Company B, 307th Infantry - Its history, honor roll, company roster, Sept., 1917, May, 1919

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Title: Company B, 307th Infantry - Its history, honor roll, company roster, Sept., 1917, May, 1919
Author: Klausner, Julius
Language: English
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Transcriber's Note

- Illustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the transcriber
for reader convenience.

- The position of some illustrations has been changed to improve
readability.

- Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. In all
other cases geographical references, spelling, hyphenation, and
capitalization have been retained as in the original publication.

* * * * *

[Illustration: {Statue of Liberty with "77"}]

[Illustration: _U. S. Official Photo_
_La Forêt de Nesle, France. 307th Infantry in France_]

COMPANY B
307th INFANTRY

ITS
HISTORY
HONOR ROLL
COMPANY ROSTER

Sept., 1917 [Illustration: AEF] May, 1919

_Compiled by_
Julius Klausner, Jr.
1920

=============================================================
Upton * Flanders * Vosges * Lorraine * Vesle * Argonne * Home
=============================================================

[Illustration: _We Who Live Remember--_]

And remembering, we shall always seek to justify the self-sacrifice made
by those companions who trained with us and fought with us but whom by
virtue of their supreme service, we returned without.

They died, but being dead, live on, and their spirits beckon us to
strive toward that for which they died.

The flag was their shrine--the fields of France their tomb--and they
shall ever be wreathed with God's great glory.

[Illustration: © _Underwood & Underwood_
MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT ALEXANDER
Commander of the Seventy-Seventh Division]

Major-General Robert Alexander to Company B

GREETINGS!

I am very glad that Company B--307th Infantry is putting into this form
the many memories of the Great War which remain with those of us who
participated therein as bright spots in our path through life.

The work done by the 77th Division was most notable and in that work
Company B--307th Infantry took full part and contributed its full share.
The record of the Company is one of which any organization might well be
extremely proud. It took part in the operations in the Vosges; on the
line of the Vesle; and in the advance from the Vesle to the Aisne--the
77th Division being the _only_ American division to reach the latter
river. In the Argonne-Meuse Offensive which brought the war to a
successful conclusion, the Company, with its Regiment, Brigade, and
Division, played a noteworthy part. The battle losses incurred by
Company B and the battle honors conferred upon members thereof speak for
themselves.

Not the least of the Company's exploits was that which, culminating on
the evening of October 7th, 1918, brought relief to the long-beleaguered
Battalion under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles W.
Whittlesey--the so-called "Lost" Battalion.

The officer to whom was granted the supreme honor of sharing with you as
your Divisional Commander the toils, the dangers, and the honors of that
supreme campaign salutes you! No Commander could ask more loyal support
from his comrades of all ranks than was freely given me. For your future
careers in civil life or wherever Fortune may lay your paths, you will
carry with you my sincere best wishes and my affectionate regard. The
qualities of courage, fidelity, and loyalty displayed by you during your
service as soldiers will be, I am sure, at the disposal of your Country
as well in Peace as they were in War.

[Illustration: Signature]
_Formerly Major-General in Command of the 77th Division._

November 19th, 1919.

[Illustration: CAPTAIN BLANTON BARRETT
_Killed in Action, July 21st, 1918_ ]

=============================================================
Upton * Flanders * Vosges * Lorraine * Vesle * Argonne * Home
=============================================================

THE HISTORY OF COMPANY B

307th INFANTRY

Camp Upton--September 10th to April 5th

Invited--all of us. And we trooped down Yaphank-way, out
on Long Island, as tho bound for a picnic. Which, for a week, it was.
Then we were brought up short. On September 17, 1917, the 77th Division
came to life. One of the first units to be organized within the division
was Company B--307th Infantry, formed also on September 17th.

Immediately we were on paper as a regular unit, we quickly took
semblance of a military organization. Under the leadership of Captain
Blanton Barrett, 1st Lieutenant Alexander D. B. Pratt, and 2d
Lieutenants Philip Cheney and Everett A. Butterfield, we were gradually
whipped into an efficient machine. Corporals were made and
unmade--sergeants came and went--and we were drilled, drilled, drilled.

We had exchanged our hair mattresses for straw, our china for tin, our
homes for barracks, and they made us like it. At first we occupied but
one building,--a rambling two-story affair having bunk rooms on all the
upper floor. The lower floor was given over to kitchen, mess hall, and
recreation room. The recreation room, however, was short lived, for as
we grew in numbers it became necessary to fill it with bunks. And then,
when we had grown to full strength--two hundred and fifty officers and
men--we overflowed into another barracks of which we occupied half of
both upper and lower floors.

The advantages of a billiard table, a piano, and a talking machine were
ours. We supported a miniature barber shop and a tailor. Talent we had
a-plenty, and we ran our own shows.

But we drilled, drilled, drilled. And we had schools--lots of 'em. When
we were not doing the "school of the soldier", we attended bayonet
school. The "school of the squad" divided time with gas instruction. The
study of the automatic rifle was complicated, but so was the "school of
the platoon". We practiced the manual of arms and learned how to throw
hand grenades. Little by little we were perfected in the art of
thinking, and knowing, and doing, the right thing at the right time.

[Illustration: _Camp Upton, New York. Bird's-eye View from Tower
Hill_]

Early in 1918 we felt ready. On Washington's Birthday our division
paraded down Fifth Avenue a complete fighting machine. We were prepared
for the next move and the cheers of the crowds had barely died when it
came.

Upton to France--April 6th to April 20th

On the night of April 5th we were ordered to roll packs. We stacked our
bunks and drew ammunition. And we were posted on a vigil of waiting.
April 6th, 1918, Saturday, was the first anniversary of America's
declaration of war. At two-thirty on that morning, in an air pleasantly
crisp and flooded with moonlight, we marched to the railroad and
entrained. Leaving Camp Upton at three-fifteen, we pulled into Long
Island City just in time to be greeted by the usual six o'clock factory
whistles.

A waiting ferry engulfed our battalion and we were transported down the
East River, around the Battery, and up the Hudson to Pier 59, at the
foot of West Eighteenth Street, Manhattan. A methodical transfer was
accomplished from the squat and stunted ferry to the gigantic but little
known _Justicia_.

While still under process of construction in the shipyards at Belfast,
in Ireland, for the Holland American Line, the _Statendam_ was
commandeered by Great Britain at the beginning of the European war and
was operated as a transport under the name _Justicia_ by the White Star
Line. She was at the time the fifth largest vessel afloat and that she
was the especial prey of the German undersea navy is indicated by the
fact that a submarine attacked her on a subsequent trip from England to
the United States, on July 20th, and after a dramatic engagement lasting
some twenty-four hours, she was sunk. Fourteen of a crew of seven
hundred were lost.

All day men and equipment poured onto the decks and into the hold of the
giant transport. Our entire regiment and one battalion of the 308th
Infantry were quartered between decks. Next morning, before reveille,
the _Justicia_ slipped quietly down New York Bay, thru Ambrose Channel,
and into the Atlantic.

B Company had no quarters _de luxe_. We were crowded into small
space--Section K--far down on D deck, with sleeping hammocks slung over
our mess tables. And our mess, served by the British, was a sorry series
of meals. We were compelled to wear during the day, and to sleep with
during the night, ungainly life preservers. But discomforts were
subordinated to the interest in our new surroundings. The mysteries of
the big ship, its spotless engine-room, the intricacies of navigation,
the precautions against possible attack,--all held us.

[Illustration: _Among Those Present--A Group of NCO'S at Camp_]

On leaving New York we pursued a northerly course, and at nine o'clock
that night anchor was dropped in lower Bedford Bay, at Halifax. Early
next morning we steamed up into the inner harbor and before us lay the
sadly devastated city of Halifax. Immense areas of the city had been
totally destroyed by the explosion resulting from the collision between
a Belgian relief ship and one bearing a cargo of explosives.

