Tf& 
 
 Hrask 
 
 IGEANT HALLYBURTON, 
 
 CAPTURED IN THE WORLD WAR 
 
 By CHAS, W. HYAMS 
 
Library of 
 The University of North Carolina 
 
 COLLECTION OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINIANA 
 
 ENDOWED BY 
 
 JOHN SPRUNT HILL 
 
 of the Class of 1889 
 
 QiB-UlS^k 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://archive.org/details/sergeanthallyburOOhyam 
 
SERGEANT HALLYBURTON, 
 
 THE FIRST AMERICAN SOLDIER 
 
 CAPTURED IN THE WORLD WAR 
 
 BY 
 
 CHAS. W. HYAMS. 
 
 PRICE $1.00 
 
 PIXIE PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
 
 MORAVIAN FALLS, N. C. 
 
 1923 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1923 
 
 BY GEORGE B. HALLYBURTON. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 Boyhood Days .......:.......,.....*..., 9 
 
 CHAPTER EL 
 
 Soldier In America ........................ 15 
 
 CHAPTER III, 
 
 In France With Pershing 24 
 
 CHAPTER IV, 
 
 Interesting Matters 36 
 
 CHAPTER V, 
 
 Back Home ., 47 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 Private Frank C. Hallyburton 71 
 
DEDICATED 
 
 To the patriotic father, who never had a feeling of 
 fear, and the venerable mother who placed her trust 
 in God, when two of their sons were called upon to 
 risk their lives "for the peace of the world," with a 
 feeling of pleasure, pride, and admiration, we gladly 
 dedicate this little volume, believing it will prove a 
 solace to them during their declining years. 
 
 The Author 
 
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
 
 The author desires to extend his sincere thanks to 
 Miss Grace I. Gish of Roanoke, Va., for much 
 
 valuable aid in the preparation of this little volume. 
 
SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON. 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 BOYHOOD DAYS. 
 
 SERGEANT Edgar M. Hallyburton, the first 
 American soldier captured in the World War, 
 is a son of Mr. George B. Hallyburton and 
 Mrs. Prudence Hallyburton. He was born in Iredell 
 County, North Carolina, January 19, 1890, just 27 
 years, 9 months, and 14 days before he was captured, 
 but not conquered, by the blood-maddened hosts of 
 an infuriated Kaiser. Even while a mere lad it was 
 characteristic of him to take the lead, and almost 
 invariably to excel in the games and sports peculiar 
 to that period of life. He was always a favorite 
 with his playmates, and this was due largely to his 
 wit, humor, keen sense of right and wrong, courtesy, 
 kindness, justice and impartiality. He enjoyed the 
 privileges and blessings of a typical Southern 
 country home where each child is taught from 
 infancy to speak the truth, be strictly honest, bold, 
 brave, fearless in the face of threatened or imagi- 
 nary danger, obey their parents in all things, at all 
 times, in all places, and under all circumstances, to 
 love their native land, and revere the Almighty. 
 Young Hallyburton is of Scotch-Irish decent and 
 
IO LI1<E OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 this, no doubt, accounts for the fact that even as a 
 boy he was full-sized, well-built, open-faced, with 
 heavy brows and brilliant eyes. Having spent all 
 his young days on the farm, naturally he was rug- 
 ged, healthy, resolute, and of a friendly disposition. 
 He was an unusually accurate shot with a gun, and 
 when only ten years of age, was awarded first prize 
 for being the surest shot in the neighborhood. It 
 might truthfully be said of him that he idolized a 
 gun from the hour that he was first old and strong- 
 enough to hold one in his arms, and this fascination 
 for fire-arms was prophetic of his successful and 
 wonderful career as a soldier later on in life which 
 will be seen by a further perusal of the history of 
 his career as a soldier. As a marksman, this young 
 soldier in the making, seldom missed a shot, and 
 it made no material difference to him how fleet- 
 footed the rabbit or squirrel might be, or how 
 swift winged the quail might soar, their greatest 
 speed simply meant death if they came within range 
 of his trusted gun. We are writing at some length 
 about his attachment for his gun because it may 
 well be called a vital thing in his life, and he carried 
 it with him wherever his parents would permit him, 
 and with Edgar it was a means to an end, and that 
 end was the fascinating, romantic, and sometimes 
 tragic story which is to follow. Many remarkable 
 feats of marksmanship are told of him in the neigh- 
 borhood where he was born and reared, but want 
 
BOYHOOD DAYS I I 
 
 of space forbids mentioning them, and we realize 
 that our readers are more than anxious to learn 
 about his romantic career as a soldier, fighting 
 under the Stars and Stripes for Uncle Sam along 
 the Mexican border and ''Somewhere in France." 
 
 Owing to the active out-door life he lived, while 
 a boy. we attribute his rapid development into a 
 strong, robust man. with broad shoulders, expanded 
 chest, and hardened muscles, well-fitted and quali- 
 fied for the exacting' duties of a soldier. 
 
 Before closing this chapter, it is but appropriate 
 that a brief outline sketch of the home of our dis- 
 tinguished soldier be given. It was a substantial, 
 modest, three-room cottage, situated a little back 
 from the public road on a slightly rounded knoll 
 with a rolling lawn shadowed by great hickories 
 and giant oaks, and this was beautified by a hedge 
 of blooming rose-bushes which completely sur- 
 rounded the lawn. Two large grape-vines, full of 
 luscious fruit might be seen at each corner of the 
 house which trailed up over the windows and form- 
 ed an awning of ample, cooling shade over the door. 
 Here we find the old-time smokehouse made of 
 logs, full of hams, shoulders, middlings, and other 
 good things to eat. As is quite common in this 
 section of the country, we must go down a slight 
 hill before we find the shaded spring and spring- 
 house. This little home of ice-cold butter and milk 
 is made of logs and covered with clap-boards, floor- 
 
12 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. SALLYBUR'fON 
 
 ed with white sand through which a small stream 
 of icy water flows, and in this channel we find 
 crooks of delicious milk, jars of luscious cream, 
 and bowls of wholesome butter, all appetizing and 
 good enough to adorn the table of a king, and 
 satisfy the appetite of a queen. It can be truthfully 
 said of Sergeant Hallyburton that whether as a 
 boy, a young man, a civilian, or soldier, he always 
 wore the white flower of a gentleman, and no one 
 has ever become acquainted with him but what they 
 learned to admire him for his sterling traits of 
 character. 
 
 Sergeant Hallyburton received his education 
 at the Stony Point High School, from which he 
 graduated with honors. The high esteem in which 
 he was held by teachers as well as schoolmates is 
 attested by the fine tribute from the pen of the 
 principal, which occurs on another page. During 
 his school days, Sergeant Hallyburton was chosen 
 captain of the football and baseball teams of his 
 Alma Mater, and he was a leader in the literarv 
 societies over which he often presided, and his 
 splendid voice was frequently heard in the debates 
 which took place on numerous occasions. One of 
 his school-mates remarked a few days ago that so 
 far as his courage went, young Hallyburton might 
 well have been called "the bravest of the brave," 
 always to be found championing the cause of right, 
 and defending the weak against the strong in those 
 
BOYHOOD DAYS 1 3 
 
 fist-cuffs peculiar to boyhood. Even in his younger 
 days Young Hallyburton was always courteous and 
 ever ready to defend the opposite sex. He always 
 showed profound respect for old age and no time 
 was time too valuable or sacrifice too great for him 
 to devote to those whose hair had been silvered by 
 the frosts of Time. His youthful attachments for 
 firearms undoubtedly forecasted his fame as a 
 soldier while fighting under the Stars and Stripes. 
 If he had his whole career to live over, I doubt if 
 he would change it one iota. An unflinching and 
 uncompromising friend himself he knew how to 
 value the friendship which others gave him, and the 
 fact that he made so few enemies (outside of 
 Germany) is an honor of which anyone might well 
 be proud. Always obedient to his parents from 
 infancy, it naturally followed that he would obey 
 orders coming from his superior officers, even 
 though those orders carried him through the hell- 
 holes called German Prison Camps. To the boy or 
 young man who reads the history of Sergeant 
 Hallyburton's life, it must prove an inspiration to 
 lead him on to higher ideals and nobler purposes, 
 fitting such a one (should the occasion arise for 
 action) for a name and place high up on the temple 
 shaft of Fame. Such a boy will see in the life of 
 Sergeant Hallyburton how it is possible for even a 
 ploughboy to reach to the highest pinnacle of 
 Honor, and receive from the President of the 
 
14 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLIBURTON 
 
 United States, as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, 
 a Distinguished Service Medal, and from the 
 highest officers in the army, letters of highest 
 praise, loftiest commendation, and superior honor. 
 Well may he be held up as a model for other boys 
 and young men coming after him to follow, know- 
 ing that each and every effort they put forth while 
 following in his footsteps will be crowned with 
 success, and handed down to future generations to 
 lavish praise upon. Surely he is a model well worth 
 imitating. 
 
 At the outbreak of the war, the Hallyburton 
 family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Hallyburton, two 
 daughters, Misses Lola and May, four sons, Edgar, 
 Elbert, Frank, and William. At this writing, 
 Sergeant Halliburton's parents are living quietly 
 at Taylorsville, North Carolina, enjoying the rest 
 they have so deservedly earned. 
 
CHAPTER IL 
 
 SOLDIER IN AMERICA. 
 
 EDGAR M. Hallyburton enlisted when only 
 igV2 years old in the Regular Army, July 4, 
 1909. He was sent to the Coast Artillery at 
 Fortress Monroe where he remained for about two 
 years. He was then transferred to Galveston, Tex., 
 where he remained about six months. He then re- 
 turned to Fortress Monroe, and remained there 
 until the close of his first enlistment, when he 
 re-enlisted, and was sent to San Francisco, where 
 he was placed in the Infantry. He remained there 
 about a year, and then was sent to the border at 
 El Paso, Texas, where he remained until the close 
 of his second enlistment. After a stay of one month 
 at home, he returned to El Paso, and enlisted in 
 Company F, 16th Infantry. Just a short while 
 after this, President Wilson, as Commander-in- 
 Chief of the American Army, ordered General 
 Pershing to form a flying squadron composed of 
 his bravest soldiers and to proceed to the Mexican 
 border for the purpose of capturing Villa and his 
 followers. In carrying out this order, Young 
 Hallyburton, then a private, was one of the first 
 
1 6 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 to be called and elevated to rank of Sergeant. 
 Acting upon orders from his commanding officer, 
 Sergeant Hallyburton, with his scouts, mounted on 
 fleet-footed army horses, proceeded to cross the 
 Rio Grande' which is the border-line between the 
 United States and Mexico. Once upon Mexican 
 soil, both scouts and steeds found the sky clear, the 
 air still, and the sun hot. Both scouts and steeds 
 were covered with dust. The latter snorted as it 
 formed like icicles on their noses. All grew thirsty 
 — a thirstiness .that was all the more acute because 
 there was no water in sight — not so much as a 
 place that looked as if there might be water. A 
 little after noon Sergeant Hallyburton, riding to 
 the top of a lava mound, adjusted his field-glasses, 
 and scanned the landscape. He discovered what 
 seemed to be faint smoke rising from a string of 
 hills about a mile away. Announcing his discovery, 
 Hallyburton started on. Finally, arriving on the 
 brow of the hills, he looked down on a cliff-walled 
 valley in which he saw a primitive Mexican village. 
 In the center of this village, the bake-oven of 
 medieval pattern was sending up a feeble smoke. 
 Slipping down a burro and goat path into the 
 village, they found the Mexicans, men, women, and 
 children. Sergeant Hallyburton asked them about 
 water for the horses, and in answer, one rose and 
 walked out telling him in broken English that he 
 might have a few bucketfuls that came out of a 
 
