some 
 wounded men. He had gone with the very first 
 elements of the assault far in advance of the posi- 
 tion required of him. Lieutenant Harrison was 
 killed immediately after his company had become 
 merged with the leading company. The latter had 
 been held up by a machine gun nest on the north- 
 ern slope of Hill 140. These as well as other offi- 
 cers had been brought down before they had a 
 fair chance to estimate the full situation and give 
 directions. Company F, in the second wave soon 
 became intermingled with the ranks of Company 
 H in the first wave and the command was assumed 
 by Captain Willis L. Pearce, in command of the 
 second company. 
 
 In the left of the sector. Company G in the 
 first wave and Company E in the second wave, had 
 
116 The Story of the 36th 
 
 encountered heavy belts of wire as they advanced 
 against the village of St. Etienne, from vv^hich no 
 resistance had been expected. Up to the time they 
 reached the wire they met little resistance but in 
 climbing ov6r the low strands of entanglements 
 and working their way through the openings here 
 and there, these men literally were mowed down 
 by fire from three enemy strong points, one in the 
 cemetery to the east ^of the village, one in a de- 
 pression directly between the advancing troops 
 and the town, and one in a camouflaged position 
 in the open ground to the southeast of St. Etienne. 
 These positions were undisturbed by the fire of the 
 barrage which had been placed beyond them. Here 
 the assault was completely checked. Members of 
 these companies naturally worked to the east in the 
 vicinity of Hill 140, in their efforts to advance, 
 and some obtained positions of vantage behind hil- 
 locks and the trunks of trees near the sunken road 
 leading from the hill toward the town. 
 
 This was the situation when the companies 
 of the First Battalion coming up in support behind 
 overtook the assault and gave it impetus. In this 
 battalion. Companies A and B were in the first 
 wave and Companies C and D in the second wave. 
 Starting from their positions it had been neces- 
 sary for them to pass in squad columns, or single 
 file, through the trees down the northern slope of 
 Blanc Mont and through the barrage placed by the 
 enemy's batteries to cut off the supporting troops 
 from the fight. Advancing several hundred yards 
 in this manner before they reached the jumping- 
 off position, the men of this battalion suffered heavy 
 casualties from shell fire and lost their command- 
 
St. Etie7ine 117 
 
 ing officer, Captain Kuhlman. The burst of a shell 
 wounded half of the battalion headquarters group, 
 including several runners. In this advance the men 
 of Company D failed to follow the wake of Com- 
 pany B and wandered into the French sector to the 
 left, where they remained through the balance of 
 the day. Captain Kuhlman had been so severely 
 wounded that it was feared for a time that he 
 would not recover and his loss did not become 
 known to his company commanders until the middle 
 of the afternoon. In spite of this however the 
 companies continued to function properly. The 
 volume of the enemy's fire had increased as the 
 supporting troops were seen to emerge from the 
 woods and, as they debouched still farther into the 
 open, the high explosive shells were mixed with 
 gas. Resulting from this were many gas casual- 
 ties later in the day, the men continuing to ad- 
 vance at the time, not realizing the extent of the 
 poison in their lungs and throats. 
 
 Continuing the advance beyond the jumping- 
 off position Company A struck the line of resist- 
 ance just to the north of Hill 140, where the at- 
 tack of Companies H and F had been held up, while 
 Company B encountered the same wire that had ob- 
 structed the path of Companies E and G. Com- 
 pany C followed in the wake of Company A. In 
 these companies grenades had been distributed 
 prior to the beginning of the assault As soon as 
 the right companies had arrived before the ma- 
 chine gun nest held by the Germans on the north- 
 ern side of the hill, a detachment of these grenade 
 men worked their way to positions of vantage as 
 did a group of automatic riflemen, and a deadly 
 
118 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
 o 
 
St. Etienne 119 
 
 concentration of fire was poured into the position. 
 These efforts, combined with those of the other 
 two companies, that already had flanked the posi- 
 tion on two sides, soon brought about the reduc- 
 tion of the stronghold. 
 
 Out of their dugouts and fi om behind the 
 rocks and scrub trees where they had sought refuge, 
 more than 100 Germans with their hands above 
 their heads, crept whimpering toward their cap- 
 tors. Some cried the well-known surrender cry of 
 "kamerad" while others apparently could make 
 no other sound than that similar to the whine of a 
 whipped cur. Officers and men stood ready with 
 pistols and bayonets to cut short the slightest move 
 toward treachery. The prisoners were herded to 
 the rear and placed in the hands of the Marines, 
 who were holding their positions until the success 
 of the advance could be assured. With the machine 
 gun nest overcome the troops pushed on toward 
 the Arnes to the east of the village. 
 
 On the left the men of Company B had en- 
 countered fire equally as severe as that which had 
 greeted the first two companies. Unmindful of 
 this, however, they had continued to work their 
 way forward in the depressions of the ground. Cap- 
 tain Wilmot Whitney, commanding the company, 
 was wounded but continued to advance with his 
 men. First Lieutenant Arthur J. Matheny, second 
 in command was killed instantly just after he had 
 crossed the last belt of wire. A short time later 
 Second Lieutenant Thomas F. Collins was killed by 
 the burst of a shell and before long every officer 
 in the company had been sent to the rear with 
 wounds. Assisted by the men of Company B the 
 
120 The Story of the 36th 
 
 other two companies continued to press the at- 
 tack and in a short time also were helped by the 
 troops of the Third Battalion, who had come for- 
 ward to join in the assault instead of waiting in the 
 reserve. The combined efforts of these forces and 
 the fact that the position on the right had been 
 overcome soon brought about the reduction of the 
 strong points south and southeast of the village. 
 Here more than 100 prisoners also were captured, 
 also many machine guns and automatic pistols. But 
 the cost had been heavy. More than thirty men in 
 Company B had been killed and more than fifty 
 wounded. Other companies had suffered almost 
 as severely but they continued to press forward. 
 
 The fighting around these two positions last- 
 ed more than two hours and at the end only a few 
 elements of the three battalions had been held out 
 of the attack as supporting troops. Practically the 
 entire Third Battalion was in the line as well as 
 the First Battalion. These combined forces swept 
 onward toward the Arnes and the outskirts of the 
 village. In the latter phases of the attack against 
 the positions southeast of the town, able assistance 
 had been rendered by Companies C and D of the 
 132d Machine Gun Battalion. These had been 
 assigned respectively to the assault and support 
 battalions. These had placed their guns in posi- 
 tion on the hill and had poured a volume of fire 
 upon the enemy positions that rendered them un- 
 tenable. As the advance then continued across 
 the undulating ground to the east of St. Etienne 
 and the troops came under the heavy fire from the 
 position in the cemetery, the machine gunners again 
 rendered able service by increasing their range 
 
St. Etienne 121 
 
 and pouring a steady stream of bullets into the Hun 
 defenses. In this and the subsequent defensive 
 work the machine gun company of the 142d In- 
 fantry also played a conspicuous part. 
 
 All of this time the long range fire of the 
 German machine guns on the slopes to the north 
 of the village had been steady. Time after time 
 these would sweep the little plain but without ap- 
 parently affecting the onward rush of the assault- 
 ing troops. A machine gun placed in the steeple 
 of the church in St. Etienne, was causing consider- 
 able damage in the ranks of the advancing bat- 
 talions until a well-placed shot from one of the 
 37 millimeter rifles caused the German machine 
 gunner to tumble from his perch. This machine 
 gun had been able to cover the entire area of open 
 ground over which the support and reserve bat- 
 talions had been compelled to advance after leav- 
 ing the woods in the earlier phase of the attack. 
 
 With this gun out of action and the positions 
 in the cemetery under the direct fire of the Ameri- 
 can machine guns, the infantrymen closed in on 
 the Germans in the graveyard. Part of the assault- 
 ing troops made their way through the edge of the 
 village and took the Germans in the flank while 
 others rushed the cemetery from the front. Here 
 the struggle assumed hand-to-hand proportions be- 
 fore the cry of "kamerad" again sounded and ad- 
 ditional prisoners were sent to the rear. As these 
 prisoners passed over the plain to the east of the 
 village the German artillery as well as the long 
 range machine guns on the slopes to the north of 
 the little stream and the village began, to register 
 among the prisoners, causing heavy casualties and 
 
122 
 
 The Storji of the 36th 
 
St. Etienne 123 
 
 many deaths. Some of the prisoners were bearing 
 wounded to the rear when they were killed by 
 the bursts of Austrian 88s, German 77s and 155s. 
 
 As they advanced across the open ground to 
 the right of the cemetery, the attacking troops 
 once more came under heavy barrage fire from the 
 enemy artillery. In moving forward from the cap- 
 tured position on Hill 140, Captain Willis Pearce, 
 who had been in command of the two companies 
 around the first position, was killed. Here and 
 there along the banks of the Arnes the men dug in 
 and strengthened their position as best they could. 
 Automatic rifles were placed where they could best 
 be brought to bear on the enemy and patrols were 
 pushed out across the creek to locate the positions 
 of the Germans on the slopes ahead. These pa- 
 trols drew such heavy fire that they contented 
 themselves with digging in along the Arnes and 
 waiting for the better organization of the lines. 
 While actively engaged in this reorganization, Cap- 
 tain Carter C. Hanner, commanding Company E, 
 and who had been in the front of the battle since 
 the early morning, was fatally wounded by machine 
 gun fire. He was carried into an abandoned Ger- 
 man dugout and given first aid treatment but ex- 
 pired within a short time. 
 
 In the fighting before the village when the 
 Third Battalion became merged with the assault- 
 ing echelons, two other officers had been listed 
 among the killed. The first of these, First Lieu- 
 tenant Alfred N. Carrigan jr., was killed instant- 
 ly while leading his company toward a position 
 where it could take the position in a flank move- 
 ment. A short time later Second Lieutenant George 
 
124 The Story of the 36th 
 
 Goebel of Company M, was killed by a bursting 
 shell. This completed a toll of eight officers killed 
 before the middle of the afternoon, Companies B 
 and H having no officers remaining to command 
 those organizations. 
 
 The advance to the little creek had been ac- 
 complished by the early afternoon. From the time 
 the troops reached the stream they were under an 
 intense bombardment by the enemy. The water 
 supply was getting low and the ammunition be- 
 coming scarce. The wounded occupied the atten- 
 tion of those able to dress their wounds and place 
 them in positions where they would be sheltered 
 from the fire as much as possible. Everyone was 
 too busy to establish liaison to the right where the 
 141st Infantry had been expected to advance and 
 nothing was known of those troops. The combat 
 liaison platoon of the regiment had become lost in 
 the attack and had joined the ranks of those in the 
 assaulting waves. In the late afternoon the 
 enemy's fire reached the proportions of a barrage 
 and, from the sector where it was expected the 
 141st would be on the right, the Germans appeared 
 in assault formation. It was a counter-attack 
 against the right flank and came with an unexpect- 
 edness that would have staggered the most veteran 
 troops. Here and there men turned to the rear, 
 but others dropped coolly into shell holes and be- 
 gan firing their rifles and automatic rifles. Grad- 
 ually the line swept back toward Hill 140 while 
 the left remained stationary at the village. In the 
 gathering dusk some of the most advanced posi- 
 tions held by individuals here and there fell into 
 the enemy's hands but the greater part of the 
 
St. Etienne 125 
 
 ground gained in the morning remained in Ameri- 
 can hands. 
 
 Men cut off in the counter attack had many 
 interesting things to relate about their experiences 
 in the enemy's prison camps as well as the manner 
 in which they were captured. One of these, Pri- 
 vate John H. Martin, Company A, 142d Infantry, 
 had been surrounded as he lay in a shell hole fir- 
 ing his rifle. His ammunition gone there was 
 nothing to do but surrender. In telling of his ex- 
 periences he said : 
 
 "I had seen one of our fellows take fifty dutch- 
 men to the rear and I thought maybe one 'kraut' 
 might try to take me back toward Germany with 
 him. I knew if that happened he would just be 
 out of luck with all the trees scattered around. 
 But there wasn't a chance. Another prisoner out 
 of Company I was put with me and four Heinies 
 started out with us. Two were in front and two 
 behind and they had their guns pointed at us every 
 minute. 
 
 "After we started to go back the American 
 artillery began to put over a barrage and I am 
 here to state that the German barrage is bad but 
 it isn't anything compared to the ones we put over. 
 I just about had it figured out that we weren't 
 going to get through alive. The two dutchmen in 
 front took out and the two behind began to prod 
 us with their bayonets and tell us to run, but there 
 wasn't anything stirrin' and I told one of them if 
 he wanted to run to take out and I would manage 
 to get along all right." 
 
 Private Joseph Krepps of Company A, was an- 
 other of the men who held their ground until they 
 
126 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
 Grave of Commander of IStli Infantry Division 
 Boche Forces, St. Etienne. 
 
St. Etienne 127 
 
 were cut off by the German counter attack. But it 
 was not until 2 o'clock in the morning that he final- 
 ly was captured. Time after time he evaded the 
 enemy behind the German lines only to come in 
 contact with a whole company about 2 o'clock 
 and fall into their hands before he realized his 
 position. 
 
 Among these men who were cut off and cap- 
 tured was Sergeant Norman Duff, who probably 
 had the most interesting experiences of all the 
 men taken in the counter attack. 
 
 "I didn't feel so bad about it when I finally 
 got back to the German rear and found about 
 twenty marines back there," he declared, "but 
 when they got me that afternoon I never felt so 
 foolish in all my life. 
 
 "I had ducked into a Dutch dugout to escape 
 ihe shell fire in the barrage preceding the counter 
 attack and when I started out they were pumping 
 machine gun bullets against the entrance so fast 
 I thought to myself that I was hardly fast enough 
 on my feet to dodge all of them. Finally these let 
 up and out I popped but no sooner than the bul- 
 lets again began to scratch around for my feet and 
 I landed in a shell hole. By that time it was get- 
 ting dark and I figured I'd just lie there until a 
 little later and then make my way back to the 
 company. 
 
 "Well, about that time I heard several men 
 coming from the direction of our lines and at first 
 I wasn't just sure who they might be. Then I 
 heard their voices and I knew they were neither 
 Americans nor Frogs. So I just lay low in that 
 hole and waited for them to pass. They passed 
 
128 The Story of the 36th 
 
 all right but I guess I was too impatient. I thought 
 they had gone but when I put up my head to take 
 a look I was staring straight at a kraut who ex- 
 claimed, 'Ah, Amerikanner!' I didn't say any- 
 thing because I was too full of thinking what a 
 nut I'd been to look up or move at all. They were 
 too many for me and there wasn't anything to it 
 but to lay down my rifle like he told me and play 
 the obedient. 
 
 "They took me back to the man who was act- 
 ing as an intelligence officer and his first question 
 after he learned my name surprised me some. 'Are 
 you out of the One Hundred Forty-second or One 
 Hundred Forty-first Infantry?' he says. I didn't 
 see any use in telling a lie there so I told him the 
 truth. But when he asked his next question I had 
 some fun. 
 
 " 'What formation are you using in attack?' 
 he says. 
 
 "I didn't exactly know the correct answer to 
 that one myself but I said : 'We are not using 
 much of any certain formation in this attack but 
 there are four other divisions behind ours getting 
 ready to come through here behind our brigade 
 and they are due most any minute.' As far as I 
 knew that was true and he didn't seem to know 
 any better himself. 
 
 "The next day they took us through the town 
 of Attigny where we saw a lot of Russian prisoners 
 at work digging under the bridge which they tell 
 me was blown up later so our fellows could not 
 chase the Dutch across the river. 
 
 "All of the huns I talked to told me that if 
 we would just be patient a little while they would 
 
St. Etienne 129 
 
 be hiking out of France and leave it to us. That 
 seemed to them to be a much better plan than 
 fighting for it and causing so many men to get 
 killed. 
 
 "They were trying to move everything toward 
 the rear as we went back. There were hardly any 
 horses to be seen and instead they had Jerry sol- 
 diers hitched to wagons. They did not try to make 
 us haul any of these and they v.ould have been 
 out of luck if they had made the effort. One of 
 the Jerries who had been shot through the ankle 
 tried to keep his hand on my shoulder to help 
 himself along but I couldn't see that at all so he 
 remarked that I was no good. 
 
 "We were taken to Rastatt, in the 'Black For- 
 est of Baden,' where all of the American pris- 
 oners were kept and remained there until after the 
 armistice was signed. After we got there we were 
 given food sent through by the American Red 
 Cross and finally this organization took us back to 
 France through Switzerland." 
 
 In the village the troops had placed them- 
 selves in strong positions. A detachment of Ma- 
 rines had assisted in establishing a line in front of 
 the village and a detachment of Second Engineers 
 and Marine machine gunners had been placed 
 in the cemetery to assist in holding the line in the 
 event of further counter-attacks. Patrols be- 
 yond the village to the north soon discovered the 
 enemy in a strongly fortified system of trenches 
 behind barbed wire entanglements. This system was 
 not large but was complete and would offer strong 
 resistance. 
 
130 The Story of the 36th 
 
 In the beginning of the attack tanks had been 
 employed to assist in breaking up the enemy ma- 
 chine gun positions but due to the fact that the 
 assault was late in starting and the small knowl- 
 edge the infantrymen had of tank tactics these 
 were of little value. Although the tanks advanced 
 over the ground in the vicinity of the German po- 
 sitions between the assaulting troops and the vil- 
 lage, they apparently either had not discovered 
 these positions or were unable to dislodge them. 
 Neither were they able to operate against the ma- 
 chine gun nest on the northern slope of Hill 140, 
 where the terrain was unfavorable to tanks. 
 
 As the afternoon faded shovels were plied 
 vigorously by both officers and men in an effort 
 to make their positions strong enough to be de- 
 fended successfully in the event of another counter 
 attack in the morning. There was no opportunity 
 to count the dead and wounded. Here and there 
 an officer had gathered a detachment of men from 
 all companies in the regiment about him and or- 
 ganized them as best he could. 
 
 Two of the most conspicuous acts of gallantry 
 in the entire war were performed on the slopes of 
 Hill 140 during the early part of the morning 
 and brought the Congressional Medal of Honor to 
 the two enlisted men responsible for their accom- 
 plishment. These were Corporal Harold L. Turn- 
 er, Company F, 142d Infantry, and Sergeant Sam 
 uel H. Sampler, Company H, 142d Infantry. Both 
 of these men came from the same locality in Okla- 
 homa, Corporal Turner living at Seminole and' 
 Sergeant Sampler at Mangum. In all its wars the 
 United States has presented but few Medals of 
 
St. Etienne 131 
 
 Honor, the decoration being more difficult to at- 
 tain than any ribbon given for distinguished ser- 
 vice in action by any nation. 
 
 After his platoon had started the attack, 
 Corporal Turner assisted in organizing a platoon, 
 consisting of the battalion scouts, runners and a 
 detachment of signal corps. As second in com- 
 mand of this platoon he fearlessly led them for- 
 ward through heavy enemy fire, continually en- 
 couraging the men. Later he encountered deadly 
 machine gun fire which reduced the strength of his 
 command to but four men, and these were obliged 
 to take shelter. The enemy machine gun emplace- 
 ments, twenty-five yards distant, kept up a con- 
 tinual fire from four machine guns. After the fire 
 had shifted momentarily. Corporal Turner rushed 
 forward with fixed bayonet, and charged the posi- 
 tion alone, capturing the strongpoint, with a com- 
 plement of fifty Germans and four machine guns. 
 His remarkable display of courage and fearless- 
 ness was instrumental in destroying the strong 
 point, the fire from which had blocked the ad- 
 vance of his company. 
 
 His company having suffered severe casual- 
 ties during an advance under machine gun fire, and 
 finally stopped. Sergeant Sampler, then a corporal, 
 detected the position of the enemy machine guns 
 on an elevation. Armed with German hand gren- 
 ades which he had picked up, he left the line and 
 rushed forward in the face of heavy fire, until he 
 neared the hostile nest, where he grenaded the po- 
 sition. His third grenade landed among the enemy 
 killing two, silencing the machine guns, and caus- 
 ing the surrender of twenty-eight Germans, whom 
 
132 The Story of the 36th 
 
 he sent to the rear as prisoners. As a result of his 
 act the company was immediately enabled to re- 
 sume the advance. 
 
 Throughout the day the greatest confusion had 
 existed at the command posts of the regiments 
 and the brigade due to the lack of information re- 
 garding the progress of the attack. At first the 
 information was highly favorable, both regiments 
 reporting that they had reached their intermediate 
 objectives. It already has been explained how 
 this was in error. The maps provided were of such 
 character that it was extremely difficult for the of- 
 ficers to ascertain exactly where they were and in 
 their messages to their superiors they gave wrong 
 locations. 
 
 Following the determined resistance met by 
 the 141st Infantry and the complete halt of its 
 attack, alarming reports were sent to the brigade 
 commander by officers of the Second Division. 
 These messages explained that the casualties had 
 been extremely heavy, that ammunition was low 
 and that the assaulting units were engaged on 
 three sides. It soon became evident that all three 
 lines of the attacking troops had become merged 
 into one. This left the back areas without any 
 steadying forces in the event it became necessary 
 to retire before an enemy counter attack and to 
 overcome this situation the commanding general 
 of the Second Division placed two battalions of 
 the Second Engineers at the disposal of General 
 Whitworth, one to be placed in each regimental 
 sector. 
 
 Learning of the conditions in the area of the 
 141st Infantry General Whitworth directed Colonel 
 
St. Etienne 133- 
 
 Jackson to go to the front line in person and see 
 to its reorganization. At the same time various 
 steps were taken to ascertain the correct positions 
 occupied by the troops as the messages were so 
 conflicting in regard to these. According to the 
 information sent from the rear the right of the 141st 
 Infantry at the close of the day was almost a mile 
 in front of the 142d Infantry right, and the left of 
 the 141st Infantry was several hundred yards in 
 front of the 142d Infantry center. In reality the left 
 of the 142d Infantry was north of the village of St. 
 Etienne while the center and right dropped back 
 rapidly from the cemetery to the east of the town 
 to positions about 500 yards in front of the point 
 where the right of the regiment had jumped off 
 during the morning. From this point the line of 
 the 141st Infantry continued east and southeast 
 along the St. Etienne-Orfeuil road, or in rear rath- 
 er than in front of the 142d Infantry line. 
 
 Due to this mass of misinformation repeated 
 calls for the artillery to register on the machine 
 gun positions of the enemy in front of the 141st 
 Infantry, remained unanswered. At the close of 
 the day when this situation had been gone over, 
 the brigade commander directed that personal re- 
 connaissance of the front line of both regiments be 
 made by Lieutenant Colonel Phillipson of the 142d 
 Infantry. The intelligence section was called upon 
 to get information from every part of the line and 
 ascertain conditions as to the location of the enemy. 
 The confusion, the night and the great loss among 
 the officers made the accomplishment of these 
 tasks almost impossible. The information gained 
 was so slight that even next morning there was. 
 
134 The Story of the 36th 
 
 hesitation about using the artillery on the ground 
 in front of the 141st, from which the most damag- 
 ing machine gun fire was being directed against 
 the troops who had advanced on the left. 
 
 Throughout the day there had been no time 
 to consider fatigue. The excitement, the constant 
 effort to advance under cover, the rapidly chang- 
 ing conditions and the realization that vigilance 
 was the price of life, kept the men on edge until 
 there was no thought of food. In the heat of the 
 day, when they had become hot from physical ac- 
 tion, the want of water was felt but the supply 
 had been ample to last through most of this. With 
 the coming of night and the blessed opportunity to 
 rest there also came reaction and the gnawing 
 hunger of men who had not tasted food since the 
 early morning. Cans of corn beef, "corn willie," 
 were opened, here and there some of the men had 
 supplies of hard bread, "hard tack" which they 
 shared with their fellows. Wounded men came in 
 for their full portion and most of these had been 
 sent to the rear earlier in the day. Those who 
 had no meat secured the packs from the dead who 
 lay about on the ground. But the want of water 
 was most imperative. The salt in the meat made 
 the pangs of thirst almost unendurable. The line 
 was too thinly held to send details to the rear for 
 water, however. The nearest supply was known 
 to be more than a mile to the rear. Messages sent 
 to the rear by the wounded to have water brought 
 up by details failed to bring results. Finally a 
 carrying party from the line was organized to go 
 to the rear under the direction of an officer. Slowly 
 the hours dragged by and then just before the 
 
St. Etienne 135 
 
 dawn the party returned, staggering under the 
 weight of cases of tomatoes. No water was to be 
 had at the rear but the water in the cans served as 
 well and nothing was ever more refreshing to the 
 thirst of parched troops. They grasped the cans 
 eagerly and drained them of their contents. 
 
 Through the hours of the night sleep had been 
 secured by all not on duty. This had been little 
 enough on account of the chill air and no blankets. 
 Every other man in the line was required to re- 
 main awake and on the alert in anticipation of a 
 possible raid by the enemy. Patrols were sent out 
 constantly to make sure that the ground to the im- 
 mediate front was clear of Germans. In the counter 
 attack of the late afternoon it was known that 
 some of the men had been cut off and the patrols in 
 the early part of the night were directed to locate 
 any of these if possible but there were no results 
 from this. In the early hours of the morning the 
 wounded were evacuated from the village of St. 
 Etienne. 
 
 There was a shifting of forces all along the 
 line during the night in order that some parts of 
 companies might be reformed. Company D of 
 the 142d Infantry was organized in the area from 
 which it had started during the morning and to 
 which it returned after getting cut of its sector 
 into that of the French. Gaps in the line were filled 
 here and there and in doing this an amusing and 
 interesting incident occurred. On the right of the 
 sector occupied by the 142d Infantry it was neces- 
 sary to rearrange the position to cover a decided 
 gap. No one seemed to be in command so a private 
 who had been in the kitchen as a permanent kitch- 
 
136 The Story of the 36th 
 
 en police during most of the training season, took 
 charge in the darkness and told the men where to 
 go. The authority indicated in his tones caused 
 the rest of his fellows to address him as '*Lieu- 
 tenant," and, when an officer came along inquir- 
 ing who was in charge of that particular point he 
 was referred to the "lieutenant." Questioning the 
 "lieutenant" he was entirely satisfied and it was 
 not until morning that the men discovered that they 
 had been under the command of a student cook. 
 Later the man was decorated for his work. 
 
 Thus the night passed without unusual inci- 
 dent. The intermittent shriek of the shells over- 
 head, the irregular bursts of fire from the machine 
 guns, the constant appearance of German flares 
 on the hill to the north of St. Etienne, and the 
 stealthy figures of men moving here and there to 
 accomplish their missions of reorganization were 
 all. Nothing but the chill night air prevented 
 sound slumber for those who could find the oppor- 
 tunity and some of these doubled themselves up 
 in their tiny fox-holes to sleep in spite of the cold 
 and the lumpy chalk upon which they lay. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 ST. ETIENNE— (Continued) 
 
 The crashing of artillery shells along the en- 
 tire front of the Seventy-first Brigade heralded the 
 dawn on the morning of October 9. These for the 
 most part were from the enemy's batteries, the fire 
 of the Allied guns being witheld because of the 
 lack of proper information as to the exact location 
 of the front line. But this intense shelling did not 
 catch the troops in the front line unawares. Be- 
 fore the dawn they had been aroused by their offi- 
 cers and were "standing to" in readiness for any 
 development. In their training they had been 
 taught that when the enemy laid down his barrage 
 they were to go into their dugouts and wait for 
 the barrage to lift and roll on. But there were no 
 dugouts here. Each man could only burrow deeper 
 into the little hole he had cut for himself and pray 
 that the next one would not get him. This intense 
 shelling lasted for at least thirty minutes and sev- 
 eral casualties resulted. The small number of men 
 wounded in proportion to the fire from the enemy's 
 guns was remarkable however. 
 
 During the previous day it had been learned 
 that to move in the open in any direction was to 
 attract the fire of a half-dozen machine guns and 
 perhaps light artillery. Under cover of night, how- 
 ever, the men and officers found that they could 
 work with impunity just as long as they did not 
 make too much noise and showed no lights. Fe- 
 verish picks and shovels in hands that could not 
 
138 The Story of the 36th 
 
 keep warm enough to maintain a tight grip on the 
 handles of the implements, yet which somehow 
 managed through sheer determination to keep 
 at the task, cut out an irregular line of defense 
 about the village of St. Etienne and then southeast 
 in front of Hill 140, from whence it turned still 
 farther southeast along the St. Etienne-Orfeuil road. 
 
 While these troops in the front line had been 
 strengthening their positions as best they could, 
 the officers from regimental command posts, under 
 direction of the brigade commander, were locat- 
 ing their troops in the front positions and organiz- 
 ing those in the rear positions. 
 
 In the 141st Infantry sector the front line had 
 been reconnoitered by Colonel Jackson in person, 
 who then returned to his headquarters and direct- 
 ed that Lieutenant Colonel L. R. James proceed 
 to the front line to take command of the troops 
 there, two of the majors having been killed and 
 the other sent to the rear, incapacitated. The visit 
 of Colonel Jackson to the front line had failed to 
 clear up the location of the units in so far as the 
 use of artillery on the positions to the right of St. 
 Etienne was concerned. The reports sent back to 
 the brigade commander showed the 141st Infantry 
 about one kilometer farther north, where another 
 road ran east and west from St. Etienne, than it 
 really was, along the St. Etienne-Orfeuil road. In 
 the support positions the troops of the Second Di- 
 vision had been so placed that they would render 
 assistance in the event of an attack by the enemy, 
 the detachment of engineers taking position on the 
 extreme right of the sector to maintain combat 
 liaison with the French. 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 139 
 
 These positions were maintained by the troops 
 throughout the greater part of the day. In the 
 late afternoon it was planned to conduct an at- 
 tack on a small scale against some enemy posi- 
 tions on the right that were delivering damaging 
 fire into the French as well as the 141st Infantry 
 lines. The small detachment picked to conduct 
 the assault was placed in position and held in 
 readiness for the time to attack. This hour was 
 delayed twice by the French, who also had a de- 
 tachment prepared to go forward in the assault 
 and then the entire plan was abandoned because 
 of the intense bombardment delivered by the 
 enemy's artillery just a few minutes prior to the 
 time for the attack to begin. Those officers who 
 had led their troops forward in the gains of the 
 day before, remained in command of the positions 
 reached, in the right, left and center respectively. 
 
 In the 142d Infantry area, a third provisional 
 battalion had been organized and placed in the 
 trees on the north slope of Blanc Mont where the 
 support battalion had been at the beginning of the 
 attack the previous day. During the night the 
 lines had been reconnoitered both by Major Mor- 
 rissey and Lieutenant Colonel Phillipson and a de- 
 tachment of Marine machine gunners as well as en- 
 gineers from the Second Division had been sent 
 into the village of St. Etienne to strengthen the po- 
 sitions there. The engineers were placed in the 
 cemetery and the Marines in the line in front of the 
 town. 
 
 After consulting Major Morrissey at the latter's 
 headquarters. Lieutenant Colonel Phillipson return- 
 ed to the command post of the regiment with the 
 
140 The Story of the 36th 
 
 information that instead of being on a line parallel 
 with the village of St. Etienne the troops of the 
 141st Infantry really were south of the extreme 
 right of the 142d Infantry, In the meantime, how- 
 ever, an order had been sent from the brigade 
 command post that an attack would be made the 
 morning of October 9, to straighten the line so that 
 the right and center of the 142d Infantry would be 
 brought up even with the 141st line. Immediately 
 upon reaching the regimental command post and 
 communicating his information to Colonel Bloor, 
 Lieutenant Colonel Phillipson reported to brigade 
 commander but before he could return to the regi- 
 mental sector the third battalion had been formed 
 and started forward in attack. 
 
