Morris tribune., 1919-07-11
MANY FROM HERE WERE
I'm PIONEER INFANTRY
Most of the Stevens County Boys in
the Famous 54th Are Now
Back Home

With twelve men from Stevens
county among it's personal, the saith
Pioneer Infantry probably had more
men from this county in it's service
than any other regiment in the war.
The men from Stevens county are
Arthur J. Laschanzky, John E. Lentz,
Albert H. Malmberg, John A. Miller,
Edward o. Mithun, Wesley w. Miller,
Anders N. Sehonberg, Emil H. Kray-
enhagen, Emil A. Olson, Emil T. Oh
son, Alfred T. Schuman, Charles HI.
Sperr, Ed. Norton, Grover G. Russell,
and John Luikens.
The 54th Pioneer Infanty was
made UP of 800 selective men from
Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and South
Carolina with a nucleus consisting of
10 officers and 1873 men from the list
New York Infantry. The regiment
received it's quota August 10, 1918,
at which time the husky men from
Minnesota arrived. Ten days later
the men left the muddy soil of South
Carolina and arrived at Camp Stuart,
Newport News August al. After
spending week there drilling and
exchanging their clothing. for over
seas outfits, the regiment boarded the
| transport Duca d. Aosta and Caserta
With the loading of the regiment, it's
supplies and baggage completed the
next day at noon, the ships left the
dock for the secret destination over
the seas. On Sept IL the long gray
cliffs along the northwest coast Of
France were visible and short time
later the transports steamed into the
harbOr of Brest.
The regiment entrained before
daybreak on the morning of Sept. II,
living for three days in French box
cars with their signs Hommes 40,
| CheveuX 8, until Port d. Atelier was
reached. Here gas masks were issued
to the men preparatory to the trip to
the front. Entraining again Sept
% on the way to the front the men
arrived at Fleury sur Aire where they
stopped for day. 1t was necessary
for them to hack their way thru
thick underbrush and small trees in
order to pitch tents. The tents were
camoudaged with leaves as a prOtec-
tion against the Germans, for the
regiment was nearing the front. The
next night the men passed thru sew
eral villages that were masses of
ruins. Their way was lit by the
flares and star shells from the front
line and the rumble of the artillery
could be heard plainly on the line
| of +Io @e
Clermont they entered g. patch Of
woods north of the village about
400 a. m.
From September to November II
the Pioneers worked under the heavy
fire from the Meuse-Argonne drive,
helping to make the offensive pos
sib1e by keeping the roads and
bridges cleared. They learned on
November that the armistice terms
had been presented to'~the enemy.
When on November II the guns
ceased firing, they knew the Germans
had signed, and in the evening they
celebrated the event with a mon
strous bonfire, aided by many flares
from the woods.
/ OA 1NONs 1O LAO AOSA"CAO ACOVAFOO
orders to proceed to Dun-sur Meuse
where hard fighting had taken place
just before the signing of the armis-
tice. The night of November % at
Verdun the men slept with a roof
over their heads for the first time
since their arrival in France. Reach
ing Briey on December they drilled,
did guard duty and enjoyed quanti-
ties of sauerkraut intended for the
German army. The regiment arrived
in Germany December % and was
billited in German homes in the vici-
nifty of Witt1ich. After December 80
the men were garrisoned near Cob
lenz. Opportunities were given to
visit the places along the Rhine, and
many availed themselves of the fur
| Tough privilege.
! Most of the companies of the 54th'
have arrived in this country. Albert
III. Malmberg of Company F, returned
to Morris last Saturday morning af-
ter one years service with the
Pioneers