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K. McCully, Maj. 
 
HISTORY 
 
 OF THE. 
 
 118 th INFANTRY 
 
 AMERICAN 
 EXPEDITIONARY 
 FORCE, FRANCE 
 
 1919 
 
 The State Co., Printers 
 Columbia, S. C. 
 

 MEMORANDUM 
 
 Headquarters, 118th Infantry, 
 American Expeditionary Forces, 
 France, December 31st, 1918. 
 
 Memorandum No. 388. 
 
 1. Lieut. Sam J. Royall is hereby detailed on Special 
 Duty as regimental historian. 
 
 2. All officers of the regiment are requested to at once 
 make pencil notes of events that should be included in this 
 history and turn them over to Lieut. Royall. Accuracy is 
 important. It is requested that Lieut. Royall be assisted 
 in every way possible so that nothing may delay this work, 
 which should be completed before any breaking up of the 
 regiment occurs. 
 
 By Order of Lieut.-Col. Hartigan : 
 
 F. M. Mack, 
 Captain Infantry, 
 Operations Officer. 
 
HISTORY OF THE REGIMENT 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Preliminary Training. 
 
 While the achievements of the 118 th Infantry are fresh 
 in the minds of those who had the honor to belong to this 
 Regiment, the coming years will dim the memories as to 
 dates, names and places. It is for this reason that we be- 
 lieve a record should be written while these things are fore- 
 most in the lives of the men and officers of this Regiment. 
 The writer will not attempt to apologize for the following 
 narrative of events. He was appointed to record them in 
 the shape of a regimental history, not on account of possess- 
 ing any qualifications for such an undertaking, but simply 
 because some one had to do it and Lieutenant-Colonel Hart- 
 igan, with whom the idea originated, happened to select 
 him. So the author asks that you read this with the idea 
 that it is in no manner an attempt to produce a literary 
 masterpiece but merely a narrative showing the impres- 
 sions we gathered and what the men accomplished when 
 put to the test. While it is an attempt to produce an abso- 
 lutely accurate account, there are many things of impor- 
 tance that are not recorded here, and no doubt there are 
 many mistakes. Having gathered the information for this 
 work from many sources, this is merely an attempt to con- 
 solidate it in a logical manner. Bear with me while I give 
 3 7 ou a brief outline of our training period in the United 
 States previous to our service in Belgium and France. 
 
 The federalization of the National Guard of the various 
 States necessitated a change in the official designations of 
 the Guard units, as, under the new plan of organization, it 
 was necessary to combine the units of several different 
 States, in most instances, to form divisions. Under this 
 new method of organization, the divisions were formed 
 according to the geographical location of the several States 
 that were combined, each unit being given a numerical des- 
 
6 
 
 ignation. It was in this manner that the old First South 
 Carolina Infantry became the 118th Infantry, and, as such, 
 one of the four Infantry regiments of the 30th Division. 
 The 118th and 117th Infantry Regiments and the 114th 
 Machine Gun Battalion formed the 59th Infantry Brigade, 
 commanded during the greater part of its existence by 
 Brigadier-General Lawrence D. Tyson of Tennessee. 
 
 Previous to becoming the 118th Infantry, the First South 
 Carolina Infantry had served on the Mexican border, 
 having been called into service on June 19th, 1916, and 
 having been mustered out of service in December of the 
 same year. While the experience gained on the border was 
 of great assistance to those men of the Regiment who served 
 through this priod, it was entirely different to the training 
 required for trench warfare. It was what we afterwards 
 termed “q:>eace time warfare,” but it did give the Regiment 
 a strong nucleus to work with, when the strength was so 
 greatly increased. 
 
 On April 27th., 1917, the Regiment was again called into 
 service, this time being assigned the duty of guarding im- 
 portant property throughout South Carolina. Colonel 
 P. K. McCully of Anderson, S. C., the Commanding Officer, 
 established Regimental Headquarters at Columbia, S. C.. 
 while the battalions established headquarters in different 
 cities, sending companies out from these cities. The most 
 important duty performed bv the Regiment from the date 
 of its entry into service until the middle of July was the 
 constant guarding of railroad bridges in order that com- 
 merce might not be impeded by the destruction of any of 
 them. 
 
 About the middle of July the Regiment was assembled at 
 Camp Sevier, near Greenville, S. C., as the pioneer regi- 
 ment of the 30th Division. The camp at that time consisted 
 mostly of woods, cultivated fields and mud. By the first of 
 November great improvements had been made in the camp, 
 this Regiment having contributed more than its share of 
 work in the cleaning up process. Infantry might have been 
 the official designation of the Regiment, but the men insisted 
 that it should be called the South Carolina Land & Devel- 
 
7 
 
 opment Company, so expert had they become with the use 
 of the pick and shovel. 
 
 Under the new plan of organization, the personnel of an 
 infantry regiment had been greatly increased, the new plan 
 calling for a war strength of more than 3,600 men and 
 officers. As this Regiment had a strength of about 1.200 
 when it reached Camp Sevier, it was necessary to add twice 
 its strength to fill it up to the required standard. The dis- 
 solution of the 55th Depot Brigade in October added sev- 
 eral hundred men who had belonged to National Guard 
 units from South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. 
 A draft of men from Camp Jackson, S. C., during the same 
 month, brought the strength to around two hundred men 
 per company but even this was not enough, so during the 
 winter another contingent from Camp Dodge, Iowa, was 
 added, bringing the Regiment to full war strength. The 
 Camp Dodge men were mostly from Iowa, Minnesota and 
 the Dakotas, but soon had warmed themselves into the 
 hearts of the Southerners, establishing a friendship between 
 the different sections of the Union that will always be 
 remembered by those concerned. 
 
 Having started training when the Regiment first reached 
 Camp Sevier, the drills, hikes, trench work and other forms 
 of amusement continued through many weary long months. 
 Day after day the men struggled through eight hours of 
 work, slowly but steadily progressing toward a standard 
 that would mark them trained soldiers. Specialist schools 
 were established, in which men and officers were taught 
 the use of machine guns, automatic rifles, grenades, the 
 bayonet and all the other modern weapons used by infantry 
 in France. These schools were supervised by French and 
 British officers who selected the men showing special qualifi- 
 cations as their assistants, these assistants, in turn, acting 
 as instructors throughout the Regiment, thus enabling 
 practically every man to become familiar with the use of 
 one or more of these weapons. 
 
 On January 1st, 1918, Colonel McCully and Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Spratt were temporarily detached from the Regi- 
 ment in order that they might take a course in a school in 
 
8 
 
 Texas that had been established for the purpose of instruct- 
 ing officers of high rank in their important duties. During 
 the absence of Colonel McCully, the Regiment was com- 
 manded by Colonel H. A. Pattison, an officer of the old 
 regular army. Colonel Pat, as he was called, was a soldier 
 who earned the admiration, respect and loyalty of every 
 officer and man of his command. A stern disciplinarian, 
 he was so absolutely just and fair in all matters that there 
 was never any complaint of his actions. So great was his 
 devotion to duty and ability to see the minutest mistakes, 
 that he inculcated in all a supreme confidence in his ability 
 as a leader to be depended upon under all circumstances. 
 Having completed their courses with credit to themselves, 
 both Colonel McCully and Lieutenant-Colonel Spratt re- 
 turned to the Regiment in April, to take up the work of 
 preparing us for the great work ahead. 
 
 By this time the men could no longer be termed recruits, 
 great changes being apparent in the bearing and conduct 
 of the men, who now looked to be, acted, and were trained 
 soldiers. The long, tedious days spent in work had pro- 
 duced the desired result, although this was never admitted 
 by those high in authority as it seems to be a fundamental 
 principle of all things military to criticize any and every- 
 thing. In the humble opinion of the author, a little less 
 work and a little more freedom would have accomplished 
 the same result in a less time. He realizes that such an 
 opinion is no doubt contrary to that of all military authori- 
 ties, but would like to give one or two reasons for making 
 the above statement. At the end of four months of this con- 
 stant grind, the men grew stale, or, in the slang of a soldier, 
 more than fed up and began to recede instead of continuing 
 to improve. The ultimate object of all this was to inculcate 
 a stem discipline, yet when we were placed in the trenches, 
 a great deal of this discipline was of necessity relaxed. If 
 the Australians had any superiors as fighters, we never 
 came into contact with them, yet the discipline among these 
 famous troops was a joke judging by the system laid down 
 for Americans. The author sincerely believes that a lot of 
 the time spent in this training was an absolute waste of 
 
9 
 
 time insofar as it affected the actual fighting in which we 
 participated. 
 
 The winter of 1917-1918 was perhaps the most severe 
 winter of the past forty years in this section of the country. 
 Snow, rain and mud made it all the harder for the men, 
 who were forced to spend the winter in tents, yet the work 
 never ceased, indoor work being substituted when the 
 weather was so severe as to prohibit the regular schedule. 
 Epidemics attacked us, pneumonia, meningitis, measles and 
 mumps all going through the regiment, the first two dreaded 
 diseases taking their deadly toll. Practically every com- 
 pany lost at least two men from these diseases. On account 
 of the crowded condition of the Base Hospital, some of the 
 patients did not receive the proper attention, but, generally 
 speaking, the work of the medical corps is worthy of com- 
 mendation. 
 
 Toward the latter part of April it became apparent that 
 our stay at Camp Sevier was drawing to a close. An ad- 
 vance detachment of officers and non-commissioned officers, 
 under command of Major Mahon, left camp on April 30th, 
 bound for overseas duty. On May 1st, preparations for 
 breaking camp were begun. All leaves were cancelled, drills 
 suspended, and a quarantine was placed on the Regiment. 
 The friends and families of the men visited the camp in 
 great numbers to bid farewell to their boys. While most of 
 the men seemed to realize what was in store for them in the 
 future, still there was such a vast relief in knowing that 
 the period of training was over that there did not seem to 
 be any spirit of sadness on the part of the men. 
 
 On May 4th the Regiment entrained, bound for Camp 
 Mills, L. I., reaching this camp after a three days’ trip. 
 The Regiment remained there a few days, during which 
 time preparations for the embarkation were completed and 
 the shortage of equipment was filled. On May 10th we 
 ferried over to Hoboken and soon boarded the transports 
 that were there waiting on the Division. The quarters fur- 
 nished the men were exceedingly crowded and could not 
 be termed first class passage, but the knowledge of existing 
 conditions prevented any complaint on the part of the men. 
 
10 
 
 It was while on these transports that the men first came 
 into close contact with the Englishman's delight, “tay,” but 
 this beverage never became very popular with them and 
 could not take the place of coffee. 
 
 On the 11th, the convoy set sail, the start being made 
 with as much secrecy as possible. After a trip of twelve 
 days, endangered by the submarine menace, the convoy 
 reached Liverpool, debarking there on the 24th of May. 
 On the same day the Regiment was sent across England, 
 part of it detraining at Dover and the balance at Folkstone. 
 Crossing the English Channel on May 27th, the Regiment 
 landed at Calais, in a few hours, thus reaching France 
 twenty -three days after breaking camp at Sevier. 
 
1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OBLIQUES YPRES 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Operations in Belgium. 
 
 It was hard for us to realize that at last we were in 
 France and less than one hundred miles from the front line. 
 Realization soon came, however, when we saw the damage 
 that had been inflicted by aerial bombs and heard the hum 
 of numerous planes overhead. The port of Calais was one 
 of, if not the largest base, for the British forces, tons of sup- 
 plies and thousands of troops passing through it daily. 
 Here the regiment remained a few days, checking equip- 
 ment, resting and acquiring enough knowledge of the French 
 language to show the proprietors of the cafes that we were 
 not very ardent prohibitionists. One of the first things 
 that we learned was the French monetary system, but even 
 now we don't believe that- five francs, sixty centimes, was 
 ever equal to a good old American dollar. It is truly re- 
 markable how soon soldiers adapt themselves to new condi- 
 tions and any environment, regardless of strange languages 
 and customs. 
 
 The Regiment left Calais on May 29th, arriving at Chat 
 Cocave, in the Department of Calais, the same day, where 
 it remained until May 31st, when the journey was started 
 that took us a step nearer the scene of activities. After a 
 short trip the Regiment detrained at Audricq, a small town 
 in the Department of Calais, near which the British had 
 established a training area known as the Eperlocques Train- 
 ina Area. On account of the lack of a camp large enough 
 to accommodate the Regiment, the battalions were billeted 
 in little villages, all within a few miles of each other. The 
 First Battalion occupied the billets in the town of Zoufques, 
 the Second, the town of Recques, while Regimental Head- 
 quarters, Headquarters Company, and the Third Battalion 
 billeted in Tournehem. 
 
 It was while occupying this area that the men first ex- 
 perienced a few of the many discomforts of a war-ridden 
 country. Barns for living quarters, rats and the soldier’s 
 pet aversion, the famous cootie, appeared on the scene for 
 
12 
 
 for the first time. This latter pest stuck to the Regiment for 
 many months, during which time it demonstrated its ability 
 as the most rapid multiplier in the animal world. The rats 
 furnished some good sport as targets for everything from 
 a shoe to a rifle, but we did not deem them a necessity. 
 
 Within a few days after reaching thiis area, a regular 
 training schedule was started, most of the training being 
 done by battalions. During this period of training the 
 entire Division was transferred to the 2nd British Army, at 
 that time operating in Belgium in conjunction with the 
 remnant of the Belgian Army. This transfer necessitated a 
 complete change in the system of supplies and transporta- 
 tion, which was brought about by the untiring efforts of 
 Captain Brown, Regimental Supply Officer, and his able 
 assistants. The entire Regiment was furnished British 
 equipment, both ordnance and quartermaster, but retained 
 the American uniforms, packs and an unlimited optimism 
 in the final outcome of the big fuss. As a special dispen- 
 sation, the American troops were allowed to have coffee 
 instead of tea. 
 
 For some time rumors had been floating around to the 
 effect that we were to go to the front to take over a sector 
 from the British. Ever since our arrival in this area, small 
 groups of officers and non-commissioned officers had been 
 visiting the front, where they were given an opportunity 
 to observe trench warfare as practiced bj 7 our Allies. Plans 
 had been mapped out for a forced march to the front in 
 case of an emergency, at which time the Regiment was to 
 occiipj 7 a part of the line south of Cassel. On July 2nd the 
 Regiment began the march that was to last three days, 
 ending only when it was billeted in the forward area, within 
 range of enemy artillery. The three days’ hike into Bel- 
 gium will linger long in the memories of the men who 
 made it, not so much on account of the fact that we were 
 going under shell fire for the first time, but because of the 
 hardships endured. 
 
 At the end of the first day the Regiment pitched camp 
 for the night in an open field near the little town of 
 Rubrouck, after a march of about twelve miles, during which 
 
13 
 
 the men carried extremely heavy packs. On the following 
 morning the march was resumed, halting for the night in 
 the Herzeele area, within a few miles of the Belgian border. 
 On the morning of the fourth of July, the frontier was 
 crossed, this Regiment leading the Division, thus having 
 the honor of being the first American Regiment to enter 
 the little country of wreck and ruin. Passing through the 
 towns of Watou and St. Janister Bienzen, the march to the 
 front was continued. The last several miles of this march 
 was made without a halt, in the formation used by troops 
 on the march under shell fire. While this formation had 
 been often practiced by the Regiment, it was the first time 
 that real shell whistled over the heads of the men. Finally 
 we straggled into Dirty Bucket Camp, where the entire 
 Regiment was billeted, with the exception of the Machine 
 Gun Company, two platoons of Headquarters Company 
 and the Supply Company. 
 
