New-York tribune., 1919-01-16
AIl-American SaIvo
From Coast Battery
Marked End of War
57th Artillery Sent 48
Shells, One for Each State,
Right Into German Lines
Just as Armistice Began

Members Of the former 9th Coast
Defence Corps who returned Tuesday
with the 57th Coast Artillery said yes
terday that the regiments guns fired
final salvo of forty-eight guns just
as the armisticc went into effect. one
of the activities of the regiment are
described in a letter written by Cap
tain Ernest R. Dupuy, formerly a New
York newspaper man. His letter, in
part, follows:
"The 57th Regiment, Coast Artillery
Corps, played an important part in the
campaigns CT the First Army, to which
it was attached as part of the army
artillery, from the st. Mihiel drive
until the armistice, which found it
blazing away with its long-range guns
at the retreating enemy frcsn positions
at Beaufort, near Stenay. =
Under Constant Fire
"Immediately after the St. Mihiel
drive the 57th was taken from the
French Corps, which had ceased to be
a part of the First Army, and was
shifted to the Verdun sector, arriving
there on September 20. When the first
phase of the Meuse- Argonne drive be-
gan, September 26, the 57th's long guns
were baying with the others, and the
regiment from that time on was under
constant fire.
"The final phase of the great drive
that broke the backbone of the enemy
found the 57th in position in a small
salient near Romagne. not more than
one and a half kilometres from the
Boche lines and suffering severely
from the encmy's fire. They had moved
up October "a, and four days later were
located by enemy planes.
"As the attack was not to start
until November the regiment was
forced to sit tight under heavy fire,
and lost fully 5 per cent Of its per
sonnel under continual fire OF high eX
plosives and gas shells.
cat this time the only Americans
ahead OF the 57th were the doughboys
holding our first line positions. The
light artillery mad come up after the
heavles had taken position and were
behind them, firing over their hea@a
at the zoe. All the men not actually
handling the guns were acting as in
fantry in anticipation of an enemy az
tack. which, however, never came.
$50 close were the guns that a capt
ured German officer who was being
led through the lines turned sneer-
ingly to one of the 57th with The re-
mark, y ou had better put bayonets on
those guns if you expect to remain
here
"When tine doughboys went over the
top November l the 57th and it's sister
regiments of the 31st Heavy Artillery
Brigade 55th and 56th Artillery,
c.. A. C.-were hard at work taking re-
venge for their losses by breaking up
all attempts of the enemy to gather
reserves and swapping his batteries
with long range fire.
"That morning the brigade smashed
the enemy's last hope by massing a
barragc fire of high explosives on the
Folie Woods. where the Boche was rail-
lying men for counter attack. Five
thousand rounds of shell were placed
in that little patch OF woods six kilo-
metres in area in two hours.
"The next day the LIST Battalion Of
the regiment went forward as a pur-
suit battalion. followed by the I'd Bat
talon, while the Sd remained, shifting
its fire across the river to support the
attacks on that side. These two bat
talions took up positions near Beau-
fort, by Stenay. where they suffered
heavily for several days until the Bochc
was dislodVed"