History of the American Negro in the Great World War Part 21

In the various sectors to which they were a.s.signed, they were in virtually every important fight. They met the flower of the Kaiser's forces, held them and on more than one occasion made them retreat. The Hun had misjudged them and it was fortunate that he had. They endured their share of hards.h.i.+p, marching many weary miles, day after day, without sufficient food. Nothing could affect their spirit and dash. When the call came, they went over the top, that the world might be made safe for democracy.

Among the officers and men of the 370th were represented about every calling in which the Negro of this day engages. There were men of professional pursuits; lawyers, doctors and teachers; students, mechanics, business men, farmers and laborers. The poet of the regiment was Lieutenant Blaine G. Alston. The following little poem, if properly digested and understood, tells volumes within itself: "OVER THERE"

Did you ever hear a bullet whiz, Or dodge a hand grenade?

Have you watched long lines of trenches dug By doughboys with a spade?

Have you seen the landscape lighted up At midnight by a sh.e.l.l?

Have you seen a hillside blazing forth Like a furnace room in h.e.l.l?

Have you stayed all night in a ruined town With a rafter for a bed?

With horses stamping underneath In the morning when they are fed?

Have you heard the crump-crump whistle?

Do you know the dud sh.e.l.l's grunt?

Have you played rat in a dugout?- Then you have surely seen the front.

-Lieut. Blaine G. Alston, 370th U.S. Troops.

CHAPTER XVII.

NARRATIVE OF AN OFFICER.

Special Article by Captain John H. Patton, Adjutant of 8th Illinois-Summarizes Operations of the Regiment-From First Call to Mustering Out-An Eye Witness Account-In Training Camps, at Sea, in France-Service in Argonne Forest-Many Other Engagements-A Thrilling Record-Battalion Operations in Detail-Special Mention of Companies and Individuals.

Captain John H. Patton, regimental adjutant of the 370th, who commanded the second battalion through most of its service, presents a summary of the operations of the regiment from the first call to the mustering out. Being in charge of the organization's records, his account is detailed, authentic and highly valuable as supplementing the data of the previous chapter; gleaned from departmental records and other sources. It carries additional interest as being the testimony of an eye-witness, one who partic.i.p.ated in the stirring events in a marked and valorous degree. The recital in Captain Patton's own words, the phrase of a highly trained and efficient military man, follows:

Pursuant to the call of the President, under date of July 3, 1917, the 8th Illinois Infantry reported at the various rendezvous on July 25, 1917, as follows: At Chicago, Illinois regimental headquarters; Headquarters company, Machine Gun company, Supply company, Detachment Medical Department, and Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H; at Springfield, Illinois, Company I; at Peoria, Illinois, Company K; at Danville, Illinois, Company L; at Metropolis, Illinois, Company M.

On the date the regiment responded to the call Colonel Franklin A. Denison commanded the regiment, the other Field Officers being Lieutenant Colonel James H. Johnson, Major Rufus M. Stokes, Major Charles L. Hunt, Major Otis B. Duncan and Captain John H. Patton, regimental adjutant.

The strength of the regiment a short time before responding to the call was approximately one thousand officers and enlisted men, and orders having been received to recruit to maximum strength, 3604 enlisted men, an active recruiting campaign was begun. On July 25, 1917, the strength was approximately 2,500. Soon afterwards orders were received that the regiment would be organized according to Minimum Strength Tables of Organization, which gave it an authorized strength of 2,138 enlisted men. After reporting that the regiment already had several hundred men in excess of that strength, authority was granted to retain the excess men. From this time until demobilized at Camp Grant in March, 1919, the regiment had from 600 to 1,300 men in excess of its authorized strength, and upon arrival in France in April, 1918, the entire personnel consisted of men who had voluntarily enlisted.

Intensive training was begun immediately after the regiment reported at the various armories and the public streets in the vicinity were utilized for this purpose until October 12, 1917, on which date the various organizations entrained for Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, arriving a few days later.

While stationed at Camp Logan, the regiment was engaged in intensive training. Officers and enlisted men attended the various schools established by the 33rd Division to which the regiment had been attached and acquitted themselves with credit.