 The Regiment remained in Dirty Bucket Camp for about 
 two weeks, during which time we began to get accustomed 
 to the whine of the shell and the hum of the plane. This 
 camp is situated in the famous Ypres Salient, at that time 
 being about four miles behind the front line, the nearest 
 point of which was directly in front of the city of Ypres, 
 or, rather, what had been the city. On the north the line 
 was held by the Belgians, while on the south the British 
 were holding the line in front of Kemmel Hill, it having 
 been taken by the Hun during the spring drive of 1918, 
 after some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Kemmel, 
 overlooking the surrounding territory for miles, loomed up 
 as a deadly menace, especially to the Salient. 
 
 One of the most striking features connected with our 
 occupation of this Salient was the contrast between the 
 morale and spirits of the veteran soldiers of the British and 
 Belgian Armies and that of the green American troops. 
 The latter were full of an enthusiasm and confidence that 
 puzzled the men who had been in the war for a long time 
 and who were looking forward to a big attack with any- 
 thing but enthusiasm. Ever since the great spring drive of 
 the Germans the British had been expecting another one to 
 
14 
 
 be made on the channel ports, in which event the armies in 
 Belgium would have to bear the brunt of the drive. By the 
 time this Begiment reached the front it was generally be- 
 lieved that the attack would be delivered during July. Per- 
 haps if our men had been veterans and had been through 
 one of these drives they would not have been so full of 
 enthusiasm, but certainly they showed very little concern 
 on account of the rumors. They did not like those that out- 
 lined a retreat in case of a drive, as they stated they had 
 not gone to the front to retreat. So certain were the British 
 that the Boche intended making this drive that Colonel 
 McCully was requested to move his headquarters from Dirty 
 Bucket as the British expected to lay down a counter bar- 
 rage, in which case that particular camp would have been 
 subjected to heavy retaliatory fire. In compliance with this 
 request the famous march from this camp to Oostove Farm 
 was carried out on a dark, gloomy night. 
 
 The Regiment was given a sector of the East Poperinghe 
 Trench System, generally known as the “Blue Line,” to be 
 occupied in case of the attack. Here the different battalions 
 were assigned their respective portions of the sector, the 
 men going into the trenches and remaining there long 
 enough to familiarize themselves with the sector. The 
 Regimental sector, about two thousand yards in length, 
 joined that of the Belgians on the left and the llTth's on 
 the right. This system was strongly fortified by barbed 
 wire, concrete dugouts and had a well defined field of fire, 
 covering the main road from Poperinghe to Elverdinghe. 
 Emplacements were dug for the auxiliary weapons and 
 plans were worked out for the handling of supplies and 
 ammunition. 
 
 Previous to occupying this system, the Regiment had 
 been given a tour of duty in the front line trenches in front 
 of Ypres. The battalions and auxiliary units were sent 
 forward, where they relieved some of the companies of the 
 49th British Division. The battalions took over in rotation, 
 placing two companies in the front line in cooperation with 
 the remaining British units. Each battalion occupied the 
 forward area for eight days. It was so quiet on this sector 
 
15 
 
 that it was hard to realize that some of the bloodiest battles 
 of the war had been fought there in the past. Such names 
 as Hell Fire Corner, Shrapnel Corner and Menin Gate have 
 become famous throughout the world. It was here that the 
 Canadians made their famous stand against the first gas 
 attack. 
 
 On August 16th the entire Regiment was assembled at 
 School Camp, near St. Janister Bienzen, where it was held 
 in support while the 60th Brigade took over the front line 
 on what was known as the Canal Sector, from the 33rd 
 British Division. This sector was dominated by Kemmel 
 Hill, making it more dangerous than the one the Begiment 
 had occupied. During the rest of August the Regiment 
 continued to occupy this camp, devoting most of its time 
 to drills and inspections. For amusement the men played 
 baseball, but frequently the games were interrupted by 
 fragments of shells which fell all around the. diamond, as 
 the enemy shelled our observation balloons overhead. 
 
 On August 8th we were so unfortunate as to temporarily 
 lose Colonel MeCully, our Commanding Officer, who had 
 been with the Regiment for many years. He was succeeded 
 by Colonel Orin R. Wolfe. It is probably unwise to criti- 
 cize the actions of those high in authority, as they are sup- 
 posed to know what is best, but, in the opinion of those who 
 were forced to serve under Colonel Wolfe, somebody blund- 
 ered in sending him to us. He may have been a gallant and 
 able soldier, but if the opinion of the men of his command 
 is worth anything, he was a complete failure as a Com- 
 manding Officer. His treatment of those under him did not 
 tend to inculcate any spirit of loyalty or love among them 
 but did make him feared and disliked throughout the entire 
 Regiment. Having stated that he would accept no excuses 
 for anything, he lived up to that doctrine on all occasions. 
 
 The great Boche drive had failed to materialize, but, on 
 the contrary, fierce fighting was going on further south, 
 thereby relieving the tension under which we had lived 
 ever since arriving in Belgium. Articles published in news- 
 papers since the signing of the armtistice stated that evi- 
 dence had been found showing that the enemy had massed 
 
16 
 
 seventeen divisions behind Kemmel Hill preparatory to 
 launching a big drive on this part of the line but that the 
 counter drives of the Allies had forced him to abandon his 
 plan. So, perhaps, all the work done by this Regiment in 
 Belgium was not in vain, as one of the lessons all soldiers 
 learn from experience is the necessity of preparedness. The 
 British had made elaborate preparations in the Salient, 
 having placed numerous silent batteries all through it. 
 These batetries were so skilfully camouflaged that it was 
 possible to walk within a few feet of them without being 
 able to detect their locations. 
 
 In accordance with the custom, details were sent into the 
 front line on the night of August 29th, to make the neces- 
 sary arrangements for relieving the 119th Infantry on the 
 following night. The Regiment, however, was destined to 
 escape this tour of trench duty, as other plans had been 
 made, of which we were entirely ignorant, in which we were 
 to play a more important part than merely holding a trench 
 system. So, instead of taking over the front line, the Regi- 
 ment remained in reserve while the 60th Brigade delivered 
 its successful attack on Vormezeele on September 1st. Great 
 was the speculation as to cause for the sudden change of 
 plans but there was no evidence of great disappointment on 
 account of the failure to occupy the line. On September 
 6th the Regiment marched to Proven, where it entrained at 
 once. Thus our experience in Belgium ended after a stay 
 of two months, during which time we had learned some- 
 thing of actual conditions on the front and had been bit- 
 terly disillusioned in more ways than one. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Hindexburg Line. 
 
 Having left Belgium, the Regiment detrained, after a 
 trip of several hours, near Valhoun, in the St. Pol Area, 
 north of Amiens. Here the battalions were distributed 
 throughout some small villages, the First billeting in Bours, 
 the Second in Marest and the Third in Pressey. Headquar- 
 ters Company and the Machine Gun Company accompanied 
 Regimental Headquarters to Valhoun. This area was some 
 distance behind the lines, the sector in front of it having- 
 moved eastward at a rapid rate as a result of the drive of 
 the Third and Fourth British Armies. 
 
 A period of training was started immediately, in which 
 various problems of attack and consolidation were prac- 
 ticed. Great stress was placed on the importance of lia- 
 ison between all units. For the first time we saw the famous 
 tanks at work. It was very evident that the Regiment was 
 being specially trained for some important duty as the 
 maneuvers were not the kind that would have helped in 
 stationary trench warfare. This training soon came to an 
 end, however, and on the morning of September 18th a 
 move toward another part of the front was started. Upon 
 reaching this part of it several days later, it soon became 
 apparent that there were some portions of the front that 
 made others seem like rest camps and the men soon realized 
 that they were up against the real thing this time. 
 
 By the night of the 18th the Regiment had pitched camp 
 at Tutencourt, near the ruins of Albert. Here three days 
 were spent in performing the usual duties incident to camp 
 life in France. On the 22nd, the journey was resumed that 
 was to carry us to the front. This part of the trip was 
 made in trucks or lorries, as we had learned to call them 
 from association with the British. Part of the journey car- 
 ried us through the devastated areas of the old Somme bat- 
 tlefield, where utter ruin prevailed. 
 
 It is impossible to conceive of a greater destruction than 
 had been wrought in this area ; practically the only objects 
 
18 
 
 seen were ruined villages, abandoned trenches, shell holes 
 and rusty barbed wire. 
 
 After a long, tiresome ride through this area the Regi- 
 ment debussed near the village of Tincourt, during the early 
 morning of September 23rd. Camp was pitched in a wood 
 where advantage was taken of the shelters that had been 
 built by the enemy and abandoned a few days before in his 
 hasty retreat to the main defenses of the Ilindenburg Line. 
 About six miles in front of Tincourt, the Australians were 
 steadily driving the Hun before them, having advanced at 
 this time to the outpost lines in front of the town of Belli- 
 court. 
 
 Late in the afternoon of the same day the march into the 
 line was started, this Regiment having been assigned the 
 portion of the line in front of Bellicourt. It was found 
 necessary to halt until darkness would conceal the actual 
 entry into the lines, the march being resumed at dark and 
 the actual work of “taking over” starting about eight o'clock. 
 While there was considerable artillery action during this 
 march, the Regiment was very fortunate as it did not suffer 
 many casualties. One thing experience had taught us was 
 that the actual entry into the line usually resulted in a good 
 many castualties as the roads were heavily shelled at all 
 times. 
 
 The sector was between 3,500 and 4,000 yards in length, 
 facing Bellicourt and the St. Quentin Canal and Tunnel. 
 The line was being held by the 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the 
 1st Australian Division. These brigades had suffered such 
 heavy casualties during their occupancy of this sector that 
 it was possible for a single company of this Regiment to 
 relieve an entire battalion of Australians. The relief was 
 made under great difficulties, especially due to the con- 
 tinuous and heavy shell fire of the enemy. During this 
 operation we sustained the first casualties of importance 
 since entering France. Among those killed at this time was 
 Captain Jones of L Company, who was the first officer of 
 the Regiment killed in action. 
 
 The 1st Battalion, under command of Major Mahon, was 
 assigned the left half of the sector, while the 3rd Battalion. 
 
19 
 
 Major Howell commanding, took up its position in the right 
 half. The 2nd Battalion, under command of Captain 
 McFadden, moved up in close support to the other two. On 
 the left of the Regimental sector the line was held by the 
 27th American Division; on the right by a British Division. 
 The success with which the operation of relief was carried 
 out was due to the co-operation and assistance of the Aus- 
 tralians whom we relieved. 
 
 The writer would like to digress here long enough to at- 
 tempt to pay a tribute to the Australians, but their work 
 throughout the entire war is so well known that it would be 
 useless. He would like, however, to mention the warm 
 friendship that existed from the first meeting between these 
 Anzacs and the men of our Regiment. These veterans from 
 a distant continent seemed to take pleasure in affording us 
 every possible assistance, both their officers and men giving 
 us the benefit of their valuable experiences gained during 
 years of constant fighting. While we came into contact 
 with troops from all over the world during our experiences 
 in Europe, there is no doubt that we entertained a warmer 
 feeling of friendship and admiration for the Australians 
 than those of any other nation. Certainly they were more 
 like us than any other troops with the possible exception of 
 the Canadians, with whom we never were brigaded. 
 
 Having completed the relief, Regimental Headquarters 
 was established at Hickson’s Quarry on the 24th. Head- 
 quarters Company having reported here, split up into its 
 various specialties, the Signal Platoon taking charge of the 
 various signal stations while the Stokes Mortar Platoon 
 placed five mortars in the line. The personnel of the One 
 Pound Cannon and Pioneer Platoons suffered such severe 
 losses from a gas attack that it was not possible for them 
 to accomplish any results with the remnants that survived. 
 The Quarry was subjected to intense shell fire, including a 
 continuous use of gas shells that made it an extmerely un- 
 healthy spot. On the night of the 24th, the Machine Gun 
 Company relieved the Australian machine gun units in the 
 line, thus completing the relief, leaving the 118th in sole 
 possession of a front line sector for the first time in the 
 history of the Regiment. 
 
20 
 
 Most of the time between the night of the 23rd and the 
 morning of the 25th was spent in improving the shelter and 
 strengthening the defenses. This work was done under 
 difficulties as the enemy kept up an harrassing fire from both 
 artillery and machine guns. Considering the intensity and 
 severity, of this fire, our losses were not very excessive dur- 
 ing that time. From the effectiveness of the Hun artillery 
 it was evident that this locality was very familiar to his 
 gunners. This constant activity, however, did not seem to 
 have much effect on the morale of the men, who carried 
 out their duties as if this was no new proceeding to them. 
 Carrying parties performed their duties with credit and the 
 rations were received promptly as a general rule. As some 
 of the officers were absent attending schools of instruction, 
 it was necessary to use non-commissioned officers as platoon 
 leaders. As was the case during most of the fighting, these 
 men showed themselves amply qualified to handle any sit- 
 uation. 
 
 On the morning cf the 25th, the enemy became even more 
 active, delivering several attacks of a local nature. An 
 attack on K Company was repulsed through the efficient aid 
 of the Australian artillery supporting the Regiment. It 
 was impossible to determine the nature or magnitude of this 
 attack, but it was generally believed to have been an attempt 
 to push out an outpost line of machine guns. Whatever 
 the object might have been, the result of the attack was a 
 complete failure as K Company held to its ground. During 
 the attack this company lost three men killed and seventeen 
 wounded but had the satisfaction of knowing that the enemy 
 had suffered greater losses besides failing in his attempt. 
 The rest of the day was comparatively quiet, although 
 machine guns could be heard popping off on all sides and 
 the artillery of both sides made things lively. 
 
 On this date the Regiment suffered a severe loss when 
 Major Mahon was severely wounded by shell fragments. 
 As Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion he had served 
 with great honor and distinction. During his long and 
 faithful service in the Regiment he had earned the love 
 and respect of officers and men who had served under him. 
 
21 
 
 It is indeed a pleasure to hear that his wounds have healed 
 to such an extent that he is out of danger. Upon his evacu- 
 ation, command of the Battalion passed to Captain Ligon 
 of B Company, another officer who had served in the Regi- 
 ment for many j r ears and who was afterwards awarded the 
 Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry in action. 
 
 Faced by the so-called impregnable Hindenburg Line, the 
 30th Division was to make an attack upon it and the duty of 
 straightening the line preparatory to the attack fell to the 
 lot of the 118th. It was necessary to make an attack in order 
 to advance the line several hundred j r ards on a frontage of 
 twelve hundred yards. This was a necessary action of im- 
 portance, as the success of the future attack of the Division 
 depended upon the straightening of this part of the line. 
 In order that the reader may get an idea of the strength of 
 the enemy position in front of this sector, the following 
 extracts from authoritative sources may be of interest. 
 
 The official report of the operations of the 30th Division 
 gives the following description of the enemy's position : 
 
 “The position occupied by the enemy in front of the 30th 
 Division was not only one of great strength but possessed 
 many unique features. Begun in 1914 and improved further 
 in more recent periods, it formed one of the strongest po- 
 sitions of the famous Hindenburg System. In addition to 
 the several heavy belts of wire and a very complete trench 
 system, skilful advantage had been taken of the great nat- 
 ural obstacle of the St. Quentin Canal, to make this position 
 as nearly impregnable as was humanly possible. In addi- 
 tion to the canal and tunnel this portion of the line included 
 a system of trenches, generally three interlocked by com- 
 munication and approach trenches placed at frequent in- 
 tervals. Wide belts of strong German wire protected the 
 entire system. Forward belts were frequently in the form 
 of deep triangles 50 to 150 yards in depth. It is believed 
 that there are few positions as well adapted for machine 
 gun defense as the sector just described. 
 
 The report of the 105th Engineers who surveyed this 
 line at a later date contains the following statements: 
 
22 
 
 “Strongly built barbed wire entanglements of the double 
 apron type had been erected in connection with the trench 
 system. This wiring had well withstood the powerful ar- 
 tillery fire directed against it. A total of twenty-seven 
 observation posts are about evenly distributed along this 
 line.” 
 
