/,f, INDIANA MILITARY HISTORY JOURNAL INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Volume 8 Number 1 January, 1983 F521_146_ VOLS_NOl IndianaMilitary HistoryJournal is published by the Military History Section of the Indiana Historical Society, 315 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis 46202. Editorial offices for the Journal are at the Department of History, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907. Gunther E. Rothenberg is editor; Raymond·J. Frontain assistant editor. All contributions should be sent to this address. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with The University of Chicago A Manual of Style (13th edition). The Indiana Historical Society, the Military History Section, and the editor disclaim responsibility for statements of fact or opinions made by contributors. The Indiana Military HistoryJournal serves as the organ of the Military History Section and carries news of the Section as well as articles, documents, pictures, and book reviews relating to Indiana's military past, the military history of the Old Northwest, and the activities of Hoosiers in the armed forces of the United States in war and peace. In addition, the Journalwill carry ar· ticles on military history topics in general which impacted on the state or region. It is hoped that the Journalwill increase the reader's appreciation of the military heritage of the state and the nation. Military History Section Board of Directors Mr. Wayne Sanford, Chairman Mr. Thomas B. Williams III 8718 Old Town Lane Drive 3203 Dogwood Lane Indianapolis 46260 Carmel 46032 Col. Jerry L. Sargent (Ret.), Vice-Chairman Col. William Scott (Ret.) 334 Grovewood Place 6433 Hoover Rd., Apt. A Beech Grove, IN 46107 Indianapolis 46260 ' Dr. Gunther E. Rothenburg, editor Lt. Col. James R. H. Spears Department of History 4327 Kenmore Road Purdue University Indianapolis 46226 West Lafayette, IN 4 7906 Cpt. William J. Watt Dr. George W. Geib 2240 Rome Drive Apt. B 4737 Cornelius Avenue Indianapolis 46208 Indianapolis 46208 Mr. Ralph Dimmett 1306 Cruft St. Indianapolis 46203 The Journalis sent to members of the Indiana Historical Societywho participatein the Military History Section. All the material in this J oumal is copyrighted. Copyright, 1983, Indiana His· torical Society. The cover picture of the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Memorial was taken ca. 1893 after construction of the monument but before the statues were sculptered. (See article on p. 11). NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN Two board positions expired this fall and two new members of the Section were elected to fill those slots. Thomas B. Williams was one of those selected. Tom is currently an official with the Indiana Bankers Association and past president of the Indianapolis Civil War Round Table. He has been actively involved in writing and speaking about Civil War and Revolutionary War history for many years. He is a valuable addition to the board. The second person elected was Ralph Dimmett, a member who has served the Section for man_L_Years as secretary. !li�knowledge of military history is well known and he has been a loyal supporter of all Society func­ tions for many years. Ralph is associated with the Veterans Administration Hospital here in Indianapolis. The election of these individuals means that two others have retired after several years of service. I take this opportunity to express my appreciation to John Rowell, of Columbus, and Tom Joyce, of Plainfield, for their assistance over the years. What they have contributed has done much to build strong support for the military history interest within the Society. The annual meeting held at the Indianapolis Airport Hilton was very well attended. Guests literally came from all over the country to hear fine presentations given by Kent Brown, Dr. Gunther Rothenberg and William Frassanito. At one time, more than eighty members and guests filled the seminar. A new year is upon us and I again make an appeal to you for continued sup­ port to the Section as well as to the Indiana Historical Society in general. Today we are stronger than ever, but we need more help and a larger number of new members so we can continue to improve in 1983. If each person could get one new member in the coming year, our position in the history community would be that much stronger. Allow me to thank each of you for your continued help, support and many letters of suggestion. I appreciate everything that you have done and continue to ask that you show your interest and assistance in the year ahead. Happy New Year! Wayne L. Sanford Chairman 3 THE REMINISCENCES OF PRIVATE COX IN FRANCE, 1918 Introduction These notes, observations on his tour of duty in France, were compiled by Private Cox within weeks after the fighting