The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1919-06-12
IN JUSTICE TO THE rHlRTIETH


lie generally will be interested in ac-
count which gives the Old Hickory
Division the place of honor as the
first to break through the Hindeh-
burg line.
Before, and since the return of the
Seventy Seventh Division, which was
organized i'll New York City, the pa
pers of that city have given consid-
cradle circulation to the report that
it was that division which first crossed
the Hindenburg line. In calling at
tention to the error in this statement
Mr.. w. T. Aycock, in The Columbia
State, says:
"All of our soldiers fought well
in Europe, and we are all gratified
for their splendid record. 1t is not
pleasing to draw comparisons or to
seek to establish what has been done
by individual units that excel or equal
the performance of others, but it is
sometimes necessary to do so for the
sake of history, for it frequently hap
pens that untruth finds it's way into
history, where it is accepted as truth
merely because it's partizans vocifer-
ously and more loudly proclaim it.
There is great danger that the claim
made on behalf of the Twenty-Sev-
enth Division as first to smash the
Hindenburg line may be established
as the truth merely because the home
of that division is the State and city
of New York with its great news
papers possessing millions of readers,
which are consequently in position
merely by reiteration alone to spread
that claim until a large part of the
country adopts it as truth. That is
most particularly true for the reason
that the only possible claimant to
to the honor is the Thirtieth Divis-
ion, composed mainly of men from
North Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee, States which are now and
nave for many years been un-
happily more or less obscure in the
public affairs of the nation. In the
state of the official records it is not
possible to deny the claim made for
the Twenty-seventh without claiming
the precious distinction for the Thir-
tieth, and / am fully aware that may
be charged with 'sectionalism' in set
ting forth tn efoundation of the Thir-
tieth Divisions claim to the honor.
hope not, however, for no one can
be in reason offended at the truth, as
shown by the official records. On the
records these conflicting claims must
be judged; the records made by those
in position to know, possessing no
prejudice either for or against either
| of these gallant divisions. Official re-
ports made by officers of those divis-
ions are disregarded
"Thc following quotation from Gen
cral Haig's official report appeared in
the American newspapers on January
7, 1919:
"'North of Bellinglse the Thirtieth
American Division, Maj. Gen. E. NJ.
| Lewis have broken through the deep
| defenses of the Hindenburg line,
stormcd Bellicourt and seized Nau-
roy. On their left the Twenty-seven-
tn American Division, Major General
O'Ryan met with very heavy infillad-
ing machine gun fire, but pressed on
with great gallantry as far as Boney,
where bitter struggle took place for
possession of the village. The fight
ing on the whole front of the Second
American Corps was severe, and in
Belicourt, Nauroy, Gillemont Farm
and a number of other points of the
Hindenburg line, strong bodies of the
enemy held out with great obstinacy
for many hours. These points of re-
sistance were gradually overcome
either by the support troops of the
American divisions or by the Fifth
and Third Australian divisions"
"This is all Gen. Haig reported with
regard TO demolition of the linden
burg line, so far as American troops
are concerned.
"A few days later the report of
General Pershing was published. The
following quotation is all that he re-
ported with regard to that operation
1t was the fortune of our second
Army Corps, composed of the Twen-
ty-seventh and Thirtieth Divisions,
which had remained with the Brit
ish, to have a place of honor in coop
Grafton with the Australian corps on
September 20 and October | in the
assault on the Hindcnburg line where
the st. Quentin Canal passed through
a tunnel under bridge. The Thir-
tieth Division speedily broke through
the main line of defense for all OBJ
jectives, while the Twenty-seventh
pushed on impetuously through the
main line until some of its
elements reached Bony. In
the midst of maze trenches and