SOLDIER IN AMERICA 1 7 
 
 common barrel. The Sergeant told them to give 
 the horses all they would drink. In a few minutes 
 the horses were ravenously eating, coffee was sim- 
 mering on the fire, and tin cups and plates rattling. 
 Sergeant Hallyburton studied the Mexican situation 
 and became convinced that rural Mexico lived 
 largely independent of the market. Their dirt 
 houses were small and tight, hence needed but little 
 fuel to keep them warm through the winters. 
 Eurros and goats lived the year around on wild 
 grasses and brush, hence saved the expence of pro- 
 viding food and shelter. In conversation with one 
 of the men who could make himself understood in 
 English, the Sergeant learned that they were all 
 friends of Villa upon whom they looked as their 
 Moses. By three o'clock the horses were in silent 
 rest, and the scouts lying on the ground. But a 
 call from the Sergeant brought them all to their 
 feet. All filed across the valley — some of them 
 as if they would never stop. Coming up out of 
 the valley, they reached the open plateau, and con- 
 tinued west until the sun was sinking, and it was 
 time for them to turn in for the night. Darkness 
 prevented them from seeing their way. and their 
 horses weary from long travel, they found a clump 
 of cedars a short distance away and under these 
 they wrapped themselves in their blankets and went 
 to sleep on the ground. Next morning when they 
 awoke half-frozen and hungry, they mounted their 
 
1 8 LIEE OE SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 horses and resumed their journey, vainly looking 
 for a village where they could get food and water, 
 but none was in sight. But they did see a lonely 
 maverick grazing side-deep in the sage brush, 
 which they proceeded to kill with a shot from one 
 of their rifles. They soon dressed and cooked 
 their prize, and in a few minutes the fragrance of 
 broiling beef steak was filling the desert air. When 
 their one-course breakfast was over, they went on 
 through the increasing heat and dust. The previ- 
 ous days' sameness was broken only by hills and 
 gorges. On and on they went, deeper into the wild. 
 Everything in the wild was perfectly motionless 
 and silent. By this time the horses were fairly 
 reeling, with watering eyes and swollen tongues. 
 Starting down the gorge to find a slower grade 
 out, every horse listened intently/ then lunged down 
 the grade champing and frothing. Soon they came 
 upon a little water-mill, beyond which, in a cotton- 
 wood grove, stretched a typical Mexican village. 
 Switched from the smell to the sight of water, the 
 horses lunged on down, and soused their noses into 
 the creek. In the meantime, Sergeant Hallyburton 
 dismounted, and handed his rein to a comrade, 
 then he walked up into the little mill house. Right 
 away the mill slowed down to a stop, and the water 
 roared more loudly over the dam. Soon he and 
 the old miller came out, and proceeding down the 
 path to the foot-log, joined the horsemen, and all 
 
SOLDIER IN AMERICA 19 
 
 went up Main street — an alley through burros, 
 goats, geese, and ducks — into a corral of adobe. 
 Amid great neighing and whinnying, they gave 
 their horses great armfuls of corn and alfalfa hay. 
 They now awaited dinner on the miller's lawn. 
 This gave Sergeant Hallyburton an opportunity to 
 study Mexican country life on a much broader 
 scale than he had done before. Not long after- 
 ward the old miller came out and invited them into 
 his whitewashed adobe house and seated them" 
 around the makeshift table. When dinner was 3 
 over, they returned to seats on the lawn. The 
 horses now having rested, the men saddled them' 
 and disappeared, going out a wood road through' 
 an unknown country in a vain and fruitless search"' 
 for Villa. After many days and nights of weari- 7 
 some traveling over rugged hills, across malariaT- 
 streams, and uncultivated valleys, still failing tri; 
 see or hear anything of a reliable nature as to the; 
 where-abouts of the notorious Villa, Sergeant 1 
 Hallyburton and trusted scouts, worn out in body-' 
 and mind, finally returned to camp,' and reporte l <?F 
 their failure to General Pershing. Shortly after- 1 
 the occurences enumerated above. Sergeant HaH'v-' 
 burton and his squad, in company with a larg-e 1 
 number of other soldiers, were transferred 1 iLi to. ; 
 El Paso Tex., to guard the city. From this fiodit 
 they were soon sent back to the states, eventuaffjf 
 to sail with the first contingent of the Americtfr 
 
20 LIFE 0E SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 Expeditionary Forces under General Pershing to 
 France, there to fight for the peace of the world. 
 It is not necessary or appropriate that the causes 
 which led up to America's entrance into the World 
 War be stated in our sketch of Sergeant Hally- 
 burton. This duty properly belongs to the pen of 
 some other historian, and to that one we leave it, 
 knowing that it will be written by impartial pens. 
 Through all the years of his service as a 
 soldier, whether "a private in the rear rank" or 
 as an officer, Sergeant Hallyburton was spoken of 
 by all his comrades as eager and unafraid. He 
 was one of the great brotherhood in uniform with 
 the fighting password "All for one and one for all." 
 He shared their pains and privations, their ad- 
 ventures in front lines and in rest places, and they 
 knew him with the knowledge that men have when, 
 as a matter of course, they face death together. 
 He was known to all America, in whose cause he 
 fought with impassioned impulse. It might wel] 
 be said of him that he is the man called Million, 
 upon whose broad shoulders rests the rule of the 
 Government. He was the significant symbol of the 
 rear rank private and the commanding officer who 
 made victory possible. His jubilant antagonism 
 overthrew the aged power of Prussia, and the 
 joyful alacrity with which he went to battle, over- 
 whelmed the Empire which had staked its life on 
 the ancient law of the jungles. He always fought 
 
SOLDIER IN AMERICA 21 
 
 with a great hope stirring in his heart. He was 
 assured that he would battle in the war against 
 war; that his steadfast service would help make 
 the world of the future safe for democracy. He 
 knew that the overthrow of the divine right lord 
 of war would make of mankind something better 
 than cannon fodder, and the world a better place 
 in which to live and love. He relied upon these 
 principles, and scorned the muddled motives and 
 subtle sophistries of those with sinister interests to 
 serve. He gladly gave his best to prove his de- 
 votion to this holy cause, the highest and best cause 
 the mind of man can conceive — the common good 
 of the world. In the World War, Sergeant Hally- 
 burton knew nothing, perhaps, of dogma, but he 
 knew his duty, and performed it to the uttermost 
 whether on the quiet tented fields at home or facing 
 the fearful crash of shot and shell on a foreign 
 battle-line. He may not have been familiar with 
 creeds, but he had an unsurpassed courage ir. 
 deadly danger. He was not a student of doctrines, 
 but he was steadfast in devotion to his Flag, the 
 symbol of all the noble ideals he knew. He could 
 not define sanctification, perhaps, but he could de- 
 fine service by living it in camp and field of battle. 
 He could not express his inner being in words, 
 perhaps, but he could prove their nobility with his 
 works. He could not orate lip praises of righteous- 
 ness, but he could give, and would have given his 
 
22 LlEE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 life for it in a turbulent and terrible time. He had 
 that faith which oversweeps all fears and leaves 
 one satisfied. 
 
 Wherever patriotism is valued, wherever valor 
 is admired, and wherever the English language is 
 spoken, the name and fame of our hero will be 
 mentioned in burning words of eloquence, and as 
 Time grows older, and unborn generations come 
 upon the field of action, men, women, and children 
 will read, and learn, and speak of Serg-eant Hally- 
 burton and the unmatched courage and unsurpassed 
 valor which characterized every act of his life while 
 a soldier of the United States, whether at home in 
 time of peace or on the shell-torn battlefields of a 
 foreign land where he fought so valiantly for the 
 peace of the world, and that democracy should not 
 perish from the hearts and minds of men of all 
 nationalities. Surely, at the last, this patriotic 
 soldier, faithful at all times and under all cir- 
 cumstances, secure in his own cause, in a sudden 
 gleam of insight, will know and understand the 
 immortal hope which lights the warriors way from 
 dark to Deity. He was in no sense an unknown 
 soldier^ but one known to father and mother, to 
 comrades, officers, to Country, and to God. His 
 final resting place, when Death shall touch his 
 heart, will be a "pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar 
 of fire by night" to guide America along the Golden 
 Rule pathway to the promised land of enduring 
 
SOLDIER IN AMERICA 2$ 
 
 peace. His name shall sound like the call of a 
 trumpet ; the name of one who fought that the 
 world might live in peace, the first American soldier 
 "captured but not conquered" in the World War. 
 
CHAPTER in. 
 
 IN FRANCE WITH PERSHING. 
 
 EDGAR M. Hallyburton was promoted from a 
 private to a Sergeant while in Mexico with 
 General Pershing', and retained that position 
 while in France. He sailed for France with the 
 First Division, Co. F, 16th Infantry. Immediately 
 upon the arrival of the First Division upon French 
 soil, it was put to work in the trenches. It may 
 prove interesting to give a brief sketch of trench 
 life. On account of the trying work in the trenches, 
 frequent changing of men is customary, when 
 possible. Usually they were marched out of the 
 trenches in the dark, their feet wet and muddy 
 clothes clinging to them. From a military stand- 
 point, the experience gained by the Americans is 
 considered of a very high value. The First Division 
 had only two clear days while in the trenches. 
 When they left the trenches they were mud from 
 their hats to their shoes. Before anything else, 
 they required a bath,' first with gasoline and then 
 water. With the men back in billets, it is now 
 permitted to mention for the first time (says a 
 
 24 
 
IN FRANCE WITH PERSHING 25 
 
 dispatch) that the casualties were negligible. In 
 fact more men suffered with "trench feet" than 
 with wounds. "Trench feet" means that the feet 
 become swollen and sore from standing in mud and 
 water in the trenches. Officers commented on the 
 remarkably small amount of sickness which de- 
 veloped. There were some who had colds, but as 
 far as reported, there were less than half a dozen 
 cases, including "trench feet" and pneumonia. An 
 officer said the splendid physical condition of the 
 men was responsible for this showing. 
 
 The men who served in the trenches tell 
 interesting stories of their experiences. On clear 
 days especially, German snipers became active. 
 Bullets went singing harmlessly overhead. Ameri- 
 can infantrymen were told oft to attend any sniper 
 who became active, and more than one of them 
 will snipe Americans no more. This game of 
 sniping the sniper was very popular with our 
 soldiers. The only complaint usually heard was 
 that there was not enough snipe-shooting to 
 satisfy the infantrymen. Plenty of "our boys" say 
 they went out to snipe, but did not get enough. 
 Immediately after this trench training, our hero 
 with a small detatchment was sent to a sector of 
 the first-line trenches. It was at this point where 
 Sergeant Hallyburton and his squad were located 
 that the German artillery dropped a heavy barrage 
 fire which completely isolated them from help. 
 