At the end of October, 1917, on the date of the closing of the Second Liberty Loan Campaign, out of a total of 2,166 officers and enlisted men belonging to the regiment at that time, 1,482 officers and men subscribed $151,400.00.

While at Camp Logan, approximately 96 percent of the regiment took out $10,000.00 War Risk Insurance per man.

On December 1, 1917, the official designation of the regiment was changed from the 8th Illinois Infantry to the 370th Infantry.

On March 6, 1918, the regiment left Camp Logan enroute to Camp Stuart, Newport News, Va., arriving on March 10, 1918, and immediately taking up its interrupted intensive training.

While at Camp Stuart, Va., Lieutenant Colonel James H. Johnson was discharged from the service, and Major Otis B. Duncan, who had commanded the 3rd battalion, was promoted to the grade of lieutenant-colonel and Captain Arthur Williams was promoted to the grade of major and placed in command of the 3rd battalion.

On April 6, 1918, the regiment embarked on the S.S. President Grant en route overseas. In attempting to get out to sea, the vessel ran aground in Hampton Roads and three days later having been refloated, the journey overseas was resumed. On account of this delay the journey was begun without convoy, the wars.h.i.+ps a.s.signed to this duty having departed as scheduled on or about April 6, 1918. On April 20, 1918, the steamer was met by a convoy of torpedo boats which accompanied us to Brest, France, at which place the regiment arrived on April 22, 1918.

The following day, April 23, 1918, the regiment debarked and marched to camp at Pontanezen Barracks, near Brest, and two days later entrained for Grandvillers (Haut-Rhin), arriving on April 27, 1918, and taking station.

The regiment, upon arrival at Grandvillers, was attached to the 73rd Division, French Army, and orders were given for the reorganization and equipping of the regiment to conform to that of a French regiment. All American arms, ammunition and equipment were salvaged and French rifles, machine guns, ammunition, wheel transportation, packs, helmets and other necessary equipment furnished. Except for the uniform the regiment was outfitted exactly as were the French regiments of that division. French rations were issued with the exception of the wine component, for which an extra allowance of sugar was subst.i.tuted.

The Division sent officers to take charge of the instruction of the regiment in every phase of the work to be later undertaken and another period of intensive training was begun. Even French cooks were present to instruct our cooks in the preparation and conservation of the French rations.

After six weeks training at this place, the regiment entrained enroute to the front, arrived at Ligny-en-Barrios (Meuse) on June 13, 1918, and moved up toward the lines by easy stages.

On June 21, 1918, the regiment began occupying positions in the Saint Mihiel Sector, completing the occupation on June 24, 1918. This being the first time the regiment had been actually in the lines, the division commander deemed it advisable to intermingle our troops with French troops in order that officers and men might observe and profit by close a.s.sociation with the veteran French troops. Thus the units of the 1st and 2nd battalions, which had been a.s.signed to the front lines were intermingled with platoons and companies of the 325th regiment of infantry.

Many valuable lessons were learned while in this sector, which was exceptionally quiet at the time. Except for occasional sh.e.l.ling and some scattered machine gun and rifle fire, nothing of interest occurred while in the sector, and there were no casualties.

On the night of June 30-July 1, 1918, the regiment, having been relieved in the sector, began withdrawing, and on July 3, 1918, the withdrawal had been completed without any losses.

After resting a few days in the region of Lignieres (Meuse), the regiment entrained en route to the Argonne Forest, arriving behind the lines on July 6, 1918, the 1st Battalion, under command of Major Stokes, moving up immediately into the reserve positions at Brabant (S. Groupement Courcelles) and later into the front lines in the Center of Resistance de la Foret, Sub-Sector Hermont.

The 2nd Battalion under command of Major Hunt took station at Rarecourt, the latter moved up to Locheres (Plateau of Gorgia) at which place the Major located his Commanding Post. From this position companies of the 2nd Battalion were sent into the lines alternately, the companies being relieved after a five days' tour of duty.

