The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-05-22


1ohnson's regiment, the following ar
ticIe written by Col. johnson and pup
Iished in Sundays State will be OF
interest to many Dillon people:
From Commanding officer, One Hun
dred and Seventeenth Engineer
Regiment.
To Commanding general, Forty-sec'
ond Division.
Subject: Commentator for the ono
Hundred and seventeenth Engl'
.neer Regiment.
AT the request of chief OF STALL
am giving you a brief outline OF th'
service rendered before Sedan by th'
One Hundred and Seventeenth Engl
neer Regiment, so that suitable rec
segnition may be received.
Part One.
While at Exermont, where We
reIieved the First Engineers, VINO
had acted as infantry through tha'
campaign and had done no road WORK
whatsoever; and after we had been
released as divisional reserve, the reg
sment was extremely busy getting
5be roads back into passable shape
az that sector; also in burying dead
Germans and American soldiers OF
she First Division. When orders came
FOR the movement of the dlvlsloD'
Company D of the One Hundred ana
Seventeenth Engineer Regiment was
T,Taced for the purposes of the march
with the column and under order OF
the commander of the Eighty-fourtn
brigade. The remainder Of the regi-
ment was placed in the column OF
and under the command of the COM
Spander of the Eighty-third Brigade.
2. The regiment left Exermont
November 8 and proceeded by march
inr to the vicinity of Verpel and on
November 4 to Brieulles. However,
The brigade commander, because
;Brieulles was under an intense bonn
bardment, ordered regimental head
quarters to move back to Authe. The
two battalions and train, however
proceeded by marching as fas as Aut-
ne. where they were stationed and
,9S ys>uaced. On the night of the 3rd,
near yerpel, two detachments to be
CITED later remained on the very steep
grade south of Verpel to aid traffic
with snatch teams and other para
7phernaiia. These detachments made
4,he hike the following day. On the
might of the 4th, at Authe, certain
4udividuals, to be named later, spen
almost the entire night aiding trans
over and repairing the bipass across
a creek near this village. These same
individuals on the following day and
might were busy, without regard for
4oss of sleep and food, in making
"Reminiscences.
5. During this entire march from
Exermont on the 3rd to Authe on the
morning of the 5th, the regimental
Sxssin was blocked in the traffic and
ahe men of the regiment went prac-
Gically without hot food and only a
modicum of cold food. The train ar
rived at Authe On the morning of the
Sth, at which time the men received
almost their first hot meal.
4. When regimental headquarters
arrived at Brieulles on the afternoon
of the 4th, it was learned that the
e.saseway across the Bar Valley, a
distance of some 1000 feet, consist
5ng of fill about Is feet high, had
been entirely demoblized by the Ger
mans in their retreat; they having
Yalswn a crater in this fill about every
rs feet, which extended in most in
stances below the level of the orig
inal creek bottom. This fact was re-
ported to division headquarters.
Is AT midnight on the 4th of No
veniber while at Authe, field orders
were received through the comman-
Siug officer of the Eighty-third Brig
:ade, which in subparagraph G) plac-
ed the entire engineer regiment, less
two companies, in divisional reserve
and ordered them on the 5th to Yer
~ieres. Subparagraph CHI detached
one company of engineers to the
gEJsh ty-fourth Brigade and one COM
pany of engineers of the Eighty
/, third Brigade.
This disposition was effected b!
orders 10 the units concerned thai
xitsht and the units were prepared
on the morning of the 5th to proceed
a.. a.. ,,o;,+z ;,dinatad in that order