 In compliance with orders, the 1st and 3rd Battalions 
 delivered the attack on the night of September 26th, sup- 
 ported by the Machine Gun Company. The attack was a 
 frontal one, thus exposing the Battalions to machine gun 
 fire from concealed outposts. After an intense artillery 
 barrage lasting ten minutes the Battalions moved forward 
 for a distance of five hundred yards on a twelve hundred 
 yard front. This operation, the first of its kind ever un- 
 dertaken by the Regiment, terminated in a complete suc- 
 cess. Within less than two hours, the 3rd Battalion reported 
 all objectives taken and the line consolidated. The 1st 
 Battalion, on the left, however, experienced more difficulty 
 on account of an enfilading machine gun fire from the left, 
 D Company in particular suffering heavily. In spite of the 
 strong opposition, this Battalion gained and held its ob- 
 jectives. It is to this attack we refer when we say that the 
 118th Infantry was the first American regiment to make 
 an attack against the Hindenburg Line. The Regiment 
 does not claim the honor of having broken through the 
 main system of defense, but it does claim to have been the 
 first Regiment to deliver a successful attack against the 
 outpost line of the Hindenburg System. 
 
 On the morning of the 27th D Company was ordered to 
 attack in conjunction with the 27th American Division on 
 its left, in order that the entire Corps front might be 
 straightened. After an advance by this company to Mala- 
 bo ff Woods it was necessary to fall back a short distance on 
 account of the failure of the 27th Division to advance. 
 During the day several attacks were made on this Com- 
 pany, all of which were repulsed by the use of grenades and 
 automatic rifles. While leading his platoon in repelling 
 one of these attacks, Lieutenant Frampton was killed, re- 
 ceiving several wounds in his chest from machine gun bul- 
 
28 
 
 lets. B Company was also subjected to several attacks but 
 successfully repulsed them. It was found necessary to re- 
 inforce these companies on account of an exposed flank, 
 Companies E and F being ordered up to perform this duty. 
 The 3rd Battalion on the right had been experiencing hard 
 fighting all during the day but had been able to hold all of 
 its objectives. 
 
 The 00th Brigade relieved this Regiment in the front 
 line during the night of the 27th, completing the relief 
 about 2 a. m., the 28th. As soon as the relief was com- 
 pleted the entire Regiment moved back to Roisel, where 
 the day was spent in reorganization and a checking up of 
 the losses in men and equipment. The continued occupancy 
 for four days and five nights of the front line had naturally 
 occasioned heavy casualties, the 1st Battalion having suf- 
 fered the greatest losses on account of the exposed left flank. 
 The behavior of the men in the face of the veteran troops 
 of the enemy had been all that could have been expected of 
 them. As some writer has said in referring to the Hinden- 
 burg Line: “To the Germans it means security, a sure de- 
 fense, an opportunity to prepare for new offensives.” It 
 is therefore with pride that the 118th Infantry claims the 
 honor of having been the first American Regiment to face 
 the Hun in his position of security and to the fact that this 
 Regiment not only repulsed all attacks delivered against it, 
 but made a substantial advance in the face of machine gun 
 opposition from this so-called impregnable system. 
 
 The activities of the Regiment, however, did not cease 
 with the relief as the Regiment was placed in Divisional 
 reserve, which meant that it was to be held in readiness 
 for any emergency that might arise. On the morning of 
 the 29th, when the 30th and 27th Divisions of the American 
 Army and units of the British Army delivered the never 
 to be forgotten attack on the main system of the Hinden- 
 burg Line, this Regiment, resting from its labors of the pre- 
 ceding week, was called upon to furnish men as stretcher 
 bearers and to assist in handling prisoners and captured 
 material. 
 
 The result of the attack of the 30th Division on the 29th 
 of September is too well known to be dwelt on at length in 
 
24 
 
 this record. The attack, begun at dawn, did not end until 
 all objectives had been taken and resulted in the capture 
 of a large number of prisoners and material. The feat of 
 the two American Divisions, the 30th and 27th, will ever 
 live as one of the greatest achievements of American troops. 
 The official correspondent of the Australian forces in 
 France, in describing the Americans’ assault, praises the 
 troops in the following words: 
 
 “Some day, when the full story of this battle can be told, 
 the American j^eople will thrill with pride in these mag- 
 nificent troops upon whom a tremendous task fell. They 
 were faced by the most formidable task that could be im- 
 posed upon them, the breaking of two double systems of 
 the greatest defense line the Germans ever constructed. On 
 the left of their attack there was some uncertainty regard- 
 ing the situation and this increased the difficulty of their 
 work; yet these troops, working under the enthusiasm of 
 their high ideal, carried through their assaults, penetrated 
 deeper even than had been intended, and delivered a blow 
 which attracted the greatest part of the enmy’s resistance. 
 Beyond all question, they made it possible to break the de- 
 fensive line in a position of the utmost importance to the 
 Allied cause.” 
 
 On the night of the 29th, the 2nd Battalion was ordered 
 up to reinforce and protect the flank of the 119th Infantry, 
 then occupying the LaCatelet-K auroy Line. The march 
 into the lines was made under great difficulties, heavy rain, 
 darkness and concentrated shell fire making it a fearful 
 task. The guide was unable to lead the Battalion to the 
 correct position, necessitating a long halt in the rain. 
 Finally, matters were straightened out and the Battalion 
 took up a position on the flank of the 119th Infantry, 
 where it remained until the Division was relieved. On 
 the morning of the 30th F Company took part in an offen- 
 sive delivered by the Australians who had “leap frogged" 
 through the Division. This attack was a success. F Com- 
 pany advancing about 800 yards in an easterly direction. 
 The Machine Gun Company, having been ordered forward 
 on the night of the 29th, reported to the Commanding 
 
25 
 
 General of the 60th Brigade, who held this company at 
 Brigade Headquarters in Brigade reserve, there being no 
 need of additional machine gun units in the front line. 
 
 The following extracts from the official report of General 
 Tyson, Commanding General of the 59th Brigade, sum- 
 marizes the part played by the 118th Infantry in the oper- 
 ations against the Hindenburg Line: 
 
 “On Monday night, September 23rd, the 118th Infantry 
 was directed to take over the frontage held by the Aus- 
 tralian Division, which, as stated above, amounted to 3,500 
 to 4,000 yards. This was done, and this Regiment manned 
 the trenches and held the front line from Monday night to 
 the night of the 27th-28th. The 60th Brigade relieved the 
 118th on Friday night, about 3:30 a. m., the 27th and 28th 
 of September, and took charge of the front line. The 118th 
 Infantry was then placed as Divisional reserve. The 118th 
 Infantry had done excellent work in the line during the 
 four days it was holding the line, in which time it had to 
 withstand shell fire and raids from the enemy which it 
 successfully resisted, and had been called upon to take a 
 certain amount of ground in order to straighten out the 
 line, and this had been successfully done, and that, too, 
 after the left flank of the 118th Infantry had been exposed 
 for something like 1,000 yards by reason of the repulse of 
 the 27th Division in its effort to take the ground to the left 
 of the 118th. This Regiment suffered a great many cas- 
 ualties in both officers and men during these four days in 
 which it held the trenches.” 
 
 After describing the attack of the morning of the 29th, 
 the report continues as follows: “The 2nd Battalion of 
 
 the 118th Infantry was directed to reinforce the 119th In- 
 fantry also on the same afternoon and evening, and it went 
 into the line and manned the trenches in the LaCatelet- 
 Nauroy system of trenches during the night of the 29th 
 of September and suffered a number of casualties and aided 
 materially in holding and defending the line from German 
 attack. I think the officers and men of the 59th Brigade 
 deserve the highest degree of credit and commendation 
 for the very important and meritorious part they took in 
 
26 
 
 this great battle and in the preparations leading up to it 
 and subsequently in the holding of the line.” 
 
 The Regiment remained near Hargieourt as Divisional 
 reserve until the morning of October 2nd, the 2nd Battalion 
 having moved back to the Quarry Ravine after its relief in 
 the front line. The men took advantage of the opportunity 
 afforded to examine the famous St. Quentin Tunnel and 
 Canal, captured by the Division on the morning of the 
 29th of September. This tunnel was constructed bj 7 
 Napoleon Bonaparte, having been completed in 1810 after 
 eight years of work. It was during an examination of the 
 tunnel that the discovery was made of what most of us 
 believed to be a melting pot in which the Germans boiled 
 the dead soldiers. This belief was sustained by the fact 
 that a human head was found in one of the pots, as appears 
 from the official report of the survey party of the 105th 
 Engineers, here copied in part. The Intelligence Depart- 
 ment, however, after an examination, reported that a shell 
 had exploded in the room, killing the Germans and throw- 
 ing the head of one in the pot. The report of the Engi- 
 neers contains the following in reference to this establish- 
 ment, whatever its nature : 
 
 “On entering the room, two pairs of what appeared to 
 be ordinary wagon Avheels, set about ten feet- apart, were 
 found. Connecting the axles of the two pairs of wheels 
 were two long poles; swung between the poles was ordinary 
 chicken or rabbit wire. At the farther end of this cradle 
 were several iron pots set flush to the top brick masonry, 
 and the tops about three feet above the floor. There were 
 flues under the pots for fires. There were six dead Ger- 
 mans piled beside the pots and one of the pots contained a 
 German’s head floating in some liquid. The German had 
 short clipped red hair. The next pot was filled with liquid 
 and two cans containing what appeared to be dirty white 
 grease (though not as solid as lard) stood beside the pot. 
 The room was almost in complete darkness, the light en- 
 tering through a small hole in the ceiling of the room. We 
 did not examine the room in detail but we did hold a candle 
 within a few inches of the German’s head in the pot and 
 rumpled his hair with a stick.” 
 
27 
 
 Having performed all of the duties assigned it, the Regi- 
 ment moved back about ten miles to LeMesnil, near Perrone, 
 on October 2nd. The strenuous service gone through with 
 in the preceding ten days necessitated a rest and a reorgan- 
 ization. During the tour of duty in the front line the cas- 
 ualties had been severe, the strain terrific, and there was 
 no doubt in the minds of all of us that we had earned a 
 good, long rest. Whatever hopes we may have entertained 
 were short-lived, however, as October 5th found us again 
 on the move to the front, after being out of the lines three 
 days. 
 
 While every man in the Regiment is justly proud of the 
 record it made in September, it is to the October operations 
 that we can always refer to as the supreme achievements of 
 what we believe to have been the best infantry Regiment 
 in the American Expeditionary Forces. It was during 
 October that the men and officers stood the test of semi-open 
 warfare with an endurance and courage that gave them 
 the right to class the regiment as one of the best fighting 
 units in the American Army. So the author will leave the 
 subject of the operations against the Hindenburg Line to 
 take up what we will call the October fighting. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 October Operations. 
 
 On October 5th, the Regiment moved by lorries from 
 LeMesnil to Templeaux, a distance of about thirty miles, 
 allowing for the round about way in which the trip was 
 made. Halting here, dinner was eaten, and after a short 
 rest the march was started, the first halt being made after 
 several miles had been covered. Having halted to wait for 
 darkness, advantage was taken of the shelter afforded by 
 the trenches southwest of Nauroy. As soon as darkness set 
 in, the march was resumed, the entire Regiment taking 
 up a column of file along the road. Since the relief of the 
 bOth Division, five daj^s before, the Australians had made 
 an advance of several miles, driving the enemy with such 
 rapidity that they had not been able to remove the dead. 
 On this march the road was congested by artillery and 
 supplies moving up. The road was subjected to very effec- 
 tive artillery fire and bombing from overhead planes, re- 
 sulting in numerous casualties to the Regiment; Head- 
 quarters Company in particular suffering to such an extent 
 that not a single platoon entered the lines with over half 
 of the original strength. 
 
 Arriving at Australian Brigade Headquarters, the def- 
 ferent battalions separated and were guided into the lines. 
 Regimental Headquarters was established in a deep dugout 
 near the town of Joncourt. Relieving the 21st and 22nd 
 Infantry Battalions and the 2nd Pioneer Battalion of the 
 6th Brigade, Australian Division, this Regiment again 
 found itself in sole possession of a front line sector. The 
 line at this time formed a sharp salient around the out- 
 skirts of the town of Montbrehain. So deep was this 
 salient that the Hun fired on us from east, south and north, 
 thus making it one of the most unhealthy positions imagin- 
 able. In addition to the shell fire, there existed the strong 
 probability of a counter attack from any or all three direc- 
 tions. Sharp fighting had been in progress all the after- 
 noon of the oth. On account of the failure of a British 
 
•29 
 
 Division on the right to advance, it was necessary to form 
 a defensive flank, increasing the normal frontage to a total 
 frontage of over 6,000 yards. 
 
 Upon the arrival in the line it was learned that the ad- 
 vance party, which had left Le Mesnil on the morning of 
 the oth, had met with misfortune before reaching the line. 
 A shell exploded directly under the lorry carrying the 
 party, fatally wounding Lieutenant Earl of M Company 
 and wounding Major Howell. Lieutenants Ruhl, Anderson, 
 Howard and D. T. Smith. Lieutenant G. F. Read, another 
 member of the advance party, had reached the lines, but 
 had been killed in the afternoon while reconnoitering the 
 line. Upon the evacuation of Major Howell, command of 
 the 3rd Battalion passed to Captain Gillespie of I Com- 
 pany, who was later promoted for his gallant and efficient 
 service in action. It is a fact worth mentioning that none 
 of the Battalions were commanded by majors during the 
 October fighting, Captains Ligon, McFadden and Gillespie 
 commanding the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions, respectively. 
 
 During the remainder of the night of the oth and the 
 6th, the line remained stationary, the men spending a great 
 deal of the time in strengthening the defenses. As the line 
 had been established as late as the 5th. by the Australians, 
 it could not be called a well defined trench system. Lieu- 
 tenant R. E. Farmer of K Company was killed in the front 
 line on the 6th. The enemy fired a great many gas shells 
 during this time, inflicting numerous casualties. First aid 
 posts were established in Swiss Cottage near Regimental 
 Headquarters. On the night of October 6th, this Regiment 
 was occupying a part of the sector, about 1,000 yards in ad- 
 vance of that held by the 117th on the left and considerably 
 in advance of that held by the Buffs of the British Army 
 on the right. This, of course, made the position one of 
 extreme danger in that the sector was not only exposed to 
 fire from three directions but was confronted with the prob- 
 ability of a counter attack. 
 
 In co-operation with the 117th Infantry, this Regiment 
 attacked on the morning of the 7th for the purpose of 
 straightening and shortening the line. The attack was 
 
30 
 
 preceded by a creeping barrage from the artillery and re- 
 sulted in an advance of 1,100 yards on a seven hundred yard 
 front. At the completion of this attack, the line held by 
 the 118th joined that of the tilth’s on the left. Two com- 
 panies of the 2nd Battalion were ordered to go to the assist- 
 ance of the 117th, the report stating that the enemy had 
 counter attacked on the 117th. Companies G and H were 
 sent out to render the necessary assistance, hut learned that 
 the report was untrue and returned to their respective posi- 
 tions in the line. During this movement, however, Com- 
 pany H was caught in a heavy shell fire, suffering severe 
 casualties, including eight killed. On the night of the 7th, 
 the British took over a part of the line on the extreme right 
 that was being held by L Company. 
 
 In accordance with instructions from the 2nd Corps, a 
 formal attack by the Division was ordered for the morning 
 of the 8th. At a conference of most of the officers held in 
 Regimental Headquarters, plans were worked out and each 
 unit was assigned its duties for the next morning. The 
 Regiment was again handicapped by the absence of several 
 officers who had been sent to attend another school, having 
 left the Regiment on the 3rd or 4th. Just before daylight 
 on the morning of the 8th, the Machine Gun Company and 
 the Stokes Mortar Platoon of Headquarters Company were 
 ordered to split up and report to Battalion Headquarters of 
 the 2nd and 3rd Battalions. 
 