That day and the next, while waiting for our convoy to assemble, was
spent in practicing with lowered boats.

Late on the afternoon of April 9th our convoy of ten passenger and cargo
ships passed out of the harbor, sped by the cheers of the crews of two
American battleships. We were escorted by _U. S. S. St. Louis_ and _H.
M. S. Victoria_.

Boat drill, a well-ordered scramble for life boats, took place twice
daily. Each morning we indulged in strenuous setting-up exercises in
order that we might remain in trim. Practice with depth bombs and smoke
screens helped to relieve the tedium of the long trip.

As we neared our unknown destination, our escort was increased by ten
British torpedo boat destroyers. Veritable sea dogs they were, darting
every which-way, breasting wave after wave, ever watchful for the tricky
Hun.

And then, on Friday. April 19th, land! Just a ridge above the
horizon--the blue hills of Wales--but already we could feel in our
imaginations the solidity which our unsailorly legs had missed.

As the day waned we sighted the lighthouse at the mouth of the River
Mersey. With cheers of relief we were permitted to doff our bulky life
belts. Just before dusk we entered the Mersey, passing closely by the
beautiful seaside resort of New Brighton.

Forging up the river we reached Liverpool and, at nine o'clock that
evening, after almost fourteen days afloat, our transport was moored.
The city, as we saw it from the decks of the _Justicia_, lay quietly,
with lights beginning to twinkle in the increasing gloom.

One by one the companies formed and debarked, and at 11:15 P.M. B
Company marched down the gang plank, thru half-lighted sheds, into those
curious side-door railway cars so peculiar to Europe. Exactly at
midnight our train pulled out of Liverpool. At 3:00 A.M. a short stop
for hot coffee was made at Rugby. We passed thru the outskirts of London
at 6:00 A.M. and at nine-twenty the train rolled into the terminal at
Dover.

The private yacht of Belgium's Queen Elizabeth had been pressed into
service as a cross-channel ferry and in this royal craft, under escort
of destroyers, aeroplanes, and dirigibles, we crossed to Calais in an
hour and thirty-five minutes. The crossing was enlivened when two
riflemen of the crew took to firing at mines that endangered our
passage.

Picardy and Flanders--April 20th to June 10th

[Illustration: © _Underwood & Underwood_
_"Let's Go!" Washington's Birthday, 1918_]

Once in Calais we found that we divided honors with Company C of our
regiment in being the first two National Army companies to land in
France, having debarked on French soil April 20, 1918.

That night we experienced our first real touch of war. Sheltered in
tents in British Rest Camp No. 6, we received a call of welcome from a
squadron of Jerry aeroplanes. A truly thrilling reception it was, with
the thunder of Hun bombs alternating with the "ping!" of British
anti-aircraft guns,--and thru it all the "pat-pat" of a multitude of
machine guns. But best of all, there were no casualties.

Next day we spent in adding to our equipment gas masks and trench
helmets and we exchanged our American Enfield rifles for British
Enfields,--lighter, shorter pieces having a magazine capacity of ten
rounds of ammunition.

April 23d introduced us to the famous little "_40 hommes--8 chevaux_"
box-cars of the French. A three-hour journey in these brought us to the
British base at Audruicq. Our first real hike started from here and
ended at Zouafques, a little village in Picardy. We occupied some of the
best sheep-pens, cattle stalls, and hen roosts in town and during our
five-week stay we became really comfortable inhabitants.

Zouafques proved to be a sort of military high school, where we polished
our elementary knowledge of tactics. Our "noncoms" were sent to
specialized schools in scouting, sniping, musketry, automatic rifles,
grenades, and infantry tactics. The instruction, as well as the food and
equipment, was distinctly British.

Five weeks of this work and we took our next step trench-ward. Hiking
from Zouafques at 1.30 A.M., May 13th, we entrained _a la chevaux_ at
Audruicq. A day's journey _via_ Calais, Boulogne, Etaps, and Doullens
brought us to Mondrecourt, in Flanders. Then an almost heartbreaking
hike thru Pas to the war-worn village of Couin.

Our assimilation by the British forces became most complete when we
found ourselves brigaded with a battalion of the Lancashire Fusileers of
the 125th British Brigade. Our position was in reserve of the British
lines north of Amiens and southwest of Arras.

Here another five weeks of training gave us the right to work alone.
Once again we traded rifles, retrieving our American guns, and on June
6th we started on a three-day march. Thru Gézaincourt, Bernaville, Ailly
le-Haut Clocher, to Pont Remy, where we entrained.

Vosges and the Lorraine--June 11th to August 7th

Two days by rail, _via_ Amiens, Versailles, Bar-le-Duc, and Nancy, and
we detrained on June 11th at Thaon, in the Vosges. Then an intermittent
hike, with stops at Longchamps, Destord, and Menil, passing thru
Rambervillers and Baccarat, to Vacqueville, in the Lorraine.

A stirring incident occurred _en route_ when we passed the boys of the
old Sixty-Ninth New York Regiment. Brooklyn hailed Brooklyn; Harlem
called to Harlem; Bronx met Bronx. It was a breath of home to the
already veteran Sixty-Ninth and more than a cheering welcome to us.

We shared Vacqueville with a battalion of the Alabama regiment of the
42d "Rainbow" Division. Advance parties were sent into the lines to
acquaint themselves with the position which we were to take over. And in
the dead of night, on June 20th-21st, Company B took over that part of
the line between Ancerviller and Badonviller designated as P. C. (post
commandant) Hameau and P. C. Montreux.

The first and second platoons of our Company held a position in the
Grand Bois (Big Woods), a section of forest southeast of Ancerviller.
The second and third platoons and Company headquarters occupied the
ruined village of St. Maurice. St. Maurice was a part of the line at
this point and had been subjected at different times to severe shelling.
Only bare skeletons of the buildings remained and any nook or cranny
between sections of walls and under a bit of roof was used as shelter.
Deserted cellars had been bolstered, reinforced, and barricaded so that
they would serve as shell-proof protection in the event of attack.

The First Gas Attack

It was usually Fritz's intention to place a harassing barrage on any
section of the line where he knew that a relief was being effected. But
he was less watchful than usual when we went in.

[Illustration: _U. S. Official Photo_
_"Hotel de Barn"--Showing Barber Shop and Reading and Writing
Rooms_]

The enemy awoke, however, three days later, on the morning of Monday,
June 24th, and attacked our regimental outposts. In order to effectively
prevent any assistance being rendered by the platoons stationed in St.
Maurice, a heavy barrage was laid on the town beginning at 3:30 A.M.
During the early part of the shelling the continual use of H. E.'s
(high explosive shells), with an occasional gas shell, served to keep
the men not only penned in their bomb-proof cellars, but also forced the
continued use of gas masks. Gradually the H. E.'s were interspersed with
gas shells until a point was reached where far more gas shells than high
explosives fell into the town, resulting in a heavy blanket of phosgene,
mustard, and lachrymatory gases settling over the position.

The barrage did not lift until 6:00 A.M. and when it did the platoons
were forced to take a defensive position to guard against any possible
success of the enemy.

During the night before the attack, the men had been digging until a
late hour on a system of trench defense. This entailed a lack of sleep
which, together with the continued wearing of the gas mask and the
exposure endured immediately after the barrage, weakened their
resistance to such an extent as to make them easy victims to the
poisonous gases.

Seventy-nine men were forced to the hospital by the effects of the
combined phosgene and mustard. Among them were our first sergeant,
supply and mess sergeants, all but one of our cooks, and both mechanics,
which left us decidedly crippled.