 In spite of the battering they had received 
 the day before, the assault, conducted under the 
 direction of Major Morrissey, was executed in 
 splendid fashion. The battalion swept forward in 
 waves of small columns and then in waves of skirm- 
 mishers as first they encountered the enemy's artil- 
 lery fire and then machine gun fire. Onward to 
 the front line positions they came and passing 
 through this line continued on out over the little 
 plain to the east of St. Etienne. By the time they 
 reached the front line already established they had 
 suffered heavily from artillery and machine gun 
 fire and as soon as they passed beyond this line 
 they met such a withering fire from flank posi- 
 tions on the right as well as frontal fire tha^ they 
 were compelled to stop and take what shelter was 
 to be found. 
 
 This attack was launched about 10:30 A. M. 
 and lasted the better part of half an hour. During 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 141 
 
 the entire morning the German batteries rained 
 their missiles upon the open ground to the east of 
 St. Etienne and in the afternoon they concentrat- 
 ed their fire on the village as well. During the 
 next twenty-four hours, night and day there was 
 no cessation in the shelling upon the village and 
 during the greater part of the afternoon the fir- 
 ing was no less intense on the open ground to the 
 east of the town. Remnants of the assaulting force 
 which reached the line to be established, remained 
 in position until darkness. With the carrying of 
 wounded to the rear the line began to lose many of 
 its effectives as well. In the middle of the night 
 a force was sent from the First Battalion to 
 strengthen the line but so badly chosen was the po- 
 sition and of such little tactical value that these 
 men were returned to their positions of the night 
 before. 
 
 The second night was mucn like the first. 
 Spades and pick-mattacks were plied vigorously 
 as soon as the evening had settled into darkness. 
 In the late afternoon the entire command "stood 
 to" in expectation of a possible attack by the enemy. 
 Another barrage from the enemy's guns marked the 
 close as well as the opening of the day and under 
 the first cover of darkness the men again set to 
 with a will to better their places of shelter from 
 the enemy's fire. Not all of them had picks and 
 shovels and to relieve this shortage many used their 
 mess pans to scoop out the chalky earth. 
 
 The prospects of an attack from the enemy 
 still loomed as a possibility. This was considered 
 especially probable in view of the situation all 
 along the front although these details were not 
 
142 The Story of the 36th 
 
 made known to the men in the line at the time. At 
 the time the Seventy-first Brigade drove forward in 
 its attack to the east of St. Etienne, the First Di- 
 vision was hurling itself against the defenses of Hill 
 240 and similar fortified positions in the Argonne, 
 against which the Thirty-fifth Division had been 
 shattered and which were holding up the general 
 attack between the Meuse and the Aisne Rivers. At 
 this time the Seventy-seventh Division was meeting 
 desperate resistance in the Argonne woods proper, 
 and had a battalion cut off from the division in 
 such manner that it was considered doubtful if 
 any of its personnel would get out alive. 
 
 In the event the Texans and Oklahomans 
 should break through at St. Etienne and push on 
 over the Aisne it would mean that the entire 
 scheme of defense in the Meuse-Argonne operation 
 would have to be abandoned and perhaps careful- 
 ly prepared defenses of the Kremhilde Stellung 
 would avail nothing. To give way at St. Etienne 
 would mean that the artillerymen of the Fourth 
 French Army would be enabled to plant their guns 
 and open a direct flanking fire against the German 
 defenses in and around Vouziers and it was like- 
 ly that the attempts to cross the Aisne at this point 
 in a flanking movement would be entirely success- 
 ful. To prevent this necessity demanded that the 
 Americans must be held at St. Etienne a little 
 longer or possibly pushed backward over the crest 
 of Blanc Mont into the old Hindenburg Line. To 
 accomplish the latter a gigantic counter-blow would 
 be necessary while to make possible the former 
 an attack on at least a small scale would be neces- 
 sary since the allied possession of the town was a 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 148 
 
 danger ever menacing the safety of the Hun lines 
 in that vicinity. Every nerve quivering with the 
 tense expectancy of any possibility, listening posts 
 crav^led back and forth in front of the Brigade 
 sector through the entire night. It w^as determined 
 that no sound of possible massing of German 
 forces opposite w^ould escape them and it was 
 with genuine relief that the reports of all patrol 
 leaders in the early hours of the morning were 
 heard to give no indication of activity on the part 
 of the enemy. Another indication considered as 
 pointing out that the Germans would not attack 
 was the appearance of three fires in the back areas 
 of the enemy's lines. It was assured that one 
 of these was the village of Machault and that the 
 others might be either villages or stores farther 
 to the northeast. Later it developed that all three 
 fires were villages wantonly destroyed by the Huns 
 who were getting ready to retire. 
 
 Hunger and thirst were more pronounced the 
 second night, if possible, than during the first. 
 Through the day the sun had been almost hot and 
 some of the men had been able to secure additional 
 sleep but the almost constant and uninterrupted 
 presence of enemy airplanes overhead had rendered 
 sleep scarce enough. But if they might sleep they 
 could get no food. This had to be brought up in 
 the night. Under cover of darkness details again 
 went to the rear and carried cases of tomatoes and 
 canned beef on their shoulders more than two 
 miles to the places where their comrades stood 
 watch. Never had tomatoes and canned meat 
 tasted so sweet. And they probably never will 
 taste so sweet again, to the men of the plains who 
 
144 The Story of the 36th 
 
 held their rifles in readiness with one hand while 
 they ate with the other. There was not enough for 
 all so each man stinted himself that the others 
 might have some. This second night the detail had 
 been able to get a limited supply of water which 
 had been hauled during the day to the position oc- 
 cupied by the supporting troops in the first day's 
 formation. 
 
 During the night it had become generally 
 known that the Second Division troops would leave 
 the sector not later than the night of the tenth 
 and that some of these would leave the night of the 
 ninth. However to relieve the i^-ituation some of 
 the other troops of the Seventy-second Brigade, 
 Thirty-sixth Division, had arrived in the vicinity 
 of Somme-Py and were ordered to support the posi- 
 tions occupied by the Seventy-first Brigade. Al- 
 chough this was known at headquarters it had not 
 been communicated to the troops in the front line 
 positions. These were too busy with the thmgs in 
 front of them to consider what might 
 be taking place behind. The additional 
 lights of burning villages in the direction 
 of Grand-Pre and Vouziers lit up the heavens, and 
 mingling with the flares which the Germans 
 were sending up constantly to the immediate front, 
 gave a lurid light that served to keep the attention 
 of wakeful soldiers to the front. 
 
 When Thursday, October 10, dawned on the 
 chilled troops it brought with it the necessity for ad- 
 ditional shifting of positions. Rumors spread that 
 there was to be another general assault by the 
 brigade. In the 141st Infantry area a platoon from 
 Company A, which had been in the support position 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 145 
 
 since the initial attack the morning- of the 8th, was 
 placed in the gap at the right of the sector occu- 
 pied by the Second Engineers. A portion of the 
 regimental machine gun company also was placed 
 here and machine gunners from the 132d Machine 
 Gun Battalion were sent to other parts of the line 
 to give it strength. In the 142d Infantry sector it 
 was necessary to shift a part of the First Battalion, 
 which contained as many men from the other bat- 
 talions of the regiment as it did its own, to the 
 cemetery to relieve the detachment of Second En- 
 gineers and Marine machine gunners there, and to 
 place additional men in the line to the north of 
 the village. These last were from the Third Bat- 
 talion. 
 
 The rumors that the brigade was to attack 
 were well founded. When the commanding gen- 
 eral of the Second Division made known the fact 
 ■ hat his forces were to be withdrawn from the sec- 
 tor he informed General Whitworth that the Sev- 
 enty-first Brigade was expected by the French 
 Corps commander to clear away the force of Ger- 
 mans north of St, Etienne as that position was 
 holding up the advance of the entire corps. When 
 the word was passed to the officers and men in 
 the front line, there were those who shook their 
 heads gravely and wondered as they looked 
 askance at that. gaping right flank that had never 
 been covered, but there was no complaint. Every 
 man knew that if the word came to "go over", even 
 with no more definite instructions than had been 
 given the first time, the brigade would go. 
 
 In the early hours of Thursday morning the 
 detachment of the First Battalion of the 142d In- 
 
146 The Story of the 36th 
 
 fantry, moving to the left through the outskirts of 
 the village of St. Etienne, made their way into the 
 cemetery. To accomplish this it was necessary to 
 move by ones and twos from one low place m the 
 ground to another, now in a shell hole, now through 
 a shallow trench and now flat on their faces in the 
 slightest fold in the ground until all of them had 
 reached the cover from view behind the buildings 
 in the village. But this was only half the task of 
 getting into the cemetery. To enter the strong 
 point occupied by the engineers it was necessary 
 to take the men from the village across a stretch 
 of flat, open ground about fifty yards wide and 
 exposed every moment to the fire of snipers and 
 machine gunners as well as others armed with 
 long range automatic Lugers. 
 
 Hardly had the detachment reached the shel- 
 ter of a half-demolished shed in the village before 
 apparently every piece of artillery in the German 
 line opened on the village. The cemetery was still 
 a quarter of a mile away. One thing was left to 
 do. Into three entrances of an enormous dugout, 
 located in the eastern end of the village, the troops 
 plunged regardless of possible mine traps or gas 
 which might have settled in the lower levels. As 
 the last man disappeared inside the burst of a 
 mighty shell riddled the framework of one of the 
 doors. Probably in no part of the German line 
 from the Alps to the Channel were there larger 
 dugouts than those in the village. They were 
 nothing less than caverns. The one into which the 
 relief detachment hurried for shelter had three 
 long passageways opening out from a large cen- 
 tral chamber in which there were bunks for 200 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 147 
 
 men and office space enough for the headquarters 
 of a division. Undoubtedly it had served this pur- 
 pose while the town was in the hands of the Hun, 
 Signs posted on the walls of the houses in the 
 town and other indications told of a long estab- 
 lished division headquarters. In the cemetery the 
 grave of a division commander bore further evi- 
 dence of this. 
 
 In all there were four of these great cuverns 
 in the village as well as several smaller ones. One 
 of the best of these was selected by the battalion 
 commander as his headquarters. This one was 
 constructed with a concrete entrance and lined 
 with corrugated iron. In some of the great caves 
 women's garments were found indicating that the 
 higher Hun commanders had not been without 
 company during the long evenings when the Allied 
 guns did not entertain them. A piano was found 
 in one of the dugouts as well as other furniture 
 taken from the better dwellings in the village. All 
 of the caverns were lighted by electricity and in 
 the winter these were much more comfortable 
 places of abode than the houses in the village. In 
 a house near the dugout where the commanders 
 of the First and Third Battalions established their 
 headquarters and where Colonel Bloor later placed 
 the headquarters of his regiment, the French Medi- 
 cal corps had set up a first aid station, and here 
 also had been gathered the bodies of perhaps 
 forty Germans, who had fallen in the defense of 
 the village. 
 
 For a time after the artillery had opened on 
 the town the streets were filled with flying debris 
 of the shattered buildings as well as the flying 
 
148 
 
 The Story of the. 36th 
 
 Lt. Ben Kiehii. 142(1 Infantry. After Coming Out of the 
 Lines Safely in October, 1918. 
 
St. Etienne — {Continued) 149 
 
 fragments of bursting shell and the fumes of the 
 high explosive caused the men to clap their masks 
 on and adjust them as soon as possible. The shed 
 in which the detachment had been assembled as 
 soon as the village was reached was subjected 
 tc a direct hit from an enormous shell and at the 
 close of the bombardment was only a pile of 
 broken timbers and crumbled brick and stone. 
 Gradually the firing died down until only an oc- 
 sional shell was being directed toward the town 
 perhaps as often as one every two minutes. This 
 was the time to move. In small groups of five or 
 six men the detachment filtered out of the en- 
 trances to the cavern and around the corners of the 
 buildings down the street to the edge of the vil- 
 lage. Every little while the far away scream of 
 an approaching shell sent the men flat on the 
 ground or caused them to hug the walls of the 
 buildings while the monster hurtled nearer and 
 nearer. Perhaps it would fall 100 yards away to- 
 ward the other side of the village and then every 
 face would wear a derisive grin. Perhaps it 
 would rend asunder the walls of a building across 
 the street and then there would be a quick short 
 laugh of relief with accompanying remarks that 
 "the Dutch could come darned close without hit- 
 ting." 
 
 Each little group of the detachment would be 
 halted at the edge of the village and then one 
 man at a time, at irregular intervals they would 
 dash across the open ground and into the shelter 
 of the cemetery fifty yards away. Time after time 
 as this was accomplished there would be a series 
 of spurts where the bullets of machine gunners and 
 
150 The Story of the 36th 
 
 snipers kicked up the dust in the road, just too 
 late to get the dodging doughboy. After a time 
 the men watching the effort began to look upon it 
 as a sort of sport and some went so far as to make 
 small wagers that the next man would get over 
 the same as the others did. All of these bets were 
 won by those wagering on the side of safety. Every 
 man reached the cemetery with a whole skin. As 
 the detachment reached the cemetery defenses one 
 man at a time, it took up the positions that were 
 being vacated steadily by the engineers, who were 
 filtering out of the position by another route. Ob- 
 servation of the men making their way into the 
 cemetery soon brought intense shelling from the 
 enemy batteries. The entire wrath of the Hun ar- 
 tillerymen again was vented on that part of the 
 village adjacent to the cemetery and the French 
 side of the burial place was wrecked by the high 
 explosive shells. Just as the detachment of engi- 
 neers was getting away from the village the enemy's 
 fire reached its greatest intensity. The town ad- 
 jacent to the cemetery was converted into a chaos 
 of splinters, dust and gas but the Hun was too 
 late, the exchange of places had been completed. 
 It was still necessary to report the comple- 
 tion of the relief to battalion headquarters but in- 
 stead of sending a runner with the message the 
 commander of the detachment elected to go him- 
 self, as the situation required discussion with the 
 battalion commander as to the distribution of 
 troops along the line. Awaiting a lull in the firing 
 the officer started for the village. As if the artil- 
 lery pieces themselves had eyes they opened their 
 horrors on the village before he could reach the 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 151 
 
 edge of the cemetery. Again there was a lull and 
 this time a dash for the village succeeded, the bul- 
 lets of the machine gunners spattering in the dust 
 of the road in vain. A shell screamed overhead 
 and landed in the farther end of the village. An- 
 other block was covered and another shell crashed 
 through the wall of the house where the officer had 
 paused as the first shell exploded. A spurt of yel- 
 low liquid came from this one plastering the walls 
 and street with mustard. Another block was cov- 
 ered and as if tracing the officer's footsteps a 
 third shell broke in the street where he had dodged 
 into a doorway to escape the burst of the second. 
 This was the usual experience of every man who 
 passed through the village during the three days 
 that followed the capture of the town. 
 
 Completing his report and receiving additional 
 instruction as to his mission in the cemetery the 
 officer emerged from the battalion commander's 
 dugout into the street where apparent quiet had 
 succeeded the shelling of a short time before. It 
 was the calm before the storm. Halfway down the 
 street not one but a half-dozen shells sent their 
 warning to the occupants of the village. And 
 these were followed by others. The dea:^ening 
 roar of one who had not subsided before another 
 stopped the ability of ears to distniguish sound. A 
 dozen times within the space of two blocks the 
 officer was flattened against a wall, crouching be- 
 hind a corner or huddled in a hole while the shells 
 spent their force against the masonry of the village. 
 Finally dashing into the cemetery from the bullet 
 swept open space, with his face somewhat be- 
 grimed and with a tiny splash of mustard between 
 
152 The Story of the 36th 
 
 his shoulders the officer greeted his second in com- 
 mand and settled down to comfort in the German 
 side of the cemetery. This incident is related only 
 to show what the troops in the village were going 
 through hour after hour as it was necessary for 
 men to go here and there with messages and offi- 
 cers were required to make tours of inspection. 
 
 The German cemetery proved to be the safest 
 place in the line. Here there were more than 2,000 
 German dead and although the shells from the 
 enemy batteries ploughed craters on every side the 
 cemetery itself was not touched. Troops in the 
 other front line positions were not so fortunate al- 
 though the shelling on all parts of the line was not 
 so concentrated as on the village. Here the gas 
 shell fell in such quantities that the fumes made it 
 extremely uncomfortable in all positions as the wind 
 shifting from time to time rolled the gas away from 
 rhe town to the places where men were lying in 
 foxholes along the line. 
 
 While the position of the cemetery was being 
 taken over from the engineers, who also han men 
 from the Seventy-first Brigade with them, the de- 
 tachment from the Third Battalion was being fil- 
 tered through the village, and then across the creek 
 bed to the positions north of the town. Here the 
 positions were more directly facing the line of 
 trenches occupied by the Germans. At a disad- 
 vantage because their position was under observa- 
 tion by the enemy from several directions the men 
 in this part of the line could only crouch in their 
 holes and lay in readiness for the next move. To 
 lift a finger above the ground was to invite close 
 range sniping as well as machine gun fire. 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 153 
 
 Partly because it had been directed trom the 
 corps commander that the enemy positions to the 
 north of the town would be reduced by the brigade 
 and partly because the position occupied was all 
 but untenable, an officer was sent out with six 
 men in daylight to patrol and reconnoiter the 
 ground along the road leading from St. Etienne to 
 the north and ascertain as much as possible about 
 the positions occupied by the Germans. Repeated 
 reports that the enemy was retiring from this front 
 had caused the order from the rear that contact 
 was to be maintained at all times with the Ger- 
 mans and the instructions to the patrol leader was 
 that he was to reach a position where he could get 
 observation on the German trenches if possible. 
 Crawling over every foot of the way the patrol made 
 its way along a shallow ditch at the side of the road 
 for a considerable distance in "no-man's-land." 
 Suddenly from both sides and in front the little 
 group became the target of the enemy snipers. Bul- 
 lets in a perfect hail left the officer and four of 
 his men on the ground while the other two made 
 their way back as best they could. There was all 
 the contact desired. 
 
 To make doubly sure that the village was 
 under fire from the enemy lines the commanding 
 general of the Second Division had sent an artil- 
 lery officer into the town. This officer had ridden 
 his horse to the edge of the village without getting 
 hit although fired upon frequently. The horse was 
 hitched to a post in the edge of the town while the 
 artillery officer hurried to the dugout of the bat- 
 talion commander. Satisfied as to the conditions 
 he had observed he started to return on his horse 
 
154 The Story of the 36th 
 
 only to find that while he was in the dugout at 
 battalion headquarters his mount had been blown 
 to atoms by a German shell. The bridle was still 
 attached to the post. For the purpose of learning 
 accurately the conditions at this point the chief of 
 staff of the Second Division also visited the village 
 at the time the relief in the cer.^etery was being 
 conducted. After a brief conversation with the 
 officer in charge of the relief detachment, he re- 
 turned to division headquarters. Later he was 
 decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross 
 for this voluntary exploit. 
 
 Expecting that the attack on the enemy posi- 
 tions north of St. Etienne would develop at any 
 time the troops along the whole extent of the bri- 
 gade front were on a keen edge of expectancy 
 during the entire morning and afternoon of October 
 10. In so far as possible the ground over which 
 the advance would be made was reconnoitered and 
 avenues of approach against the positions were 
 picked out. The thing that puzzled both officers 
 and men most was the fact that little or no firing 
 was being conducted by their own artillery. In- 
 frequently the guns at the rear were sending over 
 shell to the back areas of the German lines but 
 none against the positions in the immediate front 
 from which so much trouble was coming. When 
 in the afternoon of October 10 the artillery at the 
 rear actually did open on the nearest enemy posi- 
 tions it strengthened the belief that an attack was 
 to be launched at dusk. This assault however did 
 not result. The artillery fire had been secured 
 through the personal efforts of Colonel Bloor of the 
 142d Infantry, who had taken all responsibility 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 155 
 
 for damage that might occur to friendly troops. 
 Through the two days and nights following the at- 
 tack it had not been determined that the line on 
 the right of the brigade sector was not a kilometer 
 in advance of the position actually held. 
 
 The third night after the beginning of the 
 attack again was one of hunger and thirst. The 
 supply of water in the village was confined to one 
 well which had been tested by the French medical 
 troops and this was difficult of access because of the 
 constant shelling by the enemy batteries and the 
 danger of losing men by sending them after water. 
 During the lulls in the firing a small supply of 
 water was brought from the well however and 
 just before daylight a limited amount of corned 
 beef was issued. This was the fifth day and night 
 that the men had been without cooked food. In 
 ♦every captured position they had found cans of 
 German solidified alcohol with which they had 
 boiled coffee, the only warm food possible to pro- 
 cure. The nights were more miserable than the 
 days. In addition to the necessity for constant 
 watchfulness and patrolling it was impossible for 
 one to sleep comfortably in the chill night air 
 without covering other than the clothing worn 
 during the day. Toward the morning invariably 
 there was a chill mist which caused the men to 
 shake and thresh their arms about in an effort to 
 stimulate circulation. 
 
 During the night of the ninth all units of the 
 Second Division were relieved from the entire brig- 
 ade front. The engineers had been withdrawn 
 by noon during the day and early in the evening 
 the machine gunners had taken their guns and 
 
156 The Story of the :U)th 
 
 moved out to the rear. This left the infantrymen 
 in the line holding the positions with their auto- 
 matic rifles to replace the machine guns. In sev- 
 eral places the light Maxim machine guns captured 
 from the enemy were set up to be used as defen- 
 sive weapons in the event of a counter attack and 
 with the adjustment carried out the morning of the 
 ninth the line presented a stronger organization 
 than before. With a greater knowledge of the line 
 than they had had when they first went forward 
 in attack the men also had gained greater confi- 
 dence. Thus while there was a general feeling 
 of relief that the expected assault against the 
 enemy positions to the north of St. Etienne did not 
 develop yet it is assured that the men would have 
 done as well or better than they did the first day. 
 
 ARRIVAL OF THE WHOLE DIVISION. 
 
 • 
 
 Simultaneously with the movement of the 
 Seventy-first Brigade from the area around Somme- 
 Suippe to the front line positions, the balance of 
 the Thirty-sixth Division still in the area around 
 Pocancy, was started on its way to the vicinity of 
 Vadenay, a hamlet about fifteen miles north of 
 Chalons-sur-Marne. This was to be the location of 
 the new division command post according to the 
 orders received from the Twenty-first French Army 
 Corps commander. Accordingly all the division 
 sick were evacuated to the hospital, surplus prop- 
 erty was stored in the Pocancy area and the march 
 begun over the unimproved roads which traveled 
 in a semi-circle northwest of Chalons-sur-Marne. 
 By this time the Seventy-second Brigade was much 
 
St. Etienne — {Continued) 157 
 
 better equipped for a march than had been the 
 Seventy-first Brigade. There were more rolling 
 kitchens and the regimental supply organizations 
 were better prepared to move rations and muni- 
 tions. However these troops were still handi- 
 capped in this respect to a certain extent. The 143d 
 Infantry left part of its rations in the area near 
 Pocancy while the 144th Infantry left part of its 
 amimunition there. Teams were doubled in order 
 to drag the wagons over the roads and details of 
 infantrymen were necessary at frequent intervals to 
 get the wagons out of mudholes into which they 
 had sunk. 
 
 At this time the Seventy-second Brigade also 
 was considerably larger numerically than the Sev- 
 enty-first Brigade. It had a total strength of 
 something more than 6,000 officers and men. Most 
 of these officers had been with the brigade a long 
 time and were familiar with their men as well as 
 the officers of the neighboring units. In addition 
 to the Seventy-second Brigade the supply train, 
 the sanitary train, the ammunition train, the 131st 
 Machine Gun Battalion and the balance of the 
 field signal battalion made the march. Due to the 
 mud which rapidly exhausted the strength of the 
 men and animals the march was slow and accom- 
 plished with the greatest difficulty. The night of 
 October 6, the headquarters detachment of the 
 Seventy-second Brigade halted in the town of La 
 Veuve, the 143d Infantry in La Veuve and Dam- 
 pierre-au-Temple, the 144th Infantry at Ferme de 
 Vadenay and the 133d Machine Gun Battalion at 
 Cupearly. Only a few buildings were available in 
 
158 The Story of the 36th 
 
 any of these places so the officers as well as the 
 men were required to bivouac in the open. 
 
 During the day the advance echelon of divi- 
 sion headquarters was established at Vadenay, the 
 rear echelon at Pocancy not getting under way until 
 the seventh. Before the men at headquarters could 
 get settled at Vadenay additional instructions call- 
 ed for another movement of the troops to the area 
 just north of Suippes and orders were sent out at 
 3 o'clock the morning of October 7, for this move 
 to be accomplished. Although the march of the 
 seventh was not long it was equally as difficult as 
 that of the day previous so that the troops were 
 all but exhausted when they arrived at their des- 
 tination. Some difficulty was experienced in bil- 
 leting the troops when they arrived in the area 
 north of Suippes but finally the entire command 
 was settled in old French rest billets in the terri- 
 tory north of Suippes and between that place and 
 the ruins of Souain. Some of the men were re- 
 quired to live in shelter tents but most of them 
 secured shelter in the rather insanitary wooden 
 shacks. 
 
 Only the wagon transportation accompanied 
 the troops on the march. The trains were dis- 
 patched to Suippes over the better roads and ar- 
 rived ahead of the marching columns. Thus the 
 balance of the division, less the 111th Engmeers 
 who had left the command in the Bar-sur Aube 
 area, and the Sixty-first Artillery Brigade, which 
 was still in the training center, was assembled 
 near the area from which the men of the Se^^enty- 
 first Brigade had made their march into their first 
 fight. The evening of the seventh Major General 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 159 
 
 Smith had learned unofficially that the Seventy- 
 first Brigade was to assault the morning of the 
 eighth, even before the troops in the line were 
 aware of the program ahead of them. The after- 
 noon of October 8, officers who had been sent for- 
 ward to make a reconnaissance, brought back in- 
 formation of the splendid courage displayed in the 
 assault as well as the fearful casualties that had 
 been suffered. 
 
 The morning of October 8 the sanitary train 
 passed from the control of the commander of 
 trains and was placed at the direction of the di- 
 vision surgeon. Later it went to the vicinity of 
 Somme-Py where it was used to evacuate the 
 wounded. Headquarters of the sanitary train re- 
 mained in the vicinity of Somme-Suippe with other 
 rear echelons of the trains. The supply train after 
 reaching Suippes was sent back to the railhead at 
 La Cheppe, a small station on the railroad between 
 Chalons and Suippes. This train also brought 
 forward the water carts and rolling kitchens which 
 had been stored at Jalons when the division moved. 
 During the day the division ordnance officer took 
 over the ammunition dump from the Second Divis- 
 ion Ordnance Officer in the vicinity of Somme-Py 
 and that night the 111th Ammunition Train in 
 bringing up a supply of cartridges for the Brown- 
 ing machine guns and automatic rifles as well as 
 grenades and pyrotechnics, came under shell fire 
 for the first time. In spite of this new experience 
 it unloaded its supplies and returned to the rear 
 areas without mishap and accomplished its mission 
 in the most approved fashion. 
 
160 The Story of the 36th 
 
 Late in the evening of October 8, General 
 Smith with his chief of staff was summoned to the 
 command post of the Twenty-first French Army 
 Corps where instructions were given for the com- 
 plete relief of the Second Division, In the course 
 of this trip to the corps commander's headquarters 
 General Smith passed through the zone of the 
 enemy's artillery fire with his automobile, the com- 
 mand post of the corps being only a short distance 
 from Somme-Py. In his discussion of the situation 
 the French corps commander explained that ^t had 
 not been his purpose originally to have the Seventy- 
 first Brigade relieve the entire front line of the 
 Second Division and that the disposition of Briga- 
 dier General Whitworth's troops was not in ac- 
 cordance with his views. General Naulin explained 
 to General Smith what was desired in the way of 
 formations for the division and prescribed that the 
 artillery of the Second Division should remain with 
 the Thirty-sixth in the line. Also it was provided 
 that the troops in the sector should remain under 
 the command of Major General Lejeune until 10 
 o'clock the morning of October 10, when the com- 
 mand would pass to General Smith. General Le- 
 jeune also was to remain with the commanding 
 general of the Thirty-sixth for twenty-four hours 
 after the exchange of command and upon leaving 
 was to provide a staff officer thoroughly familiar 
 with the situation to remain with General Smith 
 for another twenty-four hours. 
 
 Following out these instructions the 144th In- 
 fantry was sent forward October 9, to a point in 
 the vicinity of Blanc Mont while the 143d Infantry 
 went to a point to the east of Blanc Mont. These 
 
St. Etienne — (Continued) 161 
 
 troops were able to travel in much better fashion 
 than had the troops of the other brigade. Their 
 rolling kitchens enabled them to carry cooked ra- 
 tions in addition to the emergency rations although 
 they suffered from lack of water as had their com- 
 rades a few days before. By the night of October 
 
 9 some of these troops had entered the sector of 
 the Seventy-first Brigade and a battalion of the 
 143d Infantry was placed in the positions vacated 
 by the engineers in rear of the 141st Infantry. It 
 was not until the following day however that the 
 troops had reached a position where they mij.^ht be 
 sent to the relief of the units in the front line and 
 there was considerable confusion the night of the 
 tenth when some of the companies from the 144th 
 Infantry came under shell fire on the northern 
 slopes of Blanc Mont as they were taking up a po- 
 sition in support of the 142d Infantry. 
 
 The division machine gun battalion of the 
 Second Division was relieved after considerable 
 difficulty by the 131st Machine Gun Battalion, 
 Major Ellis Stephenson in command, due to the 
 fact that the Second Division machine gur offi- 
 cer could not be located nor could the commander 
 of the Second Division Machine Gun Battalion be 
 found in time to make the relief as scheduled. How- 
 ever all troops of the Second Division had been 
 withdrawn from the sector the night of October 
 
 10 and the entire sector was ready to be taken 
 over by the commander of the Thirty-sixth Divis- 
 ion during the previous morning. 
 
162 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ST. ETIENNE AND AFTER 
 
 During the night of October 10, after the ar- 
 rival of the units of the Seventy-second Brigade and 
 the completion of the relief of the Second Division, 
 there was a noticeable falling off in the enemy's 
 volume of artillery fire. Up until midnight the fir- 
 ing along the front line was intermittent but in 
 the hours after midnight the shells came with a 
 regularity that was unbroken. Through the early 
 part of the night the Germans in the immedi- 
 ate front continued to send up about the usual num- 
 ber of flares but in the early morning even these 
 ceased to be as numerous. All of the shells which 
 fell in the vicinity were of the largest caliber. The 
 town of St. Etienne continued to be the chief target. 
 
 Going into the sector of the 141st Infantry the 
 relieving troops of the 143d Infantry were dis- 
 posed with the Second and Third Battalions in the 
 first line of supports, under the command of Majors 
 Horace B. Siebe and Joe T. Goodman, respectively, 
 while the Third Battalion under Major William E. 
 Lake, was located in a second position to the rear. 
 In the sector of the 144th Infantry the disposition 
 was carried out on a similar plan. In this regiment 
 the First Battalion under Major Lloyd S. Hill took 
 position on the northern slopes of Blanc Mont in 
 about the position occupied by the support line the 
 morning of the first assault, while the Second Bat- 
 talion, under Major Clark M. Mullican, as well as 
 the Third Battalion under Captain Henry H. Craig, 
 
 [163] 
 
164 The Story of the 36th 
 
 took station farther back toward the positions on. 
 the top of the ridge. Two companies of the 133d 
 Machine Gun Battalion were placed with each of 
 these regiments, which also had their regimental 
 machine gun companies. 
 