 At ten minutes past five, just as dawn was breaking, the 
 artillery laid down a heavy barrage and the men started 
 over the top, following the tanks, that had come up just in 
 time to take their places in the line. It was an ideal day 
 for fighting, neither too hot nor too cold, and as the mist 
 soon cleared the men were able to keep in contact with each 
 other. The left battalion, the 2nd, made steady progress 
 towards its objective, which was some distance northeast 
 of the town of Brancourt. The 3rd Battalion on the right, 
 however, met with fierce opposition from the very begin- 
 ning. Having reached the outskirts of Brancourt, this op- 
 position increased, but with the assistance of C Company 
 and the Machine Gun Company, the Battalion succeeded 
 
31 
 
 in driving the enemy out of the village and passed through 
 it. This was done after numerous machine gun nests in the 
 town had been taken by bold assaults and after considerable 
 fighting from house to house. One company of the First 
 Battalion was used to mop up the town. The First Bat- 
 talion having followed the other two in close support, 
 passed through them after they had gained their objectives 
 and advanced to what was called the contingent objective, 
 where it dug in for the time being. This objective was at 
 a distance of at least 5,000 yards from the starting point. 
 It was less than six hours before that the first shells were 
 fired in the barrage, yet in that time the infantry had ad- 
 vanced about three miles. 
 
 During the attack the enemy had been using artillery and 
 machine guns with telling effect. The artillery supporting 
 us had followed the advance with great rapidity, but, on 
 account of faulty liaison, it was not always possible to 
 use the guns as the exact position of the infantry was not 
 known. By noon all objectives had been gained and the 
 Regiment dug in for the rest of the day. The new line held 
 by it was about two thousand yards east of Brancourt. So 
 rapid was the advance that the enemy did not have time 
 to remove all of his light artillery, resulting in the capture 
 by this Regiment of quite a few batteries as well as numerous 
 machine guns. During the operation the Regiment recap- 
 tured six square miles of territory that had been in the pos- 
 session of the enemy for over four years. 
 
 During the afternoon the British used cavalry in an at- 
 tempt to break through the line held by the enemy. No 
 more spectacular sight can be imagined than a cavalry 
 charge in the face of machine gun and artillery fire. Both 
 on our left and right, we could see troops rush out of some 
 wood and sweep up the side of a hill, in a perfect line. 
 
 Time and again these charges would be made, but if the 
 main purpose was to break through the line, then the opera- 
 tions could not be termed a success. On the right frequent 
 charges were made on a nest of machine guns in a patch of 
 woods. In this operation the cavalry was successful, as 
 the enemy was driven from the woods. Several direct hits 
 
32 
 
 were registered on this latter troop by enemy artillery, but 
 this did not stop the attack. Later in the day the enemy 
 returned to the woods, making it necessary for the infantry 
 to take it again. 
 
 During the fighting of the morning the Regiment had 
 suffered very severe casualties. Company I had met with 
 fierce resistance from the very beginning of the attack, suf- 
 fering many casualties, losing, among others, Lieutenant 
 W. A. Mulloy, who was killed early in the morning. Lieu- 
 tenant T. H. Smith was also killed while acting as Regi- 
 mental liaison officer, and later in the day Lieutenant W. A. 
 Hudgens, Adjutant of the 3rd Battalion, and Lieutenant 
 W. C. Stevenson of A Company were killed. In addition 
 to those killed, several officers were wounded severely. A 
 battalion of the 120th Infantry that had been sent forward 
 to reinforce the 118th was caught in a barrage on the edge 
 of Brancourt and suffered very heavily, one platoon losing 
 practically every man in it. 
 
 The capture of Brancourt resulted in the liberation of the 
 few remaining civilians, who had lived there during the 
 four years of German occupation. It is impossible to de- 
 scribe the amazement and joy of these poor people when 
 they realized that the enemy had been driven from the vil- 
 lage. No more pathetic scene can be imagined than that 
 enacted by them when they crawled out of their cellars to 
 find that the Hun rule was a thing of the past. It was here 
 that we first saw evidence of the barbarous treatment by 
 the Hun of those who had been forced to live under the 
 iron rule. 
 
 In summing up the operation of the first day it can be 
 said that it was a glorious victory for this Regiment in 
 every sense of the word. The idea that the American sol- 
 dier did not have a superior in open warfare had been 
 proved. The line had been advanced to the contingent 
 objective, a distance of over five thousand yards, 766 pris- 
 oners captured, including 16 officers, a village taken and a 
 vast amount of material captured. It has not been possible 
 to obtain an accurate account of the amount of material cap- 
 tured, as the advance was so rapid that no check was possi- 
 
33 
 
 ble at the time. The dreaded price had been paid in the 
 severe losses sustained, but the great ultimate object, suc- 
 cess in battle, had been attained. In speaking of this suc- 
 cess, due credit should be given to the British artillery 
 supporting the Regiment, as well as the tanks manned by 
 Americans that assisted in the operation. 
 
 Late during the night of the 8th, orders were received 
 for another attack on the morning of the 9th. These orders 
 were so late in reaching the respective battalion commanders 
 that very little time was given in which to work out the 
 details with the company officers. In commenting upon this 
 the report of General Lewis, Division Commander, con- 
 tains the following sentence: “That the 59th Brigade 
 
 attacked the next morning at the proper time and in the 
 proper formation reflects great credit upon all commanding 
 officers concerned.” The night of the 8th passed without 
 any attempt on the part of the enemy to counter attack. 
 His planes were very active, dropping a great many bombs 
 in the towns of Montbreliain and Brancourt and on the 
 road between these towns. 
 
 At 5 :20, the morning of the 9th, the Regiment again 
 jumped off. supported by an artillery barrage that was not 
 as effective or strong as the one of the preceding morning. 
 The plan of attack placed the 1st Battalion in front, the 
 2nd in support and the 3rd in reserve. The 1st Battalion 
 reached its objectives early after having overcome severe 
 resistance, especially from machine gun nests concealed in 
 thick woods, which were taken by a bold frontal attack. 
 Having halted upon its objective, the 1st Battalion rested 
 here while the 2nd passed through it and advanced to its 
 objective, about a thousand yards in advance. This position 
 was the Regimental objective for the day, the 120th passing 
 through at this position and moving forward to its objective 
 on the eastern outskirts of the town of Becquigny, a dis- 
 tance of about 2,000 yards from the line held by the 118th 
 Infantry. 
 
 During this advance the resistance of the enemy was not 
 as strong as that of the previous morning. Apparently, he 
 was fighting a rear guard action, using numerous machine 
 
34 
 
 guns as his main weapon of defense. The English, on the 
 right, had not advanced as rapidly as this Regiment, thereby 
 leaving an exposed flank to be protected. The large town 
 of Bohain, on the right, was still in possession of the enemy, 
 so it became necessary to throw out a protective line to pre- 
 vent an attack from that direction. This duty was per- 
 formed by the 2nd Battalion, supported by the Machine 
 Gun Company, the latter company having been rushed to 
 the support of G Company. Having been the first com- 
 pany to reach the main road running from Bohain to 
 Busigny, G Company had experienced the novel sensation 
 of picking off a few Boche who were endeavoring to escape 
 on bicycles. The 2nd Battalion captured 300 bicycles dur- 
 ing the day. 
 
 Ail along the line the advance had been rapid and steady. 
 Opposition was encountered from machine guns concealed 
 in woods, and snipers had been active, but in every instance 
 this opposition had been overcome by the men, who refused 
 to let anything hold them up. An examination of some of 
 these machine gun nests proved to be interesting, as they 
 showed what masters of this weapon the Germans had be- 
 come. Having consolidated the line, the men dug in for the 
 night on the objective. About 200 prisoners had been cap- 
 tured and over five square miles of territory retaken. As 
 the 60th Brigade had passed through the 59th Brigade, 
 during the day, this Regiment, as well as the 117th, reverted 
 to Divisional reserve. The afternoon passed in comparative 
 quietness, which was a great blessing for the men. as they 
 were worn out by the strain of the two days’ fighting. 
 Some difficulty had been experienced in getting up the 
 rations to the various companies, but this was soon reme- 
 died. As on the preceding day, the advance had proved 
 a success in every sense of the word. The casualties had 
 not been as severe nor the fighting as intense, but the strain 
 had been just as severe on the men. The advance had car- 
 ried the Regiment forward for a distance of 4.100 yards, 
 making a total advance for the two days of over nine thou- 
 sand yards. 
 
 On the night of the 9th orders were received stating that 
 the Regiment would march to the point of assembly and 
 
35 
 
 rest. If these orders meant that we were to rest, then some- 
 bod.y changed their mind, as the 10th found us still ad- 
 vancing. Orders were received making the 118th Divisional 
 reserve, with instructions to follow" the 120th Infantry sup- 
 port battalion at 1,000 yards. These orders did not reach 
 Regimental Headquarters until late and as they had to be 
 communicated to the respective battalions, it was conse- 
 quently several hours after daylight before the movement 
 v 7 as w T ell underway. As an instance of the wonderful effi- 
 ciency of the Regiment can be noted the fact that within 
 less than one hour after receiving the orders the men were 
 on the march. The order of this march was 3rd Battalion 
 in the lead, 2nd Battalion in support and the 1st following. 
 
 During this advance the 1st Battalion w-as caught in a 
 barrage while marching up a hill on the southern outskirts 
 of the town of Becquigny, suffering severe casualties. This 
 hill must have been under direct observation by the enemy, 
 as a regular barrage was laid down just as soon as the Bat- 
 talion started up it. At this time the location of the front 
 line was not definitely known by the Battalion commanders. 
 The advance of the 120th Infantry had been brought to a 
 stop before that regiment w T as able to reach its objective. 
 On account of the severity of the fire directed against it, 
 that Regiment found that it could not advance and was com- 
 pelled to dig in for protection. In the meanwhile, the 3rd 
 Battalion had established Headquarters in the northern 
 part of the same village and the men had dug in along the 
 railroad embankment for the night. 
 
 The British, on the right of the 120th Infantry, had not 
 been able to advance either. This left a gap between that 
 had to be protected, so the 118th v'as again called upon to 
 perform this duty. The 1st Battalion and one company 
 of the 3rd Battalion took up their positions on the right of 
 the 120th, establishing a series of connecting posts. The 
 remaining three companies of the 3rd Battalion and the 
 2nd Battalion remained in support. The Machine Gun 
 Company split up, two platoons having gone forward with 
 the 1st Battalion, while the other platoon operated with 
 the 2nd Battalion. The rest of the night passed in com- 
 
36 
 
 parative quietness. The spoils of war captured by this Reg- 
 iment on the 10th did not amount to anything worthy of 
 record. Until five companies were sent into the line to con- 
 nect the British and the 120th, the main duty of the Regi- 
 ment had been to follow the advance at a distance of 1,000 
 yards. The night of the 3rd marked the end of three days’ 
 continuous advancement on the part of this Regiment, but, 
 even then, there was no evidence of a relief for it. 
 
 Orders were received during the night of the 10th. plac- 
 ing the 118th under orders of the Commanding General 
 of the 60th Brigade, The 120th Infantry had suffered such 
 severe losses during the two preceding days that it was 
 deemed inadvisable to send it forward again the next morn- 
 ing. So the 118th was ordered forward to take its place in 
 the attack to be delivered the next morning. The orders 
 were late in reaching the Regiment. 
 
 At 5:30 a. m., October 11th, the 60th Brigade attacked, 
 with the 118th on the right and the 119th on the left. A 
 very limited barrage supported the attack. The advance 
 of the previous three days had been so rapid that it had not 
 been possible for the artillery to follow it closely. Horses 
 had dropped dead endeavoring to keep up, and the supply 
 of ammunition had run low. As the line of the 118th was 
 behind that of the 119th, the two regiments did not start 
 the attack simultaneously, the latter regiment being ordered 
 to wait until the advance of the 118th had brought it up 
 on the same line. Some of the units did not get away 
 promptly at zero hour on account of the orders having 
 reached them at such a late hour. The barrage was put 
 down on a line in advance of the 118th, holding up after 
 twenty minutes in order to allow the infantry to catch up. 
 
 With the LaSelle River and the high ground beyond it as 
 the objectives, the Regiment attacked, the 1st Battalion 
 in the center, with the 2nd on the left and the 3rd on the 
 right. The 1st Battalion of the 120th Infantry acted as 
 Regimental reserve. On the left of the Regimental sector 
 the advance was steady. The village of LaHaie Menneresse 
 was taken after an engagement in the town. On the ex- 
 treme left the advance carried the line to the LaSelle River. 
 
37 
 
 the frontage along this river amounting to 1,000 yards. The 
 center and right of the Regiment met with very severe 
 opposition from the beginning. Yaux Andigny was taken 
 after hard fighting and on the extreme right a nest of ma- 
 chine guns was taken by a bold assault. The same uncon- 
 querable spirit of the past three days carried the men 
 through Vaux Andigny, but fire from machine gun and 
 artillery took an awful toll. Having passed through the 
 village, it was found that a further advance was impossible. 
 The center and right of the Regiment here met with a re- 
 sistance stronger than had ever been encountered before. 
 The enemy had taken advantage of the preceding day to 
 make his preparations for a stand on the high ground. 
 Faced by the river and the high ground, upon which the 
 enemy had a well defined trench system alive with machine 
 guns, it would have been nothing, short of suicide to try 
 to advance without artillery support. The location of the 
 terrain favored the enemy, as he was well secured on the 
 side of a hill, while this Regiment would have been com- 
 pelled to advance in the open against numerous machine 
 guns. So the line was established short of the original ob- 
 jective for the first time in the fighting. 
 
 It was a case of the rifle against machine guns, light 
 artillery and trench mortars. The auxiliary arms of the 
 Regiment could not render any support worth mentioning. 
 Call after call was sent back for artillery action, but none 
 was forthcoming. All day long the men remained in their 
 positions, attempting to discover from where the fire was 
 coming. The 115th Machine Gun Battalion was ordered 
 forward to reinforce the 118th Infantry, sending two com- 
 panies to the 2nd Battalion and two to the 1st Battalion. 
 These companies did not arrive until late in the afternoon 
 and as six of their guns had been knocked out before reach- 
 ing the line, were not able to render very much assistance. 
 
 Orders were received from General Faison, Commanding 
 60th Brigade, stating that no companies would cross the 
 river until directed to do so by him. It was easy to see 
 that neither the British on the right or the 3rd Battalion 
 of this Regiment could possibly reach the river in the face 
 
38 
 
 of the opposition from the high ground. Order's were then 
 issued to keep the line on this side of the river until artil- 
 lery support could be brought up. Had the Regiment been 
 able to secure this supjrort or tanks the advance would have 
 probably gone forward until the objective was reached. 
 
 An incident happened here that the author deems worth)' 
 of mention. The Regiment had suffered such severe losses 
 that it could not afford to spare a single man, yet orders 
 were received during the hottest part of the fighting, order- 
 ing each battalion to send back a number of non-commis- 
 sioned officers to attend an officers’ training camp. These 
 men were sent to a school where they were taught by in- 
 structors, most of whom had never commanded troops in 
 the front line, how to do squads right and to salute. As a 
 fitting reward for their service and the work they did in 
 this school, they were returned to the Regiment after the 
 armistice, with the same rank held when they left it. 
 
 On the night of the 11th arrangements were made for 
 the relief of the Regiment, the relief being completed before 
 daylight the morning of the 12th. The relief was made 
 by the 107th Regiment of the 27th Division. Just previous 
 to this relief Lieutenant Henry J. Brown of I Company was 
 killed, making a total of ten officers killed since Septem- 
 ber 25th. 
 