The shadow of our losses was deepened when we heard that Cook George
Alberts, always popular, had died from gas inhaled while trying to
prepare the company breakfast in a gas-filled kitchen. He was our first
loss by death.

[Illustration: _U. S. Official Photo_
_Shell-Proof Dugout--A Shelter in St. Maurice_]

An immediate result of our losses was the extra work shouldered by those
who had escaped any of the serious effects. The men left in St. Maurice
remained on constant guard until the Company was relieved several days
later.

During the short rest period that followed, a reorganization of the
Company was accomplished and we again entered the lines in July, taking
over P. C.'s Hameau and Montreux, as before.

The Daylight Raid

On Sunday, July 21st, a patrol of fifty-two men from our Company,
accompanied by two medical first-aid men, engaged in a raid on the
German trenches at two-thirty in the afternoon. The party advanced on
the enemy lines in single file, divided in four groups which were
respectively commanded by Sergeant Todd, Captain Barrett, Sergeant
Bromback and Lieutenant Mohlke.

The intent was to surprise the enemy with a daylight raid and thereby
obtain information thru capture and observation. But either thru
knowledge or by chance, the Germans had prepared against this maneuver
and the surprise was reversed.

Waiting until our patrol was fairly within their lines, and then
partially surrounding them, the enemy centered upon our men a deadly
fire of rifles, machine guns, and grenades. The raiders fought valiantly
in return but were outnumbered four to one. After an hour's fighting,
seventeen of our party, including Captain Barrett, lay dead, and sixteen
were captured. Of the twenty-one who returned, thirteen were wounded. We
were informed by two German prisoners captured a few days later that
seventeen Germans had been killed.

The loss sustained in this daylight raid occasioned considerable
comment, chiefly because it was generally believed that Captain Barrett
had misread his orders,--that the time for action had really read 2:30
A.M. instead of 2:30 P.M. This, however, is quite untrue, inasmuch as
all the Company officers, as well as the supply sergeant and company
clerk, were conversant with the orders. Captain Barrett's immediate
battalion and regimental superiors were present at or near the time of
action and possessed full knowledge of the entire plan.

The defeat was caused solely by the lack of the intended element of
surprise. Whether or not the enemy had possession of our plans, and if
they had possession, how they obtained it, is something we shall never
know.

[Illustration: _The Baccarat Sector, Showing St. Maurice and the
Grand Bois_]

A telegram was received by the Divisional Commander from General
Headquarters to the effect that the entire action had been investigated
and found creditable.

The casualties suffered from the raid, together with those resulting
from the gas attack of June 24th, so depleted the Company as to make an
immediate relief imperative and that same night Company L took over our
sector.

A subsequent reorganization of the entire regiment distributed the men
of the various companies so that all would have an equal strength. Our
numbers were so few that we lost none of our men in this process but
instead received increases not only from many of the other companies,
but also from the 76th New England Division.

As tribute to those men whom we had lost, a Company B mass was held at
the Catholic Church in Vacqueville at which Chaplain Father Walsh of
our battalion officiated. The entire strength of the Company was
present.

Another rest and another turn up front, after which the entire division
was relieved by the 37th Ohio and Kentucky Division. Once again we
crossed the Vosges, halting for three days at Seranville. Leaving there,
we bivouaced for a night in the Forêt de Charmes and entrained at
Charmes next morning, August 7th, at dawn.

From the Vesle to the Aisne--August 10th to September 15th

[Illustration: _The Advance from the Vesle to the Aisne_]

Two days later, August 10th, we took transport on an immense train of
motor trucks--"lorries" we called them, after the English. They were
driven by Indo-Chinese serving under the French. After nine cramped but
interesting hours--we passed thru Chateau-Thierry--our trip ended at
Fere en Tardenois. For three days we camped in a small wood and then we
moved to a position supporting the attack on Fismes. We were stationed
in the Bois de la Pissotti, adjoining the Forêt de Nesle. While there we
were engaged in digging a series of reserve trenches near
Mont-sur-Courville.

On August 28th the battalion moved around Chéry-Chartreuve to a position
east of Le Prés Farm. September 1st we again shifted, this time crossing
the Vesle and relieving the Third Battalion, just east of Bazoches. Here
we repulsed a raiding party, inflicting heavy losses upon the enemy. We
were then moved to a ravine, which gave us the opportunity of taking a
two-day rest.

Our next move brought us to face with the enemy just south of Merval,
where we took a position in an exposed field, our only protection being
the individual "funk holes" which had been deserted by the retreating
German troops.

After three days of little water and practically no food, at 5:30 on the
afternoon of September 8th--still brilliant daylight--we crawled from
our funk holes and, each squad in single file in formation known as
"squad columns", we advanced against German artillery in an effort to
straighten the line. As we reached the outskirts of Merval we were
subjected to an intense barrage of H. E.'s, suffering the loss of four
men killed and five injured.

[Illustration: _Our Path Thru the Argonne_]

No gain was made by this sortie and we drew back to our funk-hole
position awaiting further developments.

Early on the morning of September 14th, supported by a barrage laid down
by combined American, French, and Italian artillery, we attacked the
enemy position that lay on the far side of the Ravine Merval.

The advance was made down the side of the valley in the face of a
withering fire of enemy machine guns. Tho suffering heavy casualties,
our progress was unchecked and we swarmed up the opposite slope with
undiminished vigor. So rapid were our gains that we had to pause to
allow our flanks to catch up. Our Third Platoon was so far ahead of the
line of advance as to be mistaken by the commander of the cooperating
French forces for a body of the enemy and it required considerable
persuasion to correct his misconception. The day's end saw the German
horde driven across the Aisne, and we were well beyond our original
objective. But we had advanced true to form. Commenting on a previous
attack made by another American unit, a French officer had remarked:
"The Americans,--they are fools. Tell them to take one trench,--and they
take _three_!"

We had been operating on the line of the Vesle with several divisions
but the 77th was the only American division to drive its way to the
Aisne.

Our gains were paid for with numerous casualties and when we received
our relief it was thoroly welcome. It had been our longest consecutive
stretch in the front line and we suffered not only from battle losses
but we had also endured the utmost privation. Short rations, little
water, exposed positions, and the constant necessity for watchfulness
had undermined our strength to an unusual degree. We had been operating
on the will to accomplish rather than on food and water.

An Italian unit relieved our Company and we withdrew to a reserve
position in the Vesle Valley, east of Fismes. Here, on the night of
September 16th, our division was relieved by an Italian division and we
pulled out of the sector.

We looked forward to a period of rest, but it was not to be. Twenty
kilometres of hiking brought us to the Arcis le Ponsart Forest, where we
bivouaced for a day. Then into lorries for an all-night ride to Le
Chatelier-sur-Marne, where our losses were replaced by a detachment from
the 40th "Sunshine" Division. Two days of speculating as to our chances
for a rest terminated when on the night of September 20th we were
ordered to roll packs. We stepped off on a thirty-two kilometre hike at
1:00 A.M., _via_ St. Menehould and Florent, and seventeen hours later we
dragged ourselves into the Forêt de Maisons Petites where we were
quartered in barracks at the edge of the Argonne Forest.

The Argonne--September 26th to November 11th

The memorable and decisive drive known as the Argonne-Meuse Offensive
started on September 26th. That day found us entrenched near the main
road at Florent,--a position in reserve of the 1st Army Corps.

Actual operations were started that night, when the entire cannon of
half a hundred divisions poured forth on the enemy its scorching fire.
Next morning we moved to a position north of Florent, and three days
later we moved thru the town of Le Four de Paris into those trenches
north of La Harazee that had been deserted by the 122d German Regiment
of the 2d Landwehr Division.