 During the relief there had been a few casual- 
 ties from shell fire and in the 141st area the for- 
 ward battalions had been annoyed considerably 
 by the enemy's machine gun and sniper fire. Other 
 units of the division had relieved corresponding 
 units of the Second Division with more or less diffi- 
 culty, due to the long range shelling, by the 
 enemy's guns, of the positions in the vicinity of 
 Somme-Py. Here an oflficer and five men of the 
 Sanitary train had been killed by the explosion of 
 one shell while several others were wounded. 
 
 While the troops of the Seventy-second Brigade 
 were getting settled into their positions the night 
 of the tenth, patrols from the units of the Seventy- 
 first Brigade were patrolling the ground to the front 
 along the Arnes, in the locality of St. Etienne and 
 among the pine groves where the line ran to the 
 southeast of the village. One of these patrol.= sent 
 out from the position in the cemetery, just before 
 daylight, returned with the information that a 
 cry had just been heard from well up the creek 
 bed toward the location from which the Germans 
 had directed their counter attack the afternoon of 
 October 8. For a few minutes all ears were 
 strained to locate the cry and then faintly thi'ough 
 the mist it was borne to the men in the shell holes: 
 "Help, Americans, help me!" Ruses of the Ger- 
 mans had been recounted to the men too often for 
 them not to consider this another trick of the Hun, 
 
St. Etienne and After 165 
 
 but it also was known that some of the men had 
 been wounded and perhaps cut off at the close of 
 the attack on the eighth. Two men quickly volun- 
 teered to go out and locate the wounded man, if in- 
 deed it were such, or to determine if it were a 
 German ruse. Melting into the mist they were 
 gone but comparatively a short time before they 
 returned, walking slowly under the weight of a 
 man who clung to their shoulders as they carried 
 him between them. The man proved to be Private 
 William C. Schaeffer of Company A, 142d Infan- 
 try, who had been wounded in the knee by a piece 
 of shell, the afternoon of October 8, and who had 
 crawled into a dugout to hide when the counter at- 
 tack caused the line to swing back and connect 
 up with the other troops in front of Hill 140. He 
 had heard the German troops all about him but 
 dared not move out of his hiding place for fear of 
 capture. Twice he had administered first aid to 
 his wound and had managed to live on the 
 emergency rations carried in his pack. Thirst fin- 
 ally had driven him from the dugout the m':^rning 
 of the eleventh when the sounds of firintJ and 
 voices had ceased. He had crawled a considerable 
 distance toward the American lines before calling 
 for help. As he left his hiding place he had heard 
 German machine gunners talking only a short 
 distance away. 
 
 The first rays of the morning light were fil- 
 tering through the mist as the patrol brought 
 Private Schaeff"er into the cemetery and about the 
 same time all firing by the enemy machine guns 
 ceased along the line. It was the first time* that 
 the firing had wholly stopped since the troops of 
 
166 The Story of the 36th 
 
 the Seventy-first Brigade arrived on the line and 
 the strange stillness could not be understood for 
 some time. In the mist it was thought that the 
 enemy had stopped firing because he could not 
 distinguish targets at which to fire but this was 
 contrary to custom. Patrols were sent out cautiously 
 but none of these encountered the Hun although 
 they found where he had been but a short time 
 before. 
 
 During the day previous the French on either 
 side of the division's sector sent in constant reports 
 that the enemy was falling back, leaving only 
 small machine gun detachments to delay the Al- 
 lied advance. On the east the French had been 
 able to advance until they were approximately 
 abreast of the Thirty-sixth Division front line while 
 those on the west had had little success in for- 
 warding their position. Late in the afternoon of 
 the tenth, it was reported that the French on the 
 left were holding a line which ran northwest of 
 St. Etienne but this was the same condition that 
 had prevailed the day previous, when the French 
 had been able to move up following the attacks 
 of the Seventy-first Brigade. 
 
 During the afternoon of the tenth the com- 
 mander of the Twenty-first corps had visited the 
 headquarters of General Smith to hold a confer- 
 ence and insist that the brigades be placed side by 
 side in the line as soon as possible. Also plans 
 were worked out for the Seventy-second Brigade 
 to attack the afternoon of the tenth at 17 o'clock 
 (5 P. M.). In order to accomplish this the divi- 
 sion operations officer prepared a comprehensive 
 order directing the attack and had it distributed 
 
St. Etiennne and After 167 
 
 with maps. Regimental commanders upon receiv- 
 ing this order called their conferences with their 
 battalion corhmanders and the preparations for the 
 forward movement were rushed to completion. In 
 this rush^ however, there was the same lack of par- 
 ticular instruction to a degree that characterized 
 the assault by the Seventy-first Brigade the morn- 
 ing of the eighth. The maps were not pasted to- 
 gether and the officers did not have sufficient op- 
 portunity to give instructions to their men. How- 
 ever, there had been greater opportunity for recon- 
 naissance and the general conditions were much 
 better known than had been the case with the 
 other troops. 
 
 At the given hour the assault battalions of 
 both regiments moved forward. The 143d Infan- 
 try on the right was directed to pass over the 
 lines of the 141st Infantry and drive the enemy 
 from his position in front of that sector. The 
 same general scheme prevailed for the 144th In- 
 fantry with regard to the lines of the 142d Infantry. 
 The objective given both regiments was the front 
 line of the French on the right which was de- 
 clared to be progressing in pursuit of the slowly 
 retreating enemy. This was in compliance with 
 orders from the corps commander to the effect 
 that the advance of the Thirty-sixth would be gov- 
 erned by the advance of the French units on either 
 side. 
 
 In the gathering darkness the success of the 
 attack did not develop. On the right the 143d 
 Infantry had trouble in locating the front line. 
 Through the gaps that existed there the assault 
 battalion passed parts of the line without knowing 
 
168 The Story of the 36th 
 
 it and then thinking it best to make sure of its 
 position before advancing farther, halted for the 
 night. These troops already had been under ar- 
 tillery fire while in support of the 141st Infantry 
 the day and night previous and had suffered sev- 
 eral casualties. In the advance the afternoon of 
 the tenth they had encountered gas shells and had 
 made part of the advance while wearing gas 
 masks. 
 
 On the left the 144th Infantry started its at- 
 tack simultaneously with a burst of shelling from 
 the enemy's long range artillery. Some of these 
 shells fell directly among the advancing elements 
 and wrought general confusion. The result of this 
 was that the leading battalion halted on the line 
 from which the assault battalion of the 142d In- 
 fantry had jumped off the morning of the eighth. 
 From this position patrols were sent out in the 
 night, the troops being under the impression that 
 they were in the front line, and the position was 
 occupied throughout the night. In the early hours 
 of the morning members of the intelligence sec- 
 tion of the 144th Infantry, patrolling to the front 
 encountered the detachment of the 142d Infantry 
 in the cemetery to the east of the village and then 
 returned with their information regarding the lo- 
 cation of the actual front line. While one battal- 
 ion was locating along the jump off line directly 
 south of the village another had posted itself to 
 the south of Hill 140 where it would have shelter 
 from the enemy's machine gun fire. 
 
 Units of the 133d Machine Gun Battalion had 
 been assigned equally to the two infantry regi- 
 ments but encountered considerable difficulty in 
 
St. Etiemie and After 169 
 
 maintaining liaison in the night. One of the com- 
 panies completely lost touch with the infantry 
 to which it was assigned and did not regain com- 
 munication until the morning of the eleventh. 
 
 There were several gas casualties reported to 
 the dressing stations during the afternoon but most 
 of these were of a slight nature and some of the 
 men were returned for duty in the line where they 
 had suffered only from the fumes of high explosive 
 shells. The effect of the high explosive vanished 
 with a short rest where the sufferer could have 
 fresh air. 
 
 The night of the tenth the b^ervice of supply 
 had considerable difficulty in bringing up stores to 
 the units of the Seventy-second Brigade due to the 
 confusion that existed when the passage of lines 
 was not completed. The water supply was de- 
 pleted among the men in the line and fresh water 
 was not made available. Also there was a short- 
 age of ammunition as well as food. Many of the 
 men opened their reserve rations to satisfy the 
 pangs of hunger. This confusion at the rear was 
 largely responsible for the lack of food among the 
 units of the Seventy-first Brigade, holding the front 
 line. 
 
 During the operations of the Seventy-first Bri- 
 gade as well as the fighting that followed later the 
 Medical Corps troops of the division rendered the 
 most excellent service. Accompanying the infan- 
 try in the face of machine gun and artillery fire, 
 they took as many chances as the latter in the first 
 day's fighting and thereafter came under the heavi- 
 est kind of shell fire time and time again. One of 
 the first men killed the morning of October 8, was 
 
170 The Story of the 36th 
 
 Captain Hanson, on duty with the assaulting bat- 
 talion of the 142d Infantry. Numerous others 
 among the Medical corps were wounded and time 
 and again they were made the targets of the enemy 
 in spite of the Red Cross bands they wore on their 
 arms. 
 
 The work of the ambulances was remarkable. 
 These drove direct to the regimental dressing sta- 
 tion of the 142d Infantry to carry away the 
 wounded of that regiment and the 132d Machine 
 Gun Battalion. In the sector of the 141st Infantry 
 this was not possible but aided by the litter bear- 
 ers they hurried all wounded from that area as 
 rapidly as they were brought back from the line, 
 and given first aid treatment. At the triage es- 
 tablished in a dugout near Somme-Py the wounded 
 were given further attention before being sent to 
 the hospitals. The most urgent cases were cared 
 for first, and hurried away to the rear. Operations 
 were performed where such were deemed neces- 
 sary and ceaseless work on the part of the sur- 
 geons cared for the hundreds of wounded in a 
 remarkably short space of time. At night there 
 were no lights at the dressing stations and the 
 task of dressing wounded was rendered doubly 
 difficult. So good was the work of the Medical 
 Corps that about two hours was declared to be 
 the average time which elapsed from the wound- 
 ing of a man in the line to his arrival at the triage 
 near Soanme-Py, a distance of three or four miles. 
 As the result of this most of the patients arrived 
 at the base hospital in excellent condition and the 
 saving of life was at the maximum. 
 
St. Etienne and After 171 
 
 Throughout the fighting the detachment of 
 the field signal battalion on duty with the Seventy- 
 first Brigade, had been busily engaged in keeping 
 up the wires between the various command posts. 
 The morning of the tenth telephone wires were 
 strung into the front line positions, one station 
 being established in the foxholes on Hill 140 and 
 r.nother at the battalion headquarters in St. Etienne. 
 Two others were established along the front of 
 the 141st Infantry. The men who ran these lines 
 of wire and made repairs where the wires were cut 
 by the bursting shells, were constantly under fire 
 and their work took them to the very front lines 
 day and night. Sometimes the same line would 
 have to be mended five or six times. Each time 
 the linesmen would have to search along every 
 foot of the wire until they came to the broken 
 place which had to be joined with the loose end of 
 the other part of the line. To accomplish this in 
 the dark required the greatest patience as well as 
 hardihood. The signal platoons of the infantry 
 regiments assisted in this work and were constantly 
 on duty with their respective organizations in the 
 front lines. 
 
 The intelligence sections of both infantry reg- 
 iments were greatly handicapped in the first two 
 days fighting around St. Etienne and to the east 
 along the front of the 141st Infantry. They gained 
 little information from the Second Division and the 
 confusion which followed the assault the morning 
 of the eighth left them at a disadvantage not over- 
 come until two days later. However through the 
 work of the scouts and observers who patrolled 
 the entire brigade front something was learned of 
 
172 The Story of the 36th 
 
 the disposition of the enemy's troops, especiaiiy his 
 machine gun nests and advanced artillery positions. 
 Much of this work was done by the intelligence 
 officers in person. Advancing with the assault 
 waves many of the scouts were wounded and the 
 organization badly crippled. One of the scout of- 
 ficers in the 142d Infantry was badly wounded 
 when he took charge of a disorganized platoon and 
 led it forward after its commander had been 
 wounded and sent to the rear. 
 
 When the sun had cleared the mist away from 
 the low ground along the Arnes the morning of 
 October 11, the slopes of the ridge to the north of 
 St. Etienne were found to be utterly devoid of the 
 machine gun nests that had proved such a menace 
 to the troops in the front line the day before. Since 
 the early dawn there had been no firing and pa- 
 trols had reported all signs of the enemy gone. On 
 either side the French could be seen advancing 
 boldly toward the north and about 10 o'clock the 
 forward battalions of the Seventy-second Brigade 
 passed through the advance positions of the Seven- 
 ty-first Brigade and took up the advance toward 
 the town of Machault, the direction of the division 
 having been changed from slightly northwest to 
 northeast. This change had been occasioned by 
 the fact that it no longer was necessary to con- 
 tinue the effort to cut off the German forces in 
 the vicinity of Reims, the enemy having withdrawn 
 along that front. 
 
 With the forward positions taken over by the 
 Seventy-second Brigade the commanders of the 
 Seventy-first Brigade units immediately took up 
 the task of reorganizing their commands. The men 
 
iS^. Etienne and After 173 
 
 of the two regiments had become so mingled into 
 detachments that it was necessary for each bat- 
 talion commander to establish an assembly point 
 and call for the officers and men of his battalion 
 to gather there. After this had been accomplished 
 each company commander had to separate his 
 men from the others. In some, instances these 
 companies were formed by sergeants, all of the 
 officers having been wounded or killed. Where 
 this proved the case officers were borrowed from 
 other companies to take charge. Hardly any of 
 the companies had more than one officer and none 
 had more than two officers, after this readjust- 
 ment. 
 
 This reorganization consumed the greater part 
 of the afternoon and was supervised in person by 
 the regimental commanders. Most of the battalions 
 were commanded by captains, the one exception 
 being the Second Battalion of the 142d Infantry, 
 commanded by Major Morrissey. During this time 
 the area was under fire only from the longest range 
 guns and the shells fell at irregular intervals, be- 
 ing infrequent and directed for the most part at 
 the town of St. Etienne. The slielling was from 
 a new direction, the firing apparently being done 
 by long range artillery located near the Aisne 
 River in the vicinity of Vouziers. 
 
 The night of the eleventh the troops in the 
 front line were fed the first warm food they had 
 tasted since the morning of the sixth when they 
 had been given their breakfast in camp near 
 Somme-Suippe. During the entire time they had 
 been in the fighting zone they had lived on canned 
 meat and tomatoes for the most part with a 
 
174 The Story of the 36th 
 
 small amount of French bread which they carried 
 up from the rear with the greatest difficulty at 
 night. In the meal served the night of the elev- 
 enth they were given steak and vegetables in quan- 
 tities to appease the most ravenous and then all 
 lay down to enjoy the first comfortable sleep they 
 had been able to get for a week. With only a gas 
 sentry posted for each company^ the men dug 
 comfortable holes in the ground and lined these 
 with pine needles over which they piled overcoats 
 and blankets that they had taken from the German 
 dugouts or from the few packs that were available. 
 
 In the meantime the officers were busy count- 
 ing the dead and accounting for the wounded and 
 missing. They had not seen parts of their com- 
 panies and platoons for more than two days, hav- 
 ing been separated in the fighting early during the 
 morning of the eighth. Officers had to go from 
 one end of their regimental sectors to another in the 
 effort to locate all of their troops and in some in- 
 stances the soldiers of the two regiments became 
 intermingled. Also some of the men became iden- 
 tified with machine gun platoons and remained 
 with them. It was in this counting of noses that 
 many wounded were accounted for the first time. 
 As the troops were gathered together they told of 
 the fighting in this and that part of the field and 
 how this or that man had been killed or wounded 
 and evacuated to the rear. 
 
 The casualties had been frightful. The full 
 extent of these now became known for the first 
 time. In the 141st Infantry there had been 109 
 officers and 2,469 men when it entered the lines 
 the night of the sixth. Of these seventy-eight of- 
 
St. Etienne and After 175 
 
 fleers and 1,789 men remained at the close of the 
 fighting on the tenth. Of the ninety-one officers 
 and 2,333 men who were reported with the 142d 
 Infantry the morning of the seventh, fifty-three offi- 
 cers and 1,690 men remained the morning of the 
 eleventh. In the 132d Machine Gun Battalion there 
 had been thirty officers and 712 men to enter the 
 battle and at the close there remained twenty-one 
 officers and 600 men. These figures include all 
 forces such as the supply troops gnd the troops at 
 the headquarters of the various organizations. It 
 is estimated that only about 1,700 officers and men 
 actually engaged in the fight for the 142d Infan- 
 try which lost approximately nine officers killed ; 
 thirty-two officers wounded; 147 men killed; and 
 635 men wounded or missing in action. Some of 
 these missing were prisoners captured in the Ger- 
 man counterattack the afternoon of the eighth, 
 but the greater number had been wounded and 
 some never were accounted for. it is assured that 
 they were killed by some of the larger enemy shells. 
 Those actually participating in the fightmg in 
 the 141st Infantry numbered a little less than 
 2,000 men and officers and the losses in that regi- 
 ment were only slightly less than in the 142d In- 
 fantry. The final reports on the casualities of the 
 four days before St. Etienne showed the losses of 
 the 142d Infantry to be something more than 800 
 officers and men and the losses of the other regi- 
 ment to be something more than 700 officers and 
 men. The losses in the machine gun battalion had 
 been comparatively heavy considering the number 
 of men engaged. 
 
176 The Story of the 36th 
 
 When the units were organized the afternoon 
 of October 11, battalions appeared about the size 
 of a full company while regiments were only 
 slightly larger than full strength battalions. In 
 the faces of the men gathered together in the de- 
 pleted ranks could be read the strain of the past 
 week but at the same time the faces wore the ex- 
 pression of tried soldiers that would not be found 
 wanting in any task that might be assigned to them. 
 They greeted each other solemnly and each man 
 respected the others in a manner new to them. 
 
 The first task of the relieved troops the morn- 
 ing of October 12 was to gather together ano bury 
 the dead. Details of men from each organiza- 
 tion were sent out under an officer to locate the 
 fallen of their own command. These were brought 
 together at once place for the miost part and in- 
 terred under the personal supervision of the offi- 
 cer who would be assisted by the regimental chap- 
 lain. The duties of the latter were to take charge 
 of any valuables that might be found on the per- 
 sons of the dead and to perform the religious rites 
 prescribed by the regulations. In a few instances 
 the fallen were laid to rest where they were 
 found, the time allotted for the task not permitting 
 them to be carried to the common burying place. 
 Wooden crosses were erected over each grave and 
 the identification of the man was fastened to his 
 cross. Marines as well as the French were also 
 taken care of by the burying parties of the Sev- 
 enty-first Brigade. 
 
St. Etiemie and After 177 
 
 THE ADVANCE OF THE SEVENTY-SECOND 
 BRIGADE. 
 
 In the meantime the advance of the Seventy- 
 second Brigade had begun. Its commander had 
 been instructed to pursue the retreating enemy 
 and attack with all possible vigor wherever the 
 Germans could be found. In both the infantry 
 regiments the formation for this advance was 
 practically the same as had been the case the aft- 
 ernoon before during the attempted passage of 
 lines. The forces of the 143d Infantry required 
 considerable reorganization before the advance 
 could be taken up but as early as 9 o'clock one 
 company of the 144th Infantry had entered the 
 cemetery to the east of St. Etienne and passed 
 on over the Arnes. This was one of the companies 
 of the First Battalion which took over the positions 
 occupied by the 142d Infantry in the village and 
 then pushed on to a position to the north of the 
 town. 
 
 A short time later the Second Battalion of the 
 144th Infantry emerged from its positions behind 
 Hill 140 and advanced over the flat to the east of 
 St. Etienne, passing through the right of the 142d 
 infantry sector. Advancing over the Arnes it be- 
 came the leading battalion of the regiment, the 
 First Battalion taking the support position and the 
 Third Battalion the reserve position. Until the 
 Second Battalion reached a point almost two kilo- 
 meters north of St. Etienne it did not come in con- 
 tact with any of the enemy's troops. However, at 
 the top of the ridge about half way between St. 
 Etienne and Machault, its scouts drew fire from 
 
178 The' Story of the 36th 
 
 several machine gun nests located on either side 
 of the narrow guage railroad that was operated by 
 the Germans to carry ammunition and other sup- 
 plies from Machault to the positions in the old 
 Hindenburg line. Immediately these positions 
 were uncovered the task of reducing them was be- 
 gun. Flankers soon brought fire to bear that 
 enabled the troops in front to advance. During 
 this skirmishing, which lasted more than an hour, 
 enemy observation was secured by an airplane 
 which appeared overhead, and almost immediately 
 this was followed by artillery fire that brought 
 numerous casualties within the ranks of the at- 
 tacking force. During the artillery fire two small 
 ammunition dumps, abandoned by the enemy, were 
 exploded in the vicinity, causing the impression 
 generally that the ground was mined. To add to the 
 difficulties of the situation the assaulting troops 
 came under fire from the right flank, in the sector 
 of the 143d Infantry, which ground had not yet 
 been reached by that organization. Company C 
 of the First Battalion was sent into the gap to the 
 right to aid Major Mullican's Second Battalion in 
 the attack but arrived in position simultarously 
 with the advance elements of the 143d. 
 
 During the artillery fire some of the German 
 machine gunners apparently withdrew to posi- 
 tions held by the enemy in Machault while others 
 were shot or bayoneted at their posts, being unable 
 to get away before their positions were reached. 
 Some of the men in the 144th assault waves told of 
 machine gunners who held their positions and ac- 
 tually fired their Maxims until they were killed, one 
 actually being bayoneted by a flanker who had 
 
St. Etiemie and After 179 
 
 gaihed the rear and killed the operator of the 
 machine gun in his seat. 
 
 When these positions had been overcome the 
 assault battalion continued the advance until about 
 i: kilometer south of Machault, where it came un- 
 der machine gun fire from positions in and around 
 the town. Some of the machine guns were planted 
 in the upper stories of the houses while others were 
 located to the east and west of the town. This fire 
 was returned by the assaulting troops as soon as 
 they could get into such positions as would allow 
 them to bring their rifles and automatic weapons 
 to bear. But the advancing infantrymen were 
 spared any real effort directed to dislodge the 
 enemy. The German's own artillery suddenly 
 opened on the town and caused the ''boche" ma- 
 chine gunners to scurry away to the north in or- 
 der to save their lives. Due to this kindly aid from 
 the Hun artillery Machault was evacuated before an 
 assault could be launched against it. Almost im- 
 mediately afterward the enemy ceased altogether 
 to direct his artillery on the positions in the vi- 
 cinity, apparently being uncertain of the location 
 of his own lines and being afraid to fire at random. 
 As soon as the enemy's fire had been silenced the 
 advance elements of the 144th passed through 
 the town and beyond several hundred meters to the 
 north and northeast, where the regiment was halt- 
 ed for the night. In passing through the village 
 great care was taken to see that no hidden posi- 
 tions of the enemy were remaining to open fire 
 on the rear of the advancing troops after they had 
 gone beyond. 
 
180 The Story of the 36th 
 
 While this advance was being conducted the 
 143d Infantry was moving forward in the adjoin- 
 ing sector to the east. Due to the widely scattered 
 detachments of this regiment in the front line po- 
 sitions the night of the tenth, there had been little 
 time to issue orders in written form. Instead the 
 regimental commander had called his officers into 
 a conference where he told them the plan of the 
 advance. The same formation as that used the 
 previous day was carried out and the forward 
 movement begun as soon as possible. The assault 
 battalion was under the command of Major Siebe 
 who did not get his instructions until after the hour 
 designated to start. This necessitated a slight de- 
 lay in addition to that occasioned by the confusion 
 of the night before. 
 
 In its advance the 144th Infantry had been 
 able to move out abreast of the French after the 
 first kilometer but the 143d was practically a kilo- 
 meter in rear through the greater part of the morn- 
 ing. Shortly after noon however it came abreast 
 of the French division on the right although not 
 quite up with the advance elements of the 144th 
 Infantry. No resistance was encountered by the 
 143d until it moved up even with the established 
 front. A little more than two kilometers north of 
 the old line east of St. Etienne, the French had 
 encountered a line of enemy machine guns which 
 held up the attack along the St. Etienne-Semide 
 road. The advance units of the 143rd Infantry en- 
 countered these upon coming alongside the ad- 
 vance French elements. Company I of the 143d 
 acting in conjunction with the French, soon over- 
 came these however and the advance continued. 
 
St. Etienne and After ■ 181 
 
 Upon approaching the line running east and 
 west through the village of Machault the forward 
 battalion came under fire from the German posi- 
 tions in the town but little damage was done as the 
 enemy artillery began to bear on the village al- 
 most immediately. The right flank of the regiment 
 had been subjected to fire from wooded positions 
 to the east of Machault at the same time. These 
 last positions were in the sector of the Seventy- 
 third French division on the right, which had not 
 yet reached the line running through the town. 
 The fire from the wood ceased a short time after 
 the enemy had been routed from the village and 
 soon afterward the French advanced on a line 
 with the 143d. which was still somewhat in rear 
 of the 144th Infantry and the French on the left. 
 
 During the advance the companies of the 133d 
 Machine Gun Battalion remained on duty with the 
 units of the two regiments to which they had been 
 assigned or the attempted passage of lines at St. 
 Etienne, and when th? troops hal;ed for the night 
 in the vicinity of Machault they took up positions 
 slightly in rear of the front line ^^here they %vould 
 be effective against any counter movements on the 
 part of the enemy. 
 
 Immediately after the arrival of the 143d In- 
 fantry the enemy could be observed moving to the 
 rear from positions directly to the front of tne 144th 
 Infantry. The advance detachments of this regi- 
 ment opened fire and some of the officers urged 
 that a further advance be taken up in order to 
 demoralize this withdrawal. This was not at- 
 tempted however due to the lack of liaison with 
 the troops on either side and to thf rear. Th; lines 
 
182 The Story of the 36th 
 
 to the rear had been extremely difficult to main- 
 tain during the advance and in the night the 
 French moved forward approximately two kilomet- 
 ers without giving any intimation of what they 
 were doing. 
 
 After dark an effort was made to bring up the 
 rolling kitchens and prepare sufficient hot food for 
 the personnel of both regiments, as well as the 
 machine gun battalions, but jthis was not whol- 
 ly successful. The troops in reserve, who 
 were close to the kitchens were fed but 
 the other battalions had to depend on their re- 
 serve rations. Water also was scarce although a 
 small supply was distributed among some of the 
 units. At times during the night it was reported 
 that enemy snipers had obtained positions in the 
 village of Machault and were firing on the Ameri- 
 cans near the town but patrols failed to locate 
 any of these and if they were there they made good 
 their escape. 
 
 In the night the command posts of both regi- 
 ments were moved forward in order that the regi- 
 mental commanders could be in closer touch with 
 the advancing troops. In the 143d Infantry the 
 colonel, however, did not confer with his battalion 
 and company commanders until daylight, having 
 passed the night in visiting the front of the entire 
 brigade. During the advance the regiment had 
 been under the personal direction of Lieutenant 
 Colonel Taylor, the regimental commander remain- 
 ing at the established command post until it should 
 be moved forward. 
 
 It is estimated that the total number of casual- 
 ties resulting from the advance of the Seventy- 
 
St. Etienne and After 183 
 
 second Brigade to the vicinity of Machault, was 
 in the neighborhood of 200 for both regiments of 
 infantry and the machine gun battalion. Most of 
 these had resulted from the enemy's artillery fire, 
 the resistance by machine gunners and snipers 
 having been slight in the extreme. 
 
 Arriving at Machault the troops entered a 
 more fertile country than had been around them 
 at St. Etienne and Blanc Mont ridge. This was 
 the upper Champagne where the underbrush vied 
 with the pine growths in covering the ground, and 
 where there was a rank growth of weeds in the 
 open places although there was no cultivation. The 
 last was not encountered until the final stretches 
 of the broad plateau were crossed just before the 
 sharp outline of the Aisne valley was reached. 
 The town of Machault itself is on the main high- 
 way from Reims to Verdun and was used for the 
 four years of the war as a distribution point for the 
 entire German forces in the Champagne. A broad 
 guage railroad operating into the town from the 
 north, transferred its freight to narrow guage 
 roads at this point while in the Mont St. Remy, a 
 short distance to the northeast, the enemv had 
 maintained an ammunition dump of gigantic pro- 
 portions. From it in every direction toward the 
 battle lines there had operated narrow guage rail- 
 roads. But even this gigantic dump had not con- 
 tained all of the munitions the Germans planned to 
 use. In the woods on both sides of the little branch 
 lines were piled tier after tier of artillery shells 
 as well as boxes of small arms ammunition. Ap- 
 parently there had been an effort to remove some 
 of this but the task was too colossal in the 
 
184 The Stonj of the 36th 
 
 short time allowed by the determined assaults of 
 the Allied arms. In addition to the ammunition 
 there were piles and piles of other material such 
 as lumber and stores used in construction work. 
 The woods literally were full of German property 
 for which the French later gave the Thirty-sixth 
 Division commander a receipt for approximately 
 $10,000,000 this being the minimum estimate of 
 the property's worth. Testifying to the haste with 
 which the *'boche" had been compelled to leave 
 these supply dumps, some of the tram cars still 
 laden and on the way to the front lines were stand- 
 ing ready to continue the journey. 
 
 To the north of Machault the ground is flat for 
 some distance before it breaks up into a series of 
 knolls and little valleys south of where the broad 
 valley of the Aisne is reached. In this flat coun- 
 try are the villages of Dricourt. Leffincourt and 
 Pauvres, while to the north of them, hidden in the 
 tiny draws that mark the abrupt meeting of the 
 plateau with the valley of the Aisne are the towns 
 of Vaux-Champagne and Coulommes. In the val- 
 ley of the river and under clear observation from 
 the opposite slopes to the north are the towns of 
 Mont Laurent, Saulces Champenoise, Saint Vau- 
 bourg, Chardeny, Chuffilly, Mery and La Roche as 
 well as other little hamlets, around which the 
 Germans had caused the Russian prisoners of war to 
 cultivate the crops. On the banks of the Aisne 
 and its accompanying Ardennes Canal are the 
 towns of Givry, Attigny and Rilly, the last named 
 being in a loop of the river. Of these the more 
 important is Attigny, which had a population of 
 several thousad people before the war. 
 
St. Etienne mid After 185 
 
 THE ADVANCE OF THE ENTIRE DIVISION. 
 
 Into this territory the Seventy-second Brigade 
 again took up its advance the morning of October 
 12. Back at St. Etienne as the details were about 
 the business of salvaging the property strew^n about 
 the fields and burying the dead, the reorganized 
 units of the Seventy-first Brigade were getting un- 
 der way to follow up the advance of the other half 
 of the division. Before the continuation of the 
 movement forward the 142d Infantry received a 
 splendid tribute from the commanding officer of 
 the French division on the left. The latter declared 
 that the work of the American regiment in hold- 
 ing the ground around St. Etienne in the face of 
 the enemy's bombardment and counter-attack, after 
 the unfavorable manner in which the assault had 
 been launched was nothing less than niar\elous. 
 For the work of the whole Seventy-first Brigade 
 at this point the entire division received a citation. 
 It was here that the long hours of training for 
 more than a year in the camps of Fort Sill and 
 Fort Worth as well as in the Thirteenth training 
 area told their true value. When officers had been 
 killed and wounded until none was left, the troops 
 had been taken in hand, by sergeants, corporals 
 and sometimes privates who handled the situation 
 in a manner creditable to the best troops in the 
 world. No enlisted men ever showed to better ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 After a week of the greatest hardship, one 
 hot meal had served to bring the spirit of the en- 
 tire brigade back up to normal and as the col- 
 umns moved out across the ground between St. 
 
