The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-11-14
A Posthumous Citation Given to
Nephew o. Mrs. W. a. Clark


BENZ Gardner. Jr., of Palestine.
Texas. was a nephew Of Mrs. w II.
Clark and her Ocala friends will read
the following with much interest:
"A porthumous citation for gallant.
~ IN the action In which Lieut. Benz
y Gardner Jr.. was killed. has just
been received By his family. Lieut..
Gardner who fell during the memoir
stle advance az scissors in July. 1913
/ kas the son OF Judge b. H. Gardner
of Palestine.
The citation was issued from the
headquarters of the Second infantry
brigade under date OF July y. al
most year after Lieut. Gardeners
: death General order No. records
! tha citation as follows:
THE brigade commander cites the
following officers and men for gal
lantry ia action and devotion to duty
during the operations of the Second
infantry brigade American expedi.
tionary forces. France, 1917 to 1915:
Extract Second Lieut. Benja.
min H. Gardner. Twenty-eighth in
fantry. Lieutenant Gardner display
ed extraordinary heroism during the
| Aisne-Marne battle. July. 1918. Dur,
ing the advance of his battalion from
the second to the third detectives he
reorganized a platoon of demoralized
infantry and led them against a
strong machine gun position. This
platoon was successful in its mis-
sion. but Lieutenant Gardner was
killed by snipers before it arrived
al it's objective.
by command of Brigadier General
BamfOrd
George J. Forester,
Capt. Infantry. Acting Brigadier Ad
jutant
The citation is signed by the bri
gade commander who led the Second
infantry throughout the greater part
OF the many actions in which it par
ticipatea as a part of the immortal
First division. General Bamford was
assigned TO another command before
the division returned home and it
was his personal wish that his sig.
nature should be AFFIXED to the cita.
tions OF the men who had won them
under him
At the time OF his death Lieuten-
ant Gardner was adjustant of the
Second battalion of the Twenty
eighth infantry. then commanded by
Capt. (now Lieutenant ColoneD
Clarence Huebner. GardRer had
gone overseas almost immediatel,
upon receiving his commission from
the first training camp at Leon
Springs. and had served with the
Twenty .eighth in the Ansauyilie sec.
tor and in the storming of Cantigny,
the first American offensive in May,
1918.
SCISSORS was the next major action
Of the Twenty-eighth infantry the
First division playing memorable
part In the counter attack OF Foch
which bEoke the back of the German
drive and turned the tide back to-
ward Germany. The four infantry
/ regiments of the division had only Is
per cent OF their personnel on their
feet when Scissors was ended, but
the men Who fell there in July made
possible the final triumph in Novem-
! Der
/ Colonel Huebner himself, one of
the outstanding figures Of the war as
4 a aghting commander. paid the high
est kind OF tribute to Lieutenant
/ Gardner. lie was one of the best
officers had Colonel Huebner said.
FOR that reason picked him for my
battalion adiutant lie was full OF
life and energy and the reckless cour.
age that typiiies the best American
soldier. His own daring was respon'
afble for MS death. ae saw the fal
tersnw platoon and on bis own initia.
tive undertook 70 reform II and carry
h forward. Ills death was an inspir
alton % the regiment.
Colonel Huebner recommended
Lieutenant Gardner Tor the croix de
rusrre and Il l. possible that this
award may be- made at some time.
Lieutenant Gardner - buried very
near me SPOT where he fell. His
crave occupies a plot in the Ameri.
can military cemetery at Ploisy. sew
an hllometers from scissors"
saes
Mrs. n. J. MillsPrice and her two
pretty little children are expected to