The "Lost" Battalion

October 2d we left the reserve and assumed a support position. On that
day the forces in the line drove forward, but in the execution of the
advance Companies E, H, I, K, L, and M of the 308th Infantry and Company
K of the 307th Infantry found themselves trapped by the enemy on a hill
north of the Bois de la Buironne. These units were the only ones to
reach their objective but by thus advancing ahead of their flanks, they
gave the enemy an opportunity to surround them. In this hazardous
position they struggled as the "Lost" Battalion.

[Illustration: _U. S. Official Photo_
_Grim Business in the Argonne_
_A Unit of the 307th Infantry Waiting Orders to "Mop Up"_]

We went forward to their relief on October 4th, but were held back by
the effective machine-gun fire of the enemy. Next day we again strove to
extricate the besieged battalion, but again we failed. Certain enemy
machine guns were so placed that their hail of death was impassable.
They seemed an insurmountable obstacle in the path of the entire 307th
Infantry. The men of Company B knew that the machine-gun positions of
the enemy must be taken. There was nothing, at that moment, that counted
more than the capture of these positions. So on October 6th we attacked,
giving no thought to risk. We did what we thought would have been
impossible before we knew that it had to be done. Persistently we
attacked in the face of the enemy fire and as the German resistance
gradually weakened, we took the heretofore impregnable positions. Seven
of our men were that day cited for exceptional bravery.

On October 7th our division organized a concerted attack on the German
lines. We realized the awful plight of the "Lost" Battalion and all day
we fought against the enemy machine-gun nests. One by one they were
silenced, and at 5:00 P.M. Company B, alone of all the division,
succeeded in reaching and saving the "Lost" Battalion. The Germans were
driven beyond the hill and once more the line was straightened out.

Grand-Pre

Another week and we had driven the Germans across the River Aire. We
remained in a clump of woods until October 16th and then, not even
waiting for our engineers to throw their bridges across the Aire, we
waded the river and drove against Grand-Pre, which was the keystone of
the enemy defense in the sector opposed by our division.

[Illustration: _U. S. Official Photo_
_The Ruined Prize--Grand-Pre, Captured October 16th, 1918_]

We were stubbornly opposed by the 253d German Infantry of the 76th
Reserve Division. Again and again we assaulted the position and finally,
after a running fight thru the streets, the town was ours and the
American wedge was in a fair way to split the entire German defense.

We pulled out of the line on October 17th and withdrew 10 kilometres to
a small forest near Apremont, being relieved by the 78th New Jersey
Division. As usual, there was no rest, and on October 21st we moved to
Fleville for a three-day stretch of trench digging. October 31st was
spent in digging trenches in the Chattel Valley.

We resumed our activities at the front on November 2d, keeping in mind
that half injunction, half promise, credited to General Pershing: "Hell,
Heaven, or Hoboken by Christmas!" We gave little thought to Heaven and
less to Hell but, we were beginning to long for Hoboken, and we went
forward with irresistible determination. Hiking _via_ St. Juvin to
Thenorgues, we loaded into motor trucks. Unloading close to the lines,
we swung into immediate action and on November 3d we wrested the village
of Fontenoy from the 45th German Reserve Division, the following day
capturing the village of Oches from the 76th German Reserve Division.

Stonne

Stonne, a village of strategical importance, was next selected by the
enemy as a point of resistance. On November 5th the combined strength of
our entire Regiment was hurled against the 195th German Division, and
Stonne fell to us. The capture succeeded in liberating a French
population that for four years had been under the dominance of an enemy
army.

[Illustration: _The Company Sergeants. Camp Mills, May 1st, 1919_]

The enemy by this time was retreating fast, and so closely did we press
them, we were far in advance of our cannon. The progress of the big guns
was much delayed by poor roads, but the spirit of victors was in us all
and little did we miss our artillery.

In quick succession we took town after town, the enemy losing to us in
one day,--November 6th,--the villages of Raucourt, Haraucourt,
Angecourt, and Remilly. The terror-stricken Hun gave little resistance
and we kept within five minutes of their rear guard.

The Armistice

We came to a halt on the banks of the Meuse, four miles from the
historic city of Sedan and, after augmenting our depleted ranks by
replacement from the 38th "Cyclone" Division, we organized for what we
hoped would be our final attack.

But the final attack had already been made. The unconquerable Argonne
had been conquered; a ruthless enemy was vanquished.

Germany sued for Peace with defeat rather than face peace with Death.
The last shot was fired at the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the
Eleventh Month, Nineteen Eighteen, and we rested on our arms worn and
tired, but victorious and happy.

The joy of accomplishment was ours and we celebrated the declaration of
the armistice in a spirit far more triumphant than relieved.

On November 12th the same French who had laughed at us in pity as we
shouldered their task in the Argonne, hailed us with gratitude as they
took over our positions.

The march from the Meuse to our rest base in the Chateauvillain area
took twenty-four days and covered 300 kilometres. It was an intermittent
hike and we stopped successively at La Berliere, Oches, Harricourt,
Fleville, Le Four de Paris, Florent, Sivry-sur-Ante, Noyers, Andernay,
Hoericourt, Eclaron, Fresnay, Maisons, and Bayel, arriving at our base
in Lanty on December 5th.

It was soon apparent that altho we had been spared the alternatives we
still were not going to see Hoboken before Christmas. So we made
ourselves comfortable and settled down to a long stay.

It was necessary to the maintenance of discipline and the morale of the
army that drills should be continued, and as well as any recruit, we
were once again schooled in the finesse of the salute, the art of the
right face, and the strategy of shoulder arms. We engaged in manouvers
to practice the lessons that we learned in the Argonne. And we passed in
reviews before princes, generals, and congressmen. Time passed: not too
quickly, but still it passed.

Christmas, 1918

Christmas was not the dreary day a Christmas away from home usually is.
We had much for which to be thankful, and the intervening miles between
Lanty and Home were no bar to those good wishes that came from our
folks.

We celebrated, we ate, and we played Santa Claus. A tree was erected in
the centre of the village and we passed out to the civilian population
candy and biscuits and tobacco. The women and children and men sincerely
appreciated our tokens, and happiness reigned.

The mess sergeant had an inspiration of genius and he served us with a
truly Christmas dinner.

New Year's Day was red-lettered with another meal worthy of our mess
sergeant's reputation. The holiday season was over and we entered upon
the new year full of new hopes and ambitions.

Home

Not until February 9th was another move made. Then, _en freight car_, we
journeyed to the Le Mans area, detraining at Poillé from whence we hiked
to La Roches Farm, near Auvers-le-Hamon. April 15th we entrained at
Sable for Brest, where we were quartered at Camp Pontazaine.

On April 19th, exactly one year after our arrival at Liverpool, we were
lightered out to the United States Transport _America_.

A fast ship and smooth waters combined to give us a rapid and enjoyable
voyage and we docked at Hoboken at 9:00 A.M., April 28th. We proceeded
to Camp Mills, Mineola, Long Island, where immediate passes gave us the
opportunity to greet our home folks, eat home meals, and sleep in
regular beds.

The Company moved on May 5th to the armory of the 22d New York Engineers
in New York City to await final orders for the parade of welcome
arranged by New York City.

We formed for the parade near Washington Square at 8:00 A.M. next
morning and at 10:00 A.M. we marched out to Fifth Avenue and swept up
that thorofare to the acclaim of a million throats. No greeting could
have been more sincere, no welcome more impressive, and this, our last
hike as Company B, was a march of glory.

We returned to Camp Upton, our first station and our last, and we were
demobilized on May 9th, 1919, to return to our respective states. Ours
was a truly American company, composed of true and representative
Americans. Our homes lay in thirty-two different states, scattered
between New York and Maine in the east, Minnesota and the Dakotas in the
north, Utah, Oregon, and California in the west, and Texas, Louisiana,
and Florida in the south.