186 The Story of the 36th 
 
 Etienne and Machault there were songs keeping 
 cadence with the marching feet and jokes were 
 bandied about as though they had spent the day 
 before in New York or Paris, There were not 
 as many to sing but they sang with the same spirit 
 as when they marched into battle the first time in 
 their lives, just the week before. 
 
 In the advance northward from St. Etienne 
 the columns again left the highways as they had 
 done in the march from Suippes to Somme-Py but 
 this time the marching was not so difficult. The 
 ground was firmer and there were not so many en- 
 tanglements to bar the path. Some time during 
 the night of the eleventh all shelling has ceased 
 in the vicinity of St. Etienne, even the longest 
 range guns apparently having been moved back 
 to a point where they could not be brought to bear 
 on this part of the line. 
 
 At this time the troops in the First American 
 Army, to the east across the Aisne, had pushed 
 forward to the Kremhilde Stellung, the First, the 
 Thirty-second, the Forty-second, the Seventy-seventh 
 and other divisions having rolled back the stubborn 
 Hun until he was ensconced behind this last barri- 
 cade between the Allies and Sedan. Montfaucon, so 
 long the headquarters of the Crown Prince, long 
 since had been in the hands of the Thirty-seventh 
 Division and the troops that succeeded that organi- 
 zation in the line. The Thirty-second, the Ninetieth 
 and other divisions were being placed in positions of 
 readiness to hurl themselves against the enemy in 
 this last stronghold and drive him beyond his rail- 
 road centers at Sedan and Mezieres, and perhaps 
 cut off the retreat of the German forces in Flanders. 
 
St. Etienne and After 187 
 
 The last weight of the Allies was being apphed 
 to break the German line and end the war. But 
 these things were unknown to the men of the Thir- 
 ty-Sixth as they plodded ahead over the shell torn 
 surface of the upper Champagne. 
 
 As the Seventy-first Brigade was moving out of 
 its positions of the night before the assaulting 
 echelons of the Seventy-second Brigade were tak- 
 ing up the further advance from their positions 
 near Machault. During the night the French on 
 either side had moved to the front and the forward 
 troops of both regiments were urged to move up 
 even with them. High overhead the ''sausage" 
 balloons of the enemy always were visible and as 
 soon as the advance began long range artillery start- 
 ed to register among the deployed elements. Now 
 and then the advance would be held up by iso- 
 lated machine gun positions but these were over- 
 come without great difficulty. As the town of Ma- 
 chault had been destroyed by flames so had other 
 villages in the area, although Dricourt and the 
 towns farther north had been spared. Every joint 
 of the standard guage railroad had been blown 
 up, so that it was rendered wholly useless until it 
 could be repaired. In this way the enemy kept it 
 from being available to move the heavier pieces 
 of artillery which had to be brought up from the 
 rear. Much of the rolling stock for this road 
 was found to be serviceable and later the road 
 was repaired to an extent where it could be used 
 by the French. 
 
 Throughout the morning the planes of the 
 Allies as well as the enemy were busy in their 
 maneuvers above the advancing lines. On both 
 
188 The Story of the 36th 
 
 sides the chief effort was directed toward the de- 
 struction of the observation balloons. Late m the 
 afternoon some of the Allied air pilots were suc- 
 cessful in setting fire to one of the German "sau- 
 sages" which soon plunged earthward in a mass 
 of flames. Apparently the observers were caught 
 in the wreckage as no one was seen to leap and 
 descend by means of the parachute. The next 
 morning practically the same thing happened to 
 one of the allied balloons. These performances 
 were watched with the keenest interest by the 
 doughboys on the ground. When the Allied balloon 
 was brought to the ground the lone observer man- 
 aged to leap before the descent and landed on a 
 spot not far from the location of the 142d Infantry. 
 "That just about skins any circus trick I ever 
 peeped at!" was the way one Texas cowpuncher 
 summed up the performance. The men of the 
 Thirty-sixth were seeing things every minutp that 
 outdid most of the Barnum wonders they had 
 learned to marvel at in the piping time of peace. 
 The Allied balloons kept pace with the advancing 
 infantry without great difficulty. The marching of 
 the latter was comparatively slow. Each balloon 
 was anchored to a heavy motor truck which moved 
 with remarkable speed along the better roads, es- 
 pecially in view of the wireless apparatus attached. 
 By the late afternoon the Seventy-second Bri- 
 gade had advanced to a line running east and 
 west through the town of Vaux-Champagne. in a 
 little valley to the south of which the main body 
 of the 144th Infantry took position during the 
 night, after slipping to the east slightly to gel; into 
 the proper sector of the regiment. The 143d In- 
 
St. Etienne and After 189 
 
 fantry was to the east of the town and somewhat 
 more advanced than the 144th, it having placed 
 outposts along the northern slopes of Hill 167, near 
 Coulommes, from which the entire valley for many 
 miles could be observed. This was the highest ele- 
 vation in the vicinity and practically every foot of 
 the enemy's territory across the Aisne could be ob- 
 served on a clear day without difficulty. This part 
 of the Aisne valley offered splendid protection and 
 a varied assortment of positions which couid be 
 used to advantage from a defensive standpoint. 
 
 On the ground between the position of the 
 144th Infantry and the town of Vaux-Champagne 
 the enemy had established an aviation field during 
 the early years of the war but had abandoned it 
 later for a field just south of Aitigny. In these 
 aviation sheds some of the advancing troops found 
 shelter for the night and escaped the rain that be- 
 gan to fall on their less lucky com.rades during the 
 afternoon. Most of the troops in the Seventy- 
 second Brigade were suffering from want of water, 
 the supply at Machault having been avoided for 
 fear that it might have been poisoned by the flee- 
 ing "boche." No other opportunity had been af- 
 forded to get a supply. Also most of them had 
 been without hot food and coffee. During the 
 night this situation was relieved by the arrival of 
 the rolling kitchens and water carts from the 
 rear. Most of the men were given hot "chow" and 
 made cheerful for the night in spite of the rain. 
 
 During the morning the Seventy-first Brigade 
 had advanced until it reached the flat country just 
 to the southeast of Dricourt where it took position 
 among the pine groves out of sight of the enemy's 
 
190 The Story of the 36th 
 
 planes and observers. There it remained through 
 the balance of the day. The rolling kitchens were 
 brought up to this point and after considerable 
 difficulty a hot supper was served. Also a suffi- 
 cient quantity of water was received. During the 
 afternoon many of the men took occasion to shave 
 and otherwise clean up. It was the first opportuni- 
 ty they had enjoyed in more than a week. Pocket 
 mirrors were propped up in trees and water was 
 heated with solidified alcohol, no fires being per- 
 mitted. These troops by this time were entirely 
 without shelter. In order to avoid the rain that 
 was falling steadily they dug holes in the ground 
 and covered these with pine boughs, which ren- 
 dered the place water proof. Each man working 
 for himself was rapidly assimilatiiig the knov ledge 
 of how to look after his wants under the most try- 
 ing circumstances. 
 
 Other units of the division, including the at- 
 tached artillery brigade, began the movement for- 
 ward with the Seventy-first Brigade. The going 
 was especially difficult for the artillery. Unable 
 to travel along the highways to the east, the heavy 
 gun carriages and other vehicles frequently sank 
 in the soft earth until infantry delails were neces- 
 sary to help the horses extricate them. These 
 and the water carts as well as the rolling kitchens 
 struggling forward through the mud made the in- 
 fantrymen glad of their positions. 
 
 While the infantry of the Thirty-sixth had 
 halted in the vicinity of Vaux-Champagne the aft- 
 ernoon of the twelfth the 141st French division 
 on the right of the Seventy-third French division 
 had reached the Aisne river, and French Cavalry 
 
St. Etienne and After 191 
 
 from the left had patrolled to the town of Attigny 
 which they found to be burning, the Germans hav- 
 ing set fire to it in numerous places before leav- 
 ing. In this town there were large powder maga- 
 zines which the enemy had established as early as 
 1915 but these failed to explode. The bridges 
 across the river and the canal had been destroyed 
 everywhere, thus blocking the advance across the 
 river. On the south bank much of the underbrush 
 had been cut and piled on the north bank to give 
 the enemy protection and at the same time leave 
 the area of the Allies exposed to fire. Apple or- 
 chards in the vicinity of Attigny had been cut 
 down as had the trees which lined the highways. 
 
 When the French cavalry patrol had entered 
 Attigny it had been fired upon from the brickyard 
 to the east of the town as well as from the sugar 
 mill in the west end of the town. Later the sugar 
 mill was abandoned by the enemy but the Ger- 
 mans remained in position in the elbow of the 
 river just to the east of Attigny and in which were 
 Rilly and Forest Ferme, the last of which was the 
 scene of the final fighting of the Seventy-first Bri- 
 gade, 
 
 The night of the twelfth the corps comm.ander 
 directed that the commanders of all divisions in his 
 corps make effort to cross the river and establish 
 bridgeheads with a view to pursuing the enemy on 
 the north bank. Due to the fact that his forces 
 were taking over the sector of the Seventy-third 
 French division on the right, General Smith was 
 not able to carry out these instructions as prescribed 
 by the corps commander but the commanding 
 general of the Seventh French division on the left 
 
192 The Story of the 36th 
 
 announced his intention of making a surprise 
 crossing the morning of the thirteenth in the vi- 
 cinity of Givry, and called upon the Thirty-sixth 
 for the assistance of its heavy artillery. This was 
 placed at the French division commander's disposal. 
 
 During the morning of Sunday, October 13, 
 the troops again were in movement forward, this 
 time with the intention of placing the brigades side 
 by side in the line as had been planned originally 
 by the corps commander as well as the division 
 commander. The orders prescribed that the Sev- 
 enty-first Brigade would be on the rigliL of the 
 sector and would occupy the territory between a 
 point slightly west of Attigny to a point about 
 halfway across the front of the enemy positions 
 in the elbow of the river. West of Attigny and 
 about a kilometer west of the town of Givr\ was 
 to be the front of the sector occupied by the Sev- 
 enty-second Brigade. In the Sector of the Sev- 
 enty-first Brigade the 141st Infantry was on the 
 right and the 142d Infantry on the left, while the 
 Seventy-second Brigade was disposed with the 
 143d Infantry on the right and the 144th Infantry 
 on the left. 
 
 During the early hours of the morning the 
 troops began to move forward to their positions. 
 The Seventy-second Brigade completed its move- 
 ments about noon, but the other brigade which 
 had farther to march was not in position until 
 nightfall. Part of the movement was continued 
 into the night during which the enemy began once 
 more to shell the area, but with little apparent 
 damage. Headquarters for the Seventy-first Bri- 
 gade was established in the town of Vaux-Cham- 
 
St. Etienne aiid After 193 
 
 pagne as was the artillery brigade headquarters 
 and the headquarters of the 142d Infantry. Di- 
 vision headquarters had been established in the 
 town of Dricourt. Here the engineers also were 
 established and began their work of repairing 
 the roads in the vicinity as well as patrolling the 
 river and canal with the view to constructing 
 bridges across these in the event bridgeheads were 
 obtained. The command post of the Sevenly-sec- 
 ond Brigade originally had been placed m Vaux- 
 Champagne also but it later was moved to Pauvres. 
 
 The troops of the division were disposed in 
 three zones along the entire front. The forward 
 zone along the canal and river was known as the 
 outpost zone and this ran back from the river for 
 a distance of from two to three kilometers. Back 
 of this was the zone of supports ?,nd back of this 
 the reserve and main line of resistance in the event 
 of an attack. The troops in the outpost zone were 
 widely scattered, much of the territory near the 
 river being covered by patrols. In this manner a 
 close watch was kept of the enemy across the 
 river and at the same time the danger of casual 
 ties was lessened to a great degree. 
 
 During the advance from St. Etienne lo the 
 river, the supply department had labored under 
 the greatest difficulties. The poor roads and the 
 congestion of traffic rendered the movement of 
 supplies impossible in some cases but the addition 
 of a considerable number of water carts and roll- 
 ing kitchens relieved the situation to a great ex- 
 tent. There were not enough of these kitchens 
 to provide one for each company but there were 
 enough for the depleted number of troops to be 
 
194 The Story of the 36th 
 
 fed so that at least two warm meals each day 
 could be served. Water was plentiful in the 
 region and the troops no longer suffered ironi this. 
 In this movement to the Aisne the hospital and 
 ambulance units were brought up from Aulnay, 
 where they had been left when the division first 
 started into the front line. All of the sick at Aul- 
 nay had been evacuated to the base hospitals or 
 returned to their regiments. The hospital then 
 was established in the vicinity of Machault. The 
 supply dump also was moved up to a position near 
 Coulommes while the ammunition dump was placed 
 in the vicinity of Dricourt. Frequently the am- 
 munition train in bringing up munitions from the 
 rear came under fire from the enemy's batteries. 
 These also constantly made the service of supply 
 hazardous. Most of the hauling was done at night, 
 the men and animals resting during the day. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE GENERAL ADVANCE. 
 
 All units of the division having been located 
 in their new sectors along the Aisne river there 
 was a general shifting of command posts and ad- 
 justment of supply services to the rear. The com- 
 manders of the 142d and 143d Infantry regiments 
 maintained their headquarters in the town of 
 Vaux-Champagne. The 141st Infantry established 
 its P. C. at Coulommes et Marquent and the 144th 
 Infantry command post was located at Moscou 
 Ferme. This necessitated some shifting of regi- 
 mental aid stations as well as locations for kitch- 
 ens and dumps from which supplies were distrib- 
 uted. Due to the fact that many troops constantly 
 were making their way in and out of Vaux-Cham- 
 pagne, where the artillery brigade headquarters 
 was located as well as the command post of the 
 Seventy-first Infantry Brigade, the town was sub- 
 jected to heavy shelling by the enemy but with 
 comparatively few hits. Most of the shells fell on 
 the ground in the vicinity. 
 
 The railhead of the division remained at La 
 Cheppe, some forty miles away over roads that in 
 many places were extremely difficult of passage, 
 due to the heavy shelling they had undergone. In 
 spite of this handicap the supply department so ar- 
 ranged its schedule that the troops in the front 
 line positions were provided with the garrison ra- 
 tion of fresh meat and bread with but little irreg- 
 ularity. Also the supply of water carts was in- 
 
 [1951 
 
196 The Story of the 36th 
 
 creased to the extent that those which had been 
 borrowed in the area around Somme-Py were re- 
 turned to their owners as were other similarly bor- 
 rowed supplies. Within a short time the division 
 also received an additional supply of automatic 
 pistols and these were distributed without loss of 
 time. All Browning automatic rifles were placed 
 in the hands of troops, none being held in reserve, 
 as had been the case w^hen the command went into 
 action the morning of October 8. All of these auto- 
 matic arms that had been cast aside by wounded 
 in the first fighting before St. Etienne also were 
 gathered up and after being repaired or cleaned 
 were placed in the hands of the troops who had 
 learned by this time to give them their true value. 
 
 The period from October 13 to October 27, 
 is described as a period of quiet for the units along 
 the Aisne at this point, although it proved to be 
 anything but quiet along the banks of the river 
 and the canal where the patrols? of the enemy 
 were constantly coming in contact with the patrols 
 of the Thirty-sixth and the French. The first two 
 days after the division took up its position this 
 activity was not so pronounced, but later when 
 the efforts to gain information of the enemy across 
 the stream were more determined, frequently there 
 were clashes that resulted in casualties. Snipers 
 on both sides made it extremely dangerous for 
 any kind of daylight patrolling and machine guns 
 were brought to bear by the enemy on all cross- 
 ings over the river so that these often were swept 
 by heavy fire at all hours of the night. 
 
 Although facing a canal and river over which 
 the bridges had been destroyed by the retreating en- 
 
TJie GcJieral Am'ance i'JV 
 
 emy, it was the purpose li Jnc Fourth French Army 
 to push on after the Huns and to/cj a more extend- 
 ed and less orderly withdrawal along: the entire front. 
 For this purpose the commandin^^ general of the 
 Thirty-sixth was instructed by the commander of 
 the Twenty-first corps to make all necessary recon- 
 naissance, with a view to throwing bridges across 
 the river and canal in ths vicinity of Attigny. Ac- 
 i-ording to these plans the infantry were to cross 
 tTie stream either Dy sv/mimmg or other means and 
 establish a bridgehead on the north oanks. Cov- 
 ered by the advance of these troops the engineers 
 vx-ere to bridge the stream with a structure pre- 
 pared before hand and transported to the river 
 under cover of darkness. Over this bridge the sup- 
 porting troops w^ould pass and be followed by the 
 artillery as soon as sufficient ground could be 
 gained on the north side. Preparatory to the 
 bridging of the stream the Second Engineers, who 
 still remained with the division and who were sta- 
 tioned in the neighborhood of division headquar- 
 ters at Dricourt, prepared timbers for the bridge 
 and practiced the movements w^hich were expected 
 to be carried out. 
 
 With this movement in view efforts were made 
 each night to gather additional information of the 
 enemy across the river. Several pitrols were 
 successful to a high degree in spite of the fire from 
 the enemy's machine gunners bearing on the places 
 where crossing was considered favorable. During 
 the night of Octobpr 16. patrols from both the 
 141st and 143d Infantry regiments succeeded in 
 crossing to the north side of the river where they 
 captured two prisoners each and gained valuable 
 
198 The Story of the 86th 
 
 information of the enemy troops facing the divis- 
 ion. The following night a patrol from the First 
 Battalion of the 142d Infantry, led by First Lieu- 
 tenant Donald McLennan, battalion scout officer, 
 crossed the canal and river near Attigny and 
 brought back two more prisoners. All of this pa- 
 trol work was done under the most disagreeable 
 weather conditions. From the time the troops of 
 tljo division arrived along the river there had 
 been a steady downpour of rain. The men crawled, 
 worked and slept in mud. At Attigny it was pos- 
 sible to cross the canal only by means of a narrow, 
 slippery footlog upon which the enemy's machine 
 guns bore with accuracy. At this point the oridge 
 had been mined and blov/n up by Russian pris- 
 oners of war and they had accomplished their 
 task well. 
 
 In addition to his scouts, of the intelligence 
 section. Lieutenant McLennan had volunteers from 
 tTie four companies of the First Battalion of the 
 142d, most of whom had sought eagerly for the 
 honor of accompanying the party. While part of 
 the patrol was stationed on the south bank of the 
 canal to cover a hasty retirement in case of neces- 
 sity, the main portion was led by the scout officer 
 over the slippery log and into the darkness of the 
 underbrush on the other side. Working with the 
 utmost care and making their way slowly and 
 stealthily forward, they passed part of the "boche" 
 wire and obstructions that had been erected be- 
 tween the canal and the river, and then were halted 
 by the sound of low gutteral voices ahead. Here 
 was the chance they had been seeking. Without 
 noise and forgetting much of the possibilities of 
 
The General Advance 199 
 
 danger that faced them, members of the patrol 
 started a movement to surround the position from 
 which the sounds had come. So far as could be 
 .fudged by the voices there were only two of the 
 enemy but there might be more. Gradually the 
 patrol closed in from the flanks and then the order 
 came for Fritz to "stick 'em up." One of the two 
 appeared to be a little more than anxious to com- 
 ply, but the other started to run. Two rifle shots 
 quickly changed the mind of the latter and he also 
 was counted among the prisoners. Realizing that 
 the shots might have attracted a larger German 
 force the patrol was led back to the footlog as 
 quickly as possible. One of the two Germans was 
 inclined to stoutness to a degree that his speed 
 was not keeping pace with that of the patrol lead- 
 er. In order to assist the rotund prisoner in his 
 progress toward the American lines one of the men 
 employed all the ability he had learned in the use 
 of his feet in a popular American sport and the 
 propulsion of these had the desired effect. The 
 information gained was all that was wanted at 
 headquarters and every member of the patrol was 
 commended for the part he had played in the cap- 
 ture. 
 
 After this successful invasion of the enemy's 
 outpost zone every man was keen for a chance to 
 cross the river. Also the snipers did some excel- 
 lent work. One of these, an Oklahoman, stationed 
 in a post along the canal near Attigny, was credited 
 with at least four successful shots in two days and 
 it was declared that he accomplished other re- 
 sults which could not be verified officially. It 
 grew into a sport not unlike that of hunting big 
 
200 
 
 The Story of the S6th 
 
The General Advance 201 
 
 jrame, this exchange of shots across the river, in 
 which the Americans did all the forcing and had 
 all the best of the argument. The deeds of one 
 sniper were recounted many times over in the reg- 
 iment afterward. This man chose a position with 
 a sergeant which would enable him to watch for 
 the enemy who were covering the footlog with 
 their rifle and automatic pistol fire. The success- 
 ful crossings of the canal had made the enemy 
 doubly alert to prevent further effort in this di- 
 rection. As the sniper and the sergeant lay in 
 waiting the head of a Prussian guardsman appeared 
 cautiously out of a thicket not more than 150 yards 
 away. This was target enough for the sniper who 
 reached over and touched his companion ana then 
 squinted through his sights. The crack of the 
 rifle was answered by a convulsive leap on the 
 part of the Hun and a figure clad in field gray lay 
 sprawled on the ground in full view. Both snipers 
 remained at their posts watching for the possible 
 appearance of a second enemy figure and then 
 the man who had fired looked at the other and 
 drawled: "He just kicked once didn't he!" 
 
 With the purpose of effecting a crossing to the 
 north side, constant patrolling was demanded of 
 the troops along the river banks. Day and night 
 these were called upon to cross the canal and as- 
 certain that the enemy had not made an additional 
 withdrawal to the north. At times the observers 
 reported that they could easily distinguish Germans 
 in the back areas out of range of the machine guns 
 and rifles but the demand was made that the 
 troops along the river remain in touch with the 
 enemy day and night in order that any move- 
 
202 The Story of the 36th 
 
 ment to the north might be discovered the instant 
 it began. Responding to these demands from 
 headquarters a volunteer patrol composed of Cor- 
 poral Allie Gammill and Privates Ted Watrous, 
 Lester Smith and Buster Stinson, all from the 142d 
 Infantry, crossed the canal the morning of October 
 21. They had been instructed by their commander 
 to secure observation of the enemy on the other 
 side by taking post in the higher buildings of At- 
 tigny and vicinity, which they had accomplished 
 from the old sugar mill to the west of the town. 
 Not satisfied with this, however, they had de- 
 termined to cross the canal and if possible learn 
 something of the enemy in the immediate territory 
 oii the north side. Time and again that morning 
 chey had been fired upon while near the footlog 
 across the canal. In spite of this they made their 
 vay in safety over the precarious footing furnished 
 by the narrow makeshift of a bridge. They had 
 been spurred on by the possibility of capturing 
 three Germans, they had observed while in the 
 sugar mill. But their crossing had been seen The 
 four ^^erc working their way stealthily across the 
 ground between the canal and the river when a 
 burst of machine gun fire brought the patrol lead- 
 'ir Corporal Gammill, to the ground. At the same 
 time a group of the enemy was seen making a hur- 
 lied crossing of the river to cut off the patrol on 
 one flank while the machine gun made it impossible 
 to retreat bv the only other avenue of escape. The 
 i-emaining three of the adventuresome party de- 
 termined that they would sell their lives as dearly 
 as possible. Armed only with automatic pistols 
 and one rifle they brought a steady fire to bear 
 
The General Advance 203 
 
 on the point where the Germans were seen 
 crossing the river. Later it was reported that 
 eight dead Huns lay by the banks of the Aisne at 
 this point. Private Watrous was ihe next to be hit. 
 In shifting his position he was exposed to the 
 raking fire of a machine gun. In a short time 
 Private Stinson also had been wounded and prac- 
 tically all the ammunition had been exhausted. 
 Realizing that he could be of no assistance to his 
 comrades and that he might be able to carry back 
 important information, the only other man of the 
 party. Private Smith, made a wild dash for liberty 
 and, although there were two bullet holes through 
 his helmet, he plunged into the icy water of the 
 canal and landed safely on the south bank under 
 the protecting fire of his comrades' rifles. The 
 information desired had been secured but at a 
 heavy price and there was little further effort at 
 daylight patrolling. 
 
 About the same time however one of the scout 
 officers distinguished himself to a degree that he 
 later was given the Distinguished Service Cross. 
 Leading a patrol of several men along the banks 
 of the canal he was caught with his whole party 
 between the cross fire of two German positions on 
 the north side of the river. All secured cover as 
 best they could from some small trees but in a few 
 moments one of the group was wounded severely 
 in the shoulder. There was not sufficient cover 
 to prevent annihilation if they attempted to remain 
 in this position. The officer quickly instructed his 
 men as soon as he had drawn the enemy's 
 fire that all but himself would make their way 
 with the wounded man, around behind the little 
 
!04 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
The General Advance 205 
 
 knoll in front of which they had been caught. 
 Then stepping out into the open he walked back- 
 ward up the face of the knoll firing his pistol at 
 the enemy. The rest of the patrol quickly made 
 its way to the position of safety and the officer 
 although the target for all enemy weapons bear- 
 ing on the position, also was unhurt. 
 
 Another patrol which secured marked success 
 was conducted across the canal at night by Lieu- 
 tenant Charles K. Campbell of the 141st Infantry. 
 This patrol lay in hiding throughout the follow- 
 ing day and secured valuable information of the 
 enemy from close range, being able to report back 
 to headquarters after darkness with but one slight 
 casualty. It had located five machine gun posi- 
 tions as well as three batteries of artillery. Later 
 the Allied artillery was able to register on these 
 with telling effect. 
 
 The Second Artillery Brigade which had re- 
 mained with the division from the first, wa* able 
 through unfailing effort to get into position along 
 the river almost as soon as the infantry. In fact 
 the night of the thirteenth the infantrymen had 
 not been able to dig in and prepare their positions 
 for the night before the guns of the artillerymen 
 were making the night hideous with their screech- 
 ing shells hurled into the "boche" lines. In the 
 support positions at Vaux-Champagne, the infantry 
 was lying in foxholes almost on top of the guns 
 but in spite of the bellowing of the latter at irreg- 
 ular intervals the tired "doug'hboys" slept soundly 
 until they were called upon to move to another 
 position in the middle of the night. Skillful ma- 
 neuvering by the artillery enabled the gunners to 
 
206 The Story of the 36th 
 
 continue their bombardment constantly with prac- 
 tically no interruption from the enemy's batteries 
 or airplanes. Almost daily the positions of the 
 guns were changed and fire delivered from a dif- 
 ferent angle than had been the case before. 
 Throughout the engagements the Twelfth Field 
 Artillery had been in support of the Seventy-first 
 Brigade and the Fifteenth Field Artillery had been 
 behind the Seventy-second Brigade. The heavy 
 guns of the Seventeenth Field Artillery had been 
 distributed in the back areas of the division sector 
 as deemed most advisable. During the period of 
 comparative quiet along the river after the Thirty- 
 sixth arrived in position, elements of the Fifteenth 
 Field Artillery were sent to the rear for a short 
 rest, their places being taken by reserve batteries 
 of the Twelfth Field Artillery. 
 
 At the time of the division's arrival on the 
 south bank of the river, a message was received at 
 headquarters that a large number of French 
 refugees were collected in the village of Ste, Vau- 
 bourg. The division intelligence officer with a 
 chaplain interpreter was sent to investigate the re- 
 port and found a crowd of men, women and child- 
 ren in a pitiable condition of fright. Due to the 
 fact that these were then in French territory noth- 
 ing could be done to relieve the situation, other 
 than report it to the commander of the corps. Later 
 however when the village was ordered included in 
 the sector of the division arrangements were made 
 to transport all of the refugees to the rear. In 
 the meantime the town had been covered with 
 white flags. At least one flew from the top of 
 every house. The troops on either side at first 
 
The General Advance . 207 
 
 had been unable to understand what these meant, 
 but it was noticed that the enemy was excluding 
 the village from his targets on the south side of 
 the river. On the morning that the refugees were 
 transported to the rear however the Hun artillery 
 opened up on them and several casualties were 
 reported. No deaths resulted but the experience 
 added a new episode of horror to the great number 
 that the poor peasants had endured during the 
 four years previous when they had been under the 
 German yoke. Some of the stories told by the 
 refugees were pitiful in the extreme. One woman 
 related her experiences as a cook for German offi- 
 cers on duty at the aviation field. For four years 
 she had not been permitted to secure sufficient 
 lunds to get proper clothing for her person and 
 was required to labor under any and all condi- 
 tions, sick or well. 
 
 Wires of all kind, especially in cellars were 
 regarded with suspicion and later when investiga- 
 tion showed that acid had been placed so it would 
 eat through wires set to explode mines in the vil- 
 lage of Givry, these suspicions proved to be well 
 founded. A few days after the halt at the river 
 there were several explosions of enemy dumps in 
 the back areas and it is assured that these were 
 set off by time fuses so arranged that they would 
 probably explode when the troops of the Allies had 
 had time to lose suspicion of them. However, all 
 troops had been warned to keep away from these 
 dumps with the result that no one was harmed by 
 the explosions. 
 
 Premature plans for throwing a small body 
 of troops across the river as soon as the head of 
 
208 The Stonj of the 36th 
 
 the advance reached the Aisne had been aban- 
 doned after reports were received from airplanes to 
 the effect that the enemy had been observed in 
 lorce to the north of the stream. In the night the 
 patrols could distinguish the sound of shovel? busy 
 with preparing enemy defenses. These reports 
 caused the higher commanders to decide that a 
 movement across the river without considerable 
 preparation, not only would be unsuccessful, but 
 would be attempted only at a heavy loss. 
 
 In the days that followed the orders for the 
 division changed rapidly and there was a continual 
 shifting of ground to expand the frontage assigned 
 to it. This acted to forestall any plans that might 
 have been made for crossing of the canal and 
 river. The first of the orders from the corps com- 
 mander had directed an immediate advance with- 
 out construction of bridges either for foot troops 
 or for artillery and trains. The French on the 
 right were directed to clean up the river loop to 
 the east of Attigny, at the same time. In the 
 order directing this additional advance, which was 
 issued to be effective October 13, it was announced 
 that the Twelfth French division would be rolieved 
 the night of the thirteenth and fourteenth and that 
 the Thirty-sixth Division would be called ui;on to 
 extend its front to the right in order to maintain 
 the connections in the front line. Orders issued 
 from division headquarters of the Thirty-sixth di- 
 rected the commanding general of the Seventy- 
 cecond Brigade to continue the advance across 
 the canal and river and establish his troops in po- 
 sitions on the north bank. At the same time th^ 
 Reventv-first Brigade w?.s directed to take up a 
 
The General Advance 209 
 
 position along the river to the east of the Seventy- 
 second Brigade and prepare to push on over the 
 stream as soon as in position. These orders were 
 based on the information received that the enemy 
 was still retiring northward. 
 