26 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 A dispatch under date of November 5th says: 
 A small detatchment of American infantrymen was 
 attacked in the front line trenches early Saturday 
 morning, ' November 3rd by a much superior force 
 of German shock troops. The Americans were cut 
 off from relief by the heavy barrage in their rear. 
 They fought gallantly until overwhelmed solely by 
 numbers. The fighting in the trenches was hand- 
 to-hand. It was brief and fierce in the extreme. 
 As a result of the encounter, three Americans were 
 killed, namely, Private Thos. F. Enright, Private 
 Jas. B. Gresham, and Private Merle D. Hay, and 
 four were wounded, these being Private Jno. J. 
 Smith, Private Chas. J. Hopkins, Private Homer 
 Givens,' and Private Geo. I. Box. A sergeant, a 
 corporal, and ten men were taken prisoners. Two 
 French soldiers who were in the trenches, also were 
 killed. The enemy lost some men, but the number 
 is unknown, as their dead and wounded were 
 carried off by the retiring Germans. From the 
 beginning of the engagement to the end, the 
 Americans lived up to all the traditions of the 
 American army, the records showing the bravery 
 of the detatchment, and of individual members. 
 The German raid on the American trench was 
 carried out against members of the second con- 
 tingent entering the trenches for training. These 
 men had only been in a few days. Before dawn 
 Saturday, the Germans began shelling vigorously 
 
IN FRANCE WITH PERSHING 2J 
 
 the barbed wire front of the trenches, dropping 
 many high explosives of large calibre. A heavy 
 artillery fire was then directed so as to cover all 
 the adjacent territory, including the passage lead- 
 ing up to the trenches, thereby forming a most 
 effective barrag'e in the rear as well as in the front. 
 The young lieutenant in charge of the attachment 
 of Americans started back to the communicating 
 trenches to his immediate superior for orders. The 
 barrage knocked him down, but lie picked himself 
 up and started off again. He was knocked down 
 a second time, but. determined to reach his ob- 
 jective, got up again. A third time he was knocked 
 down, badly shell-shocked, and put out of action. 
 
 Soon after that, Germans to the number, ac- 
 cording to the report, of 210 rushed through the 
 breaches and wire entanglements on each side of 
 the salient, their general objective barrage in the 
 forefield having lifted for a moment. The 
 Germans went into the trenches at several points. 
 They met with stout resistance. Pistols, grenades, 
 knives, and bayonets were freely used. 
 
 For many minutes there was considerable con- 
 fusion in the trenches, the Germans stalking the 
 Americans, and the Americans stalking the Ger- 
 mans. In one section of the trench, an American 
 private engaged two Germans with the bayonet. 
 That was the last seen of him until after the raid, 
 when a dead American was found on the spot. 
 
28 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBUR'fON 
 
 Another was killed by a blow on the head with a 
 rifle butt from above. 
 
 Some of the Americans, apparently at the 
 beginning of the attack, did not realize just what 
 was going on. One of the wounded, a private, said, 
 "I was standing in a communicating trench, wait- 
 ing orders. I heard a noise back of me, and looked 
 around in time to see a German fire a gun in my 
 direction. I felt a bullet hit my arm." 
 
 The Germans left the trench as soon as 
 possible' taking their dead and wounded with them. 
 An inspection showed, however, that they had 
 abandoned three rifles and a number of knives and 
 helmets. 
 
 The raid was evidently carefully planned, and 
 American officers admit that it was well executed. 
 As a raid, however, there was nothing unusual 
 about it. It was such as was happening all along 
 the line. There is reason to believe that the Ger- 
 mans were greatly surprised when they found the 
 Americans in the trenches instead of the French. 
 
 The French general in command of the 
 division of which the American detatchment form- 
 ed a part, expressed extreme satisfaction at the 
 action of the Americans, for they fought bravely 
 against a numerically superior enemy, the handfull 
 of men fighting until they were smothered. 
 
 The officer who had charge of verifying the 
 accounts of this raid says, "I am proud to say that 
 
IN FRANCE WITH PERSHING 20, 
 
 our men engaged in the fight did everything within 
 their power. They jumped into the fight and stuck 
 to it. In the first place* the troops had been in 
 the trenches less than three hours when the barrage 
 of the Germans began. They had marched a good 
 part of the previous night and were tired. Some 
 of them were allowed to go to sleep in a dugout 
 25 feet under ground. When the barrage began, 
 these men did not hear the racket. It is apparent 
 that the first they knew of it was when the Germans 
 started throwing grenades down upon them. It 
 was these men who were taken prisoner, but they 
 fought well, even when surprised that way, for the 
 dugout was covered with blood, especially the top 
 half, showing that the Germans there must have 
 been hit. The entrance to the dugout also gave 
 indications of close hand-to-hand fighting. 
 
 "From the dugout through the trenches and 
 over the top through the barbed wire and well into 
 No Man's Land there was a wide, red trail. How 
 much of it was American and how much German 
 blood is not known." 
 
 It was during this raid that our hero, Sergeant 
 Hallyburton, was the first American soldier to be 
 captured^ but never conquered, by the Germans. 
 After his capture, Sergeant Hallyburton was sent 
 to various prison camps in Germany. The treat- 
 ment that he and his companions received at the 
 hands of their captors is enough to make the blood 
 
30 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 of any true American boil with undying and eternal 
 hatred for the German officers. Sergeant Hally- 
 burton summed up in a few words the kind of food 
 they received. "It was nothing more than slop. 
 We would have fed it to the hogs at home. I 
 passed seven months at Tuchel. It was a strafe 
 camp and a hell-hole in every sense of the word. 
 We were hitched to a wagon like horses and 
 forced to draw wood fourteen kilometers (about 
 seven miles) all day long. Dirty German guards 
 were constantly insulting us at the point of 
 bayonets. We wore wooden shoes, and for socks 
 we used a winding fabric and paper. Scantily 
 clothed and half-starved, we pulled our wagons 
 through snow last winter that was about to our 
 knees. There were eighteen Americans in Tuchel. 
 I had written Post Cards to the Red Cross from 
 each town we had been in previous^, but they could 
 never have been sent, for no answer was received 
 until four months after we reached Tuchel. It was 
 then (March 12, 19 18) that the first Red Cross 
 parcels arrived. These parcels saved our lives. If 
 we had been forced to continue two months longer 
 on the prison food and under the harsh treatment, 
 I am certain most of us would have died of 
 starvation." 
 
 Sergeant Hallyburton and his companions 
 were transferred to Rastadt on August 14, 1918. 
 There were about 500 American prisoners in the 
 
IN FRANCE WITH PERSHING 3 1 
 
 camp at that date. When Sergeant Hallyburton 
 and his companions first reached Rastadt^ they 
 organized and demanded that the Sergeant be 
 given command over all the American prisoners. 
 They were so persistent that the Prussian general 
 gave his consent. At this point they also decided 
 to demand better treatment. They had noticed that 
 the Germans had a distinct treatment for prisoners 
 of each nationality. Russians and Roumanians 
 were treated like dogs, or worse, and were being 
 slowly starved. British were treated somewhat 
 better, and the French best of all. Americans 
 were new in Germany, and no standard of treat- 
 ment had been established for them. The Germans 
 had started the Americans on the same plan as the 
 Russians. Hallyburton and his comrades began 
 establishing an American standard. They made 
 him leader, and agreed to stick by him in anything. 
 They summed up their position thus : "We'll soon 
 die on this anyway; we should have died at the 
 front, and we can't die better than by demanding 
 that we be treated as Americans." 
 
 Hallyburton first ordered them to clean up as 
 best they could, then he demanded in the best 
 military way, to see the camp commander. He saw 
 him, and declared that the Americans must be 
 treated better, and refused for them to do further 
 wood-hauling. He told the Prussian he could 
 either line the Americans up and shoot them or 
 
32 LIFE OE SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 comply with their demands. The commander was 
 furious, but the Americans hauled no more wood. 
 They were moved to Rastadt, and their food im- 
 proved, Red Cross packages arrived and were dis- 
 tributed evenly. Ultimatums and demands were 
 made in a soldierly way, with increasing force as 
 the Americans established their standing. The 
 Americans were careful to be diplomatic and just 
 in their demands. 
 
 Their camp became a model. Hallyburton had 
 a commander of each barracks to see that every 
 American kept his clothes cleaned and his shoes 
 blacked. Every salute had to be snappy and correct. 
 The Americans gained a special barracks by de- 
 manding them. Under Hallyburton's orders, these 
 were cleaned twice a day. They were better than 
 those of the German guards. 
 
 Then came the fight against German propa- 
 ganda. They were publishing a paper in Berlin 
 called "America in Europe." It was distributed in 
 the prisons and over American lines. The sheet 
 was written by Germans who had lived many years 
 in America and who could use American slang. 
 When the first issue appeared, the editor came to 
 Rastadt, and interviewed Hallyburton, representing 
 himself as appointed to look after Americans be- 
 cause of his sympathies for them. He was told 
 the paper would be welcome if it would cut 
 out the propaganda and print sporting news. 
 
IN FRANCE WITH PERSHING 33 
 
 This was agreed to by the "friend of Americans." 
 Next week he appeared with the new issue 
 somewhat revised to suit the Americans. The 
 German's clumsy efforts were amusing*, but Hally- 
 burton saw danger in the propaganda still in the 
 paper. He forbade its circulation among those 
 under his command. For this our hero was taken 
 to a punishment camp. His stay was short. The 
 Germans placed an incapable American in charge 
 of the Rastadt camp, who immediately muddled 
 affairs. The several hundred prisoners struck, and 
 insisted that Hallyburton be returned. The Ger- 
 man commander complied with the request. 
 
 On his return, Hallyburton was called up be- 
 fore General Von Kalteureit, the hard-hearted old 
 Prussian in charge of prisoners. Several hundred 
 new Americans had been gathered at Rastadt, and 
 the general granted Hallyburton charge over them, 
 leaving the old group under the incapable sub- 
 stitute. Hallyburton refused, but offered to take 
 charge of the entire camp. The old Prussian 
 argued, but ended with, "Ach, Gott, go ahead. If 
 you don't get along all right, let me know." The 
 general had given himself away with that state- 
 ment made before the prison officers. Hallyburton 
 and Geohegan went to the General, or threatened 
 to, for everything they needed after that. Again 
 our hero had propaganda plans to fight. The Ger- 
 mans had treated certain captives well in order to 
 
34 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 influence them to write letters saying they had not 
 been mistreated. Some letters were too favorable 
 to the Germans, so Hallyburton established a cen- 
 sorship pen. He knew the Germans were waiting 
 for favorable letters to publish. 
 
 Another battle against propaganda was against 
 an individual named Enders, who claimed to be 
 American, and the correspondent of an American 
 news agency. He appeared several times at the 
 camp saying he was gathering data to prove that 
 Americans were not mistreated in Germany, and 
 that he had been "permitted" to do so by the Ger- 
 man government. Hallyburton told Enders he had 
 better leave camp before some of the "dough-boys" 
 "insulted your German friends by telling the truth." 
 Enders left, and never returned for more data. 
 
 When the armistice was signed, the German 
 guards suddenly left the camps. Those who re- 
 mained were lenient, and told the Americans that 
 prisoners were free to go to towns and do as they 
 pleased. Hallyburton saw danger in this, if the 
 men became mixed up in revolutionary measures. 
 It would also further complicate their food ar- 
 rangements with the Red Cross, and so orders 
 were issued for every man to stay in camp and do 
 his work. 
 
