Bangor Public Library Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl World War Regimental Histories World War Collections 1919 History of the 103rd infantry Frank Hume Follow this and additional works at: http://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his Recommended Citation Hume, Frank, "History of the 103rd infantry" (1919). World War Regimental Histories. 19. http://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/19 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the World War Collections at Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl. It has been accepted for inclusion in World War Regimental Histories by an authorized administrator of Bangor Community: Digital Commons@bpl. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1'' I \ ....... -. ' • • 'llC9)l17l ~ Il~l1<9) ' ~®~ IIDTIWli~TI@~9 £o~oWo . ·, I : YD YD · f . '.' ·, I HISTORY of.the 103RD INFANTRY . .' ,l}.,f . IN MEMORY OF THOSE f '. .. OFFICERS AND J}· ... 1917 MEN OF THE 103RD 1919 J, REGIMENT WHO GAVE . '~~ THEIR LIVES IN . FRANCE, . ' THIS STORY OF OUR REGIMENT . ·.. IS · ·~ HEREBY .. DEDICATED' Colonel Frank M. Hume, Commander YD ··!.'• YD •... j ·~.. -·.: Copyright, 1919, by 103rd U. S. INFANTRY -. \ • INDEX CHAPTER PAGE CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION 3 VIII. THE LAST DAYS OF THE WAR . 26 REGIMENTAL PHOTOS- Col. Hume, Lt. Col. Shum­ IX. BETTER DAYS . 31 way, Lt. Col. Southard . 4 APPENDIX I. THE MOBILIZATION AND ORGANIZATION OF Historical Data Concerning the 26th Division 32 THE REGIMENT. 5 Individual Decorations Awarded . 33 II. OVERSEAS . 7 Roster of Commissioned Personnel, with Pro- motions 34 III. IN TRAINING. 8 Casualties 35 IV. SoissoNs-THE CHEMIN DES DAMES FRONT 10 RosTER OF OFFICERS 40-49 v. THE TouL FRONT . 13 \ REGIMENTAL PHoTos-Band, N.C. 0. Staff, Office ; VI. CHATEAU-THIERRY . 17 Staff Regimental Headquarters 50 VII. ST. MIHIEL 21 RosTER BY CoMPANIES 51-66 , -'" " •. ( \ HISTORY OF THE 103Ro INFANTRY August, 1917, to November, 1918 INTRODUCTION JN the early part of December, 1918, the Division Commander, Major General the Chateau-Thierry, St. Mihiel, and Verdun, or Meuse-Argonne offensives. Hal.e, at a conference at Montigny-le-Roi, expressed his desire that the several The phrase "natural sequence" is believed to be used advisedly. The first para­ organizations of the division take steps to properly record their history. An order graph of our Infantry Drill Regulations states the object of military training to on this matter soon followed, and it is in compliance with this order th~t the be as follows: "Success in battle is the ultimate object of all milit ary training; following history or story of the 103rd Infantry has been written. Primarily success may be looked for only when the training is intelligent and thorough." ,. its purpose is to record the events, the actions, and the facts, concerning the Not until the regiment had passed into this stage of being a combat unit, been \ regiment from the time of its incorporation as a part of the 26th Division through put to the practical test of offensive warfare, and been successful, had this object the close of the war. This primary purpose would be satisfied by a very few been attained. pages of statistics and data, but it is thought that something more should be Each of the preliminary st ages was important; to each period will be given given; for, just as any history would be dull if it contained nothing !but dates, the consideration it deserves and, though relatively speaking, all of the events places, figures, and names, in the same measure would this story of the 103rd since August, 1917, are so near in point of time as to preclude a distant perspec­ Infantry be dry and uninteresting if the circumstances, the life, and the atmos­ tive, which might result in the omission of some details, this lack or error should phere surrounding the events should be omitted. be more than counterbalanced by the fact that now is the time when the sources As a glance at the index shows, the history is divided into four main parts of information are best available. In regard t o this matter of information it following in natural sequence; first, a b;ief sketch of the !National Guard units should at the outset be understood that officers and men throughout the regiment which formed the regiment, their mobilization at Westfield, and the departure have been called upon to assist, and have assisted, in compiling such facts as are of the regiment overseas; second, the period of preliminary instruction including here recorded, and to them are due more than "the customary acknowledgments." the time of debarkation in France and entrance in the lines; third, the period of CHARLES R. CABOT, practical instruction, covering the operations on the Soissons and Toul fronts; MAJOR 103RD I NFANTRY, and fourth, the period when the division had become a combat unit and covering Regimental Historian 3 •. LIEUT. CoL. SHERMAN N. SHUMWAY LIEUT. CoL. WILLIAM E. SOUTHARD, ATT. CoL. FRANK M. HUME CHAPTER I •. 