 When the troops of the Seventy-second Brigade 
 reached the canal they immediately discovered that 
 the north bank was well guarded by German ma- 
 chine gunners, who opened fire as soon as presented 
 with a target. In advancing to the river the brigade 
 suffered two men killed and seventeen wounded and 
 was greeted by frequent bursts of firing fro i 
 points directly across from Givry. Also the French 
 troops on the right soon discovered that the enemy 
 was strongly intrenched across the neck of land 
 which extended into the loop of the river. Thus it 
 early developed that the crossing could not be accor- 
 plished without corplete preparation of bridges 
 and strong support fro n artillery. This particu- 
 larly was brought out in the later advance of the 
 supporting elements of the brigade. These troops 
 moving up to the front in broad daylight and in 
 plain view came under a concentration of fire that 
 killed twenty-six enlisted " en and wounded e'ght 
 officers and 173 men. This resulted fro i artillery 
 fire for the most part, although the machine gun 
 'fire was heavy. 
 
 Airplane observation secured the following day 
 verified the reports from the front line that the 
 enemy still was in force across the river. The 
 activity of the airplanes was most prominent dur- 
 ing the period of quiet. The enemy's squadrons out- 
 numbered those of the Allies and they frequently 
 harassed the front and support lines. Often they 
 
210 The Story of the 36th 
 
 flew low over the troops burrowing in the ground 
 and spattered the earth with machine gun bullets. 
 During one of these flights the cook of a battalion 
 kitchen just back of the front lines was made the 
 particular object of the airplane's wrath. At the 
 time the captain conmanding the regi ental sup- 
 ply train was checking up the delivery of rations. 
 The officer and a stuttering cook sought mutual 
 cover under one of the rolling kitchens in which the 
 evening meal was being prepared. Both arrived in 
 position under the firebox of the kitchen at the 
 sarre time and much after the fashion of a base- 
 ball player sliding head first for a base. In a mo- 
 ment or two the captain ejaculated : "Whew, but 
 it's hot!" 
 
 "Wh-wh-wh-what's the matter, cap'n, are you 
 b-b-b-b-urinn'?" stuttered the cook. 
 
 "You're darn right I'm burning!" exclaimed the 
 captain. 
 
 "Wh-wh-wh-why don't you turn over?" solic- 
 itously stuttered the cook, and the captain glared his 
 feelings, but presented the other side to be toasted. 
 A little later both e^nerged perspiring and a little 
 sheepish but happy in the knowledge that the 
 "boche" airmen had flown away. 
 
 Responding to the demands of the Twenty-first 
 corps commander that vigorous methods be em- 
 ployed to push forward against the enemy several 
 patrols attempted to cross the river the morning of 
 the fourteenth, but all of these met with stout re- 
 sistance from the enemy's small arms. One patrol 
 from the 141st Infantry encountered the enemy in 
 the vicinity of the river loop and captured six pris- 
 oners and four light machine guns without the loss 
 
The General Advance 211 
 
 of a man. It was not until after this effort to cross 
 the river that orders were received that the at- 
 tempts for a general advance would be abandoned. 
 Instead the troops were directed to make every 
 effort to establish local crossings anywhere possible 
 with a view to placing a bridgehead on the north 
 bank. 
 
 Further shifts in the position were carried out 
 the night of October 18-19, when the Twenty-first 
 Corps headquarters was pulled out of the line and 
 shifted to a position north of Reims. The Thirty- 
 sixth, with the Seventy-third French division, was 
 shifted to the Ninth French corps. Accompanying 
 this information was the additional news that the 
 Seventh French division would be withdrawn from 
 the line the night of October 20-21, and that its 
 sector would be taken over by the Thirty-sixth 
 American and Sixty-first French divisions. The 
 Seventh French division had been on the left of the 
 Thirty-sixth during the entire advance and this 
 change necessitated a shift to the west of the troops 
 in the Seventj^-second Brigade. Also the front of 
 the Seventy-first Brigade was widened at least 500 
 yards near Attigny. In this movement machine 
 guns were so placed that they would cover any gaps 
 that might exist in the widened frontage, all of the 
 front line companies being assigned additional 
 weapons of this character to take care of the added 
 territory. 
 
 About this time Colonel John S. Hoover, com- 
 manding the 143d Infantiy, was relieved of his 
 command at the request of Brigadier General Hulen, 
 commanding the brigade. Command of the regi- 
 nent passed to Lieutenant-Colonel Irving Phillip- 
 
212 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
The General Advance 213 
 
 son, of the 142d Infantry, who also had assumed 
 command of the 144th Infantry for a few days 
 after the arrival on the south banks of the Aisne, 
 when the colonel of that regiment collapsed and 
 was evacuated to the rear. Later the lieutenant- 
 colonel of the 144th arrived from the hospital and 
 reassumed command. Colonel Jackson of the 141st 
 Infantry collapsed about the same time and was 
 sent to the rear, the regiment being placed in the 
 hands of Lieutenant-Colonel James. Also Major 
 Preston A. Weathered, commanding the 132d Ma- 
 chine Gun Battalion, was evacuated to the rear, the 
 battalion being placed under the command of Cap- 
 tain S. D. Ridings. 
 
 Plans were completed for a crossing of the 
 river by the corps October 22, with the Thirty-sixth 
 leading the attack to establish a bridgehead at 
 Attigny. This plan was not favored by General 
 Smith in as much as nothing was to be gained by a 
 crossing of the one division unless the others pushed 
 forward at the sa ~ e time. However, the corps 
 com'rander insisted and preparations were com- 
 pleted to this end. They were not to be carried out, 
 however, although they caused the activity of the 
 patrols already entioned. Detailed plans were 
 drawn and sub->^itted for the establishment of a 
 bridgehead by the Seventy-first Brigade at Attigny, 
 but before the troops could be completely instructed 
 in the details of what was going forward, an order 
 came for the division to shift to the east and take 
 over the greater part of the sector of the Seventy- 
 third French division, which was to be taken out of 
 the line the night of October 22-23. This caused the 
 crossing of the river to be abandoned, but placed 
 
214 The Story of the 36th 
 
 the Seventy-first Brigade directly opposite the entire 
 front of the enemy across the neck of the river 
 loop, which v^as regarded as the most difficult posi- 
 tion to be overcome in the push forward. 
 
 The new change of position was a side-slip of 
 the entire division, the Seventy-second Brigade 
 turning over part of its sector on the west to the 
 Sixty-first French division. The 142d Infantry was 
 relieved in its entire sector by elements of the 144th 
 Infantry, and then instead of moving over to the 
 east to take over the sector of the 141st Infantry, 
 marched around the rear of that regiment and 
 entered a sector on the east of it, taking over the 
 ground that had been occupied by the troops of the 
 73d Division. This made the western boundary of 
 the division practically the same that it had been in 
 the beginning, but extended the eastern boundary 
 more than a mile. Under the new arrangements the 
 regiments from east to west in the line along the 
 river were 142d Infantry, 141st Infantry, 144th 
 Infantry and 143d Infantry. This change called 
 for the reTioval of the Seventy-first Brigade head- 
 quarters from Pauvres to Leffincourt, where the bri- 
 gade reserve troops also were established. All 
 through the night the weary soldiers of the 142d 
 trudged over and through the mud of the back areas 
 to get into position, but the dawn found them at 
 their destinations and ready for further develop- 
 ments that might be undertaken. 
 
 These shifts in the position of the troops had 
 meant a constant changing of the lines of commun- 
 ication by the signal battalion, but these managed, 
 by using some of the wires that had been left in 
 position by the enemy, to maintain without interrup- 
 
The General Advance 215 
 
 tion telephone and buzzer connections between the 
 command posts of the higher commands and the 
 front line companies. The linemen of the organiza- 
 tions running the wires to the front line companies 
 earned the highest praise by their constant devotion 
 to duty under the most trying circumstances. 
 
 About the time the last shift in the line was 
 made there was a noted increase in the amount of 
 artillery fire received fro 11 the enemy. In the back 
 areas where the units of supply were called upon 
 to be especially active, the enemy constantly poured 
 his long range fire. In spite of this the ammuni- 
 tion train drove up to the dumps in broad day- 
 light and deposited munitions with impunity. Much 
 of this shelling appeared to be retaliation for an 
 attack by the Sixty-first French Division, which 
 advanced the night of the twenty-fourth and cap- 
 tured the town of Ambly-Fleury. This was a small 
 village on the south bank of the Ardennes canal a 
 short distarf^e to the west of Givry, The French 
 took more than 100 prisoners, among whom were 
 four officers. This was accomplished with practi- 
 cally no losses among the assaulting troops. 
 
 Directly after the arrival of the division along 
 the river a field hospital had been set up about two 
 kilometers north of Machault, where all wounded 
 were taken to be evacuated to the rear. The con- 
 stant occurrence of casualties had caused the divi- 
 sion commander to send repeated requests to Gen- 
 eral Headquarters for replace rents, but only a few 
 arrived, and these were assigned to the 133d Ma- 
 chine Gun Battalion, all the infantry regiments re- 
 taining a strength of approximately sixty men to 
 the company, or about one-fourth of the authorized 
 
216 The Story of the 36th 
 
 strength. In view of the possible advance across 
 the river, the demand for additional men w^as vital, 
 but apparently it was not desired to retain the di- 
 vision in this position longer and the desired re- 
 placements were withheld. 
 
CHAPTKK IX. 
 
 FOREST FERME. 
 
 Sweeping northeast along the western edge of 
 the Argonne Forest, the Aisne River continues its 
 course until it reaches a point on a parallel with 
 the northern ost edge of that part of the great 
 wood which scatters out northwest of Grand Pre, 
 At this point the river turns sharply to the west 
 until beyond the city of Rethel and then southwest 
 on its course to the sea through Soissons and the 
 Compiegne Forest. At the place where the river 
 turns sharply to the west it is compelled to bend 
 around a high bit of ground that appears unexpect- 
 edly from a little flat plain in which nestle the vil- 
 lages of Ste. Vaubourg, Chuffilly, Chardeny, La 
 Roche and Chateau Mery. In curving around this 
 high ground the Aisne makes a decided horseshoe 
 or loop, or which might better be likened to the 
 letter U. The opening of the letter is to the south 
 and the rounded side to the north, as though the 
 letter were inverted. Inside the north end of the 
 letter is the town of Rilly and on the banks of the 
 river about a kilometer to the west of the letter's 
 mouth is the town of Attigny. Across the river 
 from the east side of the loop the ground rises 
 steeply in a series of low hills which are covered 
 with patches of woods and on all sides to the north 
 the terrain quickly reaches an elevation higher than 
 the high ground inside the loop. Snugly ensconced 
 among the ridges of the high ground within the 
 letter is Forest Fer e, hidden fro n the view of any 
 
 •217] 
 
218 The Story of the 36th 
 
 one approaching until one is almost on top of it, and 
 located a little nearer the western side of the in- 
 verted letter U than the eastern side. 
 
 Across the opening of the U at the south the 
 Germans had established their line of resistance 
 and had fortified this with a series of wire entan- 
 gle "ents cleverly placed so that none of these could 
 be approached without coming in the field of fire of 
 one or more machine guns. These machine guns 
 were placed for the most part in two strong points, 
 one of which was near Forest Ferme and the other 
 and stronger farther to the east in a system of Ger- 
 man training trenches, which had been improved 
 and made extremely difficult to attack. Before these 
 strong points there had been placed a double band 
 of wire entanglements, each band being from five 
 to six strands wide and placed low on the ground 
 so that while they might be stepped over it had to 
 be done with caution in order that the person at- 
 tempting it would not stumble and fall. These 
 strong points conrranded a view of the entire plain 
 to the south, where rested the villages already 
 named, and all around the strong points the ene y 
 had stationed his machine gunners and snipers in 
 such position that each held an excellent field of 
 fire while enjoying perfect cover. In one of these 
 minor positions the Germans were completely hid- 
 den by the natural grov^h of some s^all brush, 
 while at the same time they were protected by a 
 trench that had been dug partially by rainfall. Here 
 also had been placed minenwerfers of small caliber, 
 as well as light artillery, the latter being somewhat 
 to the rear in the direction of Rilly. The full ex- 
 tent of the German line across the neck of land was 
 
Forest Ferme 219 
 
 approximately two kilometers, or a little less than 
 two miles. 
 
 In changing the positions of the various regi- 
 ments along the Aisne, the regimental command 
 post of the 141st Infantry had not been shifted, 
 although the regiment's front had been moved and 
 extended to the east so that it covered nearly half 
 of the distance across the neck of land. The left of 
 the regiment had been withdrawn from the town of 
 Attigny and placed nearer the brickyard to the east 
 of the town. The eastern part of the German line 
 across the mouth of the loop was faced by the 142d 
 Infantry, which had side-slipped across the area of 
 the 141st Infantry the night of October 22. Head- 
 quarters of the 142d had been established in the 
 town of Chardeny, while the command post of the 
 front line battalion had been placed in Chuffilly. 
 
 From the time the Seventy-first brigade took 
 up this last position it was under a concentration 
 of fire from the enemy's artillery of all calibers, 
 and was subjected to harassing machine gun fire 
 as well. Possession of the ground within the loop 
 of the river by the Germans meant that the enemy 
 might at his pleasure make a raid upon the Amer- 
 ican lines or that it might be very favorable ground 
 from which to launch a counter attack at any time. 
 It was these facts that caused the higher command- 
 ers to insist that the river loop be cleared, although 
 two unsuccessful attempts had been made by the 
 French a few days earlier. 
 
 Both of these attacks had been launched by the 
 troops of the French Seventy-third Division. The 
 first of these, delivered the night of the sixteenth, 
 had been in the nature of an intended surprise at- 
 
22a The Story of th£ 36th 
 
 tack and had not been preceded by artillery prep- 
 aration. This had failed completely, the enemy 
 being on the alert and meeting the advance with 
 such heavy machine gun and rifle fire that the as- 
 sault hardly gained impetus worthy of the name. 
 With a considerable number of casualties the 
 French fell back to their former positions without 
 gaining anything other than the knowledge that the 
 ""boche" held the line in great force and that the 
 position would have to be taken with the assistance 
 of strong artillery preparation. 
 
 With this artillery preparation the following 
 evening the same troops again advanced to the at- 
 tack. On the right the assault again was stopped 
 after the assaulting waves had progressed to the 
 second line of wire entangle ents. Here the 
 French were met with such heavy grenade, as well 
 as machine gun fire, that they were halted, and when 
 the enemy opened up a heavy concentration of artil- 
 lery fire in which there was a large amount of gas 
 shell, the right regiment in the assault dropped 
 back to its starting position with heavy casualties. 
 On the left the assaulting regiment was able to 
 progress across a difficult hedge, which ran parallel 
 to the enemy's front near Forest Ferme, but was 
 halted before it reached the actual defenses of the 
 enemy. Here the Frenchmen dug in and remained 
 in spite of counter-attacks which were launched by 
 the enemy the following afternoon. There were two 
 of these counter-attacks, accompanied by heavy 
 artillery barrages, but both attempts to drive the 
 French out of their positions were unsuccessful. 
 During these assaults on the enemy positions at the 
 mouth of the loop, the Allied artillery had concen- 
 
Forest Ferme 221 
 
 trated the fire of its heaviest pieces upon the high 
 ground across the river to the east and northeast 
 of the U, but this did not serve to overcome the 
 counter-battery work of the enemy. This is espe- 
 cialy interesting in considering the attack of the 
 Seventh-first Brigade against the same loop posi- 
 tions a short time later. 
 
 With the changing of the sector and the relief 
 of the Seventy-third French division, came the an- 
 nouncement that for the time being the plan to 
 cross the river at Attigny and attack the Germans 
 on the north banks w^ould t. 
 
 was the intention of the high co mand to clear the 
 enemy from the south bank of the stream and canal 
 before any effort was made to push on beyond, even 
 if a crossing was successful a short distance to the 
 west. With the Germans in the river loop any 
 troops on the north bank of the stream near Attigny 
 would be under a comnanding flank fire that would 
 make the ground just to the north of Attigny un- 
 tenable. 
 
 The information that the plan to cross the 
 Aisne had been abandoned was sent out October 23, 
 the day following the change in positions, and at 
 the same time it was announced that the Thirty- 
 sixth Division would be expected to clear the Ger- 
 mans from the south side of the stream on or be- 
 fore October 27. With this announcement also 
 was the information that the division would be re- 
 lieved from the line the night of October 27-28, and 
 this brought about an unusual situation. It was 
 definitely determined that the Seventy-first Brigade 
 could not prepare completely to make the attack 
 before the twenty-seventh, and that if the troops 
 
222 The Story of the 36th 
 
 made the assault at that time they could not be with- 
 drawn that night. This would be extremely inad- 
 visable because of the confusion that would result. 
 Also, if the troops in the support and reserve posi- 
 tions were relieved that night it would place new 
 troops, unfamiliar with the ground, in a position 
 where they would not be able to render the desired 
 assistance in the event of an attack by the enemy 
 in force. 
 
 These matters were presented to the corps com- 
 mander, General Prax, by Major General Smith, who 
 pointed out at the same time that the positions which 
 would be occupied by the Allied troops within the 
 river loop would be made extremely uncomfortable 
 by the positions held by the enemy in the town of 
 Vonq, and the elevated ground around it on the east 
 side of the river. In addition to these points of 
 vantage held by the enemy it was known that there 
 were strong artillery positions in the vicinity of 
 Attigny, on the north side of the Aisne, which could 
 bring a deadly enfilade fire to bear on the assaulting 
 units. Also General Smith pointed out that if the 
 assaulting battalions were not relieved at the same 
 time the other troops were taken out of the sector, 
 several days would elapse before the command could 
 be reunited properly. In turn the corps commander 
 explained that the possession of the ground to the 
 south of the Aisne by the enemy was preventing the 
 successful attack of the French forces to the east, 
 who were preparing to advance against the Germans 
 and force them to retire still farther northward. 
 General Prax also promised that the assault battal- 
 ions would be relieved the night following the de- 
 parture of the balance of the division, and that these 
 
Forest Ferme 223 
 
 battalions would be transported to the rear to the 
 vicinity of Somme-Py by French camions instead of 
 marching like the other troops. He explained that 
 the French troops who would relieve the assault reg- 
 iments were seasoned soldiers and were familiar 
 with the sector, having been given detailed informa- 
 tion of the conditions and having made a study of 
 the terrain. He also explained that these would be 
 in readiness to move forward promptly in the event 
 of a serious demonstration by the enemy as a counter 
 movement and besides that all American dead would 
 be taken care of properly, their graves marked and 
 interment conducted with fitting ceremonies. 
 
 In this manner it finally was settled upon that 
 the division would clear the enemy from his posi- 
 tions in the loop and the Seventy-first brigade was 
 selected to make the attack. The commanding gen- 
 eral of the Seventy-first Brigade was directed to 
 draw up his plan of operations along certain lines 
 laid down by the division commander and when this 
 was submitted it was approved immediately. It 
 called for the attack to be made with the two in- 
 fantry regiments abreast, the 142d on the right and 
 the 141st on the left, each with one battalion in the 
 assaulting waves, one battalion in support and one 
 battalion in the brigade reserve at Leffincourt. The 
 131st Machine Gun Battalion was placed with the 
 supporting troops near Chardeny. The Third Bat- 
 talion of the 142d Infantry was selected to conduct 
 the assault with the Second Battalion in support, the 
 First Battalion just having been relieved from the 
 front line positions when the regiment was side- 
 slipped from before Attigny. In the 141st Infantry 
 the troops of the First and Second Battalions were 
 
224 
 
 The Story of the SOth 
 
 (Jen. Pershiiiji' Saluting the Colors ut lioview of .'!Gtli 
 Division Near Tonnerre. 
 
Forest Ferme 225 
 
 corbined for the attack while the other battalion 
 was stationed in the vicinity of Leffincourt as part of 
 the brigade reserve. With the assaulting troops were 
 Co ^ panies B and C of the 132d Machine Gun Bat- 
 talion as well as a group of trained wire cutters fron 
 the Second Engineers, whose task would be the cut- 
 ting of wire that might interfere with the advance. 
 Each of the regiments supplied a group of infantry- 
 men accompanied by machine guns to conduct liaison 
 on the right and left and protect any gaps that might 
 occur in the line where the regi rents joined dur- 
 ing the assault. The exact hour for the attack to 
 CO mence was not known until the day of the twen- 
 ty-seventh when it was received by the men after 
 they actually were in position. 
 
 Preparatory to the assault the artillery of the 
 Second Division was to prepare with a standing bar- 
 rage of twenty minutes on the "boche" positions, 
 pulverizing them, and then a rolling barrage was to 
 move forward at the rate of 100 yards every three 
 minutes. The attacking infantry was to begin the 
 move forward with the start of the rolling barrage 
 and to follow this as closely as possible in order not 
 to allow the enemy to emerge fro ■■ his dugouts and 
 begin firing before the attacking infantry was upon 
 hin. In addition the coTmander of the corps ar- 
 tillery was placed at the disposal of General Smith 
 with elements of his artillery which were to register 
 their fire on the positions of the enemy across the 
 river and in the back areas of the neck of land to 
 be taken. The Second Trench Mortar Battery of the 
 Second American Division also was brought into 
 position to pour demolition fire upon the front line 
 positions occupied by the "boche." 
 
226 The Story of the 36th 
 
 To further assist in the attack the corps com- 
 mander had designated that the Czecho-Slovak bri- 
 gade of the French division on the right, assist in 
 the attack by furnishing liaison with the right of the 
 Seventy-first Brigade. The personnel of this brigade 
 was n ade up for the most part of Poles fro i the 
 United States, all of whom spoke English and the 
 stories related by all of them as to how they man- 
 aged to get to Europe were extremely interesting. 
 No less than three of them in the liaison group act- 
 ing with the 142d Infantry explained that they had 
 been turned down repeatedly when they tried to en- 
 ter various branches of the United States Army, one 
 because he was arried, another because his eyes 
 were not good and still another because he could not 
 read and write the English language. 
 
 Preparatory to the attack the advance command 
 post of the 141st Infantry was moved up to the town 
 of Ste. Vaubourg. The headquarters of the 142d 
 Infantry ren^ained at Chardeny. The troops of both 
 regin^ents suffered severely fron the enemy's artil- 
 lery fire during the days of preparation and waiting 
 before the attack. The greater part of the shells 
 which came over was laden with gas, the mustard 
 shells predominating. The concentration of this 
 fire in the vicinity of Chuffilly, where one shell reg- 
 istered a direct hit on the command post of the 
 Third Battalion, 142d Infantry, that the troops around 
 the town were burned by the splashing liquid in the 
 fox-holes where they lay. They were moved back 
 to the positions near Chardeny until the evening 
 before the attack in order that they might be pro- 
 tected from the gas bombardment, although the effect 
 of the poison was negligible except where the liquid 
 
Forest Ferme 227 
 
 itself splashed on the victim before it had time to be 
 vaporized into gas and dissipated by the atmosphere. 
 
 During this bombardment the division gas officer 
 paid a visit to the area and declared that it was 
 dangerous for troops to be there. Most of the men 
 in the front line and support positions hov^ever had 
 beco y e well acquainted with the danger of the lo- 
 cation by that time and although a move was made 
 to the positions farther to the rear, there was much 
 deriding the idea that gas could be made extremely 
 dangerous in the open. 
 
 The plan of attack for the twenty-seventh called 
 for the general advance to be made to a line just 
 beyond Forest Ferme where the positions taken 
 were to be consolidated, and for patrols to push on 
 forward to the town of Rilly on the banks of the 
 canal. These patrols were to exploit the ground 
 thoroughly in order that no Germans might remain 
 south of the river uncaptured, and that prepara- 
 tions might progress that would enable the troops 
 to advance across the river at this point, 
 
 A high state of morale existed in all ranks. The 
 men had gained confidence in their ability, that had 
 come with experience under fire. In the darkness of 
 the early morning October 27, the assaulting echelons 
 crept into their positions before the German wire 
 and concealed themselves to lie in waiting through 
 the greater part of the day before the signal for the 
 attack would be given. Here they were so well 
 camouflaged that the eneny was not aware of their 
 presence at any time before the assault and then 
 did not know it because those in position to see 
 either were driven into their dugouts or were killed 
 by the American artillery barrage. 
 
228 The Story of the 36th 
 
 The hour set for the attack to begin was 16:30 
 o'clock, French time, or 4 :30 p. m. American time. 
 It was well selected, as at that hour the visibility 
 was so poor, the enemy on the heights across the 
 river could not observe what was taking place, 
 while the attacking forces still had sufficient light 
 to see their way clearly and to - ake no mistakes. 
 To assist in overcoming the visibility and observa- 
 tion afforded the ene y, a smoke screen was pre- 
 pared and placed in such a manner that it complete- 
 ly hid the advancing infantry from the machine 
 gunners across the river and prevented them from 
 firing on the positions in the loop even after these 
 were captured. 
 
 The signal for the assault was the firing of a 
 lone piece of artillery. This arked the start of the 
 preparatory bombard ent on the ene ' y's positions. 
 This lone cannon broke the stillness of the late after- 
 noon and the waiting doughboys crouched in their 
 positions knew the fight was on. For twenty min- 
 utes the bursting shells from the Allied pieces 
 dropped a curtain of high explosives on the trenches 
 and fox-holes occupied by the enemy. Apparently 
 unable to discern what was taking place the enemy 
 artillery response to this fire was weak, only a com- 
 paratively small voluTie of fire falling on the posi- 
 tions occupied by the troops waiting for the begin- 
 ning of the advance. Patiently the men rested with 
 their weapons in position, while officers leading com- 
 panies and platoons watched the slow movement of 
 the watch hands creeping around to "H hour", the 
 time set for the movement to begin. The artillery 
 beat upon the earth in front as steadily as the rolling 
 of a drum while the smoke screen drifted over the 
 
Forest Ferme 229 
 
 enemy positions and between the objectives and the 
 eneTiy positions across the river so that lack of 
 observation practically eliminated machine gun fire 
 from that direction. 
 
 Then as the moment arrived for the barrage to 
 roll forward, up out of their places rose the waiting 
 infantrymen. Slowly and steadily they pressed on- 
 ward up the slope toward the two strong points, 
 one at Forest Ferme and the other in the little wood 
 to the east. They were following the barrage so 
 closely that they were almost "leaning against it." 
 Everything was orderly. They were veterans now. 
 Whereas all had been uncertainty and confusion be- 
 fore St. Etienne, everything was orderly and pre- 
 cise now. 
 
 The first belt of wire was reached and crossed. 
 Some of the men stepped over while others walked 
 through without difficulty where the strands either 
 had been severed by the artillery fire or were cut by 
 the engineers, who accompanied the advance. Much 
 of the wire remained intact, but little heed was paid 
 to this. There was no defense by machine guns 
 and rifles, the "boche" remaining crouched in his 
 positions of shelter and unable to get out. The ar- 
 tillery was still beating upon the front line posi- 
 tions. Still advancing as steadily as at parade the 
 first waves reached the second belt of wire. Again 
 they clambered over and through. Here and there 
 a man was falling but these were few. The inter- 
 vals between men in the assaulting waves were 
 large and the enemy's shells were having little effect. 
 The second belt of wire was passed. 
 
 Bayonets ready the advancing infantry jump- 
 ed into the trenches of the enemv before the Huns 
 
230 The Story of the 36th 
 
 could emerge from their places of shelter. Some 
 of these were met as they attempted to come out 
 of their dugouts. In almost every case their hands 
 immediately shot into the air and the cry *'kame- 
 rad' was squealed before there was a chance for 
 action. Position after position was overcome in 
 this manner, the front line not hesitating to clean 
 up the captured ground, leaving that to the special 
 dotails of men picked for that purpose and which 
 were coming closely behind. Without a halt the 
 advance was continued until the final objective 
 was reached and then while the barrage was held 
 and allowed to play steadily on the areas beyond 
 for thirty minutes the infantrymen with picks and 
 shovels dug places of shelter along the captured 
 line and prepared to defend it against possible 
 counter attacks. But none was to develop. As 
 the assault reached its final objective a German 
 messenger dashed out of the entrance to a dugout 
 and attempted to escape in the direction of Rilly. 
 Quickly a member of the intelligence section lev- 
 eled a shotgun and brought down the fleeing Hun. 
 The German was not wounded seriously and de- 
 clared that although he had been in the fighting 
 throughout the war it was the first time he had 
 been wounded. He was found to be carrying im- 
 portant dispatches and was a valuable capture. 
 
 Beginning the assault the 141st Infantry had 
 been withdrawn slightly in order that the men in 
 the first waves would not be so close to the bar- 
 rage that they would come within the range of the 
 bursting shells. During the early morning of the 
 twenty-seventh the assault troops of this regiment 
 had been withdrawn slightly to a jumping-off 
 
Forest Ferme 231 
 
 trench and there they lay in waiting throughout 
 the day. A few minutes before the hour for the 
 advance to begin, the enemy's counter barrage 
 began to fall but it was placed so that all of the 
 shells fell in rear of the assault troops and practi- 
 cally no casualties resulted from this. The rifle- 
 men and automatic riflemen in the two assault 
 waves had little opportunity to use their weapons. 
 They were upon the Germans before the latter had 
 a chance to attempt a defensive. The bombers 
 however were busy tossing their explosives into 
 the dugouts and making sure that none of the 
 enemy was hiding, until such time as they might 
 operate their weapons in rear of the assaulting 
 troops. In a few instances German machine gun- 
 ners attempted to get their weapons into action 
 but were silenced immediately. On two occasions 
 the men cleaning up the dugouts captured more 
 than twice their number of prisoners. The total 
 casualties of the regiment was only twelve. One 
 of these was Lieutenant Charles M. Ford, who was 
 killed by a bursting shell. Two enlisted men also 
 were killed by shell fire and the nine other cas- 
 ualties were wounded. 
 
 In the preparations of the 142d Infantry for 
 the attack a novel scheme of keeping the move- 
 ments of the troops secret was worked out. The 
 entire country was covered by a network of aband- 
 oned German wires which were suspected of hav- 
 ing been left purposely in such a condition that 
 the enemy across the river could connect up with 
 them and "listen in" to the messages being trans- 
 mitted to various parts of the American lines. 
 More than once there had been evidence to indi- 
 
232 The Story of the 36th 
 
 cate that such things were being accomplished. To 
 overcome this condition Colonel Bloor selected 
 some of the most intelligent Indians from Company 
 E, composed almost entirely of redmen from Okla- 
 homa, and stationed them at the telephones. These 
 Indians were members of the Choctaw tribe and 
 when the written messages were handed to them 
 in English they transmitted them in their own 
 tongue and it is reasonably assured that no word 
 of this was picked up by the Huns. 
 
 Instructed at an assembly of the officers of 
 the regiment the leaders of the 142d Infantry 
 troops took station early on the morning of the 
 twenty-seventh with the single line that lay cam- 
 ouflaged directly under the forward German posi- 
 tions. There they remained until the hour for 
 them to start the advance when they rose and 
 moved steadily forward. The bursting shells of 
 the enemy's counter-barrage fell directly among 
 their ranks and shells of the friendly barrage fall- 
 ing short of the enemy positions also fell among 
 them. For a few moments there was confusion 
 but for a few moments only. Quickly the ranks 
 were reorganized and moved onward. When the 
 Germans rushed from their dugouts as the barrage 
 moved forward, they found the 142d Infantrymen 
 waiting for them with rifles, grenades and trench 
 knives in their hands. The Huns barely had time 
 to realize what was happening before they were 
 prisoners. The recovery of the Infantry after be- 
 ing fired upon by their own artillery, and meet- 
 ing the heavy fire of the enemy's guns at the same 
 time, was made the subject of the highest praise 
 both by the French and the American commanders. 
 