So ends the History of Company B. We were mustered out of the service
military, but the spirit that withstood the Lorraine, the valor that
gained the Aisne, and the fire that conquered the Argonne, lives on, and
we have banded ourselves together so that we may, in the words of our
commander, Major General Robert Alexander, "serve our Country as well in
Peace as we did in War".

Sept., 1917 [Illustration: AEF] May, 1919

[Illustration: THEY SLEEP

GEORGE ALBERTS
CLAIR ANDREWS
BARNEY BARDMAN D·S·C·
BLANTON BARRETT
CHRISTIAN A. BATY
RAFFELE BIBO
JOHN BLACKBURN
JACOB BORKER
HUGH A. BRADY
LOUIS BRETH
WILLIAM F. BROPHY
CLAUDE C. BROWER
FRANK W. BURKE
MICHAEL CARLO
WALTER CASSIDY
FRANK CHARLES
JAMES CONNER
JAMES L. CRONIN
RICHARD CULLEN
JOHN P. DOLAN
JOSEPH V. DOMKUS
HYMAN FISHFANGER
ROBERT FLANAGAN
JAMES FOLLIAT, JR.
IRVING H. FRIEDMAN
HUGO GARBADEN
GEORGE E. GERRETT
JOHN GROVE
CLARENCE I. GRUBBS
JOSEPH P. HANLEY
SALIE HAUSNER
GEORGE L. HICKY
CHARLES L. KAURIN
JOSEPH KAYES
JOHN E. KELLY
PETER KNAB
MICHAEL MCCORMICK
MARTIN MCHUGH
ANDREW MCKINLEY
W. ALAN MATHEWS
EARL MILLSAP D·S·C·
ROYAL E. MORRIS
CHARLES MUNZINGER
ALFRED W. NICKERSON
PRIVATE NOONAN
WILLIAM OTTO
ALBERT C. PETERSON, D·S·C·
ERNEST W. PETERSON
PRIVATE PLAUMAN
ALBERT PRITCHARD
WILLIAM R. REID, D·S·C·
JOHN P. RHYNARD
ALBERT J. ROBARE
JAMES ROBINSON
W. ROZICHUCK
GEORGE F. RUSSELL
ELMER O. SELLERS
PRIVATE SCHILDKNECHT
BENJAMIN SILVERMAN
FRANK SKEETS
FRANK STANISKI
JOSEPH STRAUSS
MAURICE WACHTEL
JAMES WALSH
G. H. WOODS
PAUL ZUKASKY]

[Illustration: ROOKIES--_Camp Upton_.]

THE ROSTER OF COMPANY B

Major Weston C. Jenkins, D. S. C. 208 West Thomas St., Rome, N. Y.
Major Fred A. Tillman, Legion of
Honor 19 Commercial St., Boston, Mass.
Captain Blanton Barrett, DECEASED Chamblee, Georgia.
*Captain Everett A. Butterfield,
Black Star Lambs' Club, New York.
Captain Philip Cheney South Manchester, Connecticut.
Captain Alexander D. B. Pratt 120 Broadway, New York.
Captain Alonzo D. Slagle Address unknown.
Captain Howard S. Smith New Haven, Connecticut.
1st Lieutenant Joseph D. M. Adrian,
Jr. 50 Broad St., New York.
1st Lieutenant Marcus L. Chasins 27 William St., New York.
1st Lieutenant Alexander J.
Gillespie 251 West 81st St., New York.
1st Lieutenant Kenneth C. Lincoln 29 Bedford St., Fall River, Mass.
1st Lieutenant George S. Mott Scranton, Pennsylvania.
1st Lieutenant William R. Reid,
D. S. C., DECEASED Brooklyn, New York.
1st Lieutenant Harry R. Weiman St. Louis, Missouri.
2d Lieutenant Atwood New York City.
2d Lieutenant William Eliot Long Island City, New York.
2d Lieutenant Clarence I. Grubbs,
DECEASED Kansas City, Missouri.
2d Lieutenant Foster A. Gunn Main St., Ottawa, Kan.
2d Lieutenant Arthur J. Hamblen 150 West 106th St., New York.
2d Lieutenant F. Hartig Address unknown.
2d Lieutenant Hardon Yale Club, New York.
2d Lieutenant Harrison McCann 2156 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn, N. Y.
2d Lieutenant George C. Mohlke 816 Grand Ave., Racine, Wis.
2d Lieutenant O'Connell, DECEASED New York City.
2d Lieutenant Thomas O'Sullivan New York City.
2d Lieutenant William Randall New York City.
2d Lieutenant James Schofield 88 Main St., North Andover, Mass.
2d Lieutenant Austin W. Woolford Virginia.
*1st Lieutenant William F. Babor 417 East 75th St., New York.
*1st Lieutenant Arthur D. Bromback 41 Division St., New Rochelle, N. Y.
*1st Lieutenant Raymond S. Hill East St. Louis, Illinois.
*1st Lieutenant Euclid L. Levasseur Farmers Loan & Trust Co., Paris, Fr.
*2d Lieutenant Herbert H. Harris 1445 Broadway, New York.
*2d Lieutenant Arthur S. Hoit 71 Broadway, New York.
*2d Lieutenant Paul F. Hunnewell 287 Main St., Winthrop, Mass.
*2d Lieutenant Louis Katz New York City.
*2d Lieutenant W. Alan Mathews,
DECEASED Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
*2d Lieutenant David H. Rose 915 Intervale Ave., New York.
*2d Lieutenant Edgar L. Schwartz 10 West 93rd St., New York.

The officers before whose names has been placed an asterisk (*) were
commissioned from the enlisted ranks of Company B and assigned to duty
with other organizations.

Elwin Abbott, 188 Crescent St., Rutland, Vt.
Samuel Abrahamson, Nicolet, Minn.
Clarence R. Ackerly, 624 Broad St., Bridgeport, Conn.
Allan Adams, 68 West 102d St., New York.
James Adams, 107 West 89th St., New York.
Adolph Albrecht, 190 East 3d St., New York.
Carl Aldridge, Glen Allen, Ala.
Fred Alexander, Carterville, Ill.
M. Alpert, Watertown, N. Y.
Machis Ambrogio, 412 N. 21st St., Herrin, Ill.
Samuel Anders, McConnells, Ala.

[Illustration: _N. Y., February, 1918_]