 Having marched out of the lines, the Regiment camped 
 in an area about 2,000 yards west of the Bohain-Busigny 
 Road. All day, the 12th, the men stretched out on the 
 ground, trying to .relax their tired bodies and to make up 
 some of the sleep that had been lost during the fighting. 
 The 13th was sjDent in the same position, but on the 14th 
 the Regiment moved into Bohain, a large town that had 
 been captured by the British in the recent fighting, after 
 a patrol from the 118th had entered the town and found 
 that the enemy had evacuated it. The move into Bohain 
 proved to be unfortunate, as the town was being heavily 
 shelled, while our entrance seemed to bring additional fire. 
 Captain Pyles, Regimental Adjutant, and Lieutenant M. TV. 
 Jones of Headquarters Company were both killed by shell 
 fire in this town, while Captain R. TV. Hudgens was seriously 
 
39 
 
 injured, receiving nineteen wounds. As the intensity of 
 the shell fire increased, the Regiment was assembled and 
 marched back to the same position it had occupied since 
 the morning of the 12th. Here the Regiment remained 
 until the night of the loth, when it again went into the line, 
 relieving the 107th Infantry on part of the line held by that 
 Regiment. A report from the different battalions on the 
 morning of the 14th showed the total strength to be between 
 fourteen and fifteen hundred men, or less than fifty per 
 cent, of full strength. 
 
 Having taken over a part of the line in the same position 
 that it had been when the Regiment turned it over to the 
 107th Infantry, preparations were made for still another 
 attack. Having failed to receive proper artillery support, 
 the 107th had not attempted to advance the line during the 
 four days previous. The sector taken over by the 118t.h 
 extended from a point northeast of Vaux Andigny to a 
 point northeast of Le Haie Menneresse, a distance of about 
 fifteen hundred yards. On the right, the line was held by 
 the 117th Infantry, and on the left, by the 105th Infantry. 
 The 3rd Battalion composed the attacking force, followed 
 at 800 yards by the 2nd Battalion in close support, with two 
 companies of the 1st Battalion in reserve. The remaining 
 two companies of the 1st Battalion were used as Brigade 
 support. As an objective the Regiment was called upon to 
 take the high ground east of L’Arbe DeGuise and Ribeau- 
 ville. 
 
 The attack was delivered at 5 :20 a. m., in a dense fog 
 that caused some confusion in the beginning, as it was im- 
 possible for all units to keep the correct direction. Part of 
 the 3rd Battalion moved too far to the right and entered 
 the village of Molain, taking this town and turning it over 
 to the 117th. Proper direction was soon recovered and as 
 the fog cleared the line moved forward. The LaSelle River 
 was crossed in numerous places, generally without much 
 difficulty, as there was very little water in the stream. The 
 usual strong opposition had been encountered from the be- 
 ginning but was partly overcome by the barrage and the 
 use of tanks. On account of the density of the fog, how- 
 
40 
 
 ever, it was impossible for the infantry to keep in touch 
 with the tanks, and within a short time the men were fight- 
 ing, as they had been for the past several days, on their 
 own. Once again the 118th Infantry was confronted with 
 the task of cleaning out towns and machine gun nests with 
 automatic rifles, grenades and rifles. The Machine Gun 
 Battalions had assisted in the barrage at the beginning of 
 the attack but had been of no further use in the advance, 
 as it was not possible to see any objects upon which machine 
 gun fire could be concentrated. The Regimental Machine 
 Gun Comjoany had suffered such severe losses at the very 
 beginning of the attack that the remnant of this Company 
 was organized as one platoon and held at 2nd Battalion 
 Headquarters. 
 
 Having advanced to within five hundred yards of the 
 final objective for the day, having taken the town of St. 
 Martin Rivere, the attacking line of the Regiment was held 
 up bv machine gun and artillery’ fire of great intensity. It 
 was necessary to fall back a short distance where some pro- 
 tection could be gained by a sunken road south of L'Arbee 
 DeGuise. The enemy was firing his artillery over open 
 sights directly in front, making a further advance impos- 
 sible as the barrage had stopped and there were not enough 
 tanks to destroy the machine gun nests. The 2nd Battalion 
 advanced beyond the village of L'Arbre Guernon but was 
 held up by heavy fire and compelled to fall back 400 yards, 
 where it remained behind a hedge while the 3rd Battalion 
 moved into an advanced position. The fighting had 
 been very severe all day and while the objective had not 
 been reached, the advance had been to a depth of over 4,000 
 yards on a front of 1,000 yards. Whn the nature of the 
 opposition and the terrain are considered, the advance was 
 a wonderful feat on the part of this Regiment. The barrage 
 of the enemy had been unusually heavy, having inflicted 
 severe casualties throughout the Regiment at the beginning 
 of the attack. Neither the 117th. on the right, or the 105th, 
 on the left, had been able to make an advance beyond that 
 made by the 118th, so the line held by these three regiments 
 was consolidated during the night of the 17th, and the men 
 

 
 
 
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41 
 
 dug in for protection and sleep. The companies did not 
 average over one officer and 50 men at this time. During 
 this last phase the 1st Battalion was commanded by Captain 
 Arthur Lee of D Company, who had succeeded Captain 
 Ligon upon his evacuation. 
 
 On the night of the 17th, the 120th Infantry relieved the 
 118th in the front line through the center and outskirts of 
 the village of Abre DeGuise. The 3rd Battalion retired 
 to a position 3,000 yards to the rear, while the 2nd took up 
 its position on the left, covering the left flank of the 120th, 
 at a distance to the rear of about 2,500 yards. The 1st Bat- 
 talion moved to the eastern outskirts of the village of 
 LaHaie Menneresse. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions remained 
 here, but the 1st was ordered to advance in support of the 
 120th Infantry. 
 
 The 60th Brigade attacked on the morning of the 18th 
 and while the line was advanced on the right, it was bent 
 back on the left around the town of Mazinkhien. During 
 this advance the 1st Battalion of the 118th was used to pro- 
 tect the flank of the 120th, following that Regiment at a 
 distance of about 1,000 yards. The attack of the 60th Bri- 
 gade was not a complete success on account of the resistance 
 of the enemy in the towns om Mazinghein, Ecaillon and 
 Ribeaucourt. The attack did not end here, however, and 
 on the morning of the 19th, the 60th Brigade again at- 
 tacked. The 1st Battalion of the 118th still went forward 
 to protect the flank. All resistance was finally overcome 
 and the Brigade was rapidly approaching its objective when 
 orders were received for it to dig in and hold the line prep- 
 aratory to being relieved by the 1st British Division. 
 
 After having been in almost constant action since the 
 night of October 5th, the 118th Infantry was relieved on the 
 night of the 19th of October and started a march out of 
 the lines. On the 20th, the Regiment marched by way of 
 Premont and Braneourt to Montbrehain, where it billeted 
 for the night. The next day the march was continued 
 through the towns of Ramicourt, Joncourt and Xauroy, the 
 Regiment billeting for the night at Bellicourt. On the 
 22nd, the towns of Hargicourt, Templeux and Roisel were 
 
42 
 
 passed and camp was pitched at Hervilly. Here we re- 
 mained during the night, marching to Tincourt on the 
 morning of October 23rd and entraining in that town on 
 the night of the 23rd. After a trip of several hours it ar- 
 rived at Albert and detrained there early on the morning 
 of the 24th. The final and last lap of the march was made 
 on that morning when the Regiment marched to the train- 
 ing area around Bazieux. 
 
 A brief summary of the October operations will give 
 some idea of what the 118th accomplished in the fighting. 
 The operations of the Division were no doubt a part of a 
 general plan in which the British Armies and the 2nd Corps, 
 First American Army, composed of the 30th and 27th 
 Divisions, had been assigned the duty of pushing north- 
 east between St. Quentin and Cambrai in an attempt to 
 break the German line and force the enemy into Belgium. 
 By cutting his main line of communications in this vicinity 
 and by forcing him back out of France, the Armies on this 
 front would be placing the enemy forces in Belgium and 
 north of St. Quentin in a precarious condition. It was for 
 this reason that the operations were deemed so important, 
 and it is the belief of the men of the 118th Infantry that 
 no single regiment contributed any more to the success of 
 the general operations than this Regiment did. The fol- 
 lowing statistics are taken from official records, published 
 either by the Division, the Brigade or the Regiment : 
 
 Having gone over the toj:> on the morning of the 8th of 
 October, after occupying the line for two days and three 
 nights, this Regiment attacked as a front line unit on the 
 mornings of the. 9th, 11th and 17th, and followed in close 
 support or reserve on October 10th, 18th and 19th. During 
 the October operations the 30th Division penetrated to a 
 depth of over 18,000 yards. The 118th Infantry occupied 
 the front line during over 14,000 yards of this advance. The 
 consolidated report of captured war material of the 118th 
 Infantry shows that from October 8th, to October 20th. 
 this Regiment captured 48 heavy machine guns. 166 light 
 machine guns, 25 field guns, 72 trench mortars and 2,850 
 rifles. The Regimental report, showing prisoners captured 
 
43 
 
 during the same time, shows 1,343 men and 76 officers cap- 
 tured. The casualties in the Regiment were very heavy, 
 as evidenced by the following figures, which include the 
 operation of September : Killed, 14 officers, 188 men, which 
 does not include those who died in the hospitals of wounds, 
 and 1,678 other casualties, which includes wounded, gassed 
 and evacuated for other causes. The 59th Brigade report 
 states that the total casualties of the Brigade were 3,496, 
 including 465 killed. This report also shows that the Bri- 
 gade penetrated to a depth of 15,400 yards in October and 
 states that, in considering the above figures it must be under- 
 stood that the entire 118th Infantry was engaged in aiding 
 the 60th Brigade on October lltli and was fighting in the 
 front line the whole of that day, but no advance gained 
 during that day are included in the above figures for the 
 59th Brigade. Some of these statistics are given in more 
 detailed reports following this chapter. 
 
 Many things connected with these operations of the Regi- 
 ment cannot be told in these pages. Only those who went 
 through this terrible ordeal can have a vivid picture of the 
 events that occurred, and, as a general rule, each man was 
 limited in his perspective to what he himself saw and ac- 
 complished. One or two outstanding features were visible 
 to all, and with these the author would like to deal briefly. 
 
 Perhaps the most impressive feature was the splendid 
 work of the non-commissioned officers. The casualties 
 among the officers were so severe that in a great many in- 
 stances their duties devolved on the N. C. O.’s, who showed 
 themselves capable of handling any emergency and of lead- 
 ing men to success time and time again. The records of 
 individual feats of valor show that in a large percentage of 
 these, non-commissioned officers performed in a degree of 
 skill and courage that could not be surpassed. The record 
 of decorations, as well as the numerous recommendations 
 for promotion give some idea of the importance of the work 
 of these young leaders. 
 
 Another feature was the individuality with which the 
 men fought and their ability to cope with unforseen and 
 unexpected conditions. The fighting showed that the in- 
 
44 
 
 fantryman had to bear the great burden of the fighting and 
 that it was not possible to put very much dependence in 
 most of the auxiliary arms attached to the infantry. These 
 units, it is true, were at a great disadvantage in the semi- 
 open warfare, that constituted the hardest fighting, but the 
 fact remains that the front line infantryman had to do 
 most of the work unaided. 
 
 In the great majority of cases, orders were very late in 
 reaching the battalions, thus working a great hardship on 
 the companies, as it was not possible to perfect plans in 
 the short time given. It is very probable, from what the 
 author has been able to gather, that the fault in the trans- 
 mission of these orders lay higher than Brigade Headquar- 
 ters. On more than one occasion, the orders were so late in 
 reaching the company commanders that the attack started 
 before they could have possibly gathered a clear conception 
 of the duties required by the companies. This, together 
 with the failure to furnish sufficient maps, might have re- 
 sulted disastrously had it not been for the ability and initia- 
 tive of the company commanders and their subordinates. 
 
 Before concluding this chapter special mention should 
 be made of some of the auxiliary units of the Begiment. 
 
 The work of the Machine Gun Company is deserving of 
 special mention on account of its operations on the morn- 
 ing of October 8th. in Brancourt, in which it very materially 
 aided the 3rd Battalion in taking the town. All during the 
 fighting this unit was very effective, although its effective- 
 ness was greatly impaired during the last days of the fight- 
 ing on account of the very heavy losses it sustained. 
 
 The Medical Detachment of the Begiment rendered very 
 efficient service from the beginning. Establishing first aid 
 posts in most instances under great difficulties, thousands of 
 cases were handled with rapidity and care, the wounded 
 receiving the best possible attention. Although the Detach- 
 ment lost the services of several of its doctors, who were 
 severely gassed, it continued to operate until the very end 
 and to minister to the suffering wounded. 
 
 The Supply Company handled its duties with unusual 
 efficiency, following the advances of the Begiment from day 
 
45 
 
 to day and keeping the supplies moving forward. This 
 Company has not been overlooked in this record but has 
 been assigned a chapter in which the importance of this 
 branch of the service is shown. 
 
 Perhaps one of the most important branches of service in 
 modern warfare is the signal work. In the 118th this work 
 was done by the Regimental Signal Platoon and a detach- 
 ment from the 105th Signal Battalion. These two units 
 kept up communications between Regimental Headquarters 
 and the various Battalion Headquarters, showing great 
 efficiency in their work. Most of the messages during the 
 fighting, however, in front of the different Battalion Head- 
 quarters had to be done by runners, who deserve all the 
 praise that can be bestowed upon them, as their duties were 
 not only extremely hazardous but very tiring. 
 
 In conclusion, the following extracts from General 
 Tyson’s report are quoted as a tribute to the work of the 
 men of the 118th Infantry: 
 
 “The above record is indeed a glorious one, and every 
 officer and soldier of this command should be justly proud 
 of it to his dying day.” After mentioning the breaking of 
 the Hindenburg Line, he continues: “And not only that, 
 but we will also appreciate more fully the value of the bat- 
 tles won on the following days at Montbrehain, at Bran- 
 court, at Premont. at Busigny, at Molain and at many lesser 
 places, in all of which this Brigade was engaged. While 
 the battle of Bellicourt was a bloody one, the battles above 
 named were more so for this Brigade. A grateful country 
 will not fail to give credit where credit is due, and the fame 
 of this Brigade rests secure. The proudest heritage of the 
 children of the soldiers of this Brigade will be the knowl- 
 edge that their fathers fought in these battles of the greatest 
 war of all times. As your Brigade Commander, I desire to 
 express my great joricle in this Brigade and to say how glad 
 I am that I have had the honor to command it so long and 
 to be a part and parcel of the fine record it has made. I 
 have received nothing but loyalty and co-operation from 
 each and every officer and man from the time I took com- 
 mand of it in November, 1917, down to this good hour, and 
 this I appreciate more than words can express.” 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 After the Armistice. 
 
 Having reached the Heilly Training Area, near Amiens, 
 Regimental Headquarters was established in Bazieux. the 
 2nd Battalion, Headquarters Company and the Machine 
 Gun Company also billeting in that town, while the 1st and 
 3rd Battalions located in Wa-rloy. The first few days were 
 spent in rest that came as a blessed relief to the weary, worn 
 veterans. Within a few days, however, the same old drills 
 and inspections started again preparatory to another trip 
 to the front. The Regiment participated in athletic events, 
 in which the Brigade, Division and Corps took part, the 
 118th winning the Brigade meet from the 117th and the 
 114th Machine Gun Battalion. For the first time in many 
 weeks the men received baths and their clothing was de- 
 loused. During the first week in November replacements 
 began to arrive, most of whom had been given only a short 
 period of training in the United States, but, fortunately 
 for the Regiment, many of the men who had been slightly 
 wounded, returned to it after a short stay in the hospitals. 
 Realizing that within a few days the Division would be 
 ordered up to the front again, the officers worked very hard 
 with the new men in an attempt to get them in shape for 
 fighting. 
 
