History of the American Negro in the Great World War Part 22

On October 27th, 1918, the regiment was again ordered into the lines and at midnight on that date the 2nd battalion moved up into support positions in the vicinity of Grandlup.

The 1st battalion on October 29, 1918, moved up into support positions in the vicinity of the same village. During this time the 3rd battalion was located at Manneaux Farm in reserve. The battalions remained in various positions in the vicinity of Grandlup until November 5, 1918, on which date the enemy again began to retreat, and while thus occupied were subjected to severe sh.e.l.ling and those units occupying front line positions to much machine gun and rifle fire; casualties were few except in Company A stationed in the vicinity of Chantrud Farm, where an enemy sh.e.l.l fell in the midst of the company at mess, killing thirty-five men and wounding fifty, thus causing the company to be withdrawn from the lines.

On the morning of November 5th, a general advance was ordered and the enemy retreated before it. The retreat of the enemy was so rapid that our troops did not catch up with them until about November 8th, on which date a general attack by the division was ordered. The 2nd battalion on the left of the division was given the task of clearing out the enemy from positions along the Hirshon railroad and the Heights of Aubenton. After an all day fight the battalion reached its objective about nightfall. The French division on the left did not advance as antic.i.p.ated, owing to enemy resistance on their front, and the 2nd battalion having advanced about two kilometers to the front suffered severely on account of the exposed flank, three men being killed and two officers and thirty-three enlisted men being wounded. On the morning of the 9th the enemy again retreated and the 2nd battalion continued the pursuit to Goncelin, resting there for the night and on the morning of the both was ordered to cantonment at Pont d'Any, where it was located at the taking effect of the armistice.

On November 6th the 1st battalion took up the pursuit in support of the Battalion Michel of the 325th Regiment of Infantry, advancing via Brazicourt and Rapeire to Hill 150 near St. Pierremont. Company C having pa.s.sed on into the front lines at the Brazicourt Farm, upon arrival near St. Pierremont were ordered on the morning of November 6, 1918, to attack and occupy St. Pierremont, cross the Serre River and take up a position along the railroad track. The mission of the company was successfully accomplished in spite of the strong resistance of the enemy, St. Pierremont being occupied, the river crossed and three pieces of enemy artillery as well as several machine guns taken. For this operation Company C was cited and awarded the French Croix de Guerre with a Palm, the highest French citation received in the regiment. The battalion continued the pursuit until arrival at Mont Plaisir, when it was ordered back to Fligny, where it was in cantonment at the taking effect of the armistice.

The 3rd Battalion took up the pursuit on November 5th, resting in the open fields the nights of the 5th and 6th. The battalion in moving up advanced via Bosmont and Mont Plaisir and pa.s.sed on into the front lines at the Rue Larcher on November 7, 1918. In the afternoon of the 8th orders were received to deliver a cover fire for French units which were to make an attack on the village of Logny, which was strongly held by the enemy. Company M, having been a.s.signed for this work, moved out from Hurtebise and advanced to a position where the cover fire could be effectively delivered, and opened fire. About this time word was received from the French commander that his troops could not advance on account of the severe sh.e.l.l and machine gun fire, and Company M having arrived at a position where it was safer to go ahead than to retreat, attacked the town and drove the enemy therefrom. For this action Lieutenant Osceola A. Browning, commanding Company M, and several others received the French Croix de Guerre and Sergeant Lester Fossie both the Croix de Guerre and the American Distinguished Service Cross. On November 10, 1918, the advance and pursuit was continued. At Etignieres the battalion was temporarily stopped by intense sh.e.l.l fire. On November 11, 1918, the pursuit was again taken up with Resinowez as the princ.i.p.al objective. Later the objective was changed to Gue d'Hossus, Belgium, which objective was reached a few minutes before the taking effect of the armistice, an enemy combat train of about 50 vehicles being captured about this time.

A few days after the armistice, the regiment began to move southward, taking station in villages in the vicinity of Verneuil-sur-Serre.