 By this time each man had been assigned to 
 some sort of work for which he was adapted. 
 There were tailors, shoe-makers, barbers, cooks. 
 
IN FRANCE WiTH PERSHING 35 
 
 and practically every type of industry needed in 
 camp, including a staff for the camp paper, which 
 was copied by hancf, cartoons included, and posted 
 for reading. 
 
 The order was difficult for many men to 
 understand, but it was adhered to by practically 
 every one. Next came the orginization of train- 
 loads of men to leave for France. One by one 
 these problems were met, and the soldiers were 
 assisted by Red Cross men who arrived from 
 Switzerland. The Red Cross men were amazed 
 at the organization the doughboys had accomplished 
 in every camp, and found the native population in 
 districts around the American prison camps full of 
 admiration for the way our boys had handled them- 
 selves under difficulties and without authority. The 
 reader will find numerous citations from various 
 sources describing in detail the experiences of 
 Sergeant Hallyburton before and during his cap- 
 tivity. As will be seen further on, Sergeant Hally- 
 burton lost no time after the armistice was signed 
 before he left that blood-soaked and devastated 
 land for the peaceful and happy home of the pure 
 and the brave. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 INTERESTING MATTERS. 
 
 SERGEANT Hallyburton's first letter home 
 reads as follows: 
 Darmstadt, Germany, 
 December 31, 1917. 
 "Dear Father : 
 
 "Will write you a few lines. I am well and 
 all right. 
 
 "Write the First National Bank of El Paso, 
 Texas, and tell them to put my money on interest 
 in savings department until they hear from me. 
 
 "I will see you after the war is over. Tell Jim 
 and Mae to write me. Also Bub. 
 
 "Also tell the bank I am here and don't know 
 when I will get back, but to put all my deposits to 
 my credit on savings, and give them my address 
 and tell them to send me a statement of balance. 
 
 "Well, I will close for this time, and will write 
 you again soon. 
 
 "With love to all, 
 "Your son, 
 "Edgar M. Hallyburton, 
 "20th Company, 5th Battalion, 
 "Darmstadt, Germany." 
 
 36 
 
INTERESTING MATTERS 37 
 
 While at Tuchel, West Prussia, Sergeant 
 Hallyburton on June 10, 191 8, wrote his father a 
 short message on a post card used by prisoners of 
 war, as follows : 
 
 "Dear Father : 
 
 "Am well and getting on fine. 
 "I receive mail from you regular, and write 
 you once every week. Do you hear from me 
 regular? Will close for this time, hoping to hear 
 from you soon. 
 
 "With love, 
 
 "Your son." 
 
 Germans Taunt Us. 
 
 The news comes from Berlin that the German 
 news- papers "played up" in headlines the capture 
 of the American soldiers; one news-paper, the 
 "Lokal Anzeiger", published in Berlin, under the 
 caption of "Good morning, boys," the following: 
 
 "Three cheers for the Americans! Clever 
 chaps they are, it cannot be denied. Scarcely have 
 they touched the soil of this putrified Europe when 
 they are already forcing their way into Germany. 
 Before long they will cross the Rhine, and also 
 enter our fortresses. That is express-train speed 
 and American smartness. 
 
 "It is our good fortune that we are equipped 
 to receive and entertain numerous guests, and that 
 
38 LIFE) OF SEARGFNT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 we shall be able to provide quarters for these gentle- 
 men. However, we cannot promise them dough- 
 nuts and jam, to this extent they will be forced to 
 recede from their former standard of living. They 
 probably will become reconciled to this, for soldier- 
 ing is a very risky business. Above all, they will 
 find comfort in the thought that they are rendering 
 their almighty President, Mr. Wilson, valuable 
 services, inasmuch as it is asserted he is anxious to 
 obtain reliable information concerning conditions 
 and sentiments in belligerent countries. In this way 
 he will obtain first-hand information about things 
 in Germany. 
 
 "As Americans are always accustomed to 
 travel in luxury and comfort, we assume that these 
 advance arrivals merely represent couriers for 
 larger numbers to follow. We are sure the latter 
 will also come and be gathered in by us. At home 
 they believe they possess the biggest and most 
 colossal everything, but such establishments as we 
 have here, they have not seen. 
 
 "Look here, my boys! Here is the big firm 
 of Hindenburg & Co., with which you want to 
 compete. Look at its accomplishments, and con- 
 sider whether it would be better to haul down your 
 sign and engage in some other line. Perhaps your 
 boss, Wilson, will reconsider his newest line of 
 business before we grab more of his young people." 
 
 The above bit of news was no doubt edifying 
 
INTERESTING MATTERS 39 
 
 to our boys, and clearly showed them how dense 
 was the fatal ignorance of the German government 
 so far as its knowledge of the wonderful part 
 America and American soldiers were to perform in 
 the great World War. An ignorance which was 
 not only inexcusable but fatal to the hopes, aims, 
 and aspirations of the Kaiser and his horde of 
 infuriated and war-maddened followers who knew 
 nothing but what had been told them, by their 
 superior officers, concerning America, which was 
 then the greatest country on earth and the one to 
 crush Germany. 
 
 Red Cross Sends Food. 
 In the issue of May ist, Red Cross Briefs, the 
 bulletin of the Southern Red Cross Division, pub- 
 lished three times a month at Atlanta, there was an 
 item with regard to food for American prisoners. 
 "Prisoners arriving in German camps should find 
 Red Cross emergency food parcels awaiting them, 
 if arrangements are carried out. The Red Cross 
 has secured permission to store emergency supplies 
 at the prison camp at Tuchel, West Prussia. Three 
 hundred and sixty ten-pound parcels have been 
 shipped there for the relief of American prisoners 
 newly arrived from the front. Sergeant Hally- 
 burton and Corporal Upton, American prisoners, 
 have been delegated custodians of the emergency 
 food supplies and a store room has been assigned 
 to them in which to keep the parcels that have been 
 
40 LIFE OF SEARGFNT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 forwarded, says a cable from the Red Cross head- 
 quarters at Berne, Switzerland." 
 
 Dallin's Statuette. 
 
 The soldier whose picture, after he had been 
 captured by the Germans during the first successful 
 raid on the American lines, served as the guide for 
 Cyrus E. Dallin, the sculptor, in the production of 
 his statutte, "'Captured But Not Conquered," which 
 was used to help the third Liberty Loan campaign, 
 has been authoritatively identified. It was at first 
 thought that the picture, which had been sent out 
 by the Huns to show that they really had taken a 
 few Americans, was that of Sergeant Leith of 
 Schenectady, N. Y., and was so announced officially 
 from Washington. Later, however, a brother of 
 Leith received a letter from him saying that he had 
 not been made captive. Now it turns out the man 
 is Sergeant Edgar M. Hallyburton, son of Mr. 
 Geo. B. Hallyburton and Mrs. Prudence Hally- 
 burton of Stony Point, N. C, who had served 
 nearly ten years in the army. 
 
 The first intimation that the statuette had been 
 modelled from Hallyburton's picture came to Mr. 
 Dallin in a letter from Charles O. Carrier, in which 
 he says : "Having seen a reproduction of your 
 statuette 'Captured But Not Conquered', I wish to 
 pay you a compliment, but am at loss for words. 
 With the original of the photograph, I am per- 
 sonally acquainted, and you have not only repro- 
 
INTERESTING MATTERS 4 1 
 
 duced the features and expression, but his actual 
 character is embodied in the same. I thought 
 perhaps you would be pleased to learn his name 
 which is Edgar M. Hallyburton, son of Mrs. 
 Prudence Hallyburton of Stony Point. N. C, to 
 whom 1 have mailed a copy.'' 
 
 This letter finally reached Air. Dallin at 
 Springville, Utah, and he submitted it to Mr. John 
 K. Allen, publicity director of the Liberty Loans 
 in New England. 
 
 "Our use of the statuette", said Mr. Allen, in 
 a letter to the sculptor, "struck a high note in pub- 
 licity, and those which were sent to the various 
 cities in New England have found their way either 
 into the public libraries or art museums, and the 
 New England Libert}- Loan Committee has re- 
 ceived appreciative letters acknowledging their re- 
 ceipt." Mr. Allen also informed the scculptor that he 
 had authorized the New York Liberty Loan Com- 
 mittee to make use of the statue in its next drive. 
 
 On June 26th, Mr. Allen wrote Mrs. Hally- 
 burton as follows : 
 
 "Cbas. O. Carrier of Irving, 111., has written 
 to Mr. Cyrus E. Dallin stating that the original of 
 his statuette, "Captured But Not Conquered", is 
 your son, Edgar M. Hallyburton. When the re- 
 production of the picture, originally published in 
 the German illustrated papers, was produced in the 
 American newspapers, the soldier was identified as 
 
42 LII'E OP SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 Sergeant Leith of Schenectaday, N. Y., Later we 
 found the identification was inaccurate, as a letter 
 was received from Sergeant Leith to his brother, 
 stating that he had not been captured. It is very 
 desirable that we establish the identity of the sub- 
 ject of this statuette. It played an important part 
 in the Third Liberty Loan Campaign in New 
 England. Will you have the kindness to write me 
 if the young man is your son, and I will be happy 
 if you can send a photograph of him which I can 
 place beside the statuette which is now on my desk. 
 I trust that I am not asking too much of you, and 
 that you will co-operate with us in this important 
 historical incident." 
 
 Mrs. Hallyburton replied as follows : 
 "We are glad to answer your letter. Sergeant 
 Hallyburton is our son, and was captured on 
 November 3, 191 7, in the first fight for World 
 Liberty. We would be glad to know more about 
 the statuette. We would like a copy of it. We are 
 glad to know that our son has in any way helped 
 in the Liberty Loan. Please give us the details. 
 We are sending, as you requested, his photograph. 
 It is the only kind we have, and it has been taken 
 sometime, as he has been in the service nine years. 
 He is now 28 years old, and joined the army at 
 nineteen and one-half years old. We would be 
 glad to hear from you again, and will be of any 
 service we can." 
 
INTERESflNG MATTERS 43 
 
 Sees Statuette Oe Himself. 
 
 Visitors to Governor Cornwall's office noticed 
 on his desk a three foot statuette of an American 
 soldier, done in plaster paris, a rather striking 
 figure. It shows a Sergeant in an American uni- 
 form, with right hand in his pocket, his left hand 
 clenched, while his jaws are set, and a bull-dog 
 expression on his face. On the base of the statuette 
 are the words "Captured But Not Conquered/' 
 
 The governor had had to explain to in- 
 numerable visitors that it was presented to him b} r 
 John J. Slipper, who purchased it in Boston during 
 the last Liberty Loan Campaign ; that it represented 
 Sergeant Hallyburton whose home was at Stony 
 Point, N. C, and wdio belonged to the regular army 
 in the first division to go abroad; that fate decreed 
 that he should be the first American captured. 
 
 On Monday, there came into the Governor's 
 office. Major Coulter and Colonel Ryder of the 
 First Division, who were in Charleston with the 
 regular troops now stationed there. Major Coulter 
 glanced at the statuette, and said to the Governor, 
 "That face looks familiar. Who is that?" The 
 Governor replied that it was the first American that 
 the Germans captured. 
 
 "Why, yes, that is Sergeant Hallyburton of 
 the 1 6th Company. He is right here in tow r n." 
 
