Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-05-15
mem bERS
OF 1857 Il.
RETURN TO.
iowa SOIL
Huge Crowds Greet Troop
Trains on Triumphant Jour-
ney Across State; Des
Moines in Evening.
By a Staff Correspondent.

| Des Moines, Ia, May 14.-Iows
people focked to Des Moines today
by the thousands to meet the mer
of the l68th regiment, when they
reached the city in the evening and
to view the parade Thursday.
A delegation of Council Bluffs
citizens headed by Mayor Louis
Zurmuehlen came to welcome the
boys of Company L. Among them
were Robert Wallace, William Kee-
line and Lieuts. "A. H. Clark, H. P.
Ford, c. G. Ingraham and Ray
Clark.
The first men of the regiment
reached the border of the state at
Davenport at s o'clock Wednesday
morning and the next train pulled
into Dubuque at 10 o'clock. The
third train. coming by way of Keo-
kuk, did not reach that city until
nearly noon. 1t was four hours
late.
March to Davenport.
More than 10000 people greeted
the first battalion, supply company
and part of the headquarters COM
pany at Davenport. The men
rived at Rock Island about midnight
Tuesday and marched across the
river reaching Davenport at 8
o'clock Wednesday morning. They
paraded through the city streets,
amid a great demonstration of
steam whistles, automobile horns
and bells. After breakfast, the
battalion left for Cedar Rapids at
10 o'clock.
Governor Harding and Adjutant
General Lasher joined the train at
Dubuque. Maj. f. E. Lucas met
the train which came into the state
by way of Davenport and Col.
Joseph Davidson of the adjutant
generals office met the contingent
which came by way of Keokuk.
Parade at Des Moines.
A huge parade in honor of the
returned heroes will be held in Des
Moines Thursday. A grandstand
with a seating capacity of several
hundred has been erected near the
triumphal arch on the capitol ex-
tension grounds. In this grand
stand will be seated gold star"
mothers and fathers of the members
of the regiment who were killed
in action, as we'll as representatives
of various war work~organizations.
On the train which came into the
state by way Of Dubuque we're ap-
proximately Ia officers and 453 men,
including Companies A, B, and c,
commanded by Maj. Lloyd D. Ross.
Officers on the headquarters train
included Col. M. A. Tinley of Coun-
Gil Bluffs, who has been in COM
mand of the regiment since last
fall when Col. E. R. Bennett of
Des Moines was taken i'll; 1t. Col.
Claude Stanley, Major Ross, Maj.
Glenn Haynes, Capt. James c. Bon
ham. Capt. Thomas A. Beardmore,
Capt. William Witherell, Capt. Earl
Mead. 1t. John w. Ball, 1t. Ercell
B. Douglas, Capt. Homer Davis and
Chaplin Winfred Robb.
Formerly Third Iowa.
When this regiment, formerly
the Third infantry, Iowa National
guard, left the state in September,
1917, it numbered $500 Iowans.
When it returned to home soil We'd
nesday, it included less than 1000
of the original number. This does
not mean that the others were killed
in action, as many were invalided
home and not a few transferred
through promotions. The official
figures given out by the War de-
partpaent show the regiment lost
673 mem as follows: Killed in
action, 437; died of wounds, 1911;
naction. 40; prisoners, S.
The regiment saw its first action
with the enemy at Badonvillers in
March, 1918, and it was in that en-
gagement that Capt. Harrison Nc
Henry, the first Des Moines man to
give his life for democracy, was
killed. The heaviest fighting par
ticipated in by the regiment was in
Champagne, July IS, at the time the
Germans launched their big drive.
From there it went to Chateau
Thierry, showing exceptional valor
at Sergy and Ourcq.