 On the night of November 10th, news of the armistice 
 reached the men, putting an end to the tension and sus- 
 pense under which everybody had been working for the 
 past two weeks. The news was received more quietly than 
 might have been expected, but that was probably due to 
 the fact that the men had been through so much that 
 they did not care to express themselves by giving away to 
 any emotion. Almost as soon as it was officially stated that 
 the Armistice had been signed, talk of going home began. 
 There was a relaxation on the part of officers and men that 
 was very noticeable, and while the drill and work did not 
 stop, they were done with glad hearts and with a different 
 spirit. Within a few days orders were received to turn in 
 
47 
 
 certain British equipment and preparations were begun for 
 another move of the Division. On November 22nd the Reg- 
 iment moved into the Le Mans area, arriving there after a 
 twenty-four hour trip on troop trains. After having been 
 affiliated with the British for over six months, the Regi- 
 ment had severed its connections with them and was once 
 again a part and parcel of the American Expeditionary 
 Forces in every sense of the word. 
 
 By the night of November 24tli, the entire Regiment had 
 reached the new area, Regimental Headquarters and the 
 auxiliary companies billeting in Montbizot, the 3rd Battalion 
 in LaGuierche, the 2nd in Souligne and the 1st in Mont- 
 bizot and the outskirts. As this was the area assigned to 
 troops who would make an early departure for America, it 
 was generally believed throughout the Regiment that we 
 would soon be on the deep blue sea. Every day some fresh 
 rumor would raise our hopes of an immediate departure, 
 but it began to seem that we had talked too quick. Living 
 under conditions that could certainly not be called ideal, we 
 spent the months of December, January and a part of Feb- 
 ruary in this area. Drills and maneuvers were the order 
 of the day. It is probable that the men of the Regiment 
 will long remember Christmas, 1918, as it probably meant 
 less to them than any previous one or any future one ever 
 will mean. Afternoon drills were discontinued during 
 January, making the days even longer than before, as there 
 were very few forms of amusement in these little villages. 
 
 The time spent in this area was made harder to bear for 
 a great many of the men on account of the failure of the 
 Government to pay them regularly. Perhaps one of the 
 blackest spots in the record of the A. E. F. was the rank 
 failure of the pay system. Having issued pay cards to the 
 men, they were not allowed to use them, in this Regiment, 
 at least. These cards were issued in order that the men 
 whose service records had been misplaced, could receive 
 their pay, regulations forbidding a man’s name to appear 
 on a pay roll unless his service record was within his regi- 
 ment. As lots of these had been misplaced, through no 
 fault of the men, these soldiers, who had risked their all, 
 
48 
 
 sometimes went three and four months without receiving 
 one cent of pay. It was not confined to a few men, but in 
 one company alone there were over forty men who did not 
 receive any pay for three months. As the same delay in 
 payment seemed to have existed in other divisions, it would 
 seem that the fault lay in some one high in authority. The 
 practical result of this delay was to place a great many men 
 in such a position that they could not even purchase a pack- 
 age of cigarettes. 
 
 In spite of the hardships endured and the handicaps 
 under which they lived, the men did not complain very 
 much and got what enjoyment was possible out of life. The 
 living quarters were crowded, without heat and light, while 
 the constant rain was enough to dampen the spirits of a 
 mermaid; yet the men retained their good humor and 
 health. An occasional leave to Le Mans constituted the 
 chief diversion, while band concerts, the Y. M. C. A. tents 
 and poker were the other principal amusements. One day 
 was spent very much like another for two and a half 
 months, during which the greatest topic of conversation 
 was the date of sailing for home. 
 
 During December Colonel Wolfe left the Regiment, 
 Lieutenant-Colonel W. F. L. Hartigan assuming command 
 upon his departure. Colonel Hartigan had been with the 
 Division for several months and had been sent to the 118th 
 to fill the vacancy caused by the return of Colonel Spratt 
 to the United States. Colonel C. H. Healey assumed com- 
 mand, but remained with the Regiment only a short time, 
 having been transferred to some other division. The Regi- 
 ment lost some of its oldest and most efficient officers in 
 January, these gentlemen having requested transfers in 
 order that they might be placed in the regular army. 
 Among those transferred were Major Poe, who had ren- 
 dered faithful service as the head of the Medical Depart- 
 ment, and Major McFadden, Commanding Officer of the 
 2nd Battalion, this officer having received his majority 
 after having handled the battalion throughout practically 
 all of its engagements. Upon the transfer of Colonel 
 Healey, the Regiment was fortunate in having Colonel 
 
49 
 
 McCully, the old Commanding Officer, return to us. It was 
 a pleasure to have him in command when the return to 
 America was made. 
 
 Having made a complete inspection of the Division on 
 January 21st, General Pershing made the following state- 
 ment in a letter to General Lewis, which was published 
 throughout the Regiment : 
 
 ‘‘It gives me great pleasure to extend to you and the offi- 
 cers and men of the 30th Division my sincere compliments 
 upon their appearance at the review and inspection on the 
 21st of January, southwest of Teille, which was excellent 
 and is just what would be expected in a command with such 
 a splendid fighting record. It is gratifying to see your 
 troops in such good physical shape, but still more so to 
 know that this almost ideal condition will continue to the 
 end of their service and beyond, as an exemplification of 
 their high character and soldierly qualities.” 
 
 The officers had the pleasure of listening to an address 
 by General Pershing during the next week, in which he laid 
 emphasis on the part played by this Division during the 
 time it fought with the British. 
 
 After dozens of false rumors, the Regiment finally re- 
 ceived real orders to move to the forwarding camp on the 
 outskirts of Le Mans. On February 7th, after a march of 
 about fifteen miles, the forwarding camp was reached and 
 for the first time in many months the Regiment again occu- 
 pied an American camp, men and officers being quartered 
 in long wooden buildings, in which there were rough beds 
 or bunks. According to all the information that could be 
 gathered, previous units who had occupied these quarters 
 had remained here only a few days and had been sent from 
 here to a port of embarkation, so once again our hopes were 
 raised. Physical examinations, equipment inspections and 
 delousing were indulged in extensively, each inspection 
 giving rise to a new rumor of immediate departure. On 
 February 15th, the clearance certificate was given to the 
 Personnel Adjutant, stating that the paper work of the 
 Regiment was complete and up to date. For some unknown 
 reason, however, the entire Division was detained in the 
 
50 
 
 forwarding camp and this Regiment did not leave until the 
 8th and 9th of March. 
 
 By the morning of the 10th of March the entire Regi- 
 ment had reached the port of Saint Kazaire, a port which 
 in many ways resembled an American city on account of the 
 immense warehouses and the thousands of American troops 
 stationed there. Again the men were put through the 
 delousing process and were given another physical examina- 
 tion before boarding transports. On the 15th of March, 
 a large part of the Regiment boarded the U. S. S. Mercury, 
 and by seven o’clock in the afternoon had passed out of 
 sight of land. On the 16th the remaining units sailed on 
 the U. S'. S. Pocohontas along with part of the 117th In- 
 fantry. 
 
 The return trip was made in twelve days, during which 
 the sea was extremely calm ; the trip being devoid of excite- 
 ment making the time seem longer than it actually was. 
 Landing at Charleston, S. C., on March 27th, the Regiment 
 immediately entrained for Camp Jackson, S. C., where the 
 final work of discharging the men was to be completed. On 
 April 1st, the Regiment paraded in Columbia before a vast 
 crowd that had come from the Carolinas and Tennessee to 
 welcome the 30th Division on its return from the battle- 
 fields of Europe. On the same afternoon the discharging 
 of the men began, and by the end of the week there was 
 nothing but the skeleton of the once famous organization 
 in existence. The men who had been inducted into service 
 m camps other than Camp Sevier and Camp Jackson were 
 returned to these other camps for final discharge. 
 
 The parting of the ways was so hurried and the anxiety 
 of the men to see their loved ones once again was so keen 
 that there was very little sentiment connected with the 
 breaking up of the regiment. It is sincerely hoped that the 
 vast majority of the men will be present at the first annual 
 meeting of the Old Hickory Association in Greenville. S. C., 
 which will be held during the last week in September of 
 this year. One can imagine the pleasure of having all the 
 men who formerly served in the 118th Infantry meet on an 
 equal basis, talk over the days that have passed, and renew 
 friendships that have stood the test of blood and iron. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Supply Company. 
 
 The following account of the work and organization of 
 the Supply Company of the R-egiment has as one of its 
 principal objects a comparison between the different meth- 
 ods of handling supplies in the American and British 
 Armies. It was the belief of the men who worked in this 
 branch of the service that the British method was far 
 superior to the American method in many respects, and it 
 was in the hope that a realization of this be brought to the 
 attention of some one in authority in the Quartermaster 
 Department of our Army that Captain Robert T. Brown, 
 Regimental Supply Officer, has contributed the following 
 account. 
 
 Much would have to be written if an attempt wei’e made 
 to record in detail all the work done by the Supply Com- 
 pany. It can readily be seen that no work done by any part 
 of the Regiment could have been accomplished without 
 direct connection with this Company. 
 
 The Supply Company, commanded bv the Regimental 
 Supply Officer, is directly responsible for the drawing, 
 transporting and issuing of every article of food, clothing 
 and equipment, except medicines, used by the entire Regi- 
 ment. The table of organization of the Supply Company 
 of an infantry Regiment authorized the following per- 
 sonnel : One captain, Regimental Supply Officer, command- 
 ing; one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant and one 
 hundred and sixty-four enlisted men. This number was 
 found to be utterly inadequate and was increased by attach- 
 ment of officers and men from line companies of the Regi- 
 ment, to eight officers and two hundred eighty-six men. 
 This number of officers and men were used on the Ypres 
 front and proved to be ideal, giving efficiency under almost 
 any circumstances. On the Bellicourt front the shortage 
 of officers in the Regiment caused the number of officers 
 with the Supply Company to be reduced to five, and it was 
 with the handicap of this shortage that the Supply Com- 
 pany functioned during this operation. 
 
52 
 
 Upon arrival in France, our Division was attached for 
 duty with the British Army, which necessitated the use of 
 almost complete British equipment and also the British 
 ration. By special arrangement, the Americans were issued 
 coffee and five per cent, more fresh meat per ration than 
 the Tommies. This practically complete adoption of British 
 equipment and supplies, and, as we were to operate with 
 them, made it necessary for us to adopt their system. This 
 would have been a comparatively simple matter had we 
 adopted as a whole their system, which had been estab- 
 lished upon experience gained by them in recent wars and 
 which was proven during four years’ operation in this war 
 to be an absolute success. As usual, this was not done, and 
 all serious troubles met with while operating with the 
 British was caused by the lack of something which was not 
 adopted from them by us. 
 
 In changing over to the British system the Supply Com- 
 pany was at once divided into four separate detachments, 
 one being assigned to each battalion and the fourth, under 
 the Regimental Supply Officer, was detached from the 
 Regiment and placed in charge of an Area Ration Refilling 
 point. The ration supply of the 118th Infantry was looked 
 after by the Supply Officer from this place and the British 
 ration system was soon thoroughly understood and work- 
 ing without a hitch. 
 
 With the other equipment and supplies it was different. 
 The Supply Company detachments were responsible directly 
 for the drawing and proper distribution of these supplies, 
 and they not only did not know or have any one to tell 
 them how to make requisitions for the needs of the bat- 
 talions, but they had no table of allowances by which to 
 issue the equipment which had been issued to them auto- 
 matically. There were no blank forms on hand and the 
 inexperienced detachments would not have known what 
 to do with them had they been available. The credit is 
 due First Lieutenant H. A. Kluge for the keeping of all 
 Regimental supply records which were kept during this 
 time. 
 
53 
 
 The first try out of the new system when on the march 
 showed an alarming shortage of transportation but proved 
 the ration system to be absolutely efficient. This serious 
 shortage of transportation was never corrected but was 
 helped before the next move by the addition of six wagons 
 and by a material reduction in the authorized baggage 
 allowance of the Regiment. The officers’ baggage allow- 
 ance was reduced to a maximum of fifty pounds. Upon 
 arrival in Belgium and on going into the line there it Avas 
 found that the Regiment was short of clothing and equip- 
 ment, and also it Avas found that no records were being 
 kept showing what was on hand, what had been draAvn or 
 just what Avas needed by the Regiment. Property reports 
 were constantly being called for which could not be fur- 
 nished, and it Avas seen that they could not be furnished 
 unless the supply personnel, Avith each separate unit, were 
 again increased and trained in this work. This was not 
 practicable at this time, and, seeing that these difficulties 
 Avere growing in the battalions and separate units, and 
 knowing that he had in the supply sufficient experienced 
 enlisted personnel with which to establish one competent 
 recording office for the entire Regiment, the Regimental 
 Supply Officer requested that this be done. The advantage 
 in relieving the battalions and separate units of this work 
 and of being able to get property reports for the Regiment 
 from one office instead of five Avas at once recognized by 
 Colonel McCully, and this system was adopted by him in 
 the 118th. Within a. short time the advantages of this 
 system became so apparent that it was adopted by the 
 Division. The method of keeping a correct record of re- 
 quests and issues, with dates, Avas devised by Regimental 
 Supply Sergeant J. Furman Arnold, and on account of 
 its simplicity and conA^enience, combined Avith accuracy, it 
 Avas adopted by the Division Inspector. 
 
 The first great difficulty to overcome was the shortage 
 of officers. There was only one officer with each section of 
 the Supply Company, which made it absolutely necessary 
 that enlisted man be called upon to act as assistants to 
 these officers and in so doing assume the duties and respon- 
 
54 
 
 sibilities of officers. These places were filled with a marked 
 degree of efficiency by enlisted men, to whom great credit 
 is due. In the British and Australian units, who operated 
 with us and under the same identical circumstances, the 
 exact relative positions to those filled b}^ these men were 
 filled by commissioned officers. Unfortunately, promotion 
 was denied these men, as it was ruled that no matter how 
 efficient a man proved himself to be. or how well suited he 
 was for a position as a commissioned officer in the Supply 
 Company, he could not be commissioned unless he was able 
 to pass the examination required in line com pany duties. 
 This was out of the question, as the men in the Supply 
 Company do not have an opportunity to learn line com- 
 pany work. 
 
 Too much praise could hardly be given the British sys- 
 tem of transportation and supplies. The tributes made 
 by us while serving with them and especially those made 
 after we came back under the American system are ample 
 indication as to which is the better. The difference between 
 the American and British systems was so noticeable to 
 those who had worked under both that it was commented 
 on by all ranks. The systems of supplying clothes and 
 equipment are similar in both armies insofar as they effect 
 the lower units and individuals, but the ration systems are 
 entirely different. The American Army is still using the 
 old warehouse, ten day issue system, which places troops 
 out of barracks and away from spacious warehouses in a 
 serious predicament. Simply speaking, we found that the 
 American system was unweildy and not adapted to active 
 warfare. The British system has a daily issue basis which 
 gives it a remarkable degree of elasticity with efficiency 
 under all conditions. Their system keeps in operation 
 every day an organized force with transportation which can 
 take care of whatever difficulties which may be expected 
 under most severe conditions. Under this system, for in- 
 stance, divisional warehouses and places of storage are 
 unnecessary, the rations being delivered daily direct from 
 the rail head to the troops, where they are divided and 
 loaded on covered wagons the same day. Their system is 
 
55 
 
 arranged in such a way that the troops always have two 
 days’ rations on hand. In unusual cases where a unit is 
 unable to get their request in on time for the daily consoli- 
 dation, the officer in charge simply duplicates the last 
 former request and makes the necessary additions or deduc- 
 tions on the next day’s request, in case a change in strength 
 made the duplication incorrect. 
 
 The number of rations requested by the rail head supply 
 officer is sent to him the next morning in what is called a 
 pack train. They are at once divided, loaded on motor 
 trucks, and are sent out to the distribution points, where 
 they are again divided and loaded on the regimental or 
 separate units second line transports. They are kept on 
 these wagons overnight and are delivered to the battalions 
 or first line transports the following morning, who deliver 
 them to the company kitchens in the afternoon. The sec- 
 ond line wagons, after delivering rations to the battalions 
 in the morning, return at once to the distribution point 
 and refill with the rations which have come up to the point 
 by lorry. This gives a regiment two full days and the un- 
 consumed portion of the third day’s ration on hand at all 
 times. 
 