SOME WAR CROSS WINNERS OF 8TH ILLINOIS (370TH INFANTRY). FRONT ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: CAPT. G.M. ALLEN. LIEUT. O.A. BROWNING. CAPT. D.J. WARNER. LIEUT. ROY B. TISDELL. STANDING LEFT TO RIGHT: LIEUT. ROBT. P. HURD, LIEUT-COL. OTIS B DUNCAN. MAJOR J.R. WHITE. CAPT. W.B. CRAWFORD, LIEUT. WM. WARFIELD. CAPT. MATTHEW JACKSON.

On December 12, 1918, the regiment formally pa.s.sed from the French command and to Brest via Soissons and Le Mans, arriving at the latter place on January 10, 1919.

On February 2, 1919, the regiment embarked on the S.S. La France IV, en route to the U.S., arriving on February 9, 1919, and taking station at Camp Upton, Long Island, N.Y.

On February 17, 1919, the regiment left Camp Upton for Camp Grant, Illinois, via Chicago, where it was accorded a wonderful and never-to-be-forgotten reception by the citizens of Chicago.

After arrival at Camp Grant, work incident to the demobilization of the regiment was commenced. The majority of officers and enlisted men were discharged from the service during the latter part of February, and finally on March 12, 1919, orders were issued declaring that the regiment had ceased to exist.

The health of the regiment while in the service was exceptional. The Medical Detachment, under command of Major James R. White, worked incessantly to protect the health of the command. Before departure for France a number of cases of pneumonia of a very severe type developed, but only two deaths resulted. The Medical Detachment was divided among the various units, Captain Spencer C. d.i.c.kerson having charge of the detachment attached to the 1st battalion, Lieutenant James F. Lawson that of the 2nd battalion, and Lieutenant Claudius Ballard that of the 3rd battalion. The work of these detachments was at all times of a high order of excellence, and during engagements both officers and men in numerous instances went out into the open and rendered first aid to the wounded after terrific fire. Each man wounded, however slightly, was given an injection of anti-tetanic serum and as a result no cases of teta.n.u.s were reported, nor were any cases of gas baccilus infection reported. During the severe fighting around the Guilliminet and de la Riviere Farms, more help was needed and Lieutenant Park Tancil, dental surgeon, volunteered to take charge of one of the first aid stations which was daily receiving showers of sh.e.l.ls from the enemy batteries. Lieutenant Claudius Ballard, though wounded during the fighting, refused to be evacuated and continued his duties administering to the wounded. Major James R. White made daily rounds of the first aid stations in the lines, disregarding the intense fire of the enemy and personally dressing numbers of wounded. For their heroic conduct in administering to the wounded under fire, Major White and Lieutenants Tancil and Ballard as well as several enlisted men of the Medical Detachment, were awarded the French Croix de Guerre, and Private Alfred Williamson of the detachment was awarded both the French Croix de Guerre and the American Distinguished Service Cross.

ROSTER OF OFFICERS OLD 8TH ILLINOIS (370th Infantry)

(All Negroes unless otherwise designated.)

Field and Staff-F.A. Denison, commanding until July 12, 1918, invalided home; Col. T.A. Roberts (white), commanding after July 12, 1918; Major James R. White, surgeon; Major W.H. Roberts (white), operation officer; Capt. Charles W. Fillmore, personnel officer; Capt. John H. Patton, commanding 2nd battalion; Capt. James E. Dunjil, a.s.sistant to adjutant; 1st Lieut. George Murphy, a.s.sistant to adjutant; 1st Lieut. Louis C. Was.h.i.+ngton, administrative officer; 2nd Lieut. n.o.ble Sissle, a.s.sistant to administrative officer; 1st Lieut. Park Tancil, dentist; 1st Lieut. John T. Clemons, chaplain.

First Battalion-Major Rufus M. Stokes, commanding; 2nd Lieut. M.F. Stapleton (white), battalion adjutant; Capt. Spencer C. d.i.c.kerson, medical officer; 1st Lieut. Harry W. Jones, battalion supply officer.

Company A-Capt. Stewart A. Betts, 1st Lieut. John L. McDonald, 1st Lieut. Robert L. Chavis, 2nd. Lieut. Wycham Tyler, 2nd Lieut. Howard F. Bell, 2nd Lieut. Willis Stearles.