Forest F'erme 233 
 
 The machine gun company of the 142d In- 
 fantry was attached to the 132d Machine Gun Bat- 
 talion for the operation and assisted the gunners 
 of that organization in putting down the machine 
 gun barrage ahead of the advancing troops. These 
 guns sprayed every yard of the positions occu- 
 pied by the enemy, and other guns of the bat- 
 talion accompanied the advancing infantry to be 
 placed in positions such that would enable them 
 to sweep the front with fire in the event of a 
 counter-attack, while the captured ground was 
 being consolidated for the defense. The battalion 
 suffered five casualties in the action, all being en- 
 listed men who were wounded by shell fire. 
 
 The casualties of the 142d Infantry were 
 heavier than either of the other two organizations 
 engaged in the assault. Eight men were killed on 
 the field and sixteen wounded. Most of these 
 occurred during the time the troops came under 
 the combined fire of the friendly artillery and the 
 enemy's guns. All of the losses were among the 
 enlisted men. 
 
 As soon as the final objective had been reach- 
 ed along the line running east to west through 
 Forest Ferme, strong patrols were pushed out to 
 clear up the entire area of the river loop, includ- 
 ing the town of Rilly at the northernmost extremity 
 of the neck of land. In this cleaning-up movement 
 none of the enemy was found. If there had been 
 any in the areas back of the front line positions 
 they had retreated across the river. 
 
 The attack on Forest Ferme resulted in the 
 complete destruction of the Prussian Guard bat- 
 talion stationed in the loop. This battalion was 
 
234 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Forest Ferme 235 
 
 from the Ninth regiment of the Third Prussian 
 Guard division, reputed to be one of the best in 
 the German army. After the close of the action 
 it was found that the prisoners numbered four offi- 
 cers, five non-commissioned officers and 185 pri- 
 vates. The dead counted on the field was only 
 slightly less than this number. So far as could be 
 ascertained every other officer and man of the 
 battalion, including the commanding officer and 
 an artillery officer attached for duty, was killed. 
 The prisoners were much better in appearance 
 than those captured during the action before St. 
 Etienne. The Germans around Forest Ferme were 
 well clothed, cleanly shaven and apparently were 
 well supplied with tobacco and food. 
 
 In addition to the prisoners taken the brigade 
 captured thirty-one machine guns, a large quan- 
 tity of rifles, grenades, mortars and trench stores. 
 The general appearance of the stores and their 
 arrangement indicated that the enemy had ex- 
 pected to maintain his position on the south side 
 of the river indefinitely. 
 
 During the assault there had been a demon- 
 stration with artillery in the vicinity of Attigny 
 to distract the attention of the enemy from the 
 real attack. That this was successful in a measure 
 was indicated by several heavy explosions across 
 the river from Attigny. Following the attack fires 
 were reported in the enemy lines during the night. 
 These were in the vicinity of Voncq and Semuy 
 and demonstrated the expectation of the enemy 
 that the Allies would attempt a crossing of the 
 river in that vicinity in the immediate future. 
 
236 The Story of the 36th 
 
 For the operation against the river loop the 
 Seventy-second Brigade had retained only one in- 
 fantry regiment in position, the 144th. The mis- 
 sion of this regiment was only to remain in posi- 
 tion on the left flank in readiness to participate at 
 any time it might be called upon to repel any coun- 
 ter movement of the enemy near Attigny, The 
 143d Infantry already had been relieved, and 
 withdrawn from the sector. This occurred the 
 night of the twenty-sixth when the French took 
 over the positions held by that regiment, and the 
 144th Infantry was withdrawn the following night. 
 
 The assault on the enemy positions within ihe 
 river loop had been carried out in every instance 
 as prescribed by the field orders of the command- 
 ers. Not a detail was neglected. The discipline, 
 the liaison, the following of the barrage and the 
 development of the position after it was taken were 
 accomplished just as laid down in the books of 
 tactics, and the whole operation took on the as- 
 pects of a maneuver. The effect of the trench mor- 
 tar fire on the enemy positions before the advance 
 was noted with particular interest by the observers 
 on the hills to the rear, where every move made 
 by the assaulting waves could be seen. Unlike 
 the former operations of the brigade, there had 
 been time to inform all ranks of the plans for the 
 attack so that every soldier as well as oflficer knew 
 what was to be done. Thus in spite of the dark- 
 ness that fell soon after the close of the assault, 
 the men went about establishing the line on the 
 exact positions prescribed in the sketches that had 
 been provided previously. The effective aid of the 
 Second Engineers who assisted in destroying the 
 
Forest Ferme 237 
 
 wire in the path of the infantry was highly com- 
 mended by the troop commanders. 
 
 The assault battalions were retained in the 
 positions they had captured until the morning of 
 October 29, when they were marched to the rear 
 and then transported in camions to rejoin their 
 regiments. The support battalions in each regi- 
 ment were sent to the rear the night of the twenty- 
 eighth, being taken as far south as Somme-Py in 
 camions. The front line positions were all taken 
 over by the French before daylight of the twenty- 
 ninth, at which time all troops of the division had 
 passed out of the firing zone to the rear. The 
 front line battalions were transported in camions to 
 a point near Camp Montpelier, a French rest camp 
 in the vicinity of Somme-Suippe, which point also 
 was reached the evening of October 29 by the 
 balance of the division. The troops relieved from 
 the line the night of October 27, had been bivou- 
 acked in the vicinity of Machault until daybreak 
 when they had continued to march to Somme-Py. 
 There they camped for the night. The march from 
 Somme-Py to Camp Montpelier had consumed all 
 of the following day. Division headquarters had 
 been set up at Camp Montpelier and from there 
 directions were given out for the billeting of the 
 troops and the distribution of supplies. 
 
 When the sector had been turned over to the 
 French, the German prisoners that had been 
 used to clean up the rear areas were turned over 
 also. Ammunition and supply dumps had been 
 cleaned up and the material at these had been 
 transported to the railhead. Field hospitals that 
 had been set up near the front line to take care of 
 
238 The Story of the 36th 
 
 the wounded in the last engagement, were taken 
 down hurriedly and transported to the rear and 
 the division passed from the zone of actual fight- 
 ing for the balance of the war, although nothing 
 of the kind was indicated at the time. 
 
 Of great interest to the men during the day 
 following the attack on the river loop had been 
 the efforts of the German airplanes to scatter 
 propaganda. Many pamphlets printed in French 
 and English had been dropped on the front line 
 area. These pointed out that a new form of gov- 
 ernment was being set up in Germany, that the 
 fourteen points of President Wilson had been ac- 
 cepted and that hostilities were to stop soon. The 
 question was asked why the useless fighting should 
 continue. This crude effort to lower the morale 
 of the Allies was met with much jesting. 
 
 As if to retaliate for the clean cut manner in 
 which the Americans had wiped out the German 
 battalion within the loop, the enemy's batteries 
 concentrated their fire on this part of the line 
 during the night and day following. Guns of all 
 calibers played on the back as well as the forward 
 areas. The loss of the positions was a serious 
 handicap to the enemy. From the vantage points 
 in the captured territory the Allies constantly 
 threatened the German lines to the east and per- 
 mitted the farther advance of the French forces 
 in that direction. Also it enabled the artillery to 
 bear on important German communication points 
 so that the lines of supply were interrupted. The 
 Seventy-first Brigade again had come out of the 
 fighting with great credit and had earned a record 
 for aggressiveness that might well be envied by 
 older and more experienced organizations. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 TO BAR-LE-DUC— THE ARMISTICE. 
 
 Although Camp Montpelier was far from at- 
 tractive in appearance, being little more than a 
 collection of great barns and half dugouts covered 
 with frame roofs and walls that projected from 
 three to four feet out of the ground, yet it repre- 
 sented the first buildings that the troops had been 
 able to sleep in for a month. After the mud and 
 rain that had been their daily lot along the Aisne 
 the shelter of the wooden structures was more than 
 welcome. Little or no straw was to be had but by 
 this time the men had learned to take care of them- 
 selves. From the neighboring pine trees they se- 
 cured enough needles to make beds and in some of 
 the buildings fires were started. 
 
 Probably the most welcome of all things af- 
 forded at Camp Montpelier for the officers was the 
 change of underclothing that was secured from 
 the baggage which had been left at Suippes and 
 Somme-Suippe. As soon as the troops had been 
 placed in billets and assured of the evening meal, 
 wagons were sent to the dumps where the baggage 
 had been placed and this was brought to the camp. 
 Not all of the officers were fortunate enough to 
 find their things and many of the bedding rolls 
 and bags had been rifled of their most important 
 contents, but most everybody was able to appear 
 the following morning in clean clothing for the 
 first time in many weeks. The enlisted men were 
 not so fortunate as a rule. Their packs had been 
 
 [239] 
 
240 The Story of the 36th 
 
 brought up to the river after having been dumped 
 at Somme-Py, just before the actual front line had 
 been entered but much of the clothing had been 
 stolen by passing troops until but few of the real 
 owners of the property ever received the things 
 belonging to them. In this manner many things 
 belonging to the dead, which would ordinarily 
 have been sent back to the relatives in the United 
 States, disappeared never to be found. 
 
 The march from the front to the Suippes area 
 had been a trying ordeal for many who had be- 
 come weakened from long exposure. Again the im- 
 proved roads had to be avoided in order that 
 the long trains of supplies and ammunition for the 
 troops in the front line might not be blocked. 
 There had not been the forced onward pushing 
 that had characterized the entrance into the lines 
 because there was not the same demand for speed 
 and there was more time for the men to look about 
 them. On the way back over the battlefield around 
 St. Etienne most of the organizations found time 
 to halt and permit the men to look at various points 
 where comrades had been killed and to clear up 
 hazy impressions that existed about the lay of 
 the land during the fighting. There had been a 
 few solemn moments at the burial places to the 
 southeast of the village, where those who had 
 fallen had been gathered together and grouped 
 according to regiments. 
 
 Then the march had been continued south 
 of Somme-Py over the old Hindenburg defenses. 
 The path once more led through the mazes of 
 barbed wire where the ground was strewn with 
 "dud" projectiles that were avoided with the great- 
 
To Bar-le-Duc. — The Armistice 241 
 
 est care. These projectiles were being exploded 
 as rapidly as possible by German prisoners, while 
 here and there a French sentry stood guard at the 
 entrance of a dugout to warn others that explosives 
 had been piled therein to be set off as soon as the 
 preparations were complete. Many of the shells 
 scattered about on the ground were almost the 
 size of a small man, being the largest projectiles 
 fired from the German naval guns. 
 
 After this march from the lines there was 
 general expectation that the troops would be al- 
 lowed to rest in the vicinity of Suippes, but ru- 
 mors to this effect proved to be erroneous. During 
 the night of the twenty-ninth billeting officers were 
 roused from their beds and sent away in trucks 
 and automobiles to prepare places for the troops 
 to rest the following night, and with the dawn 
 came orders for all units to be on the road and 
 marching eastward by 8 o'clock. By this time 
 orders had been received transferring the Thirty- 
 sixth Division from the Fourth French Army to 
 the First American Army, then engaged in the bit- 
 ter struggle for the possession of the Argonne ter- 
 ritory between the Meuse and the Aisne Rivers. 
 
 The night of the thirtieth the division was 
 billeted in the area just to the west of Ste. Mene- 
 hould, on the ground where the forces of Frederick 
 the Great had met reverses at Valmy. The troops 
 of the 142d Infantry were billeted in the town of 
 Valmy itself and the following morning marched 
 over the hill where the French had made their 
 victorious stand against the forces of the famous. 
 Prussian general. During the day previous the 
 march had been conducted parallel to the old front 
 
242 The Story of the 36th 
 
 line affording the columns of men additional op- 
 portunities to observe the ground where the French 
 had made their one big successful drive against 
 the Germans in 1915, 
 
 From the area west of Ste. Menehould the di- 
 vision continued the march southeastward toward 
 the Triaucourt area, division headquarters being 
 established in the town of Dampierre the night of 
 October 31, where it remained until the morning 
 of November 2, the troops having stopped in this 
 area one day to rest. They had been on the 
 march since the night of October 27, and although 
 there had been but few cases of exhaustion many 
 of the men showed the effect of the long tramps on 
 the hard roads. Some were lame and sore from 
 ill-fitting shoes, which were all right on the soft 
 ground but which chafed while marching on the 
 highways. 
 
 The morning of November 2, the march again 
 was begun and the head of the leading column en- 
 tered the edge of the lower Argonne Forest. That 
 night the troops were billeted in the villages around 
 Triaucourt itself, but the final move had not been 
 made. Sunday, November 3, the columns were on 
 the road again at an early hour and some of the 
 troops exceeded thirty-five kilometers before the 
 final halt was made. Throughout the day the re- 
 ports of the guns at the front could be heard 
 with more distinctness than had been the case 
 since the area around Suippes had been left. In 
 the early morning the columns had passed through 
 the lower edge of the Argonne wood and then 
 headed almost due south. By night the most ad- 
 vanced columns were in the vicinity of Bar-le-Duc. 
 
To Bar-le-Duc. — The Armistice 243 
 
 In this area the entire division was directed 
 to remain until replacements could be received 
 and some much needed equipment could be secured 
 and distributed. Division headquarters vv^as estab- 
 lished at Conde en Barrois, a small town about 
 twenty miles slightly south of due west from the 
 town of St. Mihiel and about thirty miles almost 
 due south of Verdun. 
 
 Two days were given the troops to rest from 
 their long marches and settle themselves in their 
 billets as well as mend and wash their clothing, 
 which had been long neglected. At the end of that 
 time it was announced that every energy would 
 be directed toward getting back into condition to 
 enter the lines again in the final push to break 
 through the German defenses. The area in which 
 the division was billeted had just been abandoned 
 by the First Division, American Expeditionary 
 Forces, which had rested there after its first en- 
 trance into the Argonne struggle, and which had 
 just marched away to the north to engage in the 
 final fighting of the war in the vicinity of Mouzon 
 and Sedan. Even as the Thirty-sixth was mak- 
 ing its last march on the third the Fifth Corps un- 
 der Major General Charles P. Summerall was 
 breaking through the last defenses of the Kriem- 
 hilde Stellung and forcing the retreat of the Huns 
 in the direction of Sedan. 
 
 At the end of two days in the area north of 
 Bar-le-Duc the division began to receive replace- 
 ments and a strenuous program of training was 
 prescribed. Lessons that had been learned under 
 actual fighting conditions were remembered and 
 combined with the theories that had been instilled 
 
244 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
To Bar-le-Duc. — The Armistice 245 
 
 with the instruction before the lines were entered. 
 Daily the troops were taken to improvised ranges 
 and given special instruction in the use of the au- 
 tomatic rifle, as well as the automatic pistol and 
 grenades. Special attention was directed toward 
 the use of the pistol, a weapon with which the men 
 had not been armed in the first training period 
 around Bar-sur-Aube. Cold rains were the rule, 
 but these were not considered. From early morn- 
 ing until late at night the troops were in the field 
 getting ready for the time when they again would 
 engage the enemy in battle. 
 
 While at the front division headquarters had 
 been kept informed daily of the progress of the 
 fighting in the Argonne as well as in the other 
 theaters of operations. The fall of Lille and other 
 places in Flanders and Belgium had been pro- 
 claimed and the newspapers had told of the col- 
 lapse of Turkey and Bulgaria. In the Triaucourt 
 area the papers published in Paris were distributed 
 daily through the division area by the representa- 
 tives of the Y. M. C. A. and other organizations, 
 and all of these indicated that the end was near. 
 Still there was no let-up in the efforts to get the 
 division in shape for the expected movement into 
 the line again in the near future. Most of the re- 
 placements were from the Thirty-fourth Division, 
 made up of the National Guard from Nebraska, 
 South Dakota and Iowa, splendid soldiers who had 
 been through long periods of training at Camp 
 Cody, New Mexico, and who had been made re- 
 placement troops as soon as they landed in France. 
 Others were casuals from the hospitals or who had 
 been picked up by the military police while ab- 
 
246 The Story of the 36th 
 
 sent without leave from their organizations. These 
 last named however were few indeed. Some of the 
 old men who had been wounded in the fighting 
 around St. Etienne were among those who came 
 from the hospitals and there were several officers 
 and non-commissioned officers who had been at 
 the First Corps School at Gondrecourt, while the 
 division was in the line. These were among the 
 most eager to get the men in shape for another 
 try at the Hiin. They had missed the other fight- 
 ing and were keen to get a chance under fire. 
 
 Insufficient replacements were received to 
 bring the organizations up to full strength but 
 most of the infantry companies were given enough 
 men to make a strength of approximately 200 men, 
 which, was more than most of them had been able 
 to enter the line with the first of October. Due 
 to the fact that most of these were trained soldiers 
 great confidence was added to the organizations 
 and with the experience in the Champagne it was 
 assured that the division would take care of itself 
 if ever brought against the enemy again. Most 
 of the men were re-equipped completely with 
 clothing, the old uniforms being placed in a sal- 
 vage dump and hauled away after the fresh cloth- 
 ing had been issued. Additional arms and equip- 
 ment also were distributed and after several days 
 of training the personnel began to look forward 
 with anticipation to another meeting with the 
 enemy. 
 
 This however was not to be. The morning of 
 November 7, the news was received that the Ger- 
 man government had asked for an armistice and 
 that representatives of the government were on 
 
To Bar-le-Duc. — The Armistice 247 
 
 their way to France to treat for terms. Among 
 the peasantry these things were not considered as 
 being probable. Wherever it was mentioned the 
 French people gravely shook their heads and ex- 
 plained that they had been at war more than four 
 years and that the news was too good to be true. 
 However when the fact of the armistice finally was 
 announced colors of France, as well as the other 
 nations represented among the Allies, sprang 
 into existence to be displayed in the houses every- 
 where. Most of the troops of the division were at 
 drill the morning the final news of the cessation 
 of hostilities came. During the early part of the 
 morning the bombardment at the front had been 
 more distinct than had been the case prior to that 
 date. As the clock pointed first to 10 o'clock and 
 then toward 11 o'clock the firing grew in volume 
 until the men began to wonder if the enemy had 
 turned and was delivering an unexpected counter- 
 blow at the Allied lines. Then suddenly the bom- 
 bardment ceased and all was quiet. It was at this 
 time that the message sent by radio from Eiffel 
 Tower at Paris was received. Everywhere the 
 news was published there was a demonstration. 
 The men danced and sang and shouted themselves 
 hoarse. All wrote letters home and began to count 
 the days when they would be returning to the 
 United States. 
 
 But the training program was to be continued. 
 Although the armistice had been arranged and 
 plans were in progress for the occupation of Ger- 
 many it was considered likely that there might 
 be further need for fighting men and in order to 
 maintain the troops at the highest possible point 
 
248 The Story of the 36th 
 
 of efficiency there was a daily routine of maneuvers 
 against machine gun positions, practice in scout- 
 ing and patrolling and combat practice on the 
 range. This work was doubly hard after the 
 cessation of hostilities however. While there had 
 been a prospect of using their knowledge against 
 the enemy the men were willing to go through any 
 hardship to accomplish the desired results, but 
 with this prospect gone the work and exercises 
 soon grew uninteresting and irksome. 
 
 Therefore when an order came for the divis- 
 ion to move to the area around Tonnerre, a small 
 city on the main highway between Paris, Dijon. 
 Lyon, Marseilles and Nice and about 100 miles from 
 Paris, there was general rejoicing. The move was 
 made by marching and proved the longest of the 
 kind ever conducted by the division. The troops 
 started the morning of November 18, and did not 
 reach their destination until Thanksgiving. On 
 the way to Tonnerre they passed through the 
 Thirteenth training area around Bar-sur-Aube, 
 where they were greeted joyously by the French 
 people with whom they had lived while training 
 before entering the fight. In every French home 
 dinner was prepared for as many guests as could 
 be accommodated and wine of many years vintage 
 was brought out of the cellars to celebrate the oc- 
 casion. 
 
 On the march from the area north of Bar-le- 
 Duc to the Sixteenth Training Area around Ton- 
 nerre the division was transferred from the Seventh 
 Army Corps to the First Army Corps, commanded 
 by Major General William M. Wright, with head- 
 quarters at Tonnerre itself. The headquarters of 
 
To Bar-le-Duc.—Thr Armistice 249 
 
 the Thirty-sixth was established at Cheney, a 
 -small town about nine kilometers northwest from 
 Tonnerre on the highway to Paris and the division 
 was billeted in the surrounding towns. South and 
 east of Tonnerre the Seventy-ninth and Eightieth 
 Divisions, also a part of the Corps were billeted. 
 During the march from the north there had 
 been keen competition between the regiments of in- 
 fantry to see which could establish the best record. 
 In this the honors w^ent to the 142d Infantry which 
 had the smallest number of men to fall out from 
 exhaustion yet which remained in the van of the 
 movement and reached its billets in the Tonnerre 
 area ahead of all others. The entire division con- 
 cluded the march in the best of health and with 
 the men in fine physical condition. 
 
250 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 OPERATIONS OF THE 111th ENGINEERS. 
 
 On the march to the Tonnerre area the divis- 
 ion once more was joined by the 111th Engineers 
 who had been marched away from the training 
 area around Bar-sur-Aube, September 10, to par- 
 ticipate in the operation against the St. Mihiel 
 salient. Companies A and E of the 111th Supply 
 Train also returned to the division just prior to 
 the movement from the Triaucourt area after having 
 been on detached service with the First Army troops 
 in the vicinity of Verdun during the closing days 
 of the fighting. 
 
 From their billets near Bar-sur-Aube the reg- 
 iment of enginesis had been transported by rail to 
 the town of Frouard just north of the city of Nancy 
 and near the juncture of the Moselle and Meurthe 
 Rivers. This was along the eastern side of the St. 
 Mihiel salient and directly south of Pont-a-Mous- 
 son, one of the best known sectors to American 
 troops in the entire war. The night of September 
 12. when the attack against the salient had pro- 
 gressed to such a point that it was already pro- 
 claimed the greatest possible success, the regi- 
 ment moved up to Gezoncourt and the following 
 night to Martincourt. just north of the old positions 
 in that sector of the American troops so often re- 
 ferred to in the early days of 1918 as the "sector 
 northwest of Toul," 
 
 \2->^] 
 
252 The Story of the 36th 
 
 The next day the engineers were given their 
 first experience of building roads under artillery 
 fire. During the two preceding days they had 
 been within hearing of the big guns as they roared 
 their defiance at each other. They started to 
 work on the roads at Regnieville the morning of 
 September 14, and for the next three days there 
 was hardly time for meals as they struggled to 
 make \ le road across the old French and German 
 defenses passable for the heavy traffic that was 
 demanded. As at all other places where the lines 
 of the opposing forces had remained stationary 
 for four years there was a strip of ground about 
 four miles wide that had been blown to powder as 
 the battling armies had burrowed beneath the sur- 
 face or plowed up the ground with their enormous 
 shells and mines. The whole surface of the earth 
 in this strip was pulverized stone and gravel mixed 
 with broken munitions and rubbish. All signs of 
 former roads had disappeared and a complete new 
 highway had to be constructed in order that the 
 heavy artillery might move forward with the in- 
 fantry in the attack 
 
 In the construction of this highway the en- 
 gineers displayed an ability that earned them the 
 praise of the army commander. They were cited 
 in orders for their excellent work and no regi- 
 ment of engineers in the army did better work of 
 this character. At the time they were serving as 
 corps engineers for the first corps and during the 
 time they were employed in the St. Mihiel drive 
 they constructed more than five kilometers of road, 
 or a complete highway between Regnieville and 
 Triaucourt. Until this task was completed the men 
 
Operations of the tilth Engineers 253 
 
 worked night and day. They were separated into 
 three detachments and the way for the heavy traf- 
 fic was prepared with amazing rapidity. The en- 
 tire construction had been accomplished in less 
 than five days. 
 
 At the conclusion of the road building be- 
 tween Regnieville and Triaucourt the regiment 
 was allowed to rest one day and then started on 
 a march across the rear of the American forces at 
 the front, with its destination in the vicinity of 
 the Argonne Forest. During the next six days 
 and nights the road builders were moving west- 
 ward. The daylight marches soon were abandoned. 
 The troops rested during the day and marched at 
 night in order to avoid observation from the 
 enemy. This was brought about largely due to 
 the fact that while passing through the town of 
 Blenod the enemy had secured observation that 
 enabled him to bring a concentration on the entire 
 column including the trains. Poor marksmanship 
 however left the engineers little the worse for this, 
 only three men being wounded and none killed. 
 
 At the end of the period of marching the regi- 
 ment established headquarters at Camp Beaudelle, 
 in the Argonne wood near Les Islettes a few miles 
 west of Clermont. This was September 22, four 
 days before the beginning of the general assault 
 by the First American Army between the Meuse 
 and the Aisne and which has been referred to gen- 
 erally as the battle of the Argonne. The camp at 
 Les Islettes was in the heart of the Argonne Forest 
 proper. During the next two days the regiment 
 moved to Boureuilles and Vauquois, two small 
 towns just to the south of Varennes, made famous 
 
254 The Story of the 36th 
 
 as the city in which Louis XVI and Marie Antoin- 
 ette were intercepted in their flight to safety dur- 
 ing the French revolution. This was around the 
 point known as Hill 260 and the regiment arrived 
 in position in time to follow up the assault that had 
 driven the Germans back from the old line and 
 started the long battle that was to end only with 
 the capture of Sedan and the declaration of the 
 armistice. 
 
 Here again the work of constructing roads 
 while the ground was being shelled by the heaviest 
 guns of the enemy was the task assigned the 111th 
 and again good fortune favored them. Although 
 other units in the same vicinity, notably the 110th 
 Engineers of the Thirty-fifth Division, suffered 
 heavy casualties, only a few of the men from the 
 Thirty-sixth were hit. Company D, organized at 
 Tulsa, Oklahoma, had the distinction of going 
 through the entire campaign without a casualty. 
 While working around Hill 260 a giant German 
 shell came over and exploding in the midst of a 
 group working on the roads almost wiped out a 
 whole platoon of the 110th Engineers but failed 
 to harm any of the personnel of the 111th. About 
 the same time a Captain of the 111th Engineers was 
 eating his lunch when an enemy airplane came 
 over and sprayed the ground with bullets. One 
 of these dashed the officers mess kit from his hand 
 but failed to touch his person. 
 
 From the vicinity of Varennes the regiment 
 worked its way northward behind various combat 
 divisions, passing through Apremont, Sommerance, 
 St. Juvin, St. Georges, Imecourt, Sivry, Buzancy, 
 St. Pierremont, Oches and Le Besace to Raucourt, 
 
Operations of the iJlth Engineers 255 
 
 only a short distance south of Sedan. As in the op- 
 eration against the St. Mihiel salient the regiment 
 was divided into three detachments and in the 
 latter part of the drive against Sedan was enabled 
 to keep up with the advance of the infantry only 
 by dint of the most strenuous marching as well as 
 incessant labors to keep the roads in condition for 
 the advance of the artillery. 
 
 The engineers were in position at Raucourt 
 November 11 when the armistice was signed and 
 immediately turned their faces southward out of 
 the line for the first time since their entry into it 
 before the St. Mihiel attack. As corps engineers 
 they had been called upon to do only road con- 
 struction and at no time had been sent into the 
 front line positions as frequently had been the case 
 with division engineers, but often they were under 
 fire of the enemy's artillery and were made the 
 targets for enemy bombing squadrons as well as 
 "boche" airplanes armed with machine guns. 
 
 In the advance from south of Varennes to the 
 final objective south of Sedan they had been in 
 close touch with some of the most famous fighting 
 of the war. The assault of the Thirty-fifth Divi- 
 sion from the initial point in the drive to Charpen- 
 try and beyond, the desperate drive of the First 
 Division over the defenses of Hill 240, Hill 272 
 and through the German defenses to the Kriem- 
 hilde Stellung, the smashing of that famous line 
 by the Fifth Corps and later the record breaking 
 marches and assaults against Mouzon and Sedan, 
 all took place immediately in front of the engineers* 
 Probably no other organization in the army was 
 in closer touch with these great battles than 
 
256 The Story of the 36th 
 
 the regiment of road builders from Oklahoma and 
 Texas. 
 
 In the advance the men were called upon to 
 construct all kinds of roads. Most of the work 
 had to be of a temporary nature, especially in the 
 latter stages of the fighting When the greatest 
 pressure was being brought to bear to keep the ar- 
 tillery up with the infantry. In addition to the 
 construction of the roads the engineers were called 
 upon to assist the military police in the regulation 
 of traffic, designating which roads could be used 
 by heavily laden trucks and which were suitable 
 for the passage of heavy artillery. 
 
 In connection with the work of building roads 
 the regiment accomplished a task that again won 
 for it the praise of the army chiefs. Taking over 
 the corduroy road which formed a detour of a 
 quarter mile around the main highway at Briulles, 
 the regiment was directed to rebuild with plank 
 the main highway which had been destroyed by 
 heavy shelling. The minimum space of time was 
 set for the construction of the road by the chief en- 
 gineer of the corps but the men set to work with 
 such a will that in addition to making endless re- 
 pairs on the corduroy road they completed their 
 task forty-five minutes ahead of the limit set by 
 the chief engineer. 
 
 During its whole tour of duty at the front, 
 covering two months under fire the 111th Engineers 
 lost only one man killed and nine wounded. The 
 number of men sick in the hospital also was corre- 
 spondingly small, probably the most exceptional 
 record of any organization engaged in similar duty 
 in the army. 
 
Operations of the lllth Engineers 257 
 
 Arriving in the Tonnerre area about the same 
 time as the infantry the engineers again were as- 
 signed the task of keeping up the roads in the 
 Sixteenth Training Area and throughout the win- 
 ter had their hands full. The heavy trucks haul- 
 ing supplies to all parts of the area soon cut the 
 roads so badly that they were almost impassable 
 in places and it was necessarj' to augment the 
 forces of engineers with details from the infantry. 
 At the front the roads had been maintained by the 
 use of stone taken from demolished houses in the 
 villages but this could not be done in the Tonnerre 
 area where it was necessary to blast rock from 
 the quarries and haul it over great distances to the 
 point:; where it was needed most. 
 
 Due to the fact that there were few casual- 
 ties in the regiment there were few changes in 
 the personnel of the officers, most of those who went 
 to Europe with the command remained with it and 
 returned to the United States in the same capaci- 
 ties that they had occupied in going over. 
 
258 
 
 The Story of the S6th 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 HOME AGAIN. 
 
 Hardships were the rule when the Thirty-sixth 
 Division first arrived in the Tonnerre area. As 
 a usual thing the billets provided for the enlisted 
 men were of the poorest character, beds often 
 being on the ground and many being quartered in 
 stables. Just prior to the departure from the Triau- 
 court area a large number of casuals had been as- 
 signed to the division and these had not reached 
 their organizations until the march had begun. 
 Most of these men were not completely equipped 
 and under the bad conditions that existed at first 
 in the Tonnerre area they suffered severely. By 
 hard work and excellent supervision, however, 
 most of the poor conditions were overcome within 
 the course of two months. Billets were cleaned 
 thoroughly and beds were constructed by the use 
 of planks and wire netting. Stoves were impro- 
 vised and continual labor prevented the mud from 
 becoming impassable for supply trucks. 
 