 Unde rthis system, in case of a sudden move a telegram 
 will switch the pack train to the new location. Likewise, 
 a message will direct the lorries to a different location of 
 the distribution point, and the same applies on down to the 
 companies. The same will apply in case only a part of a 
 unit moves, as any part of a day's ration for a unit can be 
 switched to a new location and the men shifted, take with 
 them from the old location the two days’ ration which had 
 been delivered there. In case of an advance, the haul made 
 by trains, lorries and wagons are simply lengthened and 
 the men continue to be fed daily regardless of the distance 
 they advance. The same applies in case of a retreat, the 
 enemy never being able to capture more than a day’s rations 
 in a bulk unless he captures the whole country, as the only 
 warehouses are too far back to be surprised. These are 
 only a few of the many advantages of the British system 
 over the American and the only disadvantage noticed was 
 
56 
 
 that the British system requires more men and officers and 
 more transportation to handle it. This disadvantage is 
 more than made up for by the fact that it gives efficiency, 
 and no number of men, however great, at the front are of 
 much value unless they are properly supplied, and the bet- 
 ter they are fed and supplied, the more efficient they are. 
 While operating under the British system, the 118th In- 
 fantry holds the record of not having missed a single day, 
 either in camp, when on the march, or during their big 
 advance, in getting rations up to the units. There was 
 no spectacular work to be done by the Supply Company, 
 but the importance of their work was second to no other 
 branch of the regiment and sharing the dangers and hard- 
 ships of the Regiment, they did their work as a whole with 
 determination and efficiency. 
 
LIEUTENANT JAMES C. DOZIER 
 
 Awarded the Medal of Honor for 
 conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 
 above and beyond the call of duty in 
 action near Montbrehain, Fiance, 
 October 8th, 1918, also the British 
 Military Cross by the British Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 SERGEANT THOMAS L. HALL 
 
 Awarded the Medal of Honor for 
 conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 
 above and beyond the call of duty 
 in action near Montbrehain, France, 
 October 8th, 1918. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Some Statistics. 
 
 The 118th Infantry has the proud record of having had 
 more men receive the Medal of Honor than any regiment 
 in the American Expenditionary Forces. The following 
 accounts are the official citations of the War Department 
 covering the six awards. In every instance these men were 
 residents of the State of South Carolina, the State that 
 gave origin to this famous Regiment. The citations follow : 
 
 “James C. Dozier, first lieutenant, Company G, 118th 
 Infantry. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above 
 and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy near 
 Montbrehain, France, Oct. 8th, 1918. In command of two 
 platoons, Lieutenant Dozier was painfully wounded in the 
 shoulder early in the attack but continued to lead his men, 
 displaying the highest bravery and skill. When his com- 
 mand was held up by heavy machine-gun fire he disposed 
 his men in the best cover available and with a soldier con- 
 tinued forward to attack a machine-gun nest. Creeping up 
 to the position in the face of intense fire, he killed the en- 
 tire crew with hand grenades and his pistol and a little 
 later captured a number of Germans, who had taken refuge 
 in a dugout nearby.” Home address. Rock Hill, S. C. 
 
 In addition to receiving the Medal of Honor. Lieutenant 
 Dozier was awarded the British Military Cross by the 
 British Government. 
 
 “Thomas Lee Hall (Deceased) sergeant, Company G, 
 118th Infantry. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 
 above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy 
 near Montbrehain, France, October 8th, 1918. Having 
 overcome two machine-gunt nests under his skilful leader- 
 ship. Sergt. Hall's platoon was stopped 800 yards from its 
 final objective by machine gun fire of particular intensity. 
 Ordering his men to take cover in a sunken road, he ad- 
 vanced alone on the enemy machine-gun post and killed 
 five members of the crew with his bayonet and thereby 
 made possible the further advance of the line. While at- 
 tacking another machine gun nest later in the day this 
 gallant soldier was mortallv wounded.” Home address. 
 Fort Mill, S. C. 
 
58 
 
 “Gary Evans Foster, sergeant Company F, 118th In- 
 fantry. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepedity above 
 and beyond the call of duty with the enemy near Mont- 
 brehain, France, October 8th, 1918. When his company 
 was held up by violent machine-gun fire from a sunken 
 road, Sergt. Foster, with an officer, went forward to attack 
 the hostile machine-gun nests. The officer was wounded but 
 Sergeant Foster continued on alone in the face of heavy 
 fire and by effective use of hand grenades and his pistol 
 killed several of the enemy and captured eighteen.” Home 
 address, Inman, S. C. 
 
 “Richmond H. Hilton, sergeant Company M, 118th In- 
 fantry. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above 
 and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy at 
 Brancourt, France, October 11th, 1918. While Sergt. Hil- 
 ton’s company was advancing through the village of Bran- 
 court it was held up by intense enfilading fire from a ma- 
 chine gun. Discovering that this fire came from a machine 
 gun nest among shell holes at the edge of the town. Sergt. 
 Hilton, accompanied by a few other soldiers, but well in 
 advance of them, pressed on toward this position, firing 
 with his rifle until his ammunition was exhausted, and 
 then with his pistol killing six of the enemy and capturing 
 ten. In the course of this daring exploit he received a 
 wound from a bursting shell which resulted in the loss of 
 his arm.” Home address, Westville, S. C. 
 
 Sergeant Hilton was also awarded the Distinguished 
 Conduct Medal by the British Government. 
 
 “John C. Villepigue, corporal, Company M. 118th In- 
 fantry. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above 
 and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy at 
 Vaux Andigny, France, October loth, 1918. Having been 
 sent out with two other soldiers to scout through the village 
 of Vaux Andigny, he met with strong resistance from 
 enemy machine gun fire, which killed one of his men and 
 wounded the other. Continuing his advance without aid 
 500 yards in advance of his platoon and in the face of 
 machine gun and artillery fire, he encountered four of the 
 enemy in a dugout, whom he attacked and killed with a 
 band grenade. Crawling forward to a point 150 yards in 
 advance of his first encounter, he rushed a machine gun 
 nest, killing four and capturing six of the enemy and tak- 
 ing two light machine guns. After being joined by his 
 platoon he was severely wounded in the arm.” Home ad- 
 dress, Camden, S. C. 
 
SERGEANT GARY E. FOSTER 
 
 Awarded the Medal of Honor for 
 conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 
 above and beyond the call of duty 
 in action near Montbrehain, France, 
 October 8th, 1918. 
 
 SERGEANT RICHMOND H. HILTON 
 
 Awarded the Medal of Honor for 
 conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 
 above and beyond the call of duty 
 in action near Brancourt, France, 
 October 11th, 191S. Also the Dis- 
 tinguished Conduct Medal by the 
 British Government. 
 
a CORPORAL JOHN C. VILLEPIGUE 
 
 Awarded the Medal of Honor for 
 conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 
 above and beyond the call of duty 
 in action at Yaux Andigny, France, 
 October 15th, 191S. Also the British 
 Distinguished Conduct Medal by the 
 British Government 
 
 CORPORAL JAMES D. HERTOT 
 
 Awarded the Medal of Honor for 
 conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 
 above and beyond the call of duty 
 in action at Yaux Andignv, France, 
 October 11th, 1918. 
 
59 
 
 Corporal Villepigue also received the British Distin- 
 guished Conduct Medal. 
 
 “James D. Heriot (Deceased) corporal. Company I, 
 118th Infantry. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity 
 above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy 
 at Vaux Andigny, France. October 11th. 1918. Coroporal 
 Heriot, with four other soldiers, organized a combat group 
 and attacked an enemy machine gun nest which had been 
 inflicting heavy casualties on his company. In the advance 
 two of his men were killed, and because of the heavy fire 
 from all sides the remaining two sought shelter. Unmind- 
 ful of the hazard attached to the mission. Corporal Heriot, 
 with fixed bayonet, alone, charged the machine gun. making 
 his way through the fire for a distance of 30 yards, and 
 forcing the enemy to surrender. During this exploit he 
 received several wounds in the arm. and later in the same 
 day, while charging another nest, he was killed.’’ Home 
 address, Providence. S. C. 
 
 The following list of other men in the Regiment who 
 were awarded medals for bravery in action is not as com- 
 plete as the author would like to have it, but is as complete 
 as possible from obtainable information. Even since the 
 dissolution of the Regiment there have been awards, but 
 an attempt to secure a complete list of all the men who 
 were thus honored, from the War Department, has resulted 
 in only a partial list. It is regretable that it is not possible 
 to insert the official citation of each case that follows. 
 
 The following men received the American Distinguished 
 Service Cross: 
 
 Company. 
 
 Captain L. L. Ligon 
 Captain J. W. Lawlor 
 First Lieutenant J. M. Schwing 
 Second Lieutenant C. IV. Prause 
 Sergeant J. H. Gardner 
 Sergeant Samuel IV. Fore 
 Sergeant Frank A. Burroughs 
 Sergeant Joe E. Turner 
 Corporal Paul Iv. Sinclair 
 Corporal Y. Z. IVeeks 
 Corporal Curtis M. Strickland 
 
 B 
 
 F 
 
 F 
 
 I 
 
 L 
 
 E 
 
 Machine Gun 
 
 D 
 
 M 
 
 I 
 
 M 
 
60 
 
 Private John C. Carter 
 
 Medical Det. 
 
 Private George A. Bushing 
 
 G 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 G 
 
 F 
 
 L 
 
 Private Ernest B. Greene 
 Private Phillip Miller 
 
 Private Callie A. Smith 
 
 Private Rufus R. Philips 
 Private Ernest Morgan 
 
 Private William F. Jones 
 Private James K. Faison 
 Private Paul L. Hartley 
 Private Albert J. Pea den 
 Private Albert F. Cranford 
 
 Medical Det. 
 Medical Det. 
 
 L 
 
 M 
 
 D 
 
 Lieutenant Zebulon Thornburg was recommended for the 
 Distinguished Service Cross and it is very probable that 
 he has received it by this time, but the author has not been 
 able to secure any definite information as Lieutenant 
 Thornburg was seriously wounded and was at last reports 
 still in some hospital. 
 
 The following men were awarded the British Distin- 
 guished Conduct Medal : 
 
 Sergeant J. Felder of D Company, Sergeant Clarence M. 
 Dinkins of M Company, Corporal M. McAbee of D Com- 
 pany and Private Callie A. Smith of F Company were 
 awarded the British Military Medal. 
 
 The following is an incomplete list of the men in the 
 Regiment who were cited in Division Orders: 
 
 Company. 
 
 Sergeant J. J. Treacy 
 Sergeant J. H. Gardner 
 Mechanic M. M. Funderbunk 
 Corporal Y. Z. Weeks 
 Private Rufus R. Phillips 
 Private Ernest Morgan 
 Private James Iv. Faison 
 Private R. Verbeke 
 
 I 
 
 L 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 F 
 
 L 
 
 Medical Det. 
 D 
 
 Company. 
 
 Sergeant Dean S. Hartley 
 Sergeant Clarence M. Dinkins 
 Sergeant Robert D. Alexander 
 Corporal Roland C. Thomas 
 Private David W. Lyons 
 Private Henry B. Hunt 
 Private Carl O. Jones (Deceased) 
 Private Myer Berkman 
 
 L 
 
 M 
 
 K 
 
 M 
 
 L 
 
 1 . 
 
 E 
 
 Iv 
 
61 
 
 Private Claude M. Smoak Medical Det. 
 
 Private William L. Stumbo H 
 
 Private Edward W. Knight (Deceased) K 
 
 Private John W. Young M 
 
 Private Benjamin N. Wright M 
 
 Private Charles Y. Hoffman Medical Det. 
 
 Private Charles E. Mayberry L 
 
 Private Fred C. Hinsch G 
 
 Private Charles Heath G 
 
 Private Lonnie E. McCutcheon E 
 
 Private Bora G. Hyman L 
 
 Private Loater L. McKinney F 
 
 Private Aaron B. Miller F 
 
 Private Roe Bradley F 
 
 As evidence of the nature of the fighting participated in 
 by this Regiment, the following report of casualties among 
 the officers is given : 
 
 KILLED 
 
 Captain A. Zane Pyles 
 Captain Wm. A. Jones 
 First Lieutenant W. A. Hudgens 
 First Lieutenant P. B. N. Earle 
 First Lieutenant W. A. Mulloy 
 First Lieutenant George F. Read 
 First Lieutenant Wm. K. Frampton 
 Second Lieutenant Wm. O. Stevenson 
 Second Lieutenant M. W. Jones 
 Second Lieutenant Tillman R. Smith 
 Second Lieutenant Henry J. Brown 
 Second Lieutenant Robert E. Farmer 
 Second Lieutenant Charles Reshrig 
 
 WOUNDED 
 
 Major Gabriel H. Mahon 
 Major James H. Howell 
 Captain Hiram Hutchinson 
 Captain Jesse T. Crawford 
 Captain Samuel W. Parks 
 Captain Robert W. Hudgens 
 First Lieutenant James Anderson 
 First Lieutenant Richard S. Gessford 
 First Lieutenant Harry E. Wickes 
 First Lieutenant Henry W. Ruhl 
 First Lieutenant Sam J. Royall 
 First Lieutenant James C. Dozier 
 First Lieutenant James A. Schwing 
 First Lieutenant Gottlieb A. Neuffer 
 Second Lieutenant John B. Howard 
 Second Lieutenant Daniel T. Smith 
 Second Lieutenant Zebulon B. Thornburg 
 Second Lieutenant Paul F. Newell 
 Second Lieutenant Edgar E. McNeil 
 Second Lieutenant Jesse M. Barton 
 Second Lieutenant Jerry B. Fenton 
 Second Lieutenant Carl T. Prause 
 
 Regimental Adjutant 
 Company L 
 
 Adjutant, 3rd Battalion 
 Company M 
 Company I 
 Company F 
 Company D 
 Company A 
 
 Headquarters Company 
 Company F 
 Company K 
 Company F 
 Company L 
 
 1st Battalion 
 3rd Battalion 
 Company K 
 Company C 
 Company G 
 
 Headquarters Company 
 Company K 
 Company K 
 Company L 
 
 Headquarters Company 
 Headquarters Company 
 Company G 
 
 Headquarters Company 
 Machine Gun Company 
 Company H 
 Company E 
 Company F 
 Company G 
 
 Machine Gun Company 
 Headquarters Company 
 Company D 
 Company I 
 
62 
 
 GASSED 
 
 Captain L. L. Ligon 
 Captain Fred E. Stuart 
 First Lieutenant W. W. Wingo 
 First Lieutenant Paul C. Bradshaw 
 First Lieutenant Harry G. Kessenich 
 First Lieutenant .Toe T. Smith 
 First Lieutenant Henry P. Ledford 
 First Lieutenant Burman D. Moore 
 First Lieutenant John H. Wiggs 
 Second Lieutenant Alfred O’Neal 
 Second Lieutenant Atlas M. Pickett 
 Second Lieutenant Robert M. Maxey 
 
 Company B 
 
 Attached, 105th Signal Bn. 
 Headquarters Company 
 Adjutant, 1st Battalion 
 Headquarters Company 
 Company L 
 Medical Corps 
 Medical Corps 
 Company H 
 Company H 
 Company D 
 Company L 
 
 In addition to the above, it was necessary to evacuate a 
 few other officers, who are not reported as battle casualties, 
 on account of sickness and accidents. Some of these would 
 not leave the lines until ordered to do so. The above report 
 was made soon after the Regiment came out of the lines in 
 October and there are no doubt a few additional names 
 which should be added. 
 
 Detailed Report of Casualties From September 
 1918, in the 118th Infantry. 
 
 28 to October 29, 
 Evaeu- 
 
 Organization. 
 
 Killed. Wounded. 
 
 Gassed 
 
 Missing. 
 
 ated. 
 