Company B-Capt. Stuart Alexander, 1st Lieut. Robert P. Hurd, 1st Lieut. Franklin McFarland, 1st Lieut. Samuel Ransom, 2nd Lieut. Fred K. Johnson, 2nd Lieut. Samuel Block.

Company C-Capt. James H. Smith, 1st Lieut. Samuel S. Gordon, 1st Lieut. Harry N. Shelton, 1st Lieut. Arthur Jones, 2nd Lieut. Elmer J. Myers, 2nd Lieut. Roy B. Tisdell.

Machine Gun Company-Captain Devere J. Warner, 1st Lieut. George C. Lacey, 2nd Lieut. Thomas A. Painter, 2nd Lieut. Bernard McGwin, 2nd Lieut. Homer C. Kelly, 2nd Lieut. Julian D. Rainey.

Second Battalion-Capt. John H. Patton, commanding; 1st Lieut. Samuel A. McGowan, battalion adjutant; 1st Lieut. James F. Lawson, medical officer; 1st Lieut. Rufus H. Bacote, medical officer; 1st Lieut. William Nichols, battalion supply officer.

Company F-Capt. Rufus Reed, 1st Lieut. Carter W. Wesley, 2nd Lieut. Edward Douglas, 2nd Lieut. Robert A.D. Birchett.

Company G-Capt. George M. Allen, 1st Lieut. Durand Harding, 1st Lieut. Gerald C. Bunn, 1st Lieut. Harvey E. Johnson, 2nd Lieut. Clarence H. Bouchane.

Company H-Capt. James C. Hall, 1st Lieut Harry L. Allen, 1st Lieut. George L. Amos, 1st Lieut Binga Dismond, 2nd Lieut Lawrence Willette, 2nd Lieut. John A. Hall.

Machine Gun Company No. 2-Capt. Lilburn Jackson, 2nd Lieut. Frank T. Logan, 2nd Lieut. Junius Walthall, 2nd Lieut. William A. Barnett.

Third Battalion-Lieut. Col. Otis B. Duncan, commanding; 2nd Lieut. Stanley B. Norvell, battalion adjutant; 1st Lieut. Claudius Ballard, medical officer; 1st Lieut. William J. Warfield, battalion supply officer.

Company I-Capt Lorin O. Sanford, 1st Lieut. Howard R. Brown, 2nd Lieut. D. Lincoln Reid, 2nd Lieut. Edmond G. White, 2nd Lieut. Oswald Des Verney, 2nd Lieut. Harry J. Douglas.

Company L-Capt. William B. Crawford, 1st Lieut. Frank Robinson, provost officer; 1st. Lieut Frank W. Bates, 2nd Lieut. James H. Peyton, 2nd Lieut Luther J. Harris.

Company M-Capt. Edward W. Spearman, 1st Lieut Osceola A. Browning, 1st Lieut. Jerome L. Hubert, 2nd Lieut. Lawson Price, 2nd Lieut. Irving T. Howe, 2nd Lieut. Larkland F. Hewitt.

Machine Gun Company No. 3-Capt. Matthew Jackson, 1st Lieut. William C.P. Phillips, 2nd Lieut. Charles C. Jackson, 2nd Lieut Clyde W. Donaldson, 2nd Lieut George F. Proctor.

Special Units

Headquarters Company-Capt. Lewis E. Johnson, 1st Lieut Robert A.J. Shaw, 1st Lieut. Benote H. Lee, 2nd Lieut Elias F.E. Williams, pioneer officer; 2nd Lieut. Rufus B. Jackson, Stokes mortar; 2nd Lieut. Reginald W. Harang, signal officer.

Supply Company-Capt. Lloyd G. Wheeler, 1st Lieut. Harry Wheeler, 1st Lieut. James A. Riggs, 1st Lieut. Dan M. Moore, medical officer; 2nd Lieut Augustus M. Fisher, veterinary surgeon.