 The greatest shortage was in shoes, many of 
 the men having become almost barefoot from long 
 marching on the hard roads. In some cases it be- 
 came necessary to relieve these men from all duty 
 until they could be supplied with new shoes. This 
 was done during the month of December when 
 additional clothing was also supplied. At no time 
 was there sufficient wood for the demands of the 
 command. Most of the men and officers were com- 
 pelled to secure additional fuel besides that issued 
 
 [259] 
 
260 The Story of the S6th 
 
 by the supply department. Fortunately the win- 
 ter was mild as compared to the winters preceding 
 and the health of the command was excellent at all 
 times. It continued to grow better month after 
 month until during April only about nine men out 
 of every thousand were carried on the sick re- 
 ports and most of these were suffering from minor 
 ills. Other divisions suffered severely from in- 
 fluenza during the winter but in the Thirty-sixth 
 there were only 160 cases. In addition to these 
 there were 111 cases of pneumonia and thirteen 
 cases of menengitis, causing five deaths. The rate 
 of venereal disease in the division was remarkably 
 low. It was less than half the rate recorded in the 
 examination of men for military service in the 
 states of Texas and Oklahoma during the war and 
 was more than a third less than the rate for the 
 entire American Expeditionary Forces. The deaths 
 from all diseases during the stay in the Tonnerre 
 area was about three men per thousand as com- 
 pared to the death rate of fifteen per thousand in 
 the United States. This high state of health was 
 due to the close supervision of sanitation by all offi- 
 cers from the division commander down to the 
 lieutenants commanding platoons. The men were 
 required to take baths regularly by roster and a 
 system of examinations and inspections prevented 
 any illness from existing more than a day without 
 becoming known to the surgeons. 
 
 Athletes entablished an enviable record dur- 
 ing the winter. The division football team com- 
 posed of players for the most part from the col- 
 leges of Texas and Oklahoma, but which was 
 headed by Captain Wilmot Whitney, Harvard, 
 
Home Again 261 
 
 fought its way to the final game at Paris before it 
 was defeated. It won the championship of the 
 First Army Corps by defeating the teams from the 
 Seventy-ninth Division, Eightieth Division and First 
 Corps Troops, in turn. Then it won the champion- 
 ship of the First Army by defeating the crack elev- 
 en from the Twenty-ninth Division, champions of 
 the Fifth Corps. The Seventh Division team, 
 champion of the Second Army was the next team 
 to be defeated, being overcome at Bar-sur-Aube in 
 a game which was watched by General Pershing, 
 King Albert and Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, Lieu- 
 tenant General Hunter Liggett and Lieutenant Gen- 
 eral Robert L. Bullard as well as other notables- 
 The final battle was staged at Prince Park in Paris 
 where the Eighty-ninth Division team, champions 
 of the Third Army, was encountered. In a clean 
 but hard-fought game the Eighty-ninth Division 
 team won by a score of 14 to 6, and probably the 
 most bitter part of the defeat was the fact that 
 Lindsay, one of the half backs of the winning team,, 
 was the chief ground gainer for the victors and 
 lived in Oklahoma. 
 
 In military framing the men of the division 
 also established their superiority. During a mili- 
 tary tournament, or fete, at Tonnerre, March 15, 
 the teams representing the division won every de- 
 cision but two in ten events and so far outclassed 
 their opponents in most of the events that there 
 was little competition. These competitions in- 
 cluded rifle and piscol firing, wall scaling, bayonet 
 fighting, signalling and various other feats neces- 
 sary to the proper training of efficient soldiers. In 
 this competition the platoon from Company A, 
 
2:62 The Story of the 36th 
 
 142d Infantry, was declared to be one of the most 
 proficient in close order drill ever exhibited by 
 the army. All of the organizations of the First 
 Army Corps were represented in the tournament. 
 
 Later in the spring the First Battalion of the 
 143d Infantry after gaining the right to represent 
 the division in a maneuver competition, won first 
 place in the corps competition and second place in 
 the maneuver competitions held by the army. 
 
 Besides the football competitions, basketball 
 and baseball games were played throughout the 
 spring. Each regiment and many smaller units had 
 organized baseball teams and each company had a 
 basketball team. 
 
 Schools were established in every town in the 
 area and the work of organizing these was pushed 
 to such an extent that thousands of men were afford- 
 forded their first opportunities for studying mathe- 
 matics as well as the more advanced courses of 
 study in English and history. These schools were 
 taught by officers and competent enlisted men and 
 served to enable many of the men to occupy their 
 evenings when otherwise time would have hung 
 heavily on their hands. 
 
 Recreation also was developed in every pos- 
 sible way. Besides the troupes of entertainers 
 brought into the area by the Y. M. C. A. and other 
 organizations the various companies formed small 
 theatrical troupes and toured the division area. 
 Some of the regiments, notably the 142d Infantry 
 organized splendid companies of entertainers. The 
 142d Infantry troupe later was adopted by the di- 
 vision and placed on the circuit for the entire A 
 
Home Again 263 
 
 E. F. It gave a performance in Paris before the 
 division sailed for the United States. 
 
 Early in December, leaves w^ere granted for 
 officers and men and these continued to be issued 
 throughout the winter and spring until every man 
 in the division had been given an opportunity to 
 visit Southern France, Italy or England. The great- 
 er number of officers as well as men visited the Ri- 
 veria along the Medeterranean and at some time 
 nearly every member of the division had an oppor- 
 tunity to go to Paris. More than 2,000 visited the 
 French capital to see the final football game and 
 each week during the late spring a number of 
 leaves to Paris were granted. 
 
 The conduct of the officers and men in the 
 leave areas in the south of France caused the high- 
 est commendation from the officers in charge of the 
 areas. The enlisted men were taken to and from 
 the areas in special trains and were furnished 
 with lodging while at the leave areas. The rec- 
 ords of the division showed that about 18,000 offi- 
 cers and men were permitted to go on leave during 
 the spring and winter and that reports of miscon- 
 duct were made against only eighteen of these. 
 Most of these reports were of such a minor nature 
 as not to be considered and the only one of a ser- 
 ious character was never proved. 
 
 In addition to the schools conducted by the 
 division itself, the schools and universities of both 
 France and England were offered to many officers 
 and men. These were taken advantage of to the 
 fullest extent, especially those offering courses in 
 languages and the arts and sciences. 
 
264 The Storu of the 36th 
 
 Without warning the Commander in Chief 
 visited and inspected the division March 9. The 
 entire command was assembled a short distance 
 north of Tonnerre and marched in review. Prior 
 to the review General Pershing inspected every 
 rank and file of the assembled forces and decorat- 
 ed several officers and men with the Distinguished 
 Service Cross. At the same time he decorated the 
 colors of the various organizations in the division 
 with the battle streamers earned at the front. 
 The ribbons on the flags bear the inscription: 
 "Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Champagne Sector)". 
 Addressing the assembled officers and soldiers at 
 the close of the review the general spoke of the 
 splendid manner in which they had borne them- 
 selves at the front in spite of the fact that they 
 had not been afforded the usual preparation in a 
 quiet sector, that had been given to most of the 
 divisions. He urged them to maintain the high 
 state of discipline and morale that had been ob- 
 served in the past and return to the United States 
 with a record of which they might remain proud 
 through the balan'^e of time. 
 
 After his departure from the area General 
 Pershing expressed his appreciation for the fine 
 appearance of the division and its showing 
 against the enemy in the followmg letter to the 
 division commander: 
 
 "My dear General Smith: — 
 
 It was with great pleasure that on 
 April 9th, I inspected and reviewed the 
 36th Division north of Tonnerre. In noting 
 the splendid physical condition of its per- 
 
Home Again 265 
 
 sonnel, I could well see why your combat 
 record in France, though short compared 
 with some others, is one of which all ranks 
 may well be proud. 
 
 "Arriving' in Europe toward the end of 
 July, the 36th Division was at once sent 
 to an area near Bar-sur-Aube, where for 
 two months it followed the regular course 
 of training which had been prepared. In 
 October, however, as the great Allied at- 
 tack was nearing a crisis, it was thrown 
 directly into the active battle without the 
 usual preliminary month's training in a 
 quiet sector of the line. In this emerg- 
 ency the division responded to every call 
 made upon it. With the veteran 2d Di- 
 vision it operated under the Fourth French 
 Army in its drive west of the Argonne, 
 which was made in conjunction with the 
 Meuse-Argonne attack of the First United 
 States Army. The 71st Brigade on Octo- 
 ber 8th, attacked from St. Etienne-a- 
 Arnes. On the 11th the entire division was 
 in and advanced in the next two days ap- 
 proximately twenty-one kilometers to the 
 Aisne River. Continuous contact was kept 
 with the enemy while preparations were 
 made for crossing the Aisne. No further 
 advance, however, was made, although 
 on October 27th, the troops of the 71st 
 Brigade attacked and captured Forest 
 Farm. The Division was relieved October 
 29th. 
 
266 The Story of the 36th 
 
 "The bearing- of the Division in this, 
 its first experience in battle, showed the 
 mettle of officers and men, and gave prom- 
 ise of what it would become as a veteran. 
 Please, therefore, extend my congratula- 
 tions to the members of your Division, 
 who may return home proud of the record 
 of their services, with the knowledge that 
 they have acquitted themselves well as 
 part of the American Expeditionary Forces. 
 "Very sincerely yours, 
 
 JOHN J. PERSHING, 
 General, Commander in Chief, 
 Am. E. F." 
 
 Relations between the personnel of the di- 
 vision and the populace of the French towns in 
 which they were billeted, were the most cordial. 
 In some instances there was friction caused by the 
 misunderstandings of both, but in view of the dif- 
 ference in languages and temperament these may 
 by said to be extremely few. The French langu- 
 age was learned rapidly by officers and men and 
 there were many occasions when the troops were 
 entertained in the homes of the French people. 
 Evidence of these relations is best given by the 
 fact that one officer and eight enlisted men of the 
 division carried French brides home with them 
 when the command finally departed. During the 
 spring there was a series of farewell dances given 
 by the various organizations of the division to 
 which a great many French civilians, men and 
 women were invited. 
 
Home Again 267 
 
 In the Tonnerre area the officers and men of 
 the division found many interesting places to visit. 
 Near the headquarters of the Seventy-first Infan- 
 try Brigade, located in the town of Flogny, was 
 an old Roman camp that had been occupied by the 
 troops of the Caesars when they garrisoned various 
 places in France from 500 to 800 A. D. and the 
 chateau occupied by Brigadier General Pegram 
 Whitworth and his staff was the site of one of the 
 most famous castles in central France. Souvenir 
 hunters among the soldiers of the 142d Infantry 
 dug up a quantity of old Roman coins in the Ro- 
 man cemetery near the camp. In nearly every 
 village in the area the churches afforded matters 
 of the greatest interest to students of religious 
 histoiT, some of the buildings being very distinc- 
 tive of architectural periods. At Tanlay, where 
 the Seventy-second Brigade headquarters was lo- 
 cated there was a castle surrounded by a moat 
 filled with water and this was an unceasing ob- 
 ject of interest to the soldiers billeted in the area. 
 Tonnerre itself abounded in interesting places, one 
 of which was a great spring that sent forth a 
 volume of water two feet in diameter. 
 
 As soon as the troops had become comforta- 
 bly situated in their billets once more a schedule 
 of training was carried out. The new men receiv- 
 ed during the march from the Triaucourt area had 
 to be taken through a course of instruction to de- 
 termine what places they were to fill in each com- 
 pany and similar organization and every phase of 
 military training was taken up. For many months 
 after the division reached the Sixteenth Training 
 Area there was no intimation that it would be sent 
 
268 The Story of the 36th 
 
 home until practically all of the troops in Europe 
 had been shipped back to the United States. From 
 time to time orders were published setting forth 
 the dates upon which various divisions would go to 
 Le Mans and from there to the port of embarka- 
 tion but the name of the Thirty-sixth appeared in 
 none of these lists. Resulting from this it was 
 rumored that the division would be sent to the 
 Army of Occupation in Germany to relieve one of 
 the divisions of drafted men on duty there but 
 there proved to be no foundation for this. Dur- 
 ing the course of training there was a complete 
 schedule of instruction with the rifle, the automatic 
 rifle and the machine gun. Ranges for extensive 
 firing with the rifle were not available on account 
 of the nature of the terrain, which was flat and 
 afforded no hills into which the riflemen might 
 direct their bullets in order to prevent them from 
 doing harm. There were maneuvers of all kinds 
 however, including several in which the entire 
 division was engaged and numerous contests were 
 conducted to keep alive the interest of the men. 
 
 While the infantry and other branches of the 
 division in the Tonnerre area were going through 
 this course of training the Sixty-first Field Artil- 
 lery Brigade was being prepared at Camp de 
 Coetquidan for return to the United States. Or- 
 ders for the brigade to turn in all equipment and 
 animals to the various depots of supply and coun- 
 termanding the orders to join the division, were 
 issued. Inspections, preparatory to the return 
 trip across the Atlantic became the routine work. 
 
 Brigadier General Stephens who had been in 
 command of the brigade from the time it left the 
 
Home Again 269 
 
 United States for France, became ill with pneu- 
 monia the latter part of December and died Jan- 
 uary 4, at the hospital at Camp de Coetquidan. 
 He was buried in the camp cemetery with mili- 
 taiy honors befitting his rank and in the presence 
 of high officials of the French army. The fun- 
 eral oration was delivered by Lieutenant General 
 d'Amade, commanding the Tenth Region, French 
 army, in which he paid eloquent tribute to General 
 Stephens as being representative of the fine body 
 of American artillery officers sent abroad by the 
 United States. Command of the brigade was as- 
 sumed by Colonel F. A. Logan, of the 133d Field 
 Artillery, until sometime in February when he 
 was relieved by Colonel Otho W. B. Farr of the 
 regular army. The brigade was reviewed by 
 General Pershing, February 23, and a week later 
 the movement to the ports of embarkation was 
 begun. The regiments of the brigade were to- 
 gether for the last time at Camp de Coetquidan. 
 Each was transported by rail to St. Nazaire and 
 from there they sailed to Newport News, Va. 
 From Newport News the 131st Field Artillery was 
 sent to Camp Travis, near San Antonio, Texas, for 
 demobilization while the 132d and 133d regi- 
 ments were sent to Camp Bowie. 
 
 There were few changes in the personnel of 
 the artillery brigade officers during the stay in 
 Europe. Some were transferred to other branches 
 of activity immediately before the brigade was 
 shipped back to the United States but the great 
 majority of the personnel returned home with the 
 troops and were demobilized at the same time. 
 Colonel Logan alone of the colonels remained in 
 
270 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
Home Again 271 
 
 the service temporarily as demobilization officers 
 at Camp Bowie. 
 
 Without warning the commanding general of 
 the Thirty-sixth also erceived order to prepare 
 and move to the Le Mans area, preparatory to 
 going home. This order was sent by telegraph 
 April 10, and was out of a clear sky, no intimation 
 having been given from General Headquarters 
 up to that time that the division would be sent 
 home before the middle of the summer. The 
 command was delivered into the hands of the 
 Service of Supply April 15, when the work of 
 turnmg over all properties was begun and within 
 a few days reports were made that all organiza- 
 tions were ready to entrain. The advance party 
 started for the Le Mans area April 26, and the 
 division as a whole arrived there during the first 
 few days of May. 
 
 Again in the LeMans area the division es- 
 tablished an enviable reputation for discipline, 
 preparedness and ability to take care of itself at 
 all times. The inspectors' reports forwarded to 
 the Commander in Chief showed that the divi- 
 sion was in the highest state of preparation for 
 returning home and the orders issued by the divi- 
 sion commander for the inspection were forwarded 
 as a model for other divisions passing through the 
 area. The inspectors declared that no other divi- 
 sion of all those returning home had made a better 
 showing than the Texans and Oklahomans. The 
 men presented a splendid appearance, all of them 
 wearing the shoulder insignia of the division and 
 having their clothes fitted properly. The insignia 
 was an arrowhead of blue upon which was super- 
 
272 The Story of the 36th 
 
 imposed the letter "T," all on a circular disk of 
 khaki. The "T" also was of khaki, and repre- 
 sented the Texas contingent of the division while 
 the arrow head represented the Oklahomans. This 
 insignia had been adopted while the division was 
 in the area north of Bar-le-Duc immediately after 
 signing of the armistice when all divisions in the 
 the Expeditionary Forces were directed to submit 
 designs for approval at G. H. Q. 
 
 The first contingents of the division to start 
 for Brest and from there to the United States left 
 Le Mans the morning of May 17, and within a 
 few days all had arrived at the port and were 
 placed on board the transports with an average 
 wait of three days. Again at Brest the various 
 units were required to go through the delousing 
 process which already had been conducted at Le 
 Mans and with more or less frequency in the 
 Tonnerre area. Also additional equipment and 
 clothing was issued at Brest where it was needed. 
 Before leaving the Tonnerre area a large number 
 of officers had been ordered to join the Army of 
 Occupation in Germany and during the stay at 
 Le Mans still other officers were assigned to duty 
 in France, some going to Tours and others to var- 
 ious places of activity in the Service of Supply. 
 
 Just before the sailing of division headquar- 
 ters the following letter of farewell was delivered 
 by the Republic of France through its representa- 
 tive at Brest: 
 
Home Again 273 
 
 "FRENCH REPUBLIC 
 Paris, May 19th, 1919. 
 
 "French Premier 
 Minister of War 
 
 "From : The French President, Minister for War. 
 "To: Commanding General, 36th Division, U. S. 
 
 "My dear General: 
 
 I am so happy to extend to the 36th Division 
 U. S., when it is going to leave France, the cor- 
 dial greeting of the Government of the Republic. 
 
 "Your division arrived in France at the time 
 when the great battle was in progress which was 
 to decide the fate of the war. It took a glorious 
 part in it. The fighting which it did from the 
 8th of October, and which led to the Aisne, be- 
 tween Attigny and Givry, proved the valor and 
 the spirit of discipline of your soldiers. 
 
 "I send them my affectionate wishes at the 
 time when they go back to their homes. I wish 
 that the remembrances of their Campaign in 
 France remain lively in their hearts. France will 
 not forget the generous help which they brought 
 to her. 
 
 "Believe, my dear General, in the assurance 
 of my very devoted feelings. 
 
 For the Premier, 
 and by his order, 
 
 The General Commission for Franco-Ameri- 
 can War Affairs 
 
 (Signed) ANDRE TARDIEU." 
 
274 
 
 The Storv of the 36th 
 
Home Again 275 
 
 On the return trip to the United States heavy 
 seas were encountered and two men of the 142d 
 Infantry, on board the cruiser Denver, were wash- 
 ed overboard and drowned. These were Corpor- 
 al Harry S. Hovey of Company E, and Private 
 Joseph C. Strong of Company H. Otherwise the 
 voyage was pleasant for all. Instead of crossing 
 the ocean in convoy as had been the case before, 
 each transport set out for itself and arrived at 
 different harbors in the east. The 142d Infantry 
 debarked at Boston, the 143d Infantry at New- 
 port News, from which place it also had embarked 
 for Europe, while the balance of the division land- 
 ed at Hoboken, All were taken to the camps 
 adjacent to the ports preparatory to shipment to 
 the demobilization points and once more required 
 to pass through the delousing system. Replace- 
 ments who had joined the division in France and 
 who lived in other parts of the country were sep- 
 arated from their organizations at the camps in 
 the east and bade goodbye. 
 
 Just before going aboard ship to embark for 
 Galveston instead of going overland by rail, the 
 141st Infantry was discovered to have several men 
 afflicted with smallpox and the organization was 
 placed in quarantine at Camp Mills for seventeen 
 days. The balance of the division was taken by 
 rail to Camp Bowie for demobilization, several of 
 the organizations parading at various points in 
 Oklahoma and Texas on the way to Fort Worth. 
 At all of these places they were received with 
 ovations, particularly in Oklahoma City where 
 the 142d Infantry marched through the streets. 
 
276 The Story of the 36th 
 
 As rapidly as possible men and officers were 
 mustered out of the service at Camp Bowie and 
 allowed to return to their homes. Most of the 
 officers accepted leaves of absence for fifteen days 
 in order that they might adjust themselves to the 
 conditions in civil life, but a few remained in the 
 service temporarily on recruiting duty for the 
 army. 
 
 Although in the line facing the enemy but a 
 comparatively short time the division had earned 
 an enviable record overseas. In its assault against 
 the "boche" around St. Etienne and its subsequent 
 advance of twenty-one kilometers to the Aisne 
 River, the news dispatches of the world declared 
 that it had "taken a glorious part in the world's 
 history." In its fighting it had captured three 
 pieces of heavy artillery, six pieces of light artil- 
 lery, four howitzers, 17 trench mortars and 277 
 machine guns besides small arms such as rifles 
 and pistols in great quantities. It is estimated 
 that the amount of munitions and material cap- 
 tured by the advance to the Aisne was valued at 
 $10,000,000 or more. Certainly it was reported 
 that the German supply of gas shells captured at 
 Mont St. Reny was the largest that ever fell into 
 the hands of the Allies. Every kind of warfare 
 was experienced by the troops and in all they per- 
 formed with credit. It had captured prisoners 
 each time that prisoners were asked for by the 
 higher commanders. No troops could have be- 
 haved with better morale under the worst possi- 
 ble conditions and while the division might have 
 suffered less losses with more experienced leader- 
 ship and more intimate knowledge of conditions 
 
Home Again 277 
 
 at the front, yet it accomplished the tasks assign- 
 ed to it and accomplished them well. It suffered 
 twenty-three officers and 486 men killed, sixty-four 
 officers and 1,450 men wounded, thirty-five otiicers 
 and 427 men gassed and eighty men missing. The 
 greater number of these losses were in the Seven- 
 ly-first iirigade which bore the brunt of the fight- 
 ing. 
 
 For the valor of the division personnel in 
 action two medals of honor, thirty-nine Distin- 
 guished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Ser- 
 vice Medal, and a great number of French deco- 
 rations were awarded to the officers and men. 
 Major General Smith was made a Commander of 
 the French Legion of Honor while four other offi- 
 cers were decorated as Chevaliers of the Legion 
 of Honor. Seven men were decorated with the 
 Medaille Militaire, the highest award for enlisted 
 men in the French army, while 415 officers and 
 men were decorated with the Croix de Guerre. 
 
 How the division behaved under its ordeal 
 before a desperately fighting enemy is best told in 
 the message of General Naulin, commanding the 
 Twenty-first Corps of the Fourth French Army at 
 the time the Thirty-sixth first went into action: 
 
 "The 36th Division, U. S., recently organized, 
 and still not fully equipped, received during the 
 night of 6th-7th October, the orders to relieve 
 under conditions particularly delicate, the Second 
 Division, to drive out the enemy from the heights 
 to the north of St. Etienne-a-Arnes, and to push 
 him back to the Aisne. 
 
 "Although under fire for the first time, the 
 young soldiers of General Smith, rivaling in push 
 
278 The Story of the 36th 
 
 and tenacity with the older and valiant regiments 
 of General Lejeune, accomplished their mission 
 fully. All can be proud of the work done. To 
 all, the General Commanding the Army Corps, is 
 happy to express his cordial appreciation, ggrati- 
 tude and best wishes for future successes. The 
 past is an assurance of the future. 
 
 (Signed) GENERAL NAULIN." 
 
THE HONOR ROLL 
 
 KILLED IN ACTION 
 
 OFFICERS 
 
 l.'ilst InfanUii 
 
 ALCORN, L. C 2d Lieut. Co. K : October 8, 1918 
 
 BURCHILL, JOSEPH M.. 2(1 Lieut. Co. M October 8. 1918 
 
 COX, AUBREY W., 2d Lieut., Co. K ; .....October 9, 1918 
 
 DREW, WALTER W., 2d Lieut., Co. K October 9. 1918 
 
 FORD. CIL\RLES xM., 1st Lieut.. Co. D October 28. 1918 
 
 HTJTCHINGS, EDWIN G., Major, October 8, 1918 
 
 KENDRICK, HUGO O., Captain, Co. K October 9, 1918 
 
 LUHN, GRAHAM B., Is.-; lieut., Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 McKINNEY, JOHN C, 2d Lieut., Co. L October 8, 1918 
 
 MORRISON, CLYDE T., 1st Lieut., Co. E October 8, 1918 
 
 OGDEN. IRA C. Captain, Co. F October 10. 1918 
 
 WEHNER, CARL, 2nd Lieut., Co. K. October 9, 1918 
 
 WRIGHT, BENJAMIN F.. Major. October 8. 1918 
 
 lJf2(l, Infantry. 
 
 CARRIGAN, ALFRED N., JR., 1st Lieut., 
 
 Co. L _ October 8, 1918 
 
 COLLINS, THOMAS F., 2d Lieut., B October 8. 1918 
 
 GOEBEL, GEORGE. 2d Lieut.. Co. M October 8. 1918 
 
 HANNER. CARTER C. Captain, Co. E October 8, 1918 
 
 HANSON. DAVID T., Captain, Med. Det .October 8, 1918 
 
 HARRISON. RICHARD. 1st Lieut.. Co. F October S. 1918 
 
 HORNKE. EMIL C, 2nd Lieut., Co. H October 9. 1918 
 
 LOWERY. KEITH, 1st Lieut., Co. C October 10, 1918 
 
 MATHENY. ARTHUR J., 1st Lieut., Co. B October 8. 1918 
 
 PEARCE. WILLIS L., Captain. Co. F October 8. 1918 
 
 132d Machine Gun Battalion 
 
 CROUCH, HUTT, 2d Lieut, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 I'tlst Infantry 
 
 BROWN, ARTHUR S., 1st Lieut, Med. Det October 9. 1918 
 
 AKINS. SAMUEL E., Private, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 [2791 
 
280 
 
 The Story of the 36th 
 
 ALLEN, ELZA F.. Private, Co. C October S. 191S 
 
 ALLEX. JESSE J.. Private, Co. B October 8, 1918 
 
 ALLEN, OTHOM IX., Private, Co. G October 8, 1018 
 
 ANDERSON, FKANK. Private, Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 ANDEKSON, THEODORE, Private, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 ANTONIO, AKES (J., Private, Co. A October 8. 1913 
 
 AKEItS, JOHN B., Private, Co, F October 8. 1918 
 
 ARMSTRONG, HUEY C, Private, Co. B October 8. 1918 
 
 ARNOLD, JACK, Corporal, Co. D Octol>er 8, 1918 
 
 ATCHLSON. CLAUDE, Private, Co, C October 10. 1918 
 
 BAILEY, ABE M., Private, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 BAILEY, EARL S., Private, Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 BAILEY, EDGAR A.. Private, Co. C Ocober S. 1918 
 
 BAKEIt. EDDIE A., Corporal, Co. L October S. 1918 
 
 BARBER, REUBEN, Private, Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 BAIRD, CLARENCE A., Private, Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 BARNARD, JOHN, Mechanic, Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 BAYLOR, JOHN R.. Sergeant, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 BEDFORD, Arthur, Private. Co. B October 9, 1918 
 
 BELL. IVAN A., Private, Co. K October 8. 1918 
 
 BENNETT, ANDREW E., Private, Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 BKiDEX. GEORGE E., Sergeant, Co. B October 8. 191S 
 
 BIRD\VELL, WILL M., Private, Co. K October 9. 1918 
 
 BLAGKIU'RN. I'ETER R.. Private, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 BLANCHETT, FRANK C, Private, Co. C October 8, 191S 
 
 BOLIX ADAM, 1st Sergeant, Co, B October 9. 191S 
 
 BOOKER, W. E.. Private, Co. E October 8, 1918 
 
 BOYD. JESSE J.. Private, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 BRINKROFF. EDMUND. Private. Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 BROWN. WILLIAM W., Corporal, Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 BURNS, HARRISON B., Private. Co. K October 8. 1918 
 
 BUSSEY, JOHN T., Private, Co. A October 8. 1918 
 
 BLACKMORE. JESSE D., Private, Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 CAMPBELL, CLYDE. Private, Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 CAMPBELL, WILLIAM, Private, Co. E October 8, 1918 
 
 CARILE, HICK R.. Private 1 cl., Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 (JARLILE, JAMES W., Corporal, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 CARTER. JOHN T.. Private 1 el.. Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 CHANDLER. ESPER F.. Private 1 cl., Co. C... .October 8. 1918 
 
 OHOATE, JASPER D., Private. Co. B October 9, 1918 
 
 CLANCY, WILMER, Private, Co. A October 9. 1918 
 
 CLICK, TERREL A., Private, Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 COLLINS, JIM C, Private, Co. A October 9. 1918 
 
 CORREN, JACK. Corporal, Co. B October 8, 1918 
 
 COX, MARTIN v., Corporal. Co. October 7, 1918 
 
The Honor Roll 281 
 
 CKADDOCK. THOMAS I).. CoriHn-al. Co. D.. ..October 
 
 DAVEXI'ORT. JOSEPH B., Private. Co. M October 
 
 DAVENPORT. ROBERT. Private, Co. B October 
 
 DeARMON. WAYNE. I'rivate. Co. A October 
 
 DENNIS. HOMER H.. I'rivate, Co. B October 
 
 DITZLER. FRANK H.. I'rivate, Co. A October 
 
 DOAKE, THOMAS M.. I'rivate, Co. B October 
 
 DOGGET, MOHON, Corporal, Co. B October 
 
 DOMSTAD. ALBERT. Private, Co. M October 
 
 DOOLEY, THOMAS M.. Private. Co. B October 
 
 DORNAK, STEVE. E., Private, Co. L October 
 
 DIKE. WALTER E.. Private, Co. B October 
 
 DULIN. L. A.. I'rivate, Co. E October 
 
 DUNLAI'. JOHN C, Private, Co. I October 
 
 DUNN. JOSEPH C. Private, Co. B October 
 
 DURHAM. BARTLETT C, Private. Co. B October 
 
 DI'STON. JAMES E.. Private, Co. B October 
 
 ELLIS. N. M.. Private. Co. E October 
 
 LNGLISH. ItOBERT I., Private. Co. B October 
 
 I-:\ANS. CLYDE. Corporal. Co. B October 
 
 EVERETT. JOE W.. Private, Co. B October 
 
 ELLIOTT. MARVIN. Private. Co. C October 
 
 FARMER. CARROLL. Private, Co. A October 
 
 FERGUSON. W. C. Private. Co. E October 
 
 FIELDKAMP. H. J.. Private. Co. E October 
 
 FISHER. ALBERT W.. Private, Co. B October 
 
 FRAUSTE. FRANK. Private. Co. E Octolier 
 
 FRAZIER. JOHN A.. Private, Co. F October 
 
 GARCIA. FRANCISCO, Private, Hq October 
 
 GASTON. ROBERT A.. Corporal. Co. F October 
 
 GREEN. H. P.. Private, Co. E October 
 
 GREEN. TROY E.. Private. Co. B October 
 
 HABY. OSCAR J.. Private 1 cl.. Co. C October 
 
 HALL. JOHN. Private. Co. F October 
 
 HANCOCK. VERNER. Private. Co. F October 
 
 HARRIS. PHIL P.. Private. Co. K October 
 
 HEATH. LESLIE L.. Cori>oral. Co. K Octolier 
 
 HILL. JOHN T.. Private. Co. B October 
 
 HILDEBRAND. B. W. C. Corporal. Co. E October 
 
 HORNER. JOHN B.. Corporal. Co. H October 
 
 HOI'STON. P. C. Corporal. Co. B October 
 
 HOWELL. THEODORE J., Corporal. Co. D October 
 
 HEWETH. I'EARL. Private. Co. I October 
 
 HUMPHREYS. CALVIN. Private 1 cl.. Co. C....October 
 HUMPHREYS. WILLIAM. Sergeant. Co. C....October 
 
 s. 
 
 P.IIS 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 •J, 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8, 
 
 1918 
 
 8, 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 191S 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 S. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 7. 
 
 191S 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 27. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 S. 
 
 1918 
 
 S. 
 