 The governor asked that he be brought in, 
 
44 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTGN 
 
 whereupon Major Coulter took up the telephone, 
 communicated with headquarters, and made ar- 
 rangements for Sergeant Hallyburton to come up 
 to the governor's office at ten o'clock Tuesday 
 morning to meet the governor, and to see himself 
 in a plaster of paris statuette. 
 
 Governor Cornwell had been asked many times 
 whether that first American prisoner came out of 
 the war, and was never able to answer the question 
 until that Monday afternoon when he learned from 
 the officers referred to that the Germans put Hally- 
 burton in charge of the American prisoners in a 
 large camp in Germany. There were a number of 
 American officers among the prisoners, but Hally- 
 burton had absolute command, and ruled with an 
 iron hand. After the armistice, he was in com- 
 mand of a large hospital at Toul. This hero who 
 was '"Captured But Not Conquered" had been walk- 
 ing the streets of Charleston for days. 
 
 Reception To General Wood. 
 
 Following his return from Kanawha City, 
 where at 9:30 o'clock he conferred the distinguished 
 service cross upon a member of the First Division, 
 General Leonard Wood and his staff were tendered 
 a reception in Gov. Cornwell's office at which many 
 of the state and city officials and other prominent 
 citizens of the city were made acquainted with them. 
 With the general, were Col. C. B. Baker, Capt. 
 
INTERESTING MATTERS 45 
 
 J. B. Campbell, the general's son, and his aide, 
 Lieutenant Osborne C. Ward. 
 
 James W. Weir, Gov. Cornwell's secretary, 
 made an effort to get as many of the state and city 
 officials present as possible. They included State 
 Auditor, John S. Dart, Secretary of State, Houston 
 G. Young, State Treasurer, Wm. S. Johnson, At- 
 torney General, E. T. England, Superintendent of 
 Schools, M. P. Shawkey, Commissioner of Agri- 
 culture, Jas. H. Stewart, Judge E. F. Morgan of 
 the public service commission, former State Sena- 
 tor, W. P. Hawley, Mayor Grant P. Hall, Walter 
 E. Clark, proprietor of the Charleston Mail, Jesse 
 V. Sullivan, former secretary of the state council 
 of defence, J. G. Bradley, Pres. of the W. Va. Coal 
 Association, and a number of others. 
 
 Decidedly the most interesting incident of the 
 impromptu reception was the presentation of 
 Sergeant Hallyburton, of the 16th Infantry, to 
 Gen. Wood. 
 
 As the sergeant entered the presence of Gen. 
 Wood and his staff this morning, he presented a 
 fine picture of a soldier. Extending his hand in 
 greeting", General Wood advanced a step to meet 
 him, and Sergeant Hallyburton, bringing his heels 
 smartly together in soldierly fashion and standing 
 straight as an arrow, shook hands with the 
 general. 
 
 Sergeant Hallyburton is about six feet tall, is 
 
40 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 well proportioned physically, without an ounce of 
 superfluous flesh, and is of the "lean" type of 
 soldier whose countenance shows plainly the value 
 of his experience in the war. 
 
 General Wood asked the sergeant many 
 questions, and Hallyburton answered modestly, 
 giving" a very brief recital of his life as a captive in 
 a German prison camp. 
 
 "How did you get along when the Bodies 
 tried to get information out of you," asked the 
 general. "Treated pretty badly?" 
 
 "That was a pretty hard matter," replied 
 Hallyburton. "They used us pretty badly for a 
 while, but when they found they couldn't break our 
 spirit, they let up a little. They seemed to want 
 information about aeroplanes more than they did 
 about America's purpose in the war. They did ask 
 me whether America was in the war in earnest, and 
 whether many troops were to be sent, but I told 
 them I had not been in the States for sometime, and 
 really had no information on that point." 
 
 "That was the best way out of it," commented 
 General Wood. 
 
 Hallyburton explained in answer to the 
 questions of the general how he, with ten other 
 soldiers, happened to be captured, and in reply to 
 another query, said his imprisonment lasted from 
 November 191 7 to December 19 18. 
 
MR. AXD MRS. GEORGE B. HALLYBURTOX. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 BACK HOME. 
 
 SERGEANT Hallyburton lost no time after his 
 release as a prisoner of war behind the German 
 lines before setting sail for America. He land- 
 ed at Camp Mills, Long Island, and soon secured 
 a sixty-day furlough, and left on the first train for 
 "home sweet home" to see his parents, relatives, and 
 friends. On his arrival at home, he found a letter 
 from Adjunct-General Harris notifying him that he 
 had been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal 
 of which a detailed account is given elsewhere. 
 This medal was sent to Camp Dix to be presented 
 to Sergeant Hallyburton a few weeks later. 
 
 When the great crowd had assembled on the 
 athletic field of the south parade grounds, Major- 
 General Charles P. Summerall, after reading the 
 letter from Adjunct-General Harris, said : 
 
 ''This Distinguished Service Medal has never 
 been more worthily bestowed than upon Sergeant 
 Edgar M. Hallyburton. The records show that he 
 is the only enlisted man to receive such a decoration 
 in the World Far, and the First Division is proud 
 
 i7 
 
48 LIEE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 of him as a comrade. His services, for which the 
 grateful President of a grateful nation awarded this 
 coveted decoration, showed that however restricted, 
 whatever the limit of movement, a soldier and man 
 may yet contribute to the glory of his country and 
 to the honor of his army. He was taken a prisoner 
 by the enemy in an honorable manner in a time of 
 terrific danger known only to those who have ex- 
 perienced the test, and only by the narrowest mar- 
 gin escaped with his life. By his dominant per- 
 sonality, he compelled the enemy to treat humanly 
 our American prisoners. By thus remaining faith- 
 ful to his nation, even though in captivity, Sergeant 
 Hallyburton strengthened the resolution of his 
 comrades, and increased their buoyancy and 
 fortitude." 
 
 The Division Commander thereupon pinned 
 the decoration upon him, and congratulated him 
 upon his good fortune. The 16th Infantry Band 
 furnished the march, and played exceptionally well. 
 
 Not only before, but more especially after, his 
 return to American soil, Sergeant Hallyburton was 
 the happy recipient of all the praise and honor it 
 was possible for a patriotic and patriot-admiring 
 people to lavish upon him. This praise was spon- 
 taneous, out-spoken, unselfish, and unstinted. He 
 had won it worthily. 
 
 It will not be out of place just here to give a 
 few extracts from the news-papers to show how 
 
■ BACK HOME 49 
 
 this praise was bestowed upon him while he was 
 yet a prisoner of war within the German lines. 
 
 The Charlotte (N. C.) Observer mentions the 
 following- : "The war picture which is going the 
 rounds of the papers as the 'first photograph to 
 reach this country of Pershing's men in the hands 
 of the Germans' was received with peculiar interest 
 in the home of Mr. Geo. B. Hailyburton of Stony 
 Point, Alexander Count)-, for in the central figure 
 in the picture, — that of the bare-headed soldier 
 being questioned by German officers, — Mr. Haily- 
 burton recognized his son, Sergeant Edgar Haily- 
 burton. The protograph gave his parents the 
 satisfaction of knowing that he is alive and not 
 wounded, and they properly want their happiness 
 given reflection through The Observer.'" 
 
 A Father's Tribute. 
 Mr. George B. Hailyburton, when he heard of 
 his son's capture, in the simple, truthful language 
 of his people, only said, "The German's didn't get 
 Edgar without a fight, I'm sure; Ed is the fighting 
 kind." 
 
 From His Teacher. 
 "It can already be said of our boys, 'He hath 
 done what he could', for after a heroic stand and 
 desperate fight, Sergeant Hailyburton was captured 
 by the Germans last fall. This band of boys, the 
 first American prisoners taken during the war, is 
 
50 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 now in Darmstadt, Germany. Young Hallyburton's 
 fine military record has won for him lasting honor, 
 and given great impetus to the cause for which he 
 was fighting, all over the country. We are justly 
 proud of these boys, and feel sure our side must 
 win when supported by such manly fellows as 
 these." 
 
 "Armistice Day, or North Carolina in the 
 World War", which is a book published by the 
 State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in 
 mentioning Sergeant Hallyburton says: 
 
 "It is a soldier's duty not only to fight in 
 battle, but also to serve his country wherever he 
 may be. This is what Edgar M. Hallyburton did. 
 Edgar M. Hallyburton was born near Stony Point, 
 Iredell County, North Carolina. He volunteered 
 in the regular army and became a sergeant in the 
 1 6th Infantry. This regiment was a part of the 
 First Division, and was one of the first regiments 
 to go to France. 
 
 "In November, 19 17, the Germans raided the 
 American trenches and took Sergeant Hallyburton 
 prisoner. Sergeant Hallyburton was carried into 
 Germany and kept as a prisoner of war from 
 November 191 7 till November 19 18. He was in 
 many German prison camps and in none of them 
 was he well treated. As the war went on, other 
 American prisoners of war came to these camps. 
 The Germans tried to break their spirits, and make 
 
. back home; 5 1 
 
 them give valuable information about the American 
 armies. They kept the American prisoners in dirty 
 houses, and did not give them enough to eat. 
 
 "Many a soldier's spirit would have broken 
 down had it not been for Sergeant Hallyburton. 
 He organized the prisoners and found comfortable 
 places for them to stay in. He saw that all food 
 and clothing due them was fairly divided among 
 all prisoners. He organized officers and made 
 rules to prevent Americans from getting dis- 
 couraged and giving Germans information about 
 our armies. 
 
 "Finally, in November 19 18, the Armistice 
 was signed, and Sergeant Hallyburton and other 
 prisoners of war were sent back to the American 
 army. Here it was learned how he had served his 
 country even while in prison. The government 
 thanked him publicly for these fine services by giv- 
 ing him a medal called the Distinguished Service 
 Medal. Many generals, colonels, and other men of 
 high rank received this medal for fine work they 
 did in training and leading soldiers. But none of 
 them deserve more credit than Sergeant Hally- 
 burton. He was not trying to win a name for 
 himself. He was only doing his duty where he was. 
 His was the spirit of service." 
 
 The following verses were used in the Fourth 
 Liberty Loan campaign of New England : 
 
52 LIEE OE SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 TO EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 A prisoner of war in Germany. 
 By his Aunt, Mrs. Ella Lackey, Hamlet, N. C. 
 
 O, little boy, that used to roam 
 Among the peaceful hills of home, 
 With none of fear, so wild and free, 
 In dreams you often come to me. 
 
 These dimpled hands were my delight, 
 These fearless eyes were closed each night 
 In gentle slumbers; on my breast 
 This baby form was lulled to rest. 
 
 O, little boy that used to be; 
 
 O, captive son beyond the sea; 
 
 Who smoothes for you your prison bed? 
 
 Who pillows now your weary head ? 
 
 Your soul is free! No prison bars 
 The spirit of the stripes and stars, 
 And those who stand for liberty 
 Will bring my soldier back to be. 
 
 By H. E. C. Bryant. 
 