Depot Company K-Capt Wm. H. Lewis, commanding; 2nd Lieut. Alvin M. Jordan, adjutant; 1st Lieut. Norman Garrett, 1st Lieut. Napoleon B. Roe, dentist; 1st Lieut. George W. Antoine, medical officer; 2nd Lieut Avon H. Williams; 2nd Lieut. Edward L. Goodlett, 2nd Lieut Frank Corbin, 2nd Lieut Frederick L. Slade, 2nd Lieut. Walter H. Aiken, 2nd Lieut. Rufus A. Atkins, 2nd Lieut James T. Baker, 2nd Lieut. John S. Banks, 2nd Lieut. Marcus A. Bernard, 2nd Lieut. Charles E. Bryant, 2nd Lieut Henry H. Carr, 2nd Lieut. Horace E. Colley, 2nd Lieut. Ira R. Collins, 2nd Lieut. Charles H. Conley, 2nd Lieut. Bernie B. Cowan, 2nd Lieut. Flenoid Cunningham, 2nd Lieut. Frank P. Dawson, 2nd Lieut. Samuel A. Dillard, 2nd Lieut. John W. Harris.

ROLL OF HONOR

Heroes of Old 8th Illinois

Negro National Guardsmen known in France as the 370th Infantry, who were decorated with the Croix de Guerre. The exploits of some of these men and also of some of those in the appended list decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross, are mentioned in the chapters devoted to the regiment.

Col. T.A. Roberts (white) Lieut. Col. Otis B. Duncan Major James R. White Capt. John H. Patton Capt. Chester Sanders Capt. John T. Prout Capt. Samuel R. Gwynne Capt. Devere J. Warner Capt. Wm. B. Crawford Capt. George M. Allen Capt. James C. Hall Capt. Stuart Alexander Capt. Mathew Jackson Capt. James H. Smith Lieut. Park Tancil Lieut. Osceola A. Browning Lieut. George C. Lacey Lieut. Frank Robinson Lieut. Claudius Ballard Lieut. Charles C. Jackson Lieut. William J. Warfield Lieut. Samuel S. Gordon Lieut. Robert P. Hurd Lieut. Henry N. Shelton Lieut. Henry P. Cheatham Lieut. Stanley B. Norvell Lieut. Roy B. Tisdell Lieut. Thomas A. Painter Lieut. Lawson Price Lieut. Lincoln D. Reid Lieut. Elmer J. Myers Sergt. Norman Henry Sergt. Clarence T. Gibson Sergt. Matthew Jenkins Sergt. Cecil Nelson Sergt. Howard Templeton Sergt. Chas. T. Monroe Sergt. Derry Brown Corp. James R. Brown Corp. Lewis Warner Corp. Joseph Henderson Corp. Maceo A. Tervalon Corp. William Stevenson Corp. Emil Laurent Corp. Charles T. Brock Pvt. Nathaniel C. White (deceased) Pvt. Robert Pride Pvt. George B. White Pvt. Howard Sheffield Pvt. Cornelius Robinson Pvt. Ulysses Sayles Pvt. William Cuff (deceased) Pvt. Hugh Givens Pvt. Arthur Johnson Pvt. Rufus Pitts Pvt. Olbert Dorsey Pvt. William Hurdle Pvt. Bee McKissic Pvt. Jonas Paxton Pvt. Harry Pearson Pvt. Paul Turlington Pvt. Reed J. Brown Pvt. Paul Johnson Pvt. Reedy Jones Pvt. Alonzo Keller Pvt. Leroy Lindsay Pvt. Lavern Ma.s.sey Pvt. Josiah Nevees Pvt. Ira Taylor Pvt. Jesse Ferguson Pvt. William M. Robinson Awarded Distinguished Service Crosses by General Pers.h.i.+ng: Capt. William B. Crawford Lieut. William J. Warfield Sergt. Norman Henry Sergt. Ralph Gibson Sergt. Robert Barnes Sergt. Charles T. Monroe Sergt. Emmett Thompson Sergt. Lester Fossie Sergt. Matthew Jenkins Pvt. Tom Powell (deceased) Pvt. Andrew McCall Pvt. Wm. Cuff (deceased) Pvt. Spirley Irby Pvt. Alfred Williamson Pvt. William G. Hurdle Pvt. Harry Pearson Pvt. Alonzo Walton Pvt. Leroy Davis Pvt. James Fuquay Pvt. Nathaniel C. White (deceased) Pvt. Arthur Johnson CHAPTER XVIII.

