The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1919-09-19
PERSHINC LEADS
HEROIC FIGHTERS
March Through Great Lane OF
Cheering Hosts on Fifth
Avenue, New York.
FIRST DIVISIONS TRIUMPH.


10 sail for France, first to fight and
last of the American EXpeditionary
Force to come home marched down
Fifth avenue, led by General Pershing,
giving the nation its first sight of a
division in full battle array,
Thirty thousand men with al their
gear. from airplane to trench mortar.
from staff limousine to elephantine
truck, from fat breeched hoWitzer to
vicious light mitrailleuse. from the gen
erals charger to the gargantuan cater
pillars which drew the guns-for three
hours and half they moved without
eeasing past the reviewing stand at
Eighty-secOnd street They left One
Hundred and Tenth street on the
stroke of 10 in the morning and it was
3 20 In the afternoon when the last of
them had passed through the Wash
ington Arch.
In the parade altogether, to give an
idea of the size of the fighting motor
transport Of single division, were %
ambuances, - light passenger and .
heavy passenger cars, 30 reconnais-
sance cars, II staff observation cars,
400 trucks, one machine shop, 23 tank
trucks for water and oil and gasoline,
10 artillery supply and repair trucks,
46 trailerS, 2S3 motorcycles and III
bicycles, a total of 1.291 vehicles.
First of all, there was Pershing, the
ideal American soldier, the centaur-
like cavalryman, the man whose iron
will kept the American forces, 1000
900 strong, together and forced the war
to speedy conclusion, then there was
the world famous composite regiment,
"Pershings Pets" $500 strong, march
ing IL abreast, bayOnets aslant, per-
feet in step and alignment, a perfect
war machine They marched past the
reviewing stand to the fitting tune
over There" and drew more cheers
along the line than any other unit of
the division.
Then there were the First Engineers,
the men who threw down their picks
and shovels and picked up guns to help
the British repel a German counter at
tack at Cambria.
The Sixteenth Infantry, the organi-
cation that captured Mont See, the first
American troops on the battle line,
were there, tOO-thOSe that We're left.
Wound stripes We're many among them
and long service stripes all too few.
Next in line was the Eighteenth In
fantry, the officers and colors decorat-
ed with the green and red fourragere
of the CroiX de Guerre. This regiment
was preceded by a banner proclaiming
the fact that it had Stormed and cap
tured Chateau Buzancy, near Scissors.
one of the greatest demonstrations
greeted the Twenty-eighth Infantry,
the regiment which stOrmed and took
Cantigny on May 2S, 1917, and held the
position in the face of repeated strong
counter attacks by the Germans.
OF the artillery regiments the Sixth
Field Artillery. the men who fired the
first shot of the war for America on
October %, 1917, got the greatest ap-
plause, and the French -, from which
the shot was fired, was there guarded
by the man who fired it,
The y. NJ c. A welfare workers
who saw service overseas with the
First Division, $50 men and IS women.
marched with their units Among the
wounded to ride in the Red Cross cars
thrAn Of In
ed in the casualties of the division.
Forty truck loads of supplies We're
given away by other Y. NJ. c. 4. girls
us breakfast to the 10000 men in the
streets while forming for the parade
in the morning under orders of Major
General McGlachlin.
The entire motor transport equip
ment, trucks, tractors and some heavy
artillery and 3.400 men left New York
after the parade by road for Wash
iugton. the trip to consume five days.
A y. NJ. c. A. unit of six men and TWO
truck loads of supplies will accompany
the column.
The pack train units of the First
Division were loaded on fourteen
trains and left by rail for Washing
ton, with 5000 men. These troops will
eucamp at Camp LEIGH and Camp
MeigS, near Washington, until the
morning of the divisional parade there.
Infantry and other units, numbering
approximately 1000 men. returned to
Camp Merritt and Camp Mills. 1t will
require ~ trains to convey these men
10 Washington. The Y. NJ. G. \. will
continue service at the camps, and its
troop train secretaries will accompany
the men en- route. The cover There
Theater League" of the i. NJ c. A.
will furnish entertainment and moving
pictures in the camps.