 Washington, November 9. — The War Depart- 
 ment issued this statement today: 
 
 "By direction of the President, under the pro- 
 visions of the act of Congress, approved, July 9, 
 
BACK HOME 53 
 
 1918, (Bulletin No. 43, War Department, 1918) 
 a Distinguished Service Medal is awarded the fol- 
 lowing man : Sergeant Edgar M. Hallyburton, 
 (42848) Company F, 16th Infantry. For ex- 
 ceptionally meritorious and conspicious services." 
 "Sergeant Hallyburton, while a prisoner in the 
 hands of the German government from November, 
 191 7 to November. 191 8, voluntarily took command 
 of the different camps in which he was located, and 
 under difficult conditions, established administrative 
 and personal quarters, organized the men into units, 
 billited them systematically, established sanitary 
 regulations, and made equitable distribution 
 of supplies: he established an intelligence service 
 to prevent our men giving information to the 
 enemy, and prevented the enemy introducing propa- 
 ganda. His patriotism and leadership under trying 
 conditions were an inspiration to his fellow pris- 
 oners, and contributed greatly to the amelioration 
 of their hardships.'' 
 
 From A Soldier's Relative. 
 
 A few days ago, a soldier's relative contributed 
 to The New York Times a short letter of appreci- 
 ation behind which there is a story of interest to 
 the people of North Carolina. The Times' contri- 
 buter wrote to this effect : 
 
 "Relatives of American soldiers detained in 
 prison camps in Germany owe grateful thanks to 
 
54 life of sergeant edgar m. hallyburton 
 
 Sergeant Hallyburton, president of the camp at 
 Rastadt, Duchy of Baden, for his kind offices in 
 endeavouring to acquaint anxious mothers, wives, 
 and sweethearts of the whereabouts of their cap- 
 tured loved ones." It is then briefly related that 
 in many cases no official record whatsoever gave the 
 fate of the lads who had ceased writing, but by 
 some method of his own, Sergeant Hallyburton 
 managed to convey at least the information that 
 they were alive in some place in Germany, which 
 was relief of a sort. "As we cannot reach this 
 excellent man and friend," the writer continues, 
 "we relatives take this method of placing on record 
 our gratitude to him and his efficient secretary, 
 Corporal Geoghegan, who, in the midst of their 
 own misery, could take thought of ours and attempt 
 to mitigate it by at least a ray of hope. God bless 
 them both, is our earnest wish." 
 His Picture. 
 The Associated Press dispatches carried the 
 following article." "In the picture section of The 
 New York Times of Sunday was a splendid picture 
 of three American soldiers, taken prisoner by the 
 Germans, being questioned by German officers. In 
 addition to the group picture, the photograph of 
 the three Americans was given separately. The 
 photographs were obtained from German papers, 
 passed by the British censor. The names of the 
 prisoners did not appear, but acquaintances of 
 
BACK HOME 55 
 
 Sergeant Edgar M. Hallyburton of Iredell County, 
 North Carolina, readily recognized his photograph, 
 — the soldier with his hair brushed up in front. 
 Sergeant Hallyburton was captured when the 
 Germans raided the American trenches, November 
 3. These were the first Americans captured, and 
 the Germans have made much of the event, ap- 
 parently putting the captives on exhibition." 
 From Editor Wade Harris. 
 '"The Observer's idea of an intertaining story 
 is that which tells how Sergeant Hallyburton, the 
 Alexander County boy (this should have been 
 Iredell County boy — the Author) who was the first 
 German captive, figured in the campaign of the 
 Liberty Loan Committee of New England, which 
 is presented elsewhere. The idea of the Committee 
 itself should come in for first endorsement. It dis- 
 tinguished the North Carolina Sergeant by com- 
 memorating him in statuette. This art work was 
 given display in the leading cities of New England 
 with a placard reading: 'The first American soldier 
 captured by the Germans. How long shall we 
 allow him to remain a prisoner? Buy Liberty 
 Bonds and set him free!' The statuettes and the 
 appeal worked wonders in the success of the cam- 
 paign, in New England, and for one, The Observer 
 is proud of the distinctive part the Stony Point boy 
 played in it. Incidentally, the story of the mistake 
 in identity first committed by the New England 
 
56 LlEE OP SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 committee, and how it was adjusted, adds to the 
 human interest of the story. The Observer feels 
 inclined to thank this Boston organization in behalf 
 of the state for its signal contribution to the fame 
 of Sergeant Hallyburton. It will be recalled that 
 a few weeks ago a young man with a squint in his 
 eye, and who had been rejected by the army for 
 that reason, appeared in Charlotte and underwent 
 an operation for the taking out of the squint. This 
 young fellow was a brother of Sergeant Hally- 
 burton, and he was determined to get to Franco 
 'to take Bud away from the Germans.' Possibly 
 it may come to pass that the happy mother in the 
 mountain home back in Stony Point may have a 
 second statuette to adorn her mantlepiece, for the 
 younger brother is quite sure to have a hand in the 
 rescue of Sergeant Hallyburton, in case the rescue 
 is accomplished." 
 
 Prayer For Sergeant Hallyburton. 
 
 The Charlotte (N. C.) News carried the fol- 
 lowing item just after the capture of Sergeant 
 Hallyburton was made public: 
 
 "The General Synod of the Associate Reform- 
 ed Presbyterian Church of the South, in late session 
 at Fayetteville, Tenn., engaged in special prayer 
 for Sergeant Hallyburton of Stony Point, this 
 state, reported as being captured by the Germans 
 in the first clash between the two lines. Sergeant 
 Hallyburton is a "Seceder", a member of the Amity 
 
BACK HOME 5/ 
 
 Church in Iredell County, and, therefore, a Psalm- 
 singer." 
 
 Commenting on the above Associated Press 
 dispatch, one of his home papers has this to say : 
 "There is no way to tell, perhaps, nor will be, that 
 the prayer of this body of consecrated ministers of 
 the Gospel is ever answered for Sergeant Hally- 
 burton. It is not allowed us to know whether or 
 nut a safe deliverance will come to him because of 
 the supplications which have been sent up, but we 
 June no doubt that if he could be made aware of the 
 fact that back here in his home country he has been 
 made a client of these pious ministers before the 
 Courts of God, encouragement would come to his 
 soul. Faced with the red waves of war's destruc- 
 tion, he is a fool who will not seek the side of 
 heaven." 
 
 The Red Cross. 
 
 The American Red Cross today, February 8, 
 paid Sergeant Edgar M. Hallyburton, whose home 
 is at Stony Point, Alexander County, North Caro- 
 lina, a handsome compliment by sending broadcast 
 the story of his splended work as American prisoner 
 of war in Germany. "Elected by the vote of his 
 2,400 fellow Americans, who were prisoners at the 
 German prison camp at Rastadt, as Commandant", 
 the Red Cross says, "Sergeant Hallyburton, who 
 for months fought to secure decent treatment for 
 the American captives, is recognized as an authority 
 
58 LIFE 01? SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 on their treatment." Although certain rights were 
 finally wrung from the German military jailors, 
 Sergeant Hallyburton says the Germans were guilty 
 of many offences against the prisoners, in particular 
 the regular stealing of American Red Cross food 
 and clothing boxes sent to the Americans. 
 
 "The American Red Cross is wonderful," ex- 
 claimed Sergeant Hallyburton, suddenly. "It sup- 
 plied us so well that a prisoner received his regular 
 weekly box never had to touch German stuff." 
 This bulletin of the Red Cross carried a picture of 
 Sergeant Hallyburton. This North Carolina boy 
 is coming out o£ the war with much honor. 
 
 Mr. Fred A. Olds, the versatile writer and 
 amiable curator of the North Carolina Hall of 
 History, writing in The Orphans Friend, under date 
 of Friday, September 9, 1921 says: 
 A Real Hero. 
 
 "Sergeant Edgar M. Hallyburton stood the 
 acid test and assayed pure gold. 
 
 "Taylorsville, the county seat of Alexander, 
 is not a big place, but it is the home of a full size 
 Hero of the World War, and the writer got a 
 great deal of pleasure from a visit to this 100 per 
 cent. American, who is Edgar M. Hallyburton, late 
 sergeant in Co. F, 16th Regiment, U. S. Infantry. 
 He is the worthy wearer of one of the most coveted 
 distinctions in the army, the Distinguished Service 
 Medal, and his letter from General John J. Per- 
 
BACK HOME 59 
 
 shing, he considers as great a distinction as the 
 medal. 
 
 "One sees the Distinguished Service Cross 
 quite often, but not one man in a thousand has ever 
 seen a Distinguished Service Medal. In fact. 
 Sergeant Hallyburton was the first enlisted man to 
 receive it. He was also the first American soldier 
 captured by the Germans. It was not alone his 
 bravery in action which won him the medal, but his 
 wonderful head-work, inspirational always, and his 
 American manhood while a prisoner in German 
 camps, which kept his fellow prisoners together, 
 secured for them respect and standing. In other 
 words, this enlisted soldier, by sheer force of his 
 personality, was the chosen head of all the Ameri- 
 can prisoners in Germany; chosen by them, and 
 not by the Germans. 
 
 "He is a quiet man, this Sergeant Hallyburton, 
 but determination and utter fearlessness are written 
 large upon his face. His home village was Stony 
 Point, and from it he joined the regular army in 
 1907. He was in several branches of the service, 
 went into Mexico with General Pershing in the 
 persuit of Villa the bandit in 1916, and in June, 
 19 1 7, went to France with the first American con- 
 tingent, the First Division, all regular troops. The 
 special training for the World War began at once. 
 
 "November 3, 191 7, his regiment was at the 
 front, in the Luneville sector, in France, and had 
 
6o LIFE OE SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLIBURTON 
 
 just marched in. He and about twenty of his 
 Company were in a dug-out 25 feet under ground, 
 that first night at the front. A little before day- 
 light, the Germans laid down a heavy barrage, and 
 rushed this advanced post, and entered the dug-out. 
 They were met by rifle-fire and several were killed 
 and one captured, but they used grenades, killing 
 three Americans; Merle D. Hay, of Des Moines, 
 Iowa ; Thomas F. Enright, of Pittsburg, Pa. ; and 
 James B. Gresham, of Evansville, Ind., these being 
 the first United States soldiers killed. Five others 
 were wounded, and twelve taken prisoner by the 
 overwhelming force of Germans. The latter were 
 anxious to capture some Americans, .hoping to get 
 from them some first-hand information as to the 
 strength of the United States force. The Germans 
 questioned the captured men after the)- had taken 
 them into their own lines, across 'No Man's Land', 
 and made a photograph of this scene of questioning. 
 These photographs they used as propaganda, and 
 sent them through Switzerland, so newspapers 
 could get them. The three Americans killed were 
 buried with most imposing ceremonies by the 
 French army. The captured men, including Hally- 
 burton, were set down as missing. When the 
 German photograph of the questioning reached the 
 United States there was quite a sensation. No 
 names were given, but the faces were clear. 
 Mr. Geo. B. Hallyburton saw the picture, and his 
 