Lloyd C. Anderson, Binghamton, N. Y.
Robert Angeles, Route 2, Bethpage, Tenn.
Paul Annello, Box 19, Bristol, Conn.
Hugo Antonelli, 732 Nostrand Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
Paul Antonelli, 732 Nostrand Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
Nathan Aronson, 26 Norman St., Salem, Mass.
Isaac Ascher, 111 Haverschoff St., Boston.
Elmer O. Barber, Hillsboro, Ore.
Luke M. Barendsen, Valier, Vt.
Robert Barr, 108 West 49th St., New York.
John Barry, Newburgh, N. Y.
Harry Bartlett, Mendon, Utah.
Fred C. Batchellor, 260 Laurel St., Hartford, Conn.
Thomas Baxter, 604 N. Maine St., Butte, Mont.
Herman Beck, 84 Rivington St., New York.
Louis Beckendorf, Brooklyn, N. Y.
William Bell, 158 East 107th St., New York.
Earl D. Bement, Route 3, Sioux Falls, S. D.
David Bennett, 438 52d St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Thomas Bennett, Seymour, Conn.
Fred Berge, Bismarck, N. D.
Edward Bolma, Hill, Mont.
Paul D. Bond, 208 Cedar Ave., Richmond Hill, N. Y.
J. A. Boyle, Long Island City, N. Y.
Leslie Bradney, Pangborn, Ark.
Charles H. Bradshaw, 179 Bainbridge St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Michael Bresnan, 95 Myrtle Ave., Ansonia, Conn.
Ralph U. Brett, 701 West 178th St., New York.
William Brunner, 193 Ann St., Newburgh, N. Y.
Harry Buckley, Columbia, Miss.
Volney Burnett, Box 464, Buhl, Idaho.
George Busko, Breckenridge, Minn.
Paul Calandra, 3 Eighth St., Rochester, N. Y.
Frank Camp, Route 10, Shelbyville, Ind.
James Carlin, 1115 Portland Ave., Woodhaven, N. Y.
Albert Carlson, Route 5, Hillsboro, Ore.
Charles J. Carolan, 497 Chauncey St., Bkln, N. Y.
Thomas Carroll, 1894 Third Ave., New York.
Amedeo Caruso, 254 Allen St., Buffalo, N. Y.
Gregory Cavanaugh, 298 Lockwood Ave., Buffalo, N. Y.
Tony Charmonte, 2134 Moody Ave., Chicago.
Nordahl Chilsen, Blue Earth, Minn.
Nels C. Christiansen, Route 31, Tyler, Minn.
Isidore Cohen, 71 West 115th St., New York.
Leroy Connett, 2412 Roosevelt Ave., Indianapolis, Ind.
Patrick Conway, New York.
Frederick Coombs, Freeport, N. Y.
Joseph Coscia, 830 Cortland Ave., New York.
Leo Covert, Newburgh, N. Y.
Edward M. Crimmins, 38 Maiden St., Binghamton, N. Y.
Michael J. Cudmore, 12 Mygott St., Binghamton, N. Y.
Joseph Covington, Meridan, Miss.
George Dahlquist, Winchester, Mass.
Walter L. Daum, Sullivan, Ill.
Antonio De Santis, 768 Vernon Ave., Long Island City, N. Y.
George Diegel, 22 Wissner Ave., Newburgh, N. Y.
A. James DiMaggio, 83 Oldtown Road, Staten Island, N. Y.
Hugh A. Donnelly, 240 Ainslie St., Bklyn, N. Y.
Abraham Drazien, 446 E. 145th St., N. Y.
Fred Durham, Toluca, Ill.
Edward J. Dwyer, 523 North Division St., Buffalo, N. Y.
Elisha Eaves, Route 3, Macon, Miss.
Harold Eckstrom, 148 East 54th St., New York.
William Ehrmann, 138 Carlton Ave., Bkln, N. Y.
Max Eisenberg, 547 83d St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Elwin M. Eldredge, 780 Jefferson Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Lewis Ellenbogen, 531 Bedford Ave., Bkln, N. Y.
Ezra Epstein, 109 Eighth Ave., New York.
Anthony Esposito, South Nyack, N. Y.
Josiah E. Evans, 90 High St., Ansonia, Conn.
Thomas J. Fisher, Lincoln Ave., Bkln, N. Y.
Don Fitzgerald, Wallerville, Miss.
Jerry Flanagan, 76 Michigan Ave., Buffalo, N. Y.
Albert Flass, 121 Ash St., Buffalo, N. Y.
M. Fontanetta, 453 East 186th St., New York.
Charles Freidman, 107 East 2d St., New York.
Hershel Friedland, 215 Caldwell Ave., N. Y.
Samuel Friedman, 634 Kosciusko St., Bkln, N. Y.
Richard Gadd, 375 61st St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Leslie Gaines, 713 South Huston Ave., Denniston, Tex.
George Gibson, Kimball, S. D.
J. Joseph Gillig, 324 East 4th St., Mount Vernon, N. Y.
Leslie Gleason, St. Mary's Home, Binghamton, N. Y.

[Illustration: VETERANS--_Auvers-le-Hamon_.]

Fred A. Gleiforst, 56 Freedom Ave., Richmond Hill, N. Y.
John E. Glynn, 232 Jackson St., Bklyn, N. Y.
Samuel Goldenberg, 647 East 5th St., N. Y.
Ira Gomer, Marion, Pa.
Rossie Goodie, Prairie Elk, Mont.
Max Gordon, 761 Blake Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
John Greany, 171 East 99th St., New York.
Max Green, 1033 Hoe Ave., New York.
Herman Greening, 1029 Sherman Ave., South Bend, Ind.
Frank Guaracio, 612 Fort Hamilton Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Edwin F. Haeg, Route 3, Ronneby, Minn.
Harry Hagen, Box Elder, Mont.
P. M. Hagen, Lansford, N. D.
Virgil M. Hale, Case Creek, Ark.
William J. Halperin, Dixwell Ave., New Haven, Conn.
Chris Hanson, Hannaford, N. D.
Gillrock Hanson, Route 1, Creston, Mont.
Theodore Harris, 500 West 175th St., N. Y.
Michael Hartnett, Main St., Ansonia, Conn.
Richard Hayden, Derby, Conn.
Raymond Healy, 547 West 186th St., New York.
Alfred Heller, 461 Steinway Ave., Astoria, N. Y.
John Henchy, 172 East 112th St., New York.
August Henke, Goshen, N. Y.
James Herron, Englewood, N. J.
Joseph Holland, Heber Springs, Ark.
Carl Holmes, Lambert Paper Co., Salt Lake City, Utah.
Carroll Honnicut, Burnsville, Miss.
William F. Howard, 315 Sixth Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
John Huston, Newburgh, N. Y.
Ernest C. Hutchings, Manhasset, N. Y.
John Jackson, Box 145, Troy, Ind.
Leslie Jacobus, Broadway, Grand View, N. Y.
Harry Jensen, Route 9, Penn Yann, N. Y.
Kenneth Jensen, Shelly, Idaho.
Edward T. Johnson, Elkland, Pa.
Robert R. Johnson, Newburgh, N. Y.
Julius Kaplan, 15 Walnut St., New Rochelle, N. Y.
Henry Kaufman, 1652 Madison Ave., N. Y.
Edward Kelly, 352 West 18th St., New York.
John F. Kelly, Adler, Mont.
J. H. Kiernan, 575 Main St., Wareham, Mass.
W. Claire Kiernan, 402 Second St., Bklyn, N. Y.
Elbert N. Kipp, 19 Charlotte St., Binghamton, N. Y.
Terence Kirk, 3 Hill St., Granton, N. J.
Julius Klausner, Jr., 324 East 4th St., Mount Vernon, N. Y.
George A. Klein, Jr., 95 Vernon Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
Wallace S. Kline, Route 3, Neshoba, Tenn.
Frank X. Klotz, Davenport's Neck, New Rochelle, N. Y.
Peter Koch, Box 96, Stickney, S. D.
Anthony Kochan, Box 1000, Gowanda, N. Y.
Jack Konowich, Lackawanna, N. Y.
Reuben Koplowitz, 236 New Jersey Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Harvey L. Kreuscher, N. Spgville, S. I., N. Y.
Richard Lamb, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Arthur Lantman, Box 517, Hibbing, Minn.
Samuel Lapidus, 136 Clinton St., New York.
Timothy Leary, 427 West 13th St., New York.
David Leff, 91 Throop Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Patrick Lenihan, 249 West 135th St., New York.
Samuel Lesowitz, 1865 Park Place, Bklyn, N. Y.
Isaac Liebowitz, 531 Dumont Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
Herman Lipman, 33 Montgomery St., N. Y.
Carl Lucas, 41 Water St., Ansonia, Conn.
James J. Lydon, 68 Gansevoort St., New York.
Thomas McCann, 709 West Dominick St., Rome, N. Y.
John McGinley, 183 Kingsland Ave., Bkln, N. Y.
Arthur McManus, 199 Howard Ave., Ansonia, Conn.
Walter K. McNair, 26 East Ave., Gasport, N. Y.
James J. Malone, 28 Sedway St., Buffalo, N. Y.
William Manz, 1275 Third Ave., New York.
John Marrow, Newburgh, N. Y.
Waclaw Matyzasik, Beacon Falls, Conn.
William Mayer, 1919 Seventh Ave., New York.
James Menzies, 13A Green St., Everett, Mass.
E. R. Meyrowitz, 371 Vernon Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
Ray Milburn, Keensburgh, Ill.
Herbert Millville, R. F. D. 14, La Salle, N. Y.
Joseph P. Monihan, 706 Woodlawn Ave., Wilmington, Del.
Richard Morgan, Dewitt, Ark.
David M. Moroney, 337 West 12th St., N. Y.
Thad L. Morris, Creshaw, Miss.
Edward Murphy, 56 West 105th St., New York.
Maurice Murphy, 124 Adelphi St., Bklyn, N.Y.
Stephen A. Murphy, 108 Eighth Ave., N. Y.
Harold Nicolson, Falton, Minn.
Morgan Norris, Cashion, Okla.
Charles A. O'Bryan, 1002 E. 98th St., Bkln, N. Y.
John Occhino, 6 Hanover Square, New York.
Carl Oeftering, 48 Penn Ave., Binghamton, N. Y.
Daniel O'Neil, 951 Lafayette Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
S. Oshinsky, Wards Island, New York.