stopped. The originals are in the posses· sion of Mr. Phillip L. Cox, his son, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and were submitted to the Journal by Mr. Harry D. Barger. They are printed here as originally written, with grammatical and spelling errors left intact. A few explanatory remarks are in order. Although 30 years old, Private Cox enlisted on 30 July 1917 at Marion, Indiana, and after basic training was assigned to the 82nd Infantry Division. In World War I divisions fell into three categories based on their origins: Regular Army (1st through 8th Divisions), National Guard (26th through 42nd), and National Army (76th through 93rd). An infantry divisionconsisted of two brigades of infantry, one brigade of field artillery- comprising two regiments of 75mm guns and one of 155mm guns- a regiment of engineers, a machine gun bat· talion, a signal battalion, as well as divisional supply and medical units. Private Cox served with the 307th Ammunition Train, part of the 157th Field Artillery Brigade, which supported the 137th and 139th Field Artillery Regiments.1 He participated in a number of major actions: St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and the defense of the Marbache Sector. At the end of hostilities, American troops were demobilized as rapidly as possi· ble, and Private Cox was discharged from service on 28 May 1919 at Camp Sherman, Ohio. He returned to Marion after his discharge, where he married Blanche Bayne on 23 December 1919. They had two children, a son and a daughter. Mr. Cox died in the Marion V.A. Hospital in 1958, survived by his widow. Gunther E. Rothenberg I Orderof Battle U.S. Land Forces in the World War 1917·1919 (3 vols. in 4parts., Washington, D.C., GPO, 1931-1949), I, p. 347. • • • • Ancy le Franc, Yomme, France. Dec. 10, 1918. Am living pretty easy now in my old billet here in the old water mill, and although I am sleeping on the floor with no mattress under me, it seems like a palace after being in action in the Argonne Forest without relief continuously from Oct. 1st, to Nov. lOth, 1918. During this time we were in a region where some of the hardest fighting of the war has taken place, the fields every where were criss crossed with trenches and barbed wire entanglements and pock marked with shell craters. There was not an un­ damaged building for miles around and the towns were all completly shot to pieces with only a few fragments of walls left standing. Gas maskes had to be carried at alltimes, ready for instant use, and we were constantly in easy range of the German artillery. The screams and explosion of Bosche shells was a familiar sound and your imagination cannot grasp the terrific noise of a barrage in full blast. As I once heard a negro soldier say: "When them white soldiers started to throw over dat garage I thought de end of the world had come." No lights could be 4 PRIVATE COX IN FRANCE 5 shown at night for fear of attracting the attention of the Hun airraider, who would not fail to drop a souvenir or two. Have cowed in cellars, dugouts and caves in the ground, listening to the sound of the Hun motors overhead.amidst the cracking of shrapnel and the deafening concussion of falling bombs from the sky. Our trucks went out every night to haul ammunition up to the artillery, along roads congested with traffic and swept with gas shells, shrapnel and high ex­ plosive, and out men often had to jump off their trucks and fall headlong into diches and shell craters, but sad to relate they were not quick enough sometimes in adjusting their gas masks or seeking cover, and we had many casualties from gas and shrapnel. Have seen trucks come in completely riddled with shrapnel and shell fragments. I knowof no more awesome sound than to be awaked suddenly from sleep in the middle of the darkness of the midnight hour and hear the mournful sound of the gas alarm siren, which means get on your gas mask quick for the deadly poison vapor of the barbarian is somewhere in the vicinity. Have seen numerous air battles in the day time when the sky was full of Allied and enemy air planes and the smoke puffs of breaking shrapnel. It is an im­ pressive sight to see thirty or forty machines in one flock flying over in battle forma­ tion. Have witnessed numerous observation balloons brought down, the observers takeing there dizzy leap in parachutes barely before the silk bag was penetrated by the inflammable bullets from the airman's machine gun. It surely takes nervy fellows to man these balloons for they were continously harrassed by enemy air craft and they very often came down in flames. It is an impressive sight to see the mighty searchlights sweeping the sky with their powerfull rays, the flashes of the guns, which look like distant lightning, and the flares which resemble an enormous arc light suspended in mid air.