BACK HOME 6l 
 
 wife and he at once gave notice to the War Depart- 
 ment that it was their son who was the central 
 figure in the picture. Bare headed, with one hand 
 in a pocket, he looked fearlessly at the Boches, one 
 of whom is laughing in a sneering way. One may 
 be sure that the questioners, for all their arrogance, 
 got nothing from Hallyburton, who is as firm as 
 flint. The German intelligence officer bombarded 
 him with questions, but the up-standing American 
 neither cringed nor told any secrets. The picture 
 was put to a use of which the Germans never ever 
 dreamed. As soon as Cyrus Dallin, a Massachusetts 
 sculptor, saw it, he made a plaster statuette of 
 Hallyburton, not then even knowing who he was. 
 Then smaller statuettes were made, and those were 
 used in the great Liberty Loan drives. The large 
 statuette was later sent to the parents of Hally- 
 burton. He showed to his captors the true spirit 
 of Americanism and it astonished and puzzled them. 
 He hated them with such a deep and abiding 
 hatred that he would never try to learn or use their 
 language. The next move by the Germans was to 
 put their captives in a sort of cage on a truck, and 
 send them to Germany and hand them from town 
 to town, telling the people these appeared to be all 
 the Americans who had arrived in Europe. The 
 German populace looked at them and treated them 
 as if they were wild beasts on show. Next, the 
 Americans were sent to a prison camp in Tuchel, 
 
62 LIFE OE SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 West Prussia. Six more Americans arrived there 
 a little later, bringing the number up to 18. The 
 Germans hitched them to wagons and forced them 
 to haul firewood 7 miles. Their good clothing had 
 been taken by their cruel captors, and they were 
 given wooden shoes, paper fabric socks, and 
 wretched clothes. The snow was above their knees, 
 they were half-starved, but their spirits were never 
 broken. From town to town where they had been 
 hauled in their cage and exhibited, Hallyburton, 
 chosen as their leader, had written post cards to the 
 American Red Cross, but these cards the Germans 
 withheld, so that it was not until January 12, 1918 
 that upon demand of the Red Cross in Switzerland 
 their names were given, and the first packages ar- 
 rived. These supplies saved their lives. Hally- 
 burton says otherwise they could not have endured 
 over two months longer. The Germans made a 
 regular practice to steal from the Red Cross boxes 
 and to appropriate the articles. Once, when 100 
 pairs of shoes arrived, they stole 96. The American 
 prisoners at Tuchel camp were well organized by 
 Hallyburton, and they stood up for their rights. 
 They were, August 4, 1918, sent to a miserable 
 camp at Rastadt. It was known as a "propaganda" 
 camp, as the Germans tried in every way to under- 
 mine the morale of the Americans. There were 
 550 Americans in this camp when Hallyburton ar- 
 rived. Pro-German traitors, who had enlisted in 
 
BACK HOME 63 
 
 the army with this purpose in view, were the 
 spreaders of the vile propaganda, working hand- 
 in-hand with the Germans. Of the Germans, the 
 chief was Capt. von Tauscher, who tried to dyna- 
 mite a bridge at Detroit, was caught with the dyna- 
 mite in his suit case and was driven out of America, 
 instead of being properly hanged. He was trying 
 to introduce the two propaganda newspapers the 
 Germans published, "The American In Europe" and 
 the "Continental Times," but he was told point- 
 blank that the Americans would not stand for it. 
 The Americans again chose Hallyburton as their 
 leader, and demanded this and the German general 
 consented. At once the pro-German traitors were 
 ousted. Hallyburton had a hand-picked intelligence 
 staff of 150 men when the armistice began, and the 
 Americans, completely turning the tables on the 
 Germans, did the propaganda work themselves 
 among the younger Boche soldiers, to good purpose, 
 for something happened. The German '"revolution" 
 broke out, and it struck Rastadt November 3. 
 The revolutionists opened the prison camp gates 
 and asked the Americans, by that time 2,500 : n 
 number, to step out as free men and go into the 
 town. A lot of them did so, but the influenza was 
 raging in town and 83 cases developed among the 
 Americans, three dying of it. At once Hallyburton 
 put on iron-clad discipline, closed the prison camp 
 gates, put on an American provost guard to take 
 
64 LIEE OE SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 the place of the German mutineers, and so kept 
 perfect order until the day in December when the 
 Americans left for home by way of Switzerland. 
 Then he went to Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky, 
 and there rejoined his regiment. His outfit at 
 Rastadt actually had cleaner quarters than the 
 German guards, the American barracks being clean- 
 ed, or ''policed", twice a day. He had a short stay 
 in a horrible German prison at Heuberg, in the 
 Grand Duchey of Baden, this being known as a 
 "Strafe" camp. There he and an "adjunct", a 
 soldier named Geebegan, were closely confined, 
 worked hard, and half-starved. 
 
 "Sergeant Hallyburton has placed in the State 
 Hall of History two albums with photographs of 
 his eventful prison life, and a great many news- 
 paper articles and illustrations covering all sorts of 
 phases of it. He also deposits there his Distin- 
 guished Service Medal and two letters of intense 
 human interest which he prizes most highly. They 
 are letters any American might well be proud to 
 read and more than proud to have received. One 
 is from Col. W. L. H. Godson, U. S. Military 
 Attache at Berne, Switzerland, and the other from 
 General Pershing." 
 
 True Bravery. 
 Hon. F. M. Pinnix, Editor of The Orphan's 
 Friend and Masonic Journal, commenting on the 
 
BACK HOME 65 
 
 sketch by Mr. Fred A. Olds, pays Sergeant Hally- 
 burton the following tribute : 
 
 "Cononel Olds' story of Sergeant Hallyburton 
 in this weeks issue is an inspiring one. North Caro- 
 lina has the distinction of producing one of the 
 really heroic and useful figures of the war in this 
 fine soldier who not only did his full duty, but did 
 it in a manner and at a time when it counted heavily. 
 Like all really brave men, Sergeant Hallyburton is 
 modest and reserved. Colonel Olds, who knows a 
 man when he sees one, says, "He is a quiet man, 
 this Sergeant Hallyburton, but determination and 
 utter fearlessness are written large on his face." 
 There are various types of bravery; all good, of 
 course, but this tjpe of Sergeant Hallyburton, 
 instantly recognized by his superior officers, is of 
 first rank. Under strain of excitement, of exalta- 
 tion, of anger, of love, men do prodigies of valor 
 without counting the cost, which means that they 
 do not fully realize the hazards. Weaklings have, 
 for the moment, played the part of heroes. "Men, 
 under sudden strong impulses, exhibit stout qualities 
 of heart they cannot summon under normal con- 
 ditions, and just here is where the real hero is 
 different from the man whose heroism is not stable. 
 
 "Halliburton's is the kind that does not flinch. 
 It is the kind that remained at concert pitch during 
 his full period of service, including all his months 
 as a prisoner of war. It stood the test. 
 
66 LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 "But bravery does not seem to be the only 
 stock in trade of this soldier. After capture, many 
 soldiers are prone to conclude they have done their 
 full duty and that nothing further need be expected 
 of them. That is not the Hallyburton system of 
 reasoning. A prisoner, and menaced by new 
 hazards, cut off from communication with the 
 world, and fed on lies and propaganda, it does seem 
 as if a soldier, in such situation, could do little for 
 his country, yet a high type of intelligence, plus 
 sterling character, can always find something useful 
 to do, and in his characteristic way, Hallyburton 
 found it. By the discipline and high morale he 
 maintained among American prisoners of war, he 
 not only helped to keep them superior to intimida- 
 tion, and proof against the pitiless questioning they 
 had to undergo; he not only kept his comrades un- 
 affected by enemy propaganda; but he turned the 
 tables on the enemy and got a little bit of truth as 
 to the war going in Germany. This was a dan- 
 gerous and difficult business, but with the assistance 
 of his comrades, the Sergeant put it across and won 
 the recognition and respect of a soldier no less than 
 the Commander-in-Chief himself. Hallyburton, 
 captured, in an enemy camp, was worth more to his 
 country than many good men armed from head to 
 foot, unwounded, and in action on the battle front. 
 Sergeant Hallyburton is a fine type of soldier, if 
 anybody should happen to ask you." 
 
back home 67 
 
 From Colonel \V. L. H. Godson. 
 
 Sergeant Hallyburton, when in Berne, Switzer- 
 land, received the following commendatory letter 
 from Colonel W. L. H. Godson, cavalry, the military 
 attache at the United States legation : 
 
 "Before you leave Berne with the repatriated 
 American prisoners, I desire to furnish you with 
 this statement to make record of your services while 
 a prisoner of war in Germany. Captured on 
 November 3, 1917, under circumstances which were 
 absolutely beyond 3'our control, your whole conduct 
 from that time until your release in December, 19 18, 
 reflects credit upon yourself and the regular army 
 to which you belong. In Tuchel, your conduct saved 
 your comrades from the worst that filthy hole in- 
 flicted. You organized and controlled them under 
 great difficulties, and even succeeded in forcing rec- 
 ognition from the German authorities. I shall report 
 all I have learned in this case to the Commander-in- 
 Chief, and shall recommend you for a commission 
 in the United States army. I should be glad to 
 have you as an officer in any organization I might 
 command." 
 
 General Pershing. 
 
 Shortly after the armistice was signed, 
 Sergeant Hallyburton received the following letter 
 from General John J. Pershing: 
 "Sergeant Edgar M. Hallyburton, 
 My Dear Sergeant :— 
 
68 LlEE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYEURTON 
 
 I have just learned, with great pleasure, 
 of your magnificent and noble conduct while 
 you were a prisoner of war in the hands of 
 the enemy. Your loyalty and self-sacrificing 
 spirit of devotion to the interest of the American 
 soldiers who were prisoners in Germany during the 
 hostilities is worthy of the highest traditions of 
 American manhood and patriotism. Confronted 
 with the difficult and serious problem of discovering 
 and exterminating the enemy propaganda, made in 
 their efforts to stifle the morale of the Americans, 
 you did not waver for an instant but remained stead- 
 fast to your purpose and accomplished a most com- 
 mendable service to your nation. I am proud to 
 have you under my command. Believe me, 
 Sergeant, very sincerely yours, 
 
 JOHN J. PERSHING." 
 The Adjunct General. 
 "Mr. Edgar M. Hallyburton, 
 Stony Point, N. C., 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Under the provisions of the act of Congress ap- 
 proved July 9, 1918, (Bulletin No. 43, W. D. 1918) 
 a Distinguished Service Medal was awarded 
 to you by the War Department, for exceptionally 
 meritorious and conspicious services, while a 
 prisoner in the hands of the German govern- 
 ment from November 191 7 to November 19 18. 
 
 "It is requested that you use the enclosed 
 
BACK HOME 69 
 
 penalty envelope, which requires no postage, and 
 inform this office to what address you wish this 
 medal sent, in order that presentation of same may 
 be made. 
 
 Very respectful!}', 
 
 P. C. HARRIS, 
 The Adjutant General." 
 From Secretary Baker. 
 
 Washington, Nov. 20. — Secretary of War, 
 Baker, announced that the Distinguished Service 
 Medal has been awarded to Sergeant Edgar M. 
 Hallyburton, Co. F, 16th Infantry, in recognition 
 of service performed for American prisoners while 
 himself held in a German prison camp. The 
 citation in part follows : "Sergeant Hallyburton, 
 while a prisoner in the hands of the German gov- 
 ernment, took command, and under difficult con- 
 ditions established administrative and personal 
 headquarters, organized the men into units, billeted 
 them systematically, established sanitary regulations, 
 and made equitable distribution of supplies. He 
 also established an intelligence service to prevent 
 our men giving information to the enemy, and pre- 
 vented the enemy introducing propaganda. His 
 patriotism and leadership under trying conditions 
 were an inspiration to his fellow prisoners, and 
 contributed greatly to the amelioration of their 
 hardship." 
 
