The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-12-27
CBy e. H. Tostevin3

Perhaps in the course of the future
when the cataclysmic days of the
recent past shall have lost their saw
or of gore when the blood which has
been shed in the cause OF humanity,
justice and right shall have washed
as did the blood of Christ, the soul
OF the modern world; when the pres
ent days of suffering and the recent
weeks Of vaIor indescribable shall
have by the metamorphosis of time
changed into peaceful existence for
all men, made peaceful by the erad-
ication for all time of the power of
the Hun and his menace; when the
historians shall haye recorded IN
glowing phrases and words the VAL
liant deeds OF the men who fought and
won: then it may be possible for you
to read and pick out of the great
volumes the names of those you
know.
And interspersed through all the
chapters of the American part in the
conflict will be little notations OF
deeds of men from the northwest.
Censorship is still in force, but the
time for the breaking of silence has
come and / shall try to note briefly
ed the First North Dakota, then the
164th Infantry of the Sunset dIyi-
sion.
AS a unit. the 164th never entered
action. However, the story of the
volunteers from North Dakota is a
story identical with that of the IA
NOUS First division comprising the
18th, 18th 26th and 2Sth infantry
regiments, and the Second Brigade
Machine Gun Battalion.
Scattered Over France.
Scattered now from one end of
France to the other, a full need OF
their precious life taken to enrich
the soil of France at such tremen-
dous cost in mental anguish and suf-
fering to the folks back home, scat
tered as the birds in fall, the North
Dakota boys, look forward to the day
of their migration homeward.
The old 41st division, the Sunset,
was selected upon arrival in France
as a replacement division. There is
q. melancholy pride to be derived
from that dubious honor. 1t was
significant that the men from that
division should have been sufficient
lv trained as soldiers to be made
parcel of the veteran division OF the
regular army to be made comrades
in arms of the men who followed
Pershing into Mexico.
The old First North Dakota left
TT. Lincoln. Minot. Grand Forks and
WilIiston on Sept. 80, 1917, and ar
rived at Camp Greene, Charlotte, n.
C. on Oct. 4. What transpired there
you know. We left Camp Greene on
Nov. 13 and arrived at Camp Mills,
Hempstead, l.. ]. on Nov. IL. Then
the next move took us to camp Mer-
ritt, Tenafly. N. j. on Dec. 6th. For
eight days we knew Well-neatea
barracks comfortable spring cots,
mattresses and hot shower baths,
Then on Dec. il we packed up bar
rack bags, slung the packs on our
backs and hiked two miles through
snow two feet deep for the train;
through the streets Of Hoboken ana
,1p the gang plank on to the Levla-
THAN. the Vaterland of the kaisers
pride. humbIed to troop ship duty as
the finest transport in the. world.
The old 163rd infantry OF Montana
and the 164th, several hospital corps
units. about ESQ Red Cross nurses,
and the crew of the ship made a
.otaI of some 1900 on board. The
story of that trip is the same as any
other trip and what you want TO
Snow is how the boys finally landed
Is there are many of them today In
Germany
Land On New Years.
Christmas eve, Dec "a, 1917. we de-
parked at Liverpool, a s you nave
ong since guessed. Then a rae
across England to Winchester ana
sight days at Wlnnal DOWNS, MoEn
3ilI camp. On Dec. 81 we went by
rain to Southampton and crossed
he channel to LIE Havre, landing in
f1n NEW Ve6TS
Thirty hours later we were speed
NO southwark. Let's change thaf
me word speeding. 1t isn't true. we |
we're making our may south SOUNDS
better. 1t was about three O'Clock |
,f the morning Of January that we /
eft the crazy little French cars ana
liked out to the camp at La Cour-
inc in the department of Creuse.
On january orders came.
The full history sof the First dlvls-
on is yet to be written. Back home,
s we could tell from some OF the
eports which most of the news
,apers carried the home folks
hought the whole regiment in the
onflict. But there was no such luck
or the corporals, sergeants and COM
officers. Jast the privates
we're taken for the replacement.
Trained The Soldiers.
On January, 26th, the remaining
nen in the headquarters company, |
uppIy company, Companies A, B, G
nd D were moved to Gondrecourt;
8. r, G. and II were sent to Chatil-
on sur Seine, and the Third battal-
on to Langres. The First army
orps school at Gondrecourt had
,lenty of work for the boys of the
Irst battalion while the Second
army corps training school at Chan
ilion and officers training school at