The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-05
The 371st Infantry
Lately Demobilized at Camp
Jackson-A Sketch of Ser
vice on the French
Front.

fantry, which arrived in Camp Jack
son about two weeks ago from over
seas, has been demobilized. The en-
listed men were mustered out with
in a few days after arrival, ard the
i officers are being given their dis
charges as fast as they can get then
records and accounts closed n2
Most Of them have already been dis
charged and have proceeded to their
homes. and the last will be gone
within a week.
The regiment was composed OF
colored draft men, practically all of
them being South Carolinians, and
| the officers were white. Quite a
number of the officers were. South
Carolinians. The South Carolina Of
fcers who came home with the reg
/ inrent were Maj: Thomas H. Moffatt,
:! Columbia: Capt. w. r. Richey, Lau-
rens; Capt. f. L Brunson, Florence;
Capt. F. Z. Lesesne, Charleston; Capt,
Hanter g. Harris, Union; Capt. Geo:
| W. Potts, Fort Mill; Lieut.: E11gene
g. Smith; Greenvi1le; Lieut., James e.
Todd, Laurens:. Lieut.. c. G. Sweeten
berger, Abbeville; Lieut. J. McKiever
Riley, .Allendale; Lieut.. w. n.
Thompson, .Jr., Rock Hill: Lieut.: J.
T. Roddy, Jr., Rock Hill; Lieut., WIZ
bur E. Mattiscn, Anderson; Lieut..
John Thompson, Union.
The regiment was organized. and
given it's preliminary training at
Camp Jackson. and landed in France
April 27 Of last year. After a few
weeks Of intensive training it was
brigaded with. the 157th French di-
vision, and was constantly in acton
with that division until the arnl1stice
was signed 1t took part in mary Sc
we're engagements; in fact: it was on
the front line practically all the time,
and suffered severely in casualties.
Forty-eight of the los officers were
wounded, seven were killed outright
and three died of wounds. Three or
the officers who were Killed were from
South Carolina. They were Lieut.
Robert Gilner, of Anderson; Lieut..
Thomas Lake, Of Laurens; and Lieut..
Sam D. Turtletaub, Of Charleston.
The. regiment had 375 n1eG killed
and 1870 wounded and missing IN
action. The regiment had about %
400 men when it left Camp jackson
last April, and brought back about
1000. There was a steady stream oi
replacements after the regimen be4
gan its active service. Only ab6ut
700 Of the original 2,400 MEN came
back with the: regiment. those. not
killed having been sent to 5hosibitafs
or to non-combat organizations be-
cause of having become incapacitated
for fighting. !:
The regiment saw service on three
fronts, Verdun. Champagne and m
Asace- Lorraine. It was In all re-
spects a French fighting unit. being
brigaded with French. troops all the
time. The officers talk nnodestly' OF
their own exploits, but give very high
praise to their men. and say that It
was due to the courage and endur-
ance of the enlisted men that the
regiment was given. the high distinc-
ton of being awarded the French
Cross de Guerre
Lieut. Smith. who will be at his
old home in Greenville in a few days,
was dSkSu dDOQL lIlC oOl0ASAAS 40OAA
ties of the colored men. .
"The men made good soldiers" was
his. prompt reply. "They were obe-
dient to all commands, and were, In
every way amenable to discipline.
They were draft men Of all sorts,
gathered from the farms and cities
and towns from every occupation.
To be frank, we were a little dubious
about them. We did not know
whether they would stand under fire
or not. But they did,. They would
go right into the thickest sort Of fight,
and they were Splendid fighters
s'They were all that could be asked
so long as they had officers. White
soldiers. when they lose their Off
GERS, will fight on, a nom commission.
ed officer or even private taking
charge, but the colored men could
not be depended on to do this When
a. platoon officer would be killed or
wounded the men would take to COW
er and turn and go back, but if an
other officer would take charge they
would follow him without trouble, in
fact gladly. we had this happen
time and again. The men were all
right so long as they had an officer
to lead them. or direct them
Would the eoloreai men stand un-
der losing fght?" Lieut.. Smith was
asked. Would they stand the gaff?"
Yes was his reply. I'VE never
had that experience but once, for we
were usually winning. But at the
Argonne Forest we advanced seven
kilometers one day, getting ahead OF
the line. The next day we were sub
iected to a terrific counter attack.
The enemy used artillery and gas.
and aeroplanes. and rushed us with
infantry and machine guns. We held
our ground for seven hours, fighting
part of the time with our gas masks
on. It was as severe test as any
soldiers ever had. but our men never
faltered once, although our casualties
were very heaty that day. No SOL
diers could have behaved any. better
under more adverse circumstances:
What kind of citizen will these
men. make, now that they are raus-
tered out Of the arlny?" was the next
I