 Satisfied beyond the shadow of a doubt that 
 
yo LIFE OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. HALLYBURTON 
 
 my readers will agree with me when I say Sergeant 
 Hallyburton deserves all the praise and honor 
 bestowed on him — satisfied that each one will join 
 me in wishing for him a long life of peace and 
 plenty — it gives me perfect pleasure to announce 
 that shortly after his resignation as a soldier was 
 accepted by the War Department, he was happily 
 married to Miss Jeannette Dutchkee, a charming 
 and attractive young lady of Louisville, Ky., and 
 with this announcement, my story of him comes to 
 THE END. 
 
FRANK, BROTHER OF SERGEANT EDGAR M. 
 
 HALLYBURTON, WHO HAS RECENTLY DIED 
 
 EROM A SHELL WOUND INELICTED IN A 
 
 EIGHT ON THE HILLS OF FRANCE- 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PRIVATE FRANK C. HALLYBURTON. 
 
 Born, August 16, 1895. 
 Enlisted, September 19, 1917. 
 Wounded, October 20, 19 18. 
 Died, April 5, 1922. 
 
 PRIVATE FRANK HALLYBURTON. 
 
 THE subject of this sketch was born in Iredell 
 County, North Carolina, August 16, 1895, and 
 was a younger son of Mr. Geo. B. Hallyburton 
 and Mrs. Prudence Hallyburton and a brother of 
 Sergeant Edgar M. Hallyburton. He enlisted in 
 the army on the 19th of September, 191 7, and was 
 stationed, while in training, at Camp Jackson, S. C, 
 and Camp Forest, Ga. He served with distinction 
 until April 15, 1918. He reached "somewhere in 
 France" on May 3, 19 18. He fought with courage, 
 and won his spurs at St. Michael on the western 
 front in France, at Argonne, and in the trenches. 
 At the battle of the Argonne, he was struck on the 
 
 71 
 
j 2 life of private Frank c. hallyburTon 
 
 left temple with a piece of shrapnel which went 
 through his helmet, blinded him, but did not knock 
 him down, and he did not become unconscious. 
 Two other soldiers who were with him were struck 
 by the same piece of shrapnel. These three gallant 
 soldiers walked to the first aid station, which was 
 over a mile away, after being wounded. One of 
 them had never been in a battle before, and com 
 sequently, was somewhat frightened and had to be 
 led by Frank and the other soldier. On the way, 
 Frank fell on his head while crossing some wire 
 entanglements. Reaching the first aid, one of the 
 soldiers was left and Frank was given something to 
 eat, and received an injection from the physician to 
 prevent blood poison. From this place he was sent 
 to base hospital No. 2 in an ambulance, sitting on 
 the fender of the ambulance over the front wheel. 
 At eight o'clock that night, he reached the base 
 hospital, and for want of proper care and attention, 
 slept on the floor in wet clothes. At four o'clock 
 the next morning he was called to get up and put 
 on an operating suit. His hands and feet were tied, 
 and two men held him, one on each side, while he 
 was operated on, without being placed under the 
 influence of an anaesthetic. At nine o'clock that 
 day, he was sent to Vacuation hospital, which was 
 about 200 miles away. He walked from the hos- 
 pital to the train, and sat up all the way in a slow 
 French train. After reaching Vacuation hospital, 
 
PRIVATE FRANK C. HALLYBURTON /3 
 
 he remained in his bed for a week, at the end of 
 this week, he was transferred to another ward with 
 no windows or doors, and had to sleep on the floor. 
 Every day he would go to the surgeon and have 
 his wound dressed. One morning, not long after, 
 he went over and a nurse took off his bandage, 
 examined his head, and told him he could go. 
 At this juncture, the physician in charge examined 
 his wound, and found he very nearly had blood- 
 poison, and sent him to another ward where there 
 were nurses, and here he was in bed for a month, 
 and where he remained for three months. When 
 the armistice was signed, he was sent to St. Aignan, 
 in a box car. and assigned to casual Company. He 
 remained at Brest a month, and then was sent to 
 the United States. He was fourteen days on the 
 journey and reached home in April 1919. having 
 spent one year in France. 
 
 In April 1920, he was sent by the U. S. govern- 
 ment to a hospital at Richmond, Va., and was 
 operated on. Discovering, by means of the X-ray. 
 that the operation in France had left a piece of 
 shrapnel in his head, and finding' a piece of decayed 
 bone. After recovering, somewhat, from this 
 operation, he returned to his home at Taylorsville, 
 X. C, where he remained until his death, which 
 occured early Wednesday morning, April 5, 1922. 
 His was an untimely death which came as a relief 
 after suffering much mental torture through con- 
 
74 LIFE OF PRIVATE FRANK C. HALLYBURTON 
 
 vulsions. Physicians did all that medical science 
 could do to prolong his life, but without avail. 
 Funeral services were conducted, Friday afternoon, 
 April 7, at the Methodist Church by the pastor, 
 Rev. A. R. Bell, assisted by Rev. Pearson of 
 Stony Point. He was buried with full military 
 honors. Members of the Hurst Turner Legion Post 
 of Statesville, N. C, under command of Lieutenant 
 Godfrey C. Kimball, composed the firing squad, 
 while quite a large number of ex-service men from 
 Alexander and adjoining counties, attended the 
 funeral services. 
 
 Writing of his death, Dr. W. LeGette says: 
 "In the face of this splendid soldier, there were 
 slight signs of the last grim struggle; for he died 
 from the secondary effects of shrapnel head-wound 
 received in the Argonne. His last fight for home 
 and country began in far away France, and ended 
 here. O, it hurts to lose young men like this, but, 
 as I looked upon his firm and handsome face, as he 
 lay dressed in uniform, a feeling of pride and ap- 
 preciation, far greater than grief, arose within my 
 heart, — he represents the thousands, who like him- 
 self, made the "Supreme Sacrifice", and the tens of 
 thousands who were ready to do the same." 
 
 The following beautiful and touching tribute 
 first appeared in The Charlotte (N. C.) Daily 
 Observer, and was written by his aunt, Mrs. Ella H. 
 Lackey, of Hamlet, N. C. 
 
PRIVATE FRANK C. HALLYBURTON /5 
 
 IN MEMORY OF FRANK C. HALLYBURTON 
 Fought In The Argonne, Wounded, Dead. 
 
 "Lights out", dear comrade, you have joined 
 
 The bivouac of the dead 
 
 That still keeps match on Flanders' Field, 
 
 That cannot sleep, though poppies blow 
 
 Above the crosses, row on row. 
 
 Keep watch, keep watch; Let not the foe 
 
 You died to conquer, win the fight. 
 
 You've thrown the torch to comrade hands. 
 
 But, oh, keep watch throughout the night! 
 
 You cannot sleep, you must not sleep 
 
 While children starve, and mothers weep. 
 
 Carry on! Carry on! Lest we forget 
 
 The cause for which he died. 
 
 The War God shows his gory head, 
 
 He is not dead, he is not dead! 
 
 Oh, comrade, watch. Let not the bed 
 
 Of peaceful slumber zvoo 
 
 You from our ever thinning ranks. 
 
 We still need soldiers, brave and true, 
 
 God grant the day may quickly come 
 
 When war shall sign a last release, 
 
 Then may you gladly hear us say, 
 
 "Lights on, dear comrade, rest in peace." 
 
 The following tribute from the pen of the 
 Author was printed in the Taylorsville Times, 
 Taylorsville, N. C, Thursday May n, 1922: 
 
j6 LIFE OP PRIVATE PRANK C. HALLIBURTON 
 
 IN MEMORY . 
 
 In the tragic play of life another bolt hath 
 fallen and the hand of death has touched the once 
 placid heart of Frank Halliburton and he is sleep- 
 ing in the silent city of the death beneath a wealth 
 of flowers. Once he had high hopes, noble aspi- 
 rations, and life seemed as bright to him as the 
 afterglow of a summer sunset — as hopeful as the 
 arched beauty of a rainbow — but he heard the 
 sullen crash of shot and shell — sensed the deadly 
 fumes of poisoned gas and aspirations faded, hopes 
 grew dim and life nor anything else ever seemed 
 the same again. 
 
 Flowers? Yes, in magnificent profusion they 
 adorned his tomb — but all the flowers on earth 
 cannot lesson one moment of the grief of his going 
 — and it all emphasizes the uncertainties of life — 
 the certainties of death — so all we can do is to 
 leave the soldier with the warrior's God — believing 
 it is well with his soul. 
 
 Following his honorable discharge from the 
 army, he received the following official recognition ■ 
 
 "Columbia gives to her son the accolade of the 
 new chivalry of Humanity. Franklin C. Hally- 
 burton, Private, Headquarters Company, nth In- 
 fantry, served with honor in the World War and 
 was wounded in action." 
 
 WOODRQW WILSON, Commander-in-Chief. 
 
private: frank c. hallyburton jj 
 
 OUR HEROES. 
 The Memory Op Our Boys Who Died For 
 The Peace Of The World. 
 
 Wifiter saddens all the landscape ; 
 
 White mists rise along the seas, 
 Silvery in the morning coldness, 
 
 Purpling as the daylight flees 
 'Till Night on her ebon tablets 
 
 Writes with stars' grand mysteries. 
 
 No greetings of familiar voices 
 
 Fall in music anywhere, 
 Each gale and wind and storm 
 
 Breathes but a melancholy prayer ; 
 And the bird notes all have vanished 
 
 From the dewey steeps of air. 
 
 We have stilled our hearts' mad yearning 
 As the lonely days sweep 'round ; 
 
 And we watch not for thy coming, 
 Listen not for word or sound; 
 
 But our souls with thine keep speaking 
 In Love's mystic hush profound. 
 
 How delusive was our dreaming. 
 
 Blossom-like with sweetness rife, 
 In the spanning rainbow's beauty 
 
 We forgot the battle's strife, 
 For a tide of Hope eternal 
 
 Drifted in upon our life. 
 
yS LIFE OF PRIVATE FRANK C. HALLYBURTON 
 
 Still, like white pearls underlying 
 All the moaning of the sea, 
 
 Like to hidden gems enriching 
 The deep mine's obscurity, 
 
 'Neath our spirits' outward seeming, 
 Live fond memories of thee. 
 
 Fain we would throw off the fetters, 
 Now so dim with earthly rust, 
 
 Gather up Love's wasted jewels — 
 Scattered pearls of faithful trust, 
 
 And drop down with Freedom's heroes 
 'Neath the sod and into dust. 
 
 Though our pathways are divergent, 
 Thou where raptured angels stand, 
 
 While we hear no strain but sadness 
 With the dropping of Time's sand; 
 
 Yet we oft are gliding closely 
 
 For warm claspings of the hand. 
 
 So is joy oft wrung from sadness, 
 And I bless God's power divine 
 
 That no lengths of grief are stretching 
 To thy happy life from mine; 
 
 And our own should be the brighter 
 For the Fame that rests on thine. 
 
 — C. W. HYAMS. 
 
PRIVATE FRANK C. HALLYBURTON 79 
 
 The author of the above tribute to the heroic 
 dead of the World War takes heartfelt pleasure in 
 especially dedicating it to the sacred memory of his 
 friend, Frank C. Hallyburton, 
 
 Microfilmed 
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