Trench and camp. ([Admiral, Md.) 1917-1919, 1919-06-05
BACK IN CAMP DIX, 3l5TH INF.
OF 10Th" GETS JUST PRAISE
Had 1.4O7 Casualties; Captured 81, COO, 600
Worth Of Engineering Material; Award
edN d. S. C.'s' and 14French Crosses.

Speaking Of the 315th Infantry.
'sPhiIadelphia's own" Col. A c.
Knowles. the commander. said as the
regiment arrived on the Santa Rosa
on the way to Camp Dix
THE conduct of these selective
service men has been d revelation to
me and to all the Regular Army.
am firmly convinced that this regi-
ment stands without peer in the
American Army, and that means in the
world. But, of course, admit that
am prejudiced.
ut seems to me like q dream to
think that we have combed the young
manhood of America, taken men from
every strata of society, welded them
into one great army and won the
greatest victory Of history. In the
old Regular Army we never would
have thought II possible. If we had
thought about such thing at all"
The cannon captured by the s15th
from the Germans. which is to be Of
fered to the city as a trophy, is being
brought to this country. How. when
and where not a man aboard the Santa
Rosaewould say. as 1t is virtually nee
essary to smuggie the gun in. 1t
originally was Belgian gun. which
was captured by the Germans and in
turn was taken from them by the
315th.
Piano Odd War Trophy.
On board the Santa Rosa there was.
however. one odd war trophy. This
was the famous piano, taken from
German officers dugout near Merles.
The S15th has carted the piano around
with 1t on all it's travels since then.
1t Is in the care of Lieut. Richard
". Lancaster Of Wilkerbarre, chap
lain of the regiment. He announced
that he would take it to his home,
have 1t repaired and then put it in the
clubhouse which the regiment plans
to establish in this city as headQuar-7
tiers of the 315th Infantry Association,
now in course of organization.
The 315th nearly pulled of" the
stunt that many American regiments
have tried without success-smuggIing
home one of the French orphan mas
cots who became so popular with the
doughboys. Young Louis Eugene,
fourteen years old, whose father was
killed in action with the French, was
the lad adopted by the 315th, The
night before the Santa Rosa sailed his
particular guardians among the
Yanks slipped through the marine
guard around the docks with him and
rowed out to the ship. There they
put him aboard, hidden under a pile
of blankets and packs of equipment.
French Lad Returned.
The old feud between the marines
and the doughboys cropped out how
ever, and a marine reported that q
stowaway had been taken aboard. In
the face Of this report, the officers
had nothing to do but search, and
Louis Eugene was found. to the dis
appointment of officers and men, and
was set ashore.
The a15th had 1.4o7 casualties, about
so per cent OF its fighting electives.
1t captured more than $1,000, 900 worth
OF engineering material, hiked over
400 miles OF France and served over.
seas exactly ten months to the day.
OF Its medical detachment Of seven
surgeons, three dentists and fifty-one
enlisted men which went overseas
with it. only two oficers and seven
teenmen Of the original personnel re-
turned. The officers are: Capt, Ivor
Fenton Of Mahanoy City and Can't.
Wallace Bulford Of Pittsburgh. Col
Knowles said his medical men estab-.
lished their dressing stations SO far
forward and were so continually
under IRE that they suffered heavy
losses.
Had to Sleep in Shifts.
The Santa Rosa is small ship for
transport ana the men aboard were
crowded They ran into foul weather
on the way over and for three days
lived under battered matches. without
sticking head above decks. There
were many blackened eyes and bruised
faces from being bumped and rolled
about as the ship tossed in the seas.
But that wasn't SO bad; you ought
to have gone to France with u.s." said
one. Then we were so crowded we
had to sleep in shifts"
The men on the ship saved their
loudest cheers coming up the river for
just two things that told them def
nitely they were back in Gods coun-
try. One was the first trolley carStheyl
sighted. scurrying along the river
shore. The other was three yeowomen
aboard submarine chaser which met
them down the river.
There were twenty-seven distin-
guished service crosses and fourteen
croix de guerre awarded in the re9f-
ment, which, onicers say, is more
than one-third the total awards for