Milford chronicle., 1919-05-30
WAR HISTORY OF
DELAWARE'S OWN
lConeInded fr0m a. baqel

sible facilities for training, and three
weeks or training in target practice
and field firing was given in May and
June.
On the 21st of August, 1918, en-
: barkation orders were received and
on the 22nd of August, Governor John
G. Townsend, Jr., of Delaware, visited
the 59th Pioneer Infantry at Camp
Dix.
During its tour of duty at Camp Dix
the regiment furnished various de-
monstration companies for training
purposes at the camp( and particular
mention ismade of the successful out
come of the test of the new gas mask,
made at Lakehurst Station in August
where Company "E" furnished the
| demonstrating company, in command
of Captain Mickey The letter from
I Colonel Dewey in this history shows
how much was contributed by this
/ test to the success of the gas mask
/ While at Camp Dix the mess kitch-
ems of the 59th Pioneer Infantry be-
came famous for their cleanliness and
the quality of the mess, so much so
that the commanding general frequent
ly conducted his visitors to the mess
halls and kitchens, exhibiting them as
examples of what might be done. The
letter from General Scott regarding
police of the area at the time of the
overseas movement, indicates the ex-
cellent state of police in which the +
regimental area was always kept.
The first movement overseas took .
place at night, on the 2Sth of August,
1918, and the troops embarked on the
U. S. Naval Transport "Leviathan,"
from HObOken, n. j., on the 29th of
August, all movement being attended
with such secrecy as was possible.
The ocean voyage, on account Of
the presence of submarines on both
sides of the Atlantic was carefully
guarded in every way to prevent disas-
ter. Abandon ship drills in the day
time and the absence of lights at night
made the voyage a unique one. Every
passenger on the boat was required to
have life preserver at all times, and
when anchor was dropped in the har-
Dor of Brest at p. m, September,
1918, word was received that the S. S. :
Mount Vernon then lying at dock, .
had been tOrpedoed at sea two days .
out.
The debarkation of troops was
on the Sth of September and
camp was made in shelter tents at the
rest camp near Pontanezen Barracks,
near Brest. Training in the rest camp
was abandoned and on September IA
he regiment, complete, moved from
Breast by rail, arriving at the training
lrea at Foulain, Dept. Haute-Marne,
september 16 The only training at
'oulain was gas defense, and on ac-
ount of the urgent need of troops at :
he front, for the st. Mihiel drive had >
een consumated, the regiment moved 4
rom Foulain on the 26th of September y
o stations in the First Army area, the :,
rganizatiOns detraining as follows: 4
Regimental Headquarters, Sorcy-
ur-Meuse, Dept, Meuse. n
Headquarters Company, Sorcy-sur- M
leuse, Dept. Meuse. Ill
Supply Company, Sorcy-sur-Meuse iii
)ept. Meuse. iii
Medical Department, Sorcy-sur- III
leuse, Dept. Meuse. ll
1st Battalion, Headquarters, Sorcy- iii
l-Meuse, Dept. Meuse. III
Company &C., Sorcy-sur-Meuse, iii
ept. Meuse.
Company "D", Sorcy-sur-Meuse
ept. Meuse. I'LL
End Battalion Headquarters, Soorcy- MI
Ir-Meuse, Dept. Meuse. lllI
Company e., Sorcy-sur- -Meuse, I'LL
ept. Meuse. I'LL
Company "F", Sorcy. sur-Meuse. I'LL
ept. Meuse. llll
Company CO., Sorcy-sur-Meuse, Hill
ept. Meuse. llIl
Company III, Sorcy-sur-Meuse, lIl
ept. Meuse Hill
Company "a, Belleville, Dept NI
uthre-et-Moselle. lf
Company "B", Liverdon, Dept. Hill
urthe-et-Moselle. lll
3rd Battalion Headquarters, Cler- Hi
ont-en-Argonne, Dept. Meuse Hill
Company "K", Clermont-en-Argone, lllll
spt. Meuse. IT'LL
Company IL, Clermount-en-Argon lllll
spt. Meuse. llIlI
Company "I", Les 'slettes, Dept. IIlI
lrne. llllI
Company M, Dombasle, Dept lII|
euse. Illl
On the 2Sth of September the fol- l
wing movements took place: Ill
Company 3D., from Sorcy-sur-Meuse ItIlI
Grosrouvres, Dept. Meuse. lllIll
Company "C", to st. Mihiel, Dept. llllll
use. HILL
Company c., to Raulecourt, Dept. lllIIl
'use. Illlu
From this time on, during hostilities llIl
well as after the armistice on the lIIlIl
h of November, 1918, movements llllIl
the different organizations were llllll
de TO various stations and reference iiiiiii
made to the company histories, llll
)wing movements and the work of llI|
} different companies. lNll
IN the 10th of October t he End pIl
my was formed and Regimental lIl
with the entire 1st and HUI
Battalions was transferred to the llIlIl
Army, the 3rd Battalion remain IlllIl
with the LIST Army. HILL
IN Christmas Day at Sorcy-sur- llllIl
use, at Raulecourt the station of the IlIllI
ond Battalion, and at BOucq, the llllI
lion of the Third Battalion, Christ lllll
; celebrations were held and every llllll
4 in the regiment was presented llllll
4 souvenir of France, and every Illlll
IS was supplied with a ration of Hull
Key or goose. Christmas exercises llllI
e held and the Christmas Of 1918 lllu
be long remembered by the in u
ltants of the towns where the 59th -
leer Infantry was billeted.
midnight on the 20-21st of March
!, the 59th Pioneer Infantry was
sferred from the Second Army to
advance section, Service of Supply.
word is not amiss concerning the
mt history in the service of the at O.
ed States of the 1st Delaware In ford
ry on the Mexican border. The
battalions of the 1st Delaware sale ,