The Washington herald., 1919-09-17

Fought Mt Many Points.
Shifted from one point to another
on the Western 'front.' the division
fought heroically at Sommervillier.
AnsauVille, Cantigny, scissors, Sal
zerais, st. Mihiel, in the Meuse-Ar-
gonne, at Mouzou, Sedan and in GER
tain interlinking sectors. and not un-
til the completion OF a long period
OF duty with the army Of occupation,
in the holding Of the Rhine bridge
heads was it relieved and returned to
the United States
With its heavy list Of casualties, its
remarkable capture of prisoners from
the Germans, and the many honors
and decorations won, it gained tribute
from the War Department issued
few days, ago. That tribute was in
the form Of a specific greeting to the
division, in which it was asserted the
record Of the First Division was un-
surpassed"
1880 Were Killed.
While fighting in France the divi-
sion lost in killed and through subse-
quent deaths in hospitals 200 officers
and 4,690 enlisted men. OF the wound
ed and gassed there were 64l officers
and 1850 enlisted men. Four officers
are carried on the rolls as missing"
while 1850 enlisted men disappeared
in action. Many Of these men un-
doubtedly fell in engagements with
the enemy.
The First Division in the several
battles captured 163 German officers
and 6,34 German soldiers of the line.
Heavy guns to the number OF 1ls
pieces and trench mortars and ma
chine guns aggregating ATS were tax
en- in the various forward movements
and battles.
For valor in the face OF the enemy
l,02 officers and men OF the division
have been decorated. The list of dec
oratiOns includes the coveted Medal
Of Honor. the D. S. C, the Medaile
Milttaire, the Croix de GUerre, to Bel
gian, British and Italian decorations.
The officers who commanded the
First were shifted from time to time
as the exigencies of the field opera
tions demanded.
Maj. Gen. F. F. McGlachlin. Jr.
took command on November IS, ISIS
and is still the &C. O." of the First
The other commanding officers are
given in sequence: Maj. Gen. Will
ber y. 1917; Maj. Gen. Robert l.. Bul-
lard, December IS. 1917. to June %.
1915; and from July Z. 1913, to July
Is. 1918; Maj. Gen. Charles P Sum-
neral, July l, 1915. to July 6, 1918;
and from July 16. 1918, to October II.
1918; Brig. Gen. Frank F. Bamford.
October u, 1918, to October II, 1ylS5
Brig. Gen. Frank Parker. October II.
1918. to November Il, 1918.
The division in landing in France
was organized as follows:
First Infantry Brigade, composed Of
the Sixteenth Infantry and the Eight
eenth Infantry.
Second Infantry Brigade. composed
of the Twenty-sixth Infantry and the
Twcnty-eighth Infantry.
First, Second and Third Machine
Gun Battalions.
First Field Artillery Brigade, com
posed of the Fifth Field Artillery,
Sixth Field Artillery. Seventh Field
Artillery. First Trench Mortar Bat
terry, First Ammunition Train and
First Mobile Ordnance Repair Shop.
First Engineers.
First Engineer Train.
First Supply Train.
First Sanitary Train. consisting OF
the Second, Third, Twelfth and Thir-
teenth Ambulance Companies, and
the Second. Third, Twelfth and Thir-
teenth Field Hospitals.
First Division Headquarters Troop
Military Police Company No. l; Sec
ond Field Signal Battalion.
Machine Shop Truck Units. No. 301
and No. 2; Mobile Surgical Unit, No.
309; Bakery Unit, No. 3O8: Laundry
Unit, No. 314; Clothing and Bathing
Unit, No. 319; Pack Train, No. 10.
Before being deployed for the ini-
ttal operations the division was as
sociated with French infantry and
French artillery. and the regulars
were schOoled as to the devices and
battle tactics OF the Germans
Grouped with French units it was
then thrown into the Sommervillier
sector in Lorraine. There it expert
enced raid from the Germans and
applied the experience when a re-
turn visit was made on the German
trenches soon afterWard. A tour
OF duty was then given the division
in the Gondrecourt sector. where it
underwent the rigors Of a severe
winter. In January, 1918, it was
called upon to relieve the First Mo-
roccan Division in the AnsauviIle
sector north of Toul. On March l
the Germans attacked the Bois de
Romiers. The Third Battalion of
the Eighteenth Infantry drove the
enemy back with losses. For this
deed a number Of the officers and
men Of the battalion were awarded
the Croix de Guerre.
Pershlng offered Division.
The division, from then on, carried
out a series Of raids and surprise at
tacks against the enemy, taking pris-
oners and machine guns. When the
Germans started their offensive to-
ward Amiens, Gen. Pershing offered
the services of the First to the French
high command. and the division was
moved to the Gisors area, and thence
to the lines in front of Montdidier,
where it relieved the Forty-fifth Afri-
can Division. Thereafter it held the
sector in front Of Cantigny and par
ticipated in the engagements that soon
followed. At that time the division
was linked with the First French
Army.