Part 2

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

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

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

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

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

The Argonne--September 26th to November 11th

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

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

The "Lost" Battalion

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

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

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

Grand-Pre

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

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

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

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

Stonne

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

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

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

The Armistice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas, 1918

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

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

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

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

Home

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE ROSTER OF COMPANY B

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

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

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

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