BLOOD OF THE BLACK AND WHITE IN ONE RIVULET OF DEPARTING LIFE.

LINCOLN'S PROPHETIC WORDS-NEGROES ALONGSIDE BEST SOLDIERS IN THE WORLD-HOLD THEIR OWN-THE 372ND REGIMENT-BRIGADED WITH VETERANS OF THE MARNE-FAMOUS "RED HAND" DIVISION-OCCUPY HILL 304 AT VERDUN-NINE DAYS BATTLE IN "b.l.o.o.d.y ARGONNE"-ADMIRATION OF THE FRENCH-CONSPICUOUS COMPONENTS OF 372ND-CHRONOLOGY OF SERVICE.

They will probably help in some trying time to keep the jewel of liberty in the family of freedom.-Abraham Lincoln.

Prophetic words uttered by the Great Emanc.i.p.ator concerning the Negroes of America. The Negroes helped. They would have helped in much greater measure had they been given the opportunity.

Fighting for the first time on the soil of the world's most famous battleground-Europe-and for the first time brought into direct comparison with the best soldiers of the world, they proved themselves able to hold their own where tests of courage, endurance and aggressiveness were most severe.

They fought valiantly in the vicinity of Chateau Thierry, on the Vesle, on the Aillette, in the Argonne, and various other sectors; and in the final drive at Metz. They vanquished the Germans who opposed them; the heaviest fire of the enemy failing to stop their advance.

No part of the 93rd Division made a more gallant record than the 372nd regiment. Throughout its service in France it was a part of the famous French 157th Division known as the "Red Hand" division, under the command of General Goybet. It was this division which first opposed the Huns at the Marne in 1914. To brigade the Negro soldiers with such famous veterans was a rare mark of distinction and placed the black men on their mettle at all times.

The 372nd arrived in France on April 14 and went into training with the French eleven days later. On May 29 the regiment took over a sector in the Argonne and on June 20 was sent to the trenches just west of Verdun, occupying the famous battle-swept Hill 304, and sections at Four de Paris and Vauquois. On Hill 304 thousands of French and Germans had fallen as the battle line swung back and forward. That this hill was given to the Negroes to hold demonstrated that as soldiers they had already won the confidence of the French.

The regiment's first engagement was in the Champagne sector with Monthois as an objective. Here came the real test. The Negroes were eager to get into the fight. They cheered and sang when the announcement came that their opportunity had arrived-but the question was; back of their enthusiasm had they the staying qualities drilled into European troops through centuries of training in the science of warfare.

The answer was that some of the heaviest and most effective fighting of the day was done by the Negro regiment. From June 6th to September 10th, the 372nd was stationed in the b.l.o.o.d.y Argonne forest or in the vicinity of Verdun. On the night of September 25th they were summoned to take part in the Argonne offensive and were in that terrific drive, one of the decisive engagements of the war, from September 28th to October 7th.

In the nine days' battle the Negroes not only proved their fighting qualities in an ordeal such as men rarely have been called upon to face, but these qualities in deadly striking power and stubborn resistance in crises, stood out with such distinction that the coveted Croix de Guerre was bestowed upon the regiment.

The casualty list of the 372nd in this and previous fighting carried 500 names of men killed, wounded and ga.s.sed. For their achievements they were at once cited for bravery and efficiency in General Orders from the corps commander transmitted through their French divisional chief. It was dated October 8th and read as follows: In transmitting you with legitimate pride the thanks and congratulations of General Garnier Duplessis, allow me, my dear friends of all ranks, American and French, to address you from the bottom of the heart of a chief and soldier, the expression of grat.i.tude for the glory you have lent to our good 157th Division. During these nine days of hard fighting you have progressed eight kilometers (4.8 miles) through powerfully organized defenses, taken 600 prisoners, captured 15 heavy guns, 20 minenwerfers and nearly 150 machine guns, secured an enormous amount of engineering material and important supplies of artillery ammunition, and brought down by your fire three enemy aeroplanes. The "Red Hand" sign of the division, has, thanks to you, become a b.l.o.o.d.y hand which took the Boche by the throat and made him cry for mercy. You have well avenged our glorious dead. GOYBET.