On July 12, 1918, Colonel Franklin A. Denison, who had commanded the regiment up to this time and had become incapacitated through illness contracted during the strenuous days incident to the preparation of the regiment for service in the lines, was relieved from command on this account and Colonel T.A. Roberts, cavalry, a.s.sumed command of the regiment.

The 3rd battalion under command of Major Williams, was held in reserve at Vraincourt, and only Company M of that battalion was sent into the front lines. This company took up positions in the supporting point at Buzemont on August 7, 1918, and remained until August 14, 1918.

On August 1, 1918, the Stokes Mortar platoon under command of Lieutenant Robert A. Ward took position in the lines in the sub-sector Vaquois, and on August 4, 1918, took an active part in a coup-de-main arranged by the French. His mission, filling in the gaps in the French artillery barrage, was so successfully accomplished that his entire platoon was highly commended for their work by the commanding general of the division.

Although patrols were operating between the lines nightly and the positions occupied were under artillery, machine gun and rifle fire a number of times, the only losses sustained during the six weeks in the Argonne Forest were 1 killed, 1 captured and 4 wounded.

On the night of August 15-16, 1918, the regiment was relieved from its positions in the Forest and marched to Rampont and entrained for villages in the vicinity of Fains (Meuse) for a period of rest, arriving on August 18, 1918.

Upon arrival at the new stations, instruction was begun again, more attention being paid to open warfare than to work incident to trench warfare. This training proved of great value to the officers and men in the latter days of the war, when the regiment was actively engaged in the pursuit of the enemy to the Belgian border.

On September 11, 1918, the regiment left its various stations and proceeded by train to Betz, where it detrained and marched to stations in villages in the vicinity of Mareuil-sur-Ourcq (Meuse). On September 11, 1918, Majors Hunt and Williams having become incapacitated through illness and injury, were relieved from command of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, respectively, and Lieutenant Colonel Otis B. Duncan and Captain John H. Patton were a.s.signed to the command of those battalions.

The battles of Chavigny, Leury and the Bois de Beaumont having reduced the effectives of the 59th French Division, the regiment was placed at the disposition of the division and was a.s.signed as one of the three infantry regiments thereof. Upon joining this division the effective strength of the regiment was approximately double that of either of the two French regiments; and in future operations a large share of the work of the division fell to our lot.

On September 15, 1918, the regiment received orders to move again toward the front. From Mareuil-sur-Ourcq to the region of St. Bandry (Meuse) the movement was made in motor trucks. On September 16, 1918, the journey was resumed, the regiment proceeding by marching. Upon arrival at Tartier, Companies F and G were sent to Monte Couve (Aisne) to join the 232nd Regiment of Infantry, and Companies I and L pushed forward to Bagneux (Aisne) to join the 325th Regiment. The 1st battalion proceeded the next day to the caves in the vicinity of Les Tueries, the 3rd battalion moved up into the reserve in the region of Antioch Farm with the remainder of the 2nd battalion.

As soon as Companies F, G, I and L had moved up and taken position in the lines opposite Mont des Signes an attack was ordered. Attacks on the enemy positions on the plateau of Mont des Signes were almost continuous from the date of arrival of these companies until about September 21, 1918, when they were withdrawn and joined their battalions. These companies acquitted themselves with credit. One platoon under command of Sergeant Matthew Jenkins, Company F, took a large section of the enemy works for which the sergeant was awarded both the French Croix de Guerre and the American Distinguished Service Cross.

About the 22nd of September, the regiment for the first time took over a full regimental sector, the Battalion Stokes relieving the Battalion Garnier in the positions outlined by La Folie-l'Ecluse on the Ca.n.a.l l'Oise-l'Aisne and the Farm Gulliminet, the Battalion Patton going into the support positions at Mont des Tombes and the Battalion Duncan going into reserve at Tincelle Farm. Colonel Roberts located his commanding post at Antioch Farm. From the date of arrival in these positions until the enemy began to retreat on October 12, 1918, the entire area occupied by the regiment was almost constantly sh.e.l.led, gas being used frequently. The front lines were almost constantly under the fire of enemy minnenwurfers and numerous machine guns located in the Bois de Mortier, a very dense wood north of the ca.n.a.l.