1THE MOBILIZATION AND. ORGANIZATION OF THE ~ REGIMENT N an eve~~g Transcript of Octobe~, 1917, an edit_orial entitled "The Ne~~~g­ August 5 saw the regiment mustered into the Federal Service. Meanwhile . April, though not as a regiment, certain companies-being put on guard duty. Not I land DivisiOn" and written after It was known m the states that the diVISIOn training had been taken up through July and continued to the time of depart~ until June 30 was the regiment mustered as a regiment at Fort Ethan Allen, where had arrived safely in Fraa..~e, reads in part as follows: ·"What a brave story it for Westfield, the nineteenth of August. In passing, credit should be:given to it remained until the latter part of August. will make sometime! Little by little now, but perhaps sometime grandly and Colonel Hume, Colonel Parkhurst, and Captain Ashworth for their untiring From Rhode Island the smallest contingent was received into t his regiment. epically, the record of the assembling and departure and arrival of the New efforts as recruiting officers. The Rhode Island Squadron of Cavalry (Troops A, B, and C), Major Roberts England Division will be made. We must be content with glimpses. The old In the regiment. as it left Maine there was slightly under fifty per cent of the commanding, was called out July 25, 1917, assembled at Quonsett Point, and and famous organizations are kll there, blended in a new and solid mass, the men who had had previous service. In the ~ranks there was a good percentage mustered into Federal Service August 5, 1917. The squadron had been recruited armed front of tire universal Yankee nation." of college men, about six hundred, who were either graduates of or students in up to strength, 105 per troop prior to being mustered in, but. before leaving In no regiment in the division was this blending of organizations better exem­ Maine colleges. Such then was the foundation to which were subsequently added Rhode Island was dismounted. On arrival at Westfield the troops were cut down plified than)n the 1p3rd./ OrJginally it had been intended that the 103rd Regi­ at Camp Bartlett, Westfield, detachments from. other New England regiments. to sixty-two each, those men being retained who had experience as machinists ment shouid be made up entirely of Maine men; but due to the haste with which -The new organization called for regimental strength of 3600, and it was from or truck drivers, and who would be available for Supply Train work. The bal­ the New England troops were mobilized it was impracticable and impossible to the 1st New Hampshire that the largest percentage ()f the deficiency was draWn.. ance, forty-three from each troop, were assigned to the Depot Brigade, and from bring to Westfield a complete regiment. ~The result was that when finally or­ The 1st New Hampshire, Colonel Healy commandip.g, with headquarters at there to Machine-Gun Battalion and Infantry. Forty-three men from Troop B ganized to strength, there were men from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Manchester, was called out July 25, 1917, and assembled :at Camp Keyes at were the only men assigned t o the Infantry. Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in the regiment. Concord July 27. The companies had been recruited to strength of 150 per com­ At the time when all these different units were being assembled, it looked like It will be well to go bacl!;'and see briefly what these different state units, "the pany before going to Concord. a considerable task to bring order out of chaos. Would the experiment work old and famous organizations," had been doing. War was declared on April 6. The regiment was mustered into Federal Service August 5, 1917. J The New out, this blending and mixing of units? The Border Service was but a memory; the National Guard troops had all been Hampshire men had been on the border also. At the time of the mobilization at On August 22, 1917, the 103rd Infantry came into existence as a new regiment, mustered out shortly after their return from the South. But now a real and Concord the regiment was greatly. handicapped by shortage of clothing and . a regiment which within five weeks from its organization was to go overseas. vital situation presented itself; would theNational Guard meet the crisis; would it equipment. Though det ails had been sent ahead to prepare the cd.!Ilp ground Two things contributed to make this possible: efficient organization, which be able to recruit up to strength, and how soon, for time was an important element? there was much left to do even after its arrival in the way of clearing the site of means promptness.