Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1919-02-19
ISLAND POND BOY
IN MANY BATTLES
Pvt. Levi Castonguay An Island
Pond Boy, Wounded Sept. 12-
Enlisted From Littleton, July %,
1917.

Pvt. Levi Castonguay is an Island
Pond boy but enlisted from Littleton,
N. H. He was in the second division
and went through many of the sever
est battles of the war. The follow
ing is from the Littleton, N. H. Cour-
ier Journal:
Pvt. Levi o. Castonguay who was
discharged from Camp Devens on
Friday and arrived in Littleton the
following day, has war record of
which he may, be justly proud. He
has the official papers to show that
his record is no dream and further
than that he will carry a physical
mark for life denoting that he has
suffered and bled for his country.
Private Castonguay was in the fights
at Verdun, Alsace Lorraine, Chateau
Thierry, Seasons, Toul sector and
st Mihiel. While at the last named
place he was hit by piece of shrap-
mel, which nearly ended his earthly
career. 1t pierced his left lung and
called for speedy action by the Red
Cross nurses at the front dressing
station, where he was carried by
four German prisoners.
Castonguay was one of the boys to
enlist on July 22, 1917 in Littleton,
along with a number of other North
Country boys, including Armand j,
Badger, Edmund Meacham and Corp
Harold Marsh, who were later killed
and Edward C. Elliott, Antonio La
vote and Corp. Herman S. Fish, who
have been reported wounded. Cas-
tonguay was sent to Manchester
then to Syracuse, N. Y, where he
was placed in the 49th infantry. He
later was transferred to Company |
of the 23d infantry, second division
and sailed for France September 7
1917, just six weeks after entering
the service. The boat which car
ried $500 men, docked at st. Ma
zarre, where the men remained in
rest camp for two weeks, later being
sent to Beaumont for two months o
intensive training.
At Beaumont they were obliged t.
leave all their belongings and starte'
by train for Verdun. From tha
time on the life of Pvt. Castongua,
was filled with incident upon incl
dent. For days he would be in tn
trenches up to his knees in mud an
he is positive of getting at least tiv
Germans, one in fierce bayone
charge and another in trench rald
Mr.. Castonguay does not boast of hi
accomplishments, but his story is on
of great interest. His company sui
fered fearful casualties and of hi
platoon of SO men, only five lived t
return to their native land.
Pvt. Edward Elliot and Corp
Herman Fish, who enlisted the sam
day as Private Castonguay from Lit
tleton, were also in the same regl
ment or company, and Castongua
supposed that Elliott was killed un
til he arrived home Saturday, as
was reported to the company tha
he had died of wounds. He ais
knew that Corp. Fish has bee
wounded and gassed. After bein
wounded on September IL at 81
Mihiel, Private Castonguay wa
taken to several base hospitals an
later to Bordeaux, where he remain
ed four weeks. AS soon as hi
wounds healed he left for he Unite
States, arriving at Newport News
Va, on January 2, and was later dis
charged from Camp Devens. He
still very weak after six month
illness, but finds his health better i
this country.
Private Castonguay has nothin
but words of praise for the Red Cros
and delights in telling of an instanc
when the doctors and nurses too
money from their own pockets t
buy him fruit, which was the onl
kind of food that he could eat afte
the shrapnel had been removed fror
his lung. Before laving Littleto
he worked for H. A. Eaton & So
and at Thayer's hotel. His mothe
lives at Island Pond, Vt. Their
were three boys in the family, on
was killed in September, while
member of the Canadian army, an
+ba other is at home,