[Illustration: _France, April, 1919_]

Gilbert Paneth, 326 East 91st St., New York.
Gustave Pankratz, 17 Madison St., Rochester.
Benjamin Parker, 77 Kingsbury St., Waterbury, Conn.
Elmer Patterson, Burt, N. Y.
George Petersen, Kimbalton, Iowa.
Julian Poluzzi, 59 Hall Pl., W. Quincy, Mass.
John Prescott, 305 Webster St., Monterey, Cal.
Porter Priest, Mt. Morriston, Fla.
Andrew R. Purcella, 128 Caroline St., Derby, Conn.
John J. Quinn, Main St., Beacon Falls, Conn.
Patrick J. Quinn, 155 McConnell Ave., Buffalo.
Isidore Rabelskie, 55 Avenue C, New York.
Vito Racano, 1946 First Ave., New York.
Robert Radford, 112 Wilson Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
Joseph Rainone, 438 East 116th St., New York.
Carey J. Reed, Prospect, Tenn.
Ralph Reid, Route A, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Frank Reid, 967 Madison St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Edward Rennie, 29 Franklin St., Binghamton, N. Y.
George F. Roberts, 15 Ivy St., Elmhurst, N. Y.
Johannes Rodenburg, Star Route, Cumberland, Iowa.
Howard F. Roeding, 97 Miller Ave., Bklyn, N. Y.
Harry Roessler, 409 16th St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
John A. Ross, 14 First St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Alexander Rossino, 228 Myrtle Ave., Buffalo.
Theodore Rubinstein, 215 Fourth Ave., N. Y.
Frank Russell, Carthage, Tenn.
James Sareri, Box 176, Oyster Bay, N. Y.
Edward Sasse, 204 Fifth Ave., Astoria, N. Y.
Clyde Savage, 80 Maple St., Bangor, Me.
Thomas J. Scanlon, 354 West 12th St., N. Y.
William Schaeffer, E. Topper St., Buffalo, N. Y.
Sigmund Schulz, 748 9th Ave., L. I. C., N. Y.
Harry Schwartz, 702 East Fifth St., New York.
Karl Schwarz, Jamaica Creek, Springfield Gardens, N. Y.
Fred E. Shaddock, 151 Ridgewood Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Harry Shapiro, 230 East 115th St., New York.
Aris M. Shellman, 303 West 111th St., N. Y.
Carl Shubert, Suffolk, Mont.
Abraham Siegel, 251 Amboy St., Bklyn, N. Y.
Morris Silver, 210 Riverdale Ave., Bkln, N. Y.
William Simpson, 620 Hudson St., New York.
William Skeets, Lockport, N. Y.
William Slater, South Dartmouth, Mass.
William Smith, Englewood, Cal.
W. E. Snyder, Binghamton, N. Y.
Lee Solomon, Palmyra, Ill.
Arthur D. Soper, 28 Huron St., East Lynn, Mass.
Soren Sorenson, Ruthton, Minn.
Jacob Squire, 568 Grand St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Christopher Staudigal, 143 Bleecker St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Brodie Stewart, Rutherford, Tenn.
Earl C. Stewart, White Pine, Tenn.
William J. Strong, R. F. D. 12, Springville, Ala.
Otis Summers, Dwyer, Tenn.
Martin Swenson, Wetonka, S. D.
Thomas Swinehardt, 223 East Hendrick St., Shelbyville, Ind.
Philip Tasman, 155 Hickory St., Buffalo, N. Y.
Dudley Taylor, Turner, Ore.
James Taylor, Newmarket, Tenn.
Norman Taylor, Ashley, Mont.
R. F. Taylor, Binghamton, N. Y.
Volney O. Thompson, Honesdale, Idaho.
Voss Thompson, Honesdale, Idaho.
Monroe Todd, Allen, S. C.
Deorato Tortora, 7 Old Wood Point Road, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Ray Turk, 6 Cedar St., Binghamton, N. Y.
Thomas F. Twyford, 807 E. 8th St., Bkln, N. Y.
John Urban, 28 Crandall St., Binghamton, N. Y.
Hillery Vaughn, Briggsville, Ark.
John P. Vaughn, 567 East Ave., Akron, O.
Modestino Vecchiarino, 16 Durand St., Danbury, Conn.
Fred Viemer, 11 Meadow St., Seymour, Conn.
Joseph Visentin, Wappinger Falls, N. Y.
Abraham Wald, 238 East 24th St., New York.
Cleve Wallace, Dyersburg, Tenn.
Donald M. Wallach, 71 East 92nd St., N. Y.
Harry Wernet, Eagle Grove, Iowa.
John J. Whalen, Binghamton, N. Y.
Pearl Whittington, Gloucester, Miss.
Lee Wilkerson, Winchester, Ark.
Joseph Will, 12 Alice St., Rochester, N. Y.
Roland H. Williams, 25 Summerfield Place, Staten Island, N. Y.
Edward J. Williamson, Jeffrey, La.
Albert G. Wilson, Jr., 400 Third St., Bklyn, N. Y.
William Wilson, 240 Chestnut St., Lockport, N. Y.
Charles O. Woods, Beaver, Ore.
Merton Yandes, 115 South Union St., Rochester, N. Y.
Lewis Yasner, 190 Floyd St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Samuel Zashinsky, 381 Leonard St., Bklyn, N. Y.
Edward P. Zehler, Strykersville, N. Y.

[Illustration: {Distinguished Service Cross medal}]

All Hail the Brave!

Courage--that fidelity to purpose despite physical welfare--is the
natural attribute of the soldier. But there are those exceptional deeds
of valor that are committed beyond the right of expectation; they are
deeds that combine the highest intelligence with the utmost bravery;
they are those instances of self-sacrificial service that are rendered
not with thought of hardship nor of pain nor of reward, but only with
the hope that the foundations of our Country and our Homes remain
unshaken.

[star] Star indicates a posthumous award.
* Asterisk denotes those who were killed after their citation.

