The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-13
Livingston Man Won Fame
 As Member Of 26th DiUision

Cant. Joseph A. McConpell of Living | ston volunteered for the first officers training camp at Camp lMcPherson in May, 1917 and was commissioned first
 lieutenant in August and ordered to re- | port at once for service abroad. He was given two weeksi furlough the
 last of August and sailed from New York the first of September. l9l7 Lieuten-
 ant Mcconnell and Lieut.. Allen w. Ma | this, son of Mrs. G. H.. Mathis Of Gads- den landed in France in September, 1917,
 went to school there and nwere assigned | in November, 1917, to thd twenty n Of "Yankee" division.
 Lieutenant Mathis was severely wound
 ed in the Chateau ThierrN drive on July IS, 1918, and invalided horne in Septem- Der, 19lS Lieutenant Mcconnell was wounded in the Chateau lThierry drive on July 19, 1918, and was confined 10 the
 hospital for several weeks. sHe went oack
 to his command in August and was cited
 for personal bravery during the advance
 of his division against tha enemy sep
 tember 12-14, around St. Mshiel He was in command of his company in the lood infantry, during the ArgonMe-Meuse orlVe
 from October IS through November II. The Twenty-sixth or Yankee" divlslon
 was one of the fighting divisions Of the
 A E. F. They landed at st. Nazalre on September 21, 1917, entered the lines Tn the Chemin- -des-Dames onE February D, 1918, after Captain Ohen licutenanD Me- Cornell had been assigned to them; served in the trenches ans aggregate ol 210 days; they were engaged in the Irst two battles in which the Amerlcans fought without the support of the Frencn infantry; they were the first American unit organized as a divisionsin the United
 States and transported to France The Yankee division lost in battle Al officers and Il ,534 enlisted men.
 A captured confidential document Of the
 Nineteenth German army Beads: The
 Twenty-sixt American division IS fighting division which has proven It's the front" They participated in the following battles Bois-Brille, April To- 13; Seichperey, April 20-t1; Humbert plantations May 27; Xivriy Marvoisin,
 June Is; Chateau Therry, July B-25; St.
 Mihiel, September 12-13; Argonne-Meuse, October 1S-November Il.
 They were in action right up to Ii O clock on the day the amistice was signed on November H. The following letters from the French and American commanders, and from the Cure Of Rupt- en- w oevre, show something of the es- teem in which the Yankee division was held:
 "vIIIth Army. S2d Army Corps. Staff 3d Bureau, H. o, June IS, 1918. Gen. eTdl OIQST LNOs lol. "On June 16 a strong detachment or 600 Germans, previously selected, rein forced by units from an assault battal- ion, attacked at daylight the front llne of the Twenty y-sixth American division at Xivray and Seicheprey The enemy was everywhere thrown back by imme- diate counter attacks, leaving numerous dead on the terrain and 10 prisoners, in cluding one officer.
 This brilliant action does the great est honor to the TwentysiHt tn division, and particularly to the 103d regiment, Col lonel Humes, commanding.
 This operation shows the unquestion- able superiority of the American soldier over the German soldier IL also gives an idea of all that may be expected Of these magnificent troops wien the en- tente, in it's turn, takes thG offensive. General Passaga, commanding the Thlr- ty-second Army Corps. - (sgd3 PASSAGA." | Official: The chief of Staff: Agd. Mangin. To be read to companies.
 | General Headquarters, A. -E. r. Off, 1 flee of the Chief of Staff. fune 20, 1918. From Commander-in-C Chief, to Com manding General, Twenty Sixth divi- l sion Subject, 103d regiment:
 l q am directed by the conlmander-in- chief to inform you that he has noted
 with sincere appreciation tie excellent
 work of the 103d regiment Sf your di- vision, which inflicted severe losses in
 killed wounded and prisoners in repell- | ing the strong raid attempted by the en- emy on the morning of June' 16, 1918, on the Xivray sector.