 1918 
 
 '.). 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 9, 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
282: The Story of the 36th 
 
 HURT, F. J., Private, Co. E October 8, 1918, 
 
 JOHNSON, JESSE S., Private, Co. I .October 7, 1918 
 
 KESSELEIl. OTTO, Private, Co. M.-G October $. 1918 
 
 KILLOUGH, W. L., Corporal, Co. E October 8. 1918 
 
 KING, VANCE A., Corporal, Co. B October 9, 1918 
 
 KITCHENS. CLARENCE, Private, Co. M October 8, 1918 
 
 KOCH. JOHN L. Private, Co. G October 17, 1918 
 
 LANDRUM, AVILLIE, Private, Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 LAWRENCE, JOHN P., Private, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 LAWSON. W. E., Private, Co. E October 8. 1918 
 
 LAYNE. WILLIAM S., Private, Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 LEIBER, OSCAR J., Private 1 cl,. Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 LEONARD. DENNIS E.. Private. Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 LEONARD, TIMOTHY, Private, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 LERO. JOE F.. Corporal. Co. B October 8. 1918 
 
 LESTER. BEN. Private. Co. B October 8. 1918 
 
 LINE, LIGE. Private, Co. K October 8, 1918 
 
 LUTZ, ERIC T., Private 1 cl., Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 LYNCH. FRED D.. Private. Hq October 8. 1918 
 
 MAEHR, CARL F., Corporal, Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 MALONE, LON F., Private 1 cl., Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 MARTIN, ROBER A., Private. Co. I October 7. 1918 
 
 MAYO, MARION, Private, Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 McCLOUD. EMMET. Private, Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 McDERMOTT, CALIP F., Corporal, Co. D October 9, 1918 
 
 McFARLANE. HARRY A.. Private. Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 McGINNIS. RUSSELL R., Private 1 cl., Co. C..Octol)er 8. 1918 
 
 Mcknight, Cornelius R., Private. Co. D....October 27. 1918 
 
 MEYER. HUGO W.. Private. Co. I .October 10, 1918 
 
 MILLER. LAWRENCE. Corporal, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 MITCHELL. LAWRENCE I., Private. Hq October 8. 1918 
 
 MORRE. JOHNNIE, Private, Co. G ....October 8. 1918 
 
 MORGAN. LYMAN, Private, Co. K October 8. 1918 
 
 McBURNETT. WESLIE, Private, Co. K October 8. 1918 
 
 NETHERY. ALBERT C, Private, Co. F October 9. 1918 
 
 HOFIRE, ANDY. Private. Co. D .....October 9. 1918 
 
 NORMAN. JOHN B., Private, Hq October 8, 1918 
 
 OAKLEY, STEPHEN R.. Private. Co. D Octolier 8. 1918 
 
 PAGE. WARREN B.. Private, Co. F : October 9. 1918 
 
 PARMER, WILLIAM E., Private. Co. I Oetol»er 9. 1918 
 
 PELECH, JOE, Private, Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 PERKINS, OVERTON. Corporal, Co. B October 27. 1918 
 
 FERRYMAN. HOMER W.. Private, Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 FERRYMAN, WASHINGTON L.. Private, Co. K..Oetol)er 8. 1918 
 
 PINDER. T. E.. Sergeant, Co. E October 8, 1918 
 
The Honor Roll 283 
 
 PITTS, DOUTHITT, Private 1 cl., Co. C...- October 8, 1018 
 
 POEUNER, AUGUST, Private, Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 POLVADE, ERNEST, Private 1 cl., Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 PRINCE, J. E., Private, Co. E _ October 8, 1918 
 
 RAINS, CURTIS A., Private, Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 ROGERS, HERMAN, Corporal, Co. E October 8, 1918 
 
 ROUMELITIS, DIEMICIOS, Corporal, Co C October 8, 1918 
 
 REDDING, BENJAMIN, Private, Co. I October 9, 1918 
 
 SAVAGE, REMMIE, Corporal, Co. D _ October 8, 1918 
 
 SCOTT, GEORGE R., Sergeant, Co. A October 8, 1918 
 
 SELF. GEORGE W., Private, Co. H October 9, 1918 
 
 SHERRED, THOMAS J., Private, Hq October 8, 1918 
 
 SIMMONS, CONNIE, Private, Co. I October 9, 1918 
 
 SMITH. ISAAC R., Corporal, Co. L October 8, 1918 
 
 SxMITH, T. R., Private, Co. E October 8, 1918 
 
 SMITH, THOMAS E., Private, Co. L October 22, 1918 
 
 SPEEGLS, GILES, Sergeant, Co. K October 8, 1918 
 
 STEVENSON. HARRY L., Private, Med. Det October 8, 1918 
 
 STORM, IRA D., Private, Co. F October 9, 1918 
 
 TARIf, CHARLES L., Private, Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 TERRY, BRYN. Private 1 cl.. Co. G October 12, 1918 
 
 THOMPSON, MARENUS, Corporal, Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 TREVINE, ALEJERANDRO G., Private, Hq... October 8. 1918 
 
 TEUCCI. GUISEPPE, Private, Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 TURNER, J. W., Mechanic, Co. E October 8. 1918 
 
 VADEN, ROBERT, Sergeant, Co. M .....October 7. 1918 
 
 WALKER, ROY D., Private, Co. M October 8, 1918 
 
 WALKER. CLYDE J., Corporal, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 WARD, SAMSON. Private. Co. K October 8. 1918 
 
 WALTERS. CHARLES, Corporal, Co. B October 8. 1918 
 
 WARE. GUS B.. Corporal, Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 WATSON. TOM B., Private. Co. B October 8, 1918 
 
 WEISS, JOSEPH W.. Corporal. Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 WELCH, JESSE L., Private, Co. I October 8, 1918 
 
 WHITE, WILLIAM A., Private, Co. D October 9. 1918 
 
 WILLIAMS. ALVIN J.. Private, Co. K October 8, 1918 
 
 WILLIS. PAUL. Sergeant, Co. K October 8. 1918 
 
 WOLLOM, OLE S.. Private, Co. M-G October 8, 1918 
 
 WOOD, HORACE U.. Private. Co. M October 8. 1918 
 
 (VOODUL, CHARLES E.. Sergeant, Co. B October 8, 1918 
 
 ^'OODS. RUFUS C, Corporal, Co. I October 8, 1918 
 
 (\'RIGHT. ADOLPH K., Sergeant, Co. I October 9, 1918 
 
 YEARY. JOHN N.. Corporal, Hq October 8. 1918 
 
 YECHIS, MICHAEL, Private, Co. I October 9, 1918 
 
 ZUERCHER, L. L., Corporal. Co. E October 8. 1918 
 
 ZERNICKE. JOHN, Private. Co. I October 9, 1918 
 
284 The Story of the 36th 
 
 J '/.id Jiifantri/. 
 
 ADAMS, JAMES E„ I'rivate, Co. F October 
 
 ADAMS, MARVIN L., Sergeant, Co. F October 
 
 ADAMSON, WESLIE H.. I'rivate, Co. H .October 
 
 ALLEN, PHILLIPS S., Private 1 cl., Co. B October 
 
 ALVEKSON. GAKIIY L., Sergeant. Co. D October 
 
 ALVEY, FLOYD G., Private 1 cl., Co. L October 
 
 AKNALL, 1{0Y. .!., Private. Co. (J October 
 
 RAIRD, CHARLES W., Private, Hq (Xtober 
 
 BANNER, ROBERT F., Private, Hq (Xtober 
 
 BLAND, THOMAS C, Private, Co. H October 
 
 BLANKS, JAMES L., Private, Co. H October 
 
 BOONE, JESSE M. S., Private, Co. G Olober 
 
 BOUSE, CHARLES S., Sergeant, Co. B October 
 
 BROWN, ALFRED N., Private, Co. K October : 
 
 BROWN, ARTIE E., Private. Co. F October 
 
 BROWN, NICHOLAS E., Coriwral, Co. E October 
 
 Bl'RCH. WALDO. Private. Co. B October 
 
 BUTLER, FREDDIE A.. Mechanic. Co. M October 
 
 BURNETT, ARLEIGH. Sergeant. Co. B October 
 
 BYERLEY. EARL C, Sergeant, Co. G October 
 
 CALVERT, OLLIE S.. Sergeant, Co. M October 
 
 CAMPBELL. CHESTER F., Private, Co. L October 
 
 CAMPBELL. HIIfAM W., Private. Co. L October 
 
 CARPENTER, QUINCY C. Bugler, Co. G October 
 
 CARR. BOB. Private, Co. F Octol>er 
 
 CHILDRESS. AMOS R., Corporal. Co. K October 
 
 COBB. BRUCE. Coriwral. Co. K October 
 
 CLARK. AUBYN E.. 1st Sergeant. Co. H October 
 
 CLOSNER. JOHN A., Private. Co. I October 
 
 COLE. JACK C. Private. Hq October 
 
 COOPER, EDMOND. Private, Co. A October 
 
 COOPER, LAWRENCE L., Corporal, Co. B... October 
 
 COVINGTON, CLAUDE T.. Private. Co. G October 
 
 COX. FOREST, Private. Co. B October 
 
 CURTIS, WILL C. Private. Co. M October 
 
 CURTIS. WILLIAM Q.. Private. Co. M October 
 
 CITSHER, SIMEON, Private 1 cl,. Co. E October 
 
 DEAKIN, JOHN C„ Private 1 cl,. Co. B October 
 
 DALE. CLEASON N.. Mechanic. Co. B_ Octol>er 
 
 DANIEL, GEORGE M., Private, Co, G October 
 
 DUNNAWAY. MONTE E.. Corporal. Co. L October 
 
 DUNN, ULIS E.. Private 1 cl.. Co. B October 
 
 EASTON. ROSCOE, Private 1 cl., Co. F October 
 
 0, 
 
 1918 
 
 9, 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1!)18 
 
 8, 
 
 1918 
 
 ;». 
 
 1!)18 
 
 8, 
 
 1918 
 
 8, 
 
 1918 
 
 0. 
 
 1918 
 
 !J. 
 
 litis 
 
 8, 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 s, 
 
 l'.)18 
 
 !). 
 
 191,^ 
 
 .*T. 
 
 l".tl8 
 
 y, 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 l!tl8 
 
 !>. 
 
 1!»18 
 
 !>. 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1!)1S 
 
 8, 
 
 1918 
 
 9, 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 S. 
 
 11)18 
 
 9, 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 11)18 
 
 27. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1!)1S 
 
 S. 
 
 1018 
 
 !l. 
 
 11)18 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 1». 
 
 1018 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 '.). 
 
 1918 
 
 27. 
 
 1918 
 
 9, 
 
 1918 
 
 8, 
 
 1918 
 
 9, 
 
 1918 
 
 9. 
 
 1918 
 
 8. 
 
 1918 
 
 8, 
 
 , 1918 
 
 9, 
 
 , 1918 
 
 9, 
 
 , 1918 
 
The Honor Roll 285 
 
 101>]>IN(iS. NOAH F... ITivate, Co. L October 8. 1!>18 
 
 EDWARDS. T.KK U.. Private, Co. G October 9. 1918 
 
 FINLEY. LEE S.. Cori>oral, Co. L October 9. 1918 
 
 FLOYD, ANDREW M., Private. Co. G October 8. 1918 
 
 FOBB. EDMOND. Private 1 cl.. Oo. E October 8. 1918 
 
 FORD, GORDON F.. Private, Co. I October 8. 1918 
 
 FOSTER, THOMAS E,. Private. Co. B October 8, 1918 
 
 FP.AZIEIt. (JLEXX. Cori>oral. Co. F October 9. 1918 
 
 FRENCH. SAMI'EL T.. Private. Co. I October 8, 1918 
 
 FRY. O.SCAP. L.. Private. Co. K Octolier 27. 1918 
 
 FT'IJ.ER. I'.KN W.. Private. Hq October 9. 1918 
 
 GAM^nLl>. ATJJE. Corporal, Co. C. October 22. 1918 
 
 GIFFORD. rr.AT'DE C. Private. Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 COODREAR. ILVRVEY. Private. Co. A October 8. 1918 
 
 (;<K)D(;ER. WILLIE E. Private. Co. M October 9. 1918 
 
 (iRAIIAM. NOEL. Private. Co. L. October 8. 1918 
 
 GRAVES. BENTON. Private. Co. L Octolier 8. 1918 
 
 GRAVES. THOMAS .7.. Private, Co. L October 8. 1918 
 
 GREEN. .TOXIN H.. Serureant. Co. E Octolier 8. 1918 
 
 HANNA. EAVELL. Private. Co. M-G October 8. 1918 
 
 HAR.TO. WILLIAM S.. Private. Co. M Octolier 9. 1918 
 
 HANCOCK. JOHN L.. Private. Co. G October 8. 1918 
 
 HEATH. .TAMES R.. Private. Co. L Octolier 9. 1918 
 
 HENEISE. CHARLES W.. Corjioral, Co. H. .October 8, 1918 
 HE:MMING. CHARLES G.. Private 1 cl., Co. B_October 9. 1918 
 HENNINGTON. .TAMES M.. Coi'iwral. Co. G. ...October 8. 1918 
 
 HKiNIGHT. EARL K.. Sergeant. Co. E October 8. 1918 
 
 HILL, CHARLES P.. Private. Co. F October 9. 1918 
 
 HILL. LON A.. Corporal, Co. D October 8. 1918 
 
 HEIMiE. ESEE. Private. Co. F October 8. 1918 
 
 HOLLINGSWORTH. PERCY. Private. Co. F....O.-t..|.,.r ;>. VM^ 
 
 HOrSTON. ROBERT A., Private. Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 HOLBROOK. CLARENCE E., Private, Co. B....October 9. 1918 
 HTTTvABEE. LAZELLE E.. Private 1 cl.. Co. G..October 8. 1918 
 
 HT'RST. .TOHN E.. Private. Co. F October 9. 1918 
 
 JOHNSON. .TAMES O.. Private. Co. B October 9. 1918 
 
 JONES. ESTEL L.. Private. Co. G October S. 1918 
 
 JONES. OKLAHO.MA. Private. Co. G October 8. 1918 
 
 JONES. ROBERT C. Private. Co. A October 8. 1918 
 
 WETTH. ELMER G.. Private, Co. E October S. 1918 
 
 KING. ROY C Coqwral. Co. M October 9. 191S 
 
 LANE, JAMES W.. Private. Co. F October 9. 1918 
 
 LANTOSCH. JOSEPH P.. Private. Med. Det.:...October 8, 1918 
 
 LEONARD. EARL C. Private 1 cl.. Co. H October S. 1918 
 
 LeROY. .JOSEPH M.. Private 1 cl.. Co. B Octobe" 9. 1918 
 
286 The Story of the 36th 
 
 LEITZKE, JOHN F.. Corporal, Co. B October 9, 1U18 
 
 MEUNEY, ALVIN, Corporal, Co. G October 8, 11)18 
 
 McADAAIS, SAMUEL J., Private, CJo. L October 8. 1918 
 
 McBRIDE. STEVEN A., Private 1 cl., Co. D..October 8, 1918 
 
 McGready, James C., Private, Co. F October 8, 1918 
 
 McDANIEL, JOHN F., Sergeant, Co. G ...Octobei- 8, 1918 
 
 McFADDEN, JAMES R., Corporal. Co. L October 8. 1918 
 
 McGOWAN, LLOYD W., Private 1 cl., Co. G....Oetober 8, 1918 
 
 McNITZKY, ARTHUR O., Private, Co. M October 9, 1918 
 
 MENDENHALL, RAY S., Private, Co. A October 8. 1918 
 
 MYERS, LEVL Private, Co. L October 8, 1918 
 
 MINER. THOMAS L., Private. Co. K October 9. 1918 
 
 MIX, CHARLES. Private, Co. E October 9. 1918 
 
 MOORE, GILBERT. Corporal. Co. F .October 9. 1918 
 
 MOORE, LESLIE, Private, Co. B October 8. 1918 
 
 MONTGOMERY, CHARLES G. P., Private 1 cl. 
 
 Co. I October 27. 1918 
 
 MORGAN. DAVID H., Private, Co. I October 8, 1918 
 
 MOSS, ROBERT E., Sergeant. Co. E October 9. 1918 
 
 NEIL, WILLIAM J. B., Private. Co. H October 8. 1918 
 
 NEW. ELMER. Sergeant, Co. F October 9. 1918 
 
 PAGE. WILLIAM P., Private 1 cl., Co. H October 8, 1918 
 
 PENDLETON, JIM B.. Private 1 cl.. Co. H October 9. 1918 
 
 PERKINS, JOHN M., Private. Co. I October 27. 1918 
 
 PETTITT. MACK. Private, Co. H October 8, 1918 
 
 PIDCOCK. SAMUEL A„ Private 1 cl., Co. B....October 9. 1918 
 
 POE. ALTON C. Private 1 cl, Co. H October 8. 1918 
 
 POLK, ROLAND W., Corporal, Co. H October 8. 1918 
 
 PORTER. JONEY. Corporal. Co. L October 8. 1918 
 
 POWERS. ERNEST A., Corix)ral, Go. F October 8. 1918 
 
 POWERS. MARTIN L., Private, Hq October 8, 1918 
 
 PRICE. SAM P., Private 1 cl.. Co. H October 8, 1918 
 
 REID. CHESTER F,. Private. Co. B October 8. 1918 
 
 RAWIS. JESSE R.. Private. Co. F October 9, 1918 
 
 REAGAN, FANCHER D., Sergeant. Co. M October 9. 1918 
 
 REEVES, BASIL O.. Corporal. Co. G October 9. 1918 
 
 ROARK. ENIEUS I.. Private. Co. A October 8. 1918 
 
 RODERICK. AMBERS B., Private 1 cl.. Co. H..October 8. 1918 
 
 ROGERS. PLEAS M., Private. Co. F October 9, 1918 
 
 ROBINSON, ALBERT E., Sergeant, Co. I October 27, 1918 
 
 ROPER. ROY. Corporal. Co. E „ October 8, 1918 
 
 ROSS, THOMAS F., Private, Co. H..._ October 8, 1918 
 
 ROYALL. WILLIAM M., Private, Co. H October 8, 1918 
 
 RUSSELL, JAMES R., Private 1 cl., Co. H October 8, 1918 
 
 SANDERS. BEN L., Private. Co. F October 9, 1918 
 
The Honor Roll 287 
 
 SANDERS, WILLIAM T., Coriwral, Ck). F October 9, 1918 
 
 SANDIGE, liOY N., Private, Co. O. October 9, 1918 
 
 SCOTT, FRANK, Private, Co. E October 9, 1918 
 
 SCAFF, QUNTES A., Private 1 cl., Cto. I .October 9, 1918 
 
 SHIRER, ORLA E., Private, Co. L October 8, 1918 
 
 SIRMONS, WILLIAM L., Private, Co. A October 8, 1918 
 
 SMITH, EDGAR C., Private, Co. K October 27, 1918 
 
 SMITH, FLOYD W., Corporal, Co. L October 8, 1918 
 
 SMITH, THOMAS E., Private, Co. L October 22, 1918 
 
 SIMPSON, FLOYD E., Sergeant, Co. I October 9, 1918 
 
 SPIKES, JAMES A., Private, Hq October 9, 1918 
 
 SPIVEY, SULLIVAN R., Private, Co. G October 8. 1918 
 
 TEAGUE, CHARLES L.. Corporal, Co. K October 9, 1918 
 
 THOMPSON, DELWIN A., Private, Co. B October 9, 1918 
 
 TIMS, EDMOND, Private, Co. D October 8, 1918 
 
 TUNSTALL, OLLIE B., Private, Co. G October 8, 1918 
 
 TURNER, FLORENCE W., Private, Co. B October 9, 1918 
 
 WALDROP, VERGEN X., Sergeant, Co. H October 8, 1918 
 
 WARREN, ROY L., Corporal, Co. H October 8, 1918 
 
 WATROUS, TED, Private, Co. C October 22, 1918 
 
 WEST, WILLIAM G., Private, Co. D October 9, 1918 
 
 WILLIAMS, ROBERT C., Corporal, Co. I October 9, 1918 
 
 VRANA, EDMOND W., Private 1 cl., Co. C October 9, 1918 
 
 IJ/Sd Infantry 
 
 AKABAS, MAURICE W., Private 1 cl., Hq October 18, 1918 
 
 ANDERSON, MIKE, Private 1 cl., Co. G October 10, 1918 
 
 BELL, CHARLIE, Private 1 cl., Co. H. October 9, 1918 
 
 BETHEA, CECIL G., Private 1 cl., Co. H October 9, 1918 
 
 BOULTINHEURSE, SCHILLIE, Private 1 cl., 
 
 Co. B October 21, 1918 
 
 BICKLEY, JOHNNIE L., Private, Co. G October 10, 1918 
 
 COATES, THOMAS L., Private, Co. C October 14, 1918 
 
 CREPPIN, FELIX, Private, Hq October 8, 1918 
 
 CRIM, ROBERT L., Private 1 cl., Med. Det October 9, 1918 
 
 DWINELL, NORMAN E., Private 1 cl., Co. G....October 10, 1918 
 
 EHLERS, HUGE J., Private, Med. Det October 10, 1918 
 
 FLEMMING, BERT M., Private 1 cl., Co. C....October 14, 1918 
 
 GANTT, GEORGE E., Private, Med. Det October 9, 1918 
 
 GOODHUE, JAMES W., Private 1 cl., Co. L....October 9, 1918 
 
 HICK, THOMAS B., Private 1 cl., Co. G October 12, 1918 
 
 HINTON, ALLEN, Corporal, Co. I October 12, 1918 
 
 KILLEBREW, GEORGE W., Private, Co. G....October 10, 1918 
 KING, WILLIAM G., Private, Co. K October 10, 1918 
 
288 The Story of the 36th 
 
 ivLEMENT, CHAKLES E., I'rivate 1 cl October lU. 1918 
 
 LAKEY, GENERAL M., Sergeant, Go F October 27, 1918 
 
 LEWIS. SAM, Private 1 cl. Co. B October 21, 1918 
 
 OLLRE. JOE, Private, Co. C October 13, 1918 
 
 SCHKOEDER, HERBERT H.. Private, Co. K....October 12. 1918 
 SIMMONS, WILLIAM L., I'rivate 1 cl., Mecl. 
 
 Det October 9. 1918 
 
 SEWELL. CHARLIE L., Private. Med. Det October 9. 1918 
 
 STALLINGS, CHARLES B., Private 1 cl., Metl. 
 
 Det October 9. 1918 
 
 TARVER, ROBERT S., Corporal. Co. H .October 9. 1918 
 
 TAYLOR, JACOB N., Private 1 cl.. G October 10. 1918 
 
 WAGNER. FELIX, Private. Co. I October 12. 1918 
 
 IJ^Jith Infantry 
 
 ALLEN, ELIJAH F.. Private, Co, A October 1.;. 1918 
 
 ALLEN, ORBA N., I'rivate, Co. B October 12. 1918 
 
 AYCOCK, CLYDE A., Private. Co. D October 13. 1918 
 
 BASS. JAMES F.. Private, Co. B October 10, 1918 
 
 CHRISTIAN, JOHN W., Private, Co. M October 13. 1918 
 
 CURRY, JOHN E.. Corporal, Co. D October 13. 1918 
 
 DAVIS, ROBERT H., Corporal, Co. B October 13, 1918 
 
 ECKERT. MAX H., Privjite, Co. B October 13. 1918 
 
 EVANS. AUBREY R., Private. Co. K October 13. 1918 
 
 FAUST, JOHN W., Private. Co. C October 12, 1918 
 
 FOSTER, CLEBURN H., Private, Co. M October 13, 1918 
 
 GRIMES, HExNRY H., Private 1 cl., Co. C October 13. 1918 
 
 GRIMES. JAMES S., Private 1 cl., Co. B October 15. 1918 
 
 HEYSER, DUNCAN B. D., Private 1 cl., Co. M..October 13, 1918 
 
 HOLLEY, WALTER M., Private. Co. A October 10, 1918 
 
 JACKSON. JOHN D., Private, Co. G October 12, 1918 
 
 KEETER, ADEN L., Private, Co. L October 13. 1918 
 
 LOWERY, ANDREW J.. Private. Co. M October 13, 1918 
 
 MANUEL. FRANK, Private. Co. M October 13. 1918 
 
 MILLER. GRADY M., Sergeant. Co. K October 13, 1918 
 
 ^MORGAN, LESTER, Private. Co. B October 13. 1918 
 
 ORCHARD, JERRE N., Private. Co. G October 11. 1918 
 
 PHILLIPS, IRVING B., Private, Co. B October 14. 1918 
 
 PRICE. GUY E.. Private, Co. D October 13, 1918 
 
 SCHLAUDT. ALFRED J., Private 1 cl., Co. B. .October 13, 1918 
 
 SHAW. SETH S.. Private, Co. M-G October 11. 1918 
 
 SHOCK, EVERETT G., Sergeant, Co. B ...October 13, 1918 
 
 SKAGGS, WALTER C, Private. Co. H October 13. 1918 
 
 SMITH. GRAHAM P.. Private 1 cl.. Co. D Octolier 13. 1918 
 
The Honor Roll 289 
 
 SFAXGLER. JAMES H.. Private. Co. D October 13. iniS 
 
 STARBUCK. GEORGE H.. Coriwral. Co. B October 14. 1018 
 
 .-^TEEI.E. LIXDVILLE H., Private, Co. B October 13. 1J)18 
 
 TILL. JOHN. Private. Co. B October 13. lOlS 
 
 T'.XOERWOOD. LILLIARD N., Private. Co. 
 
 M-G _ Octol)er 11. 1!»18 
 
 VAXSTORY. SAM. Private, Co. L October 13, 1918 
 
 VEIGT. ORBIX F., Private, Co. M October 13, 1918 
 
 WEBB. FRAXK D.. Corporal. Co. B October 11. 1918 
 
 WILLIAMS. PAT C. Serjreant. Co. M Octol)er 13. 1918 
 
 133d Machine Gun Battalion 
 SAXDERS, MARSHALL I.. Private. Co. A Octol)er 13. 1918 
 
 111th Field Signal Battalion 
 ROGERS. CHARLES J., Coriwral. Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 132d Machine Gun Battalion 
 
 ARAXT. ALLEX B.. Private 1 cl., Co. C October 8, 1918 
 
 ARMSTROX(;. HOMER R.. Private 1 cl, Co. A..October 8. 1918 
 
 ATLAS. ALBERT, Private 1 cl., Co. A October S. 1918 
 
 CARPEXTER. WILLIAM H., Private 1 cl.. Co. 
 
 A _October 8. 1918 
 
 COX. MARVIX F.. Private 1 cl.. Co. C Octol^er 9. 1918 
 
 EDWARDS. DEAVER W., Conwral, Co. A October 9. 1918 
 
 HOUSTOX, LEOXARD C, Private 1 cl.. Co. B....October 8, 1918 
 
 JOHXS. GEORGE W.. Sergeant, Co. C October 9. 1918 
 
 OWEX. TOM H.. Private 1 cl., Co. C October 2(>. 1918 
 
 RISIXGER. OLLIE O.. Private. Co. C October 9. 1918 
 
 STIXCHCOMB. ERXEST C. Private. Co. B....October 8. 1918 
 
 UTTERBACK. BIRDXER E.. Coriwral. Co. B.... October 8. 1918 
 
 VAX OSDOL. JAMES E., Private 1 cl.. Co. B..October 8. 1918 
 
 WADE, HERBERT E.. Private 1 cl., Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 WALLS. EDWARD. Private. Co. A October 8. 1918 
 
 /////(. Engineers 
 CORXELISOX. PORTER H.. Private, Co. F....Xoveuiber 1. 191& 
 
290 The Story of the 36th 
 
 DIED OF WOUNDS 
 
 llllst Infantry 
 
 ALLEN, CLARENCE B., Private, Hq October 8, WIS 
 
 BLACKWELL, FLORENCE C, Private, Co. H....October 9, 1918 
 
 CLAYTON, JAMES A., Private, Hq „.October 11, 1018 
 
 DEUTSCH, JOHN J., Sergeant, Co. M-G October 8, 1918 
 
 GAHAGAN, S. A., Private, Co. E October 12, 1918 
 
 GREENWOOD, C. O., Private, Co. E October 10. 1918 
 
 HARRIS, ALBERT L., Private, Hq October 11. 1918 
 
 JAYNO, W. W., Private, Co. E October 12, 1918 
 
 LASCH, DAVID W., Private, Co. I October 9, 1918 
 
 LIVESAY, JAMES R., Sergeant, Co. A .October 17, 1918 
 
 PARKER, SAM L., Private, Co. K October 9, 1918 
 
 SMITH, GUiSTON K., Corporal, Co. B October 9. 1918 
 
 WESTERMAN, WALDO A., Private, Co. M-G....October 12. 1918 
 
 lJi2d Infantry. 
 
 AUTRY, FITZHUGH L., 1st Sergeant, Co. F....October 8, 1918 
 
 BOSWELL, ROY A., Private, Co. G October 14, 1918 
 
 COCHELL. CLELL C, Sergeant, Co. G October 8, 1918 
 
 DeCORDOVAN, ALLEN L., Corporal, Co. L October 10, 1918 
 
 DINGLER, JUDDIE V., Private 1 cl., Co. H....October 8, 1918 
 DOOLEY, CLIFFORD L.. Private 1 cl., Co. G..October 8. 1918 
 
 GOOCH, GLENN, Corporal, Co. H October 8, 1918 
 
 GRIESON, OLIVER H., Private, Go. F October 9, 1918 
 
 JOHNSON, GEORGE V., Private, Hq November 6. 1918 
 
 NEWTON, JOHN V., Private, Hq October 31, 1918 
 
 PEARCE. LOUIS G., Corporal, Co. C October 13, 1918 
 
 RICHARDSON. BEN H, Private. Co. F October 8. 1918 
 
 RUSSELL, JOHN C, Private. Co. F October 20. 1918 
 
 SHOEMAKER, LONNE O., Corporal, Co. L....November 11. 1918 
 TUNE, SAM W., Sergeant, Co. M-G October 9, 1918 
 
 132d Machine Gun Battalion 
 
 BUZAN, OLIVER W., Private, Co. D October 9. 1918 
 
 CASEY, LOUIS W.. Private 1 cl., Co. D October 28. 1918 
 
 CLENDENNING, BENEJAH H., Private 1 cl., 
 
 Co. D November 6, 1918 
 
The Honor Roll 291 
 
 KLEIN, CHARLES, Private, Co. D October 28, 1918 
 
 KRAMPOTA, ANTON, Private, Co. D .October 9, 1918 
 
 OWEN, TOM H., Private 1 cL, Co. D October 26, 1918 
 
 STALLINGS, RAY, Private, Co. C October 10, 1918 
 
 WADE, HERBERT E.. Private 1 cl., Co. C October 8. 1918 
 
 144th Infantry 
 
 BARLOW, JOE W., Private 1 cl., Co. K .October 15, 1918 
 
 FEAGINS, WALTER C. Corporal, Co. L October 21, 1918 
 
 HODEN, THOMAS, Private, Co. C -.October 12, 1918 
 
 KIRKENDALL, JOHN, Corporal, Co. M-G October 25, 1918 
 
 PARKS, WILLIAM, Private, Co. A October 26, 1918 
 
 PERTZ, MAURICIE, Private, Co. M October 11, 1918 
 
 REDRIQUES, JUAN M., Private, Co. B October 14, 1918 
 
 HINES, THOMAS, Private 1 cl., Co. M October 15, 1918 
 

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