[star]Private 1st Class Barney Bardman, Distinguished Service Cross,
Brooklyn, N. Y.
[star]Private Earl Millsap, Distinguished Service Cross, Asotin,
Washington.
[star]Private Albert C. Peterson, Distinguished Service Cross, Stacy,
Minnesota.
[star]1st Lieutenant William R. Reid, Distinguished Service Cross,
Brooklyn, N. Y.
Major Weston C. Jenkins, Distinguished Service Cross, Rome, New York.
Major Fred A. Tillman, Chevalier, Legion d'Honneur de France, Ulster,
Pa.
Captain Everett A. Butterfield, French Order of the Black Star,
New York.

Divisional Citations

Capt. Alexander D. B. Pratt, New York.
[star]2d Lt. Clarence I. Grubbs, Kansas City, Mo.
2d Lt. Arthur J. Hamblen, New York.
2d Lt. F. Hartig, address unknown.
2d Lt. Kenneth C. Lincoln, Fall River, Mass.
2d Lt. Harry R. Weiman, St. Louis, Mo.
Sergt. Lloyd C. Anderson, Binghamton, N. Y.
Sergt. Charles H. Bradshaw, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Pvt. 1st Class Louis Beckendorf, Brooklyn, N. Y.
*Private Jacob Borker, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Sergt. Ralph U. Brett, New York.
Pvt. 1st Class George Busko, Breckenridge, Minn.
*Pvt. James Conner, New York.
Corp. Patrick Conway, New York.
Sergt. Edward M. Crimmins, Binghamton, N. Y.
Sergt. A. James DiMaggio, Staten Island, N. Y.
Pvt. 1st Class Hugh A. Donnelly, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Corp. Edward J. Dwyer, Buffalo, N. Y.
Pvt. William Ehrmann, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Sergt. Josiah E. Evans, Ansonia, Conn.
Pvt. 1st Class John Greany, New York.
Pvt. 1st Class P. M. Hagen, Lansford, N. D.
Corp. Gilrock Hanson, Creston, Mont.
Sergt. William F. Howard, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Sergt. Ernest C. Hutchings, Manhasset, N. Y.
Pvt. 1st Class Robert R. Johnson, Newburgh, N. Y.
Pvt. John F. Kelly, Adler, Mont.
Sergt. George A. Klein, Jr., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Sergt. Harvey A. Kreuscher, Staten Island, N. Y.
Pvt. 1st Class James J. Lydon, New York.
Sergt. Joseph P. Monihan, Wilmington, Del.
[star]Pvt. Alfred Nickerson, Lewiston, N. Y.
Pvt. Andrew R. Pucella, Derby, Conn.
Sergt. John A. Ross, Brooklyn, N. Y.
[star]Sergt. George F. Russell, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Pvt. 1st Class Thomas J. Scanlon, New York.
Sergt. Aris M. Shellman, New York.
[star]Pvt. 1st Class Joseph Strauss, New York.
Sergt. Monroe Todd, Allen, S. C.
[star]Pvt. J. Robinson, Newfane, N. Y.
Pvt. Volney O. Thompson, Honesdale, Idaho.
Corp. Frederick Viemer, Seymour, Conn.
Sergt. Donald M. Wallach, New York.

The
Burke [Illustration: {American Legion seal}] Kelly
Post

That spirit of dominant Americanism with which the war was fought seems
in these times of peace to be best reflected by the American Legion.

Appreciating this, those members of Company B, 307th Infantry, who
regarded with favor the idea of a post-bellum organization applied to
the American Legion for a charter. One was granted and they were
admitted as the Burke-Kelly Post No. 172.

The name was selected in honor of the memory of two of their comrades:
Sergeant Frank W. Burke, killed by a high explosive shell on the line of
the Vesle, August 23d, 1918, and Corporal John E. Kelly, killed by a
high explosive shell during the battle of Merval, September 8th, 1918.

This publication of the History of Company B was made possible by the
members of the Burke-Kelly Post under the following officers:

_President_
WILLIAM F. HOWARD

_Vice-Presidents_
JOHN A. ROSS
ARTHUR J. HAMBLEN
ALFRED HELLER

_Secretary_
A. JAMES DIMAGGIO

_Treasurer_
THOMAS F. TWYFORD

_Corresponding Secretary_
JULIUS KLAUSNER, JR.

_Executive Committee_
DONALD M. WALLACH
FRED A. GLEIFORST
RALPH U. BRETT

[Illustration: Watching the Home Fires]

They were watched, and high they burned, by those who more than all else
represented to us the concrete reason for which we served.

None of us but _felt_ that we were fighting for our Country; but all of
us _knew_ that we were fighting for our Home.

Our Home Folks,--our Mothers and our Fathers, our Sisters and our Wives
and our Sweethearts and our Friends--all banded together so that we,
while never losing the _thought_ of Home, were also not to lose its
_touch_.

Those tenders of the fireside whom we knew as the "Family Unit" were
organized as the Company B Family Unit and were affiliated with the
307th Regimental Family Unit. They formed on our embarkation for
overseas, and by virtue of a succession of meetings under the active and
enthusiastic leadership of Mrs. William Vanamee and Miss Virginia Fuller
they became welded into a body that accomplished immeasurable benefit
not only for our physical but also for our spiritual welfare.

The socks, the cigarettes, the wristlets and the soap were needs of vast
import, but our knowledge that those behind us were marshaled just as we
were was more warming than wristlets, more comforting than cigarettes.

The officers during the early period were Miss Virginia Fuller,
President; Miss Helen Pritchard, Secretary; Mrs. W. B. Wise, Treasurer.
The meetings were held in a barren loft at 6 East 30th Street, New York
City. Here the ideas were conceived, the plans formulated, and the
policies acted upon, that were so far-reaching and effective.

Tho first drawn together for the good of Company B, their own sufferings
served to consolidate their interests and to strengthen their purpose.

As notice after notice issued from Washington advising as to losses in
battle by death and by wounds, the need for common consolation became
most urgent and a noble response came from those who were in a position
to give comfort. These were trying days, days of mental agony, days of
longing and hoping and praying.

In September one of our own men, Sergeant George A. Klein, Jr., who had
been returned to the United States as an instructor, appeared at a
meeting and gave word, mostly welcome, some sad, to the news-hungry
relatives.

These various activities were recorded in a small four-page bulletin
published for and distributed to us overseas.

And then the Armistice. Relief from the tension of the meetings was
given by the final let-up of the war and soon the time came when much
thought was given to filling those "9x4x3" boxes of Christmas cheer.

[Illustration: _The Ring_]

The date of our return was flashed across the waters during the early
part of April and immediately wheels were set in motion to prepare for
it.

Their welcome took the form of a reception and dance. For the first
time, and the only time, Company B and the Family Unit were together.
And as a token of their affection and regard they presented to each of
us a silver signet ring bearing our Divisional insignia--Liberty,
together with the Company and Regimental designation. Inside the ring
they had placed as their wish: "May God Protect You."

Guests of especial honor were the two McIntyre sisters, who were so
active overseas with the Salvation Army and who for so long a time had
been identified with our Division, having for a while been assigned to
our own Regiment.

Thus culminated the activities of the Family Unit of Company B. But just
as we have decided upon a continuation of our organization--the same in
substance, if not in form,--so the Unit decided to serve as the
Auxiliary to the Burke-Kelly Post, American Legion.

The Auxiliary meetings are held in the rooms adjoining those of the
Burke-Kelly Post, at the 77th Division Club. The original board of
officers includes Mrs. A. J. Hamblen, President; Miss Virginia Fuller,
Miss Sarah Kelly, and Mrs. William Charles, Vice-Presidents; Miss Anna
Charles, Secretary, and Mrs. W. B. Wise, Treasurer.

And their banner is still held aloft. A new name, but the old purpose.

[Illustration: {Decoration}]

[Illustration: {Bugler playing Taps}]

*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Company B, 307th Infantry - Its history, honor roll, company roster, Sept., 1917, May, 1919" ***

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