On the night of September 26-27, 1918, the Battalion Patton was ordered to relieve with like units one-half of each of the companies of the Battalion Stokes in the front lines and soon after the relief was completed an attack along the l'Oise-l'Aisne Ca.n.a.l was ordered. By the extreme of effort the remainder of the Battalion Patton was brought up and having completed the relief of the Battalion Stokes, the attack began as ordered. The attack continued until October 4th, on which date all objectives had been gained and the enemy pushed back across the ca.n.a.l. On September 30th the Battalion Duncan was thrown into the fight and two companies of the Battalion Patton withdrawn to the support. The Battalion Duncan was ordered to make a frontal attack which necessitated an advance across the open fields. This was successfully accomplished, the battalion being subjected to intense artillery, machine gun and rifle fire continuously. The Battalion Duncan, having gained its objectives, the Farm de la Riviere and the railroad south of the ca.n.a.l, held on tenaciously in spite of the intense fire of the enemy and held the positions gained until the pursuit began on October 12, 1918, when it pa.s.sed into the reserve of the division.

During the occupancy of the sector, from September 22, 1918, to October 12, 1918, patrols from the three battalions were out night and day between the lines making necessary reconnaissances. On October 4, 1918, a volunteer patrol of twenty men under command of Captain Chester Sanders in an effort to discover whether the enemy had abandoned the woods, penetrated the Bois de Mortier to a point about 100 yards behind the enemy positions and having been discovered were fired on from all sides by numerous machine guns. The patrol returned to our lines intact. For this exploit Captain Sanders was awarded the French Croix de Guerre and the patrol received the commendation of the commanding general of the division. On October 7, 1918, after 5 minutes violent bombardment by our artillery, three raiding parties from Company F made a dash for the triangle formed by the railroad, the L'Oise-l'Aisne ca.n.a.l and the Vauxaillon road. One of these parties gained the enemy trenches along the ca.n.a.l, ejecting the enemy after a hand grenade fight. All parties returned to our lines intact though several were wounded. Lieutenant William Warfield of the Battalion Duncan single-handed took an enemy machine gun nest which had been hara.s.sing his company, and after disposing of the enemy machine gunners returned to our lines with the gun. Numerous other acts of gallantry were performed in this sector for which officers and men received both French and American decorations.

At 9:20 a.m. on October 12, 1918, the alert was given for a general advance by the entire division and the battalions a.s.sembled at the zones of a.s.sembly previously designated. The Battalion Stokes was given the mission of clearing the Bois de Mortier and the Battalion Patton was placed at the disposition of Lieutenant Colonel Lugand of the 232nd Infantry, and the 3rd battalion was placed in the divisional reserve. At about 11:00 a. m. the pursuit began, the 1st battalion clearing the Bois de Mortier and successfully reaching its first objective, Penancourt, the same date, and continuing the pursuit the next day to a point west of Molinchart.

The Battalion Patton, having been a.s.signed as the support battalion of the 232nd Regiment of Infantry, took up the pursuit via Anizy le Chateau, Cessieres and the Bois de Oiry, bivouacing the night of October 13th in the vicinity of the Bois.

These battalions were commended by the commanding general. The Battalion Stokes for its pa.s.sage of the exceedingly strong position in the Bois de Mortier and the 2nd for its well conducted march in pursuit via Anizy le Chateau.

On account of the straightening out of the lines due to the retreat of the enemy, the 59th Division was withdrawn on October 14th and sent back for rest, the regiment being sent into the St. Gobain Forest and vicinity for this purpose. Ten of the twelve days in this locality were spent in hard work on the roads and the last two were given over to the re-equipping of the regiment.

On October 22, 1918, Major Rufus M. Stokes was relieved from command of the 1st battalion and a.s.signed to duty as administrative officer of the Regimental Combat and Supply Trains. Captain John T. Prout was a.s.signed to the command of the 1st battalion.