 1st Battalion — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Officers 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 
 5 
 
 Men 
 
 . 36 
 
 204 
 
 178 
 
 23 
 
 38 
 
 2nd Battalion — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Officers 
 
 . 3 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 
 1 
 
 Men 
 
 . . 59 
 
 381 
 
 98 
 
 45 
 
 45 
 
 3rd Battalion — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Officers 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 
 9 
 
 Men 
 
 . 79 
 
 310 
 
 65 
 
 28 
 
 52 
 
 Headquarters Co. — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Officers 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 Men 
 
 5 
 
 13 
 
 75 
 
 9 
 
 37 
 
 Supply Company — - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Officers 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Men 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Machine Gun Company — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Officers 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Men 
 
 9 
 
 34 
 
 12 
 
 
 3 
 
 Medical Detachment — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Officers 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 i 
 
 Men 
 
 
 6 
 
 16 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 Total 
 
 Casualties. 
 
 
 
 
 Organization. 
 
 
 
 
 Officers. 
 
 Men. 
 
 1st Battalion 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 479 
 
 
 
 
 
 1° 
 
 624 
 
 3rd Battalion 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 514 
 
 Headquarters Company 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 132 
 
 Machine Gun Company 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 48 
 
 Supply Company 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Medical Detachment . . . 
 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 24 
 
 
 
 
 
 57 
 
 1.S23 
 
63 
 
 The above detailed report was made on October 29th, 1918, 
 and cannot be relied on as absolutely correct. It does not 
 include the men who died of wounds in hospitals, but it can 
 be taken, however, as an indication of what this Regiment 
 went through with in a little over a month. 
 
 The following extracts from a few of the laudatory mes- 
 sages received by the 30th Division and the 118th Infantry 
 should be of interest as showing how the efforts of this 
 Division were appreciated throughout the world : 
 
 Extract from General Order No. 3, Headquarters 60th 
 Infantry Brigade, October 29, 1918 : 
 
 4. “In the fighting of October 11th, the 118th Infantry 
 Regiment fought with this Brigade. It was entirely suc- 
 cessful and displayed those soldierly qualities of fortitude, 
 courage and skill which demand the high admiration of the 
 Brigade Commander. That Regiment is heartily congratu- 
 lated, as is the 3rd Battalion of the 117th Infantry Regi- 
 ment, which fought with this Brigade on October 19th. 
 Much credit is due these organizations: they contributed 
 much to the success of this Brigade.” 
 
 S. L. Faison, 
 
 Brigadier General, U. S. A. 
 
 General Order No. 22, Headquarters 118th Infantry, 
 October 4th, 1918 : 
 
 1. “The Regimental Commander desires to express to the 
 officers and men of the Regiment his appreciation of their 
 heroic conduct in their first battle. 
 
 2. For five days the Regiment held the front of the 
 Divisional Sector, advancing the line and repelling an 
 enemy raid. In the advance of the Division, the Regiment 
 was assigned the most important position as the Divisional 
 reserve. The 2nd Battalion and the Machine Gun Company 
 were sent to reinforce the left of the line. Other companies 
 were engaged in trying service, aiding the wounded and 
 burying the dead. All organizations shared in the Regi- 
 ment’s contribution to the Division’s great victory, the 
 breaking of the Hindenburg Line, once thought impreg- 
 nable. 
 
64 
 
 3. These are actions whose mere recital must stir the 
 imagination. Men engaged in such deeds have won the 
 right to stand in the ranks of the valiant. 
 
 4. In this day of victory we record our deep springing 
 sorrow for our comrades who have given their lives to the 
 Cause; what they have done will be remembered as long 
 as America honors valor.” 
 
 Orrin K. Wolfe, 
 Colonel Infantry. 
 
 Field Marshal Haig, in his resume of the operations of 
 the 30th and 27th Divisions while with his forces, made the 
 following statements. His report was dated October 20th, 
 1918: 
 
 “In the course of the last three weeks the 27th and 30th 
 Divisions of the 2nd Corps, operating with the 4th British 
 Army, have taken part with great gallantry and success in 
 three major offensive operations, besides being engaged in 
 a number of lesser attacks. In the course of the fighting 
 they displayed soldierly qualities of a high order and have 
 materially assisted in the success of our attacks.” 
 
 “Having fought with the utmost dash and bravery in the 
 great attack of September 29th, in which the Hindenburg 
 Line was broken, and having on this occasion captured the 
 villages of Bellicourt and Nauroy, with a large number 
 of prisoners, on October 8th. the troops of the 2nd Amer- 
 ican Army Corps again attacked in the neighborhood of 
 Montbrehain. In three days of successful fighting they 
 completed an advance of ten miles from Montbrehain to 
 St. Souplet, overcoming determined resistance and cap- 
 tured several strongly defended villages and woods. 
 Throughout the past three days they have again attacked 
 daily and in each occasion with complete success, though 
 the enemy’s resistance was most obstinate.’ 
 
 The following communication, addressed to the Com- 
 manding General, 30th Division, by the Mayor of Busigny, 
 under date of October 17th, was published for the com- 
 mand : 
 
65 
 
 “Acting as a representative of the Commune, and in its 
 name, consequently in the name, too, of a part of France, 
 I take the liberty to come and express to our liberator and 
 to the gallant troops under your command our feeling of 
 deepest and eternal gratitude. 
 
 “For those who have not been submitted, as we have been 
 for four years, to the intolerable and abhorred German 
 yoke, it is difficult to realize how great were the relief, the 
 joy, the well being, in a word, of the unexpressible hap- 
 piness we all felt when the first Allied troops made their 
 way through our village and the great event has been for 
 us like the dawn of a resurrection. I should be very thank- 
 ful to you if you would convey to all your officers, N. C. O.’s 
 and men under your command, our deep feeling of admira- 
 tion and eternal gratitude. Please, sir, accept the expres- 
 sion of my highest consideration and believe me, 
 
 “Yours most devotedly, 
 
 “The Mayor, 
 
 “E. Mains.” 
 
 During the ten months spent in F ranee by this Regiment, 
 a great many transfers were made in the officer personnel. 
 The following list of officers contains the names and ad- 
 dresses of the great majority of these. These addresses 
 were furnished at the time these officers joined the Regi- 
 ment. 
 
 Colonels : 
 
 P. Iv. McCullv, Anderson, S. C. 
 
 O. R. Wolfe, Regular Army. 
 
 G. H. Healey, Rensselaer, Ind. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonels : 
 
 W. F. L. Hartigan, Regular Army. 
 Thos. B. Spratt, Fort Mill, S. C. 
 David Walley, Richton, Miss. 
 
 Majors : 
 
 J. T. Crawford, Williamston, S. C. 
 W. L. Gillespie, Cheraw, S. C. 
 
66 
 
 J. H. Howell, Waynesville, S. C. 
 
 R. C. Heyward, Pelzer, S. C. 
 
 G. H. Mahon, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 L. C. McFadden, Rock Hill, S. C. 
 
 James A. Poore, Columbia, S. C. 
 
 W. D. Workman, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 C. C. Wyche, Spartanburg, S. C. 
 
 Captains : 
 
 F. J. Beatty, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 S. E. Beers, Madison, Wis. 
 
 E. S. Blake, Belton, S. C. 
 
 P. M. Brown, Sumter, S. C. 
 
 R. T. Brown, Myers Mill, S. C. 
 
 R. E. Craig, Hartsville, S. C. 
 
 R. A. Fulp, Fort Mill, S. C. 
 
 L. D. Hill, Knoxville, Tenn. 
 
 P. H. Hoge, Pewee Valley, Ky. 
 
 Robt. W. Hudgens, Mountville, S. C. 
 
 Hiram Hutchinson, Rock Hill, S. C. 
 
 W. W. Jones (Killed), 183 Johnson Ave., Newark, N. J. 
 C. M. Ivephart, High Point, N. C. 
 
 J. W. Lawlor, 71 Chestnut St., Montclair, N. J. 
 
 Arthur Lee, Greenwood, S. C. 
 
 Robert E. Lee, 3623 Leland Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 L. L. Ligon, Anderson, S. C. 
 
 R .A. McBrayer, Asheville, N. C. 
 
 F. M. Mack, Fort Mill, S. C. 
 
 Harry Miller, 318 N. Seventh St,, Terre Haute, Ind. 
 
 W. F. Murrah, Memphis, Tenn. 
 
 Sam W. Parks, Fort Mill, S. C. 
 
 A. Zane Pyles (Killed), Washington, D. C. 
 
 Ralph J. Rainer, Anderson. S. C. 
 
 C. G. Rea, Muncie, Ind. 
 
 John W. Sands, Glenn Ridge. N. J. 
 
 H. C. Underwood. 
 
 L. W. Watkins, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 Sam D. Willis, Greenville, S. C. 
 
67 
 
 First Lieutenants : 
 
 James Anderson, Easley, S. C. 
 
 E. L. Averitt, 507 Wallen St., Portsmouth, O. 
 
 G. C. Bailey, Pelzer, S. C. 
 
 E. C. Bardwell, 150 Oakland St., Springfield, Mass. 
 
 S. L. Blackmar, 4847 E. 65th St., Portland, Ore. 
 
 P. E. Bradshaw, Anderson, S. C. 
 
 Eugene F. Carroll. 
 
 L. C. Cobb, 115 W. 2nd St., Waterloo, la. 
 
 R. H. Cobb, Denmark, Maine. 
 
 H. M. Crawford, 51 Matthews St., Pontiac, Mich. 
 
 Wm. N. Cork, Rock Hill, S. C. 
 
 J. C. Dozier, Rock Hill, S. C. 
 
 T. P. Duckett, Fountain Inn, S. C. 
 
 P. B. W. Earle (Killed), 1600 W. Central Ave, Knox- 
 ville, Tenn. 
 
 B. M. Eppes, Edgefield, S. C. 
 
 Franklin Fouse, Winchester, Ind. 
 
 W. W. Frampton (Killed), Fenton, Del. 
 
 J. W. Franklin, Mount Airy, N. C. 
 
 R. S. Gessford, 3123 13th St., N. W., Washington, D. C. 
 
 F. W. Graves, Silver Creek, N. J. 
 
 H. C. Hall, Sonia, Mich. 
 
 A. D. Hargrove, Marshallville, Ga. 
 
 Fred R. Hill, La Fontain, Ind. 
 
 G. M. Hoke, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 F. J. Hombach, 608 1st Ave., Council Bluffs, la. 
 
 Wm. A. Hudgens (Killed), Anderson, S. C. 
 
 B. W. Hughes, 6543 Minerva Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 E. L. Hughes, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 J. H. Hughes, Cedar Grove, N. C. 
 
 W. A. Huey, Rock Hill, S. C. 
 
 Paul Kaminiski, 2117 Maple St., Omaha, Neb. 
 
 H. A. Kear, Washington, N. C. 
 
 Harry Kessenieh, Madison, Wis. 
 
 H. A. Kluge, 509 Maryland Ave., Washington, D. C. 
 
 C. W. Ivoffman, Oregon City, Oregon. 
 
 J. H. Koon, 296 College St., Asheville, N. C. 
 
 H. S. Ledford, Stackville, N. C. 
 
G8 
 
 P. C. Love, 2730 Sacramento St., St. Joseph, Mo. 
 
 A. M. McLeod, Camden, S. C. 
 
 R. R. McLeod, Hartsville, S. C. 
 
 J. J. Matthews, 6328 Kimbark Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 B. D. Moore, Mt. Holly, N. C. 
 
 D. M. Morgan, Cambria, Wis. 
 
 W. H. Morman, Warsaw, Wis. 
 
 W. A. Mulloy (Killed), Cheraw, S. C. 
 
 N. E. Nash, Two Rivers, Wis. 
 
 G. A. Neuffer, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 P. L. Newell, Randolph, Miss. 
 
 O. A. Olverson, Clark, S. Dakota. 
 
 D. E. Penland, Asheville, N. C. 
 
 H. E. Porter, 705 East 6th St,, Wilmington, Del. 
 
 S. M. Reber, Tremont, Mich. 
 
 G. J. Read (Killed), 4207 W. Congress St,, Chicago. 111. 
 Sam J. Royall, Florence, S. C. 
 
 Henry W. Ruhl, Clarksburg, W. Va. 
 
 O. L. Sanders, 5325 Main St., Baltimore. Md. 
 
 James A. Schwing, Spartanburg, S. C. 
 
 A. C. Shuler, 2346 Riverside Ave., Jacksonville, 
 
 D. R. Simpson, Laurens, S. C. 
 
 Joe F. Smith, Laurens, S. C. 
 
 P. B. Speed, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 H. E. Wicks, 601 Mountain Ave., Roanoke, Va. 
 
 J. H. Wiggs, Cowan, Tenn. 
 
 W. D. Wilkinson, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 W. W. Wingo, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 Second Lieutenants : 
 
 Pierce Atwater, 1400 W. 26th St., Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
 J. M. Barton, Barton, Ohio. 
 
 H. J. Blakely, Mt. Pleasant, Tenn. 
 
 Edward Bradford, Sumter, S. C. 
 
 H. J. Brown (Killed), Chicago, 111. 
 
 J. R. Butler, 22 Greenfield Ave,, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. 
 W. Chamberlain, 704 E. 50th St., Chicago, 111. 
 
 Clyde A. Clancy, 440 Fourth St,, Niagara Falls, N. Y. 
 
 S. G. Coates, Berwyn. Pa. 
 
69 
 
 H. E. Cloughly, 122 TV. 90th St., New York City. 
 
 T. B. Doolittle, 154 Wentworth St., Charleston, S. C. 
 W. L. Dyer, Idaho. 
 
 C. S. Easley, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 R. E. Farmer (Killed), Anderson, S. C. 
 
 J. B. Fenton, 1305 N. Jefferson St., Springfield, Mo. 
 L. T. Hagglund, Huntington, N. Y. 
 
 E. C. Hodgkiss, 44 Myrtle Ave., Bloomfield, N. J. 
 
 H. TV. Horn, 459 62nd St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 J. B. Ploward, Mount Pleasant. Term. 
 
 R. C. Jepson, 185 N. Daman Ave., Chicago. 111. 
 
 J. R. Jeter, Santuc, S. C. 
 
 G. R. Johnson, 5958 TV. Lake St., Chicago, 111. 
 
 M .TV. Jones (Killed) , Florence, S. C. 
 
 J. B. Kless, 2289 Seneca St., Buffalo. X. Y. 
 
 J. W. Lenoir, Rembert. S. C. 
 
 J. D. McCullough, Greenville, S. C. 
 
 R. W. Maxey, Memphis, Tenn. 
 
 TV. R. Menshon, New Brunswick, N. J. 
 
 A. B. O’Neal, Gastonia, N. C. 
 
 C. T. Parker, 815 Beacon St., Boston, Mass. 
 
 T. C. Perrin. 27 Clinton Ave., S. Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 J. TV. Phillips, Chester, S. C. 
 
 A. M. Pickett, 901 Jackson St., Durham, N. C. 
 
 C. T. Prause, Charleston, S. C. 
 
 TV. F. Quinlivan, 215 X. 2nd St., Wilmington, X. C. 
 
 C. R. Rehrig (Killed). 
 
 G. E. Rossow. 
 
 J. L. Seitler. 108 S. 12th St., Oleau, X. Y. 
 
 H. M. Simpson, 225 High St., Geneva, X. Y. 
 
 D. T. Smith, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 Tillman H. Smith (Killed), Cookville, Tenn. 
 
 C. M. Slack. 
 
 TV. O. Stevenson (Killed), Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 B. A. Sullivan, Laurens, S. C. 
 
 F. C. Swanson. Hayesville, X. C. 
 
 C. S. Tiers, 53 W. Walnut Lane, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 Z. B. Thornburg, Concord, X. C. 
 
 F. TV. Witzke, 188 Niagara St., Tonawanda. X. Y.