Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-01-08
OF WAR
AFFECT HARDENS RANK
First American Officer Wounded
In World War Discharged
From Army as Captain, Re-
enters Service as Sergeant
Home Is In Burlington

Devere II. Harden. who calls Burling-
ton his home, and who was the first
American officer wounded in the world
/ war, Is an officer no longer, but has gone
! back TO the ranks as a sergeant, accord
| ing to recent Issue of the Evening Sun
! New York;, which contains a long
| account of Mr.. Harden's war record.
| The fact that Mr. Harden has been
denoted from the rank of captain, which
he held at the close of the war, to that
of sergeant is not due to any fault with
Mr.. Harden. but is simply one of the for
tunes of soldier who has risen rapidly
during war service. 1t is merely the
working OH. of the system of the war
department. Sergeant Harden Ia now
located at the Army Signal Corps School
at Little Silver, N. ].
Although Sergeant Harden claims Bur-
lington as his home. he has not lived
here for many years. having been in the
regular army several years before the
war. He will be remembered by Burling-
| tonians, however, for his visit to this
city just after his release from the hos
pital, after having the distinction of
being the first officer of the American
EXpeditionary Forces to be wounded in
, France. in October, 1911. During that
visit to Burlington, Lieutenant Harding
addressed the Chamber of Commerce and
made very favorable impression.
Harden served for nearly a year with
the famous First Division in France
lie was in the first American attack at
Cantigny and participated in the decisive
battle of scissors. For meritorious
service in France he received the Croix
de Guerre. In spite of these facts, he
is now back practically where he started
I / uhe ha arct oy1i cta ;,,4 \,
army
| Arriving in France with the first Ameri-
can troops June &c, 1917. Harden. then a
| first sergeant with the Second Field Sig
nal Battalion, was soon promoted to the
rank of first lieutenant. the reward of
his long service and good record in the
regular army, including service in
Panama, Alaska and on the Mexican
border.
| The First Division had been in the
trenches only a few days when Harding
was wounded. Near the old front line
| trenches at Les Jumelles, near Nancy, in
Lorraine, where Lieutenant Harden fell
on October %, 1917, was erected sign
which told in French the fact that the
| first American officer fell at that spot
The sign was placed just outside the
dugout occupied by Lieut. Col.-then
from conference with Roosevelt. Har-
den had just left the dugout when a shell
/ exploded and struck him in the knee.
After remaining for time in a hos
| pital at Bazolles, just outside Neuf-
chateau, Harden got over-anxious to get
| back to his division and left the hospital
before his wound had entirely healed.
AS result of this, his leg has never
been as strong as it should be. He CAN
not hike as he used to. Four or five
miles tires him out.
| Harden was with the First Division
, when it took over the Toul sector, the
| first trench sector ever controlled by
American troops. He was one of the first
| American officers to handle independently
! the signal system OF a trench sector on
| the western front.
When the 2Sth Infantry of the First
Division made the first American attack
and captured the village of Cantigny,
| Harden commanded the observation and
telephone station from which the artillery
support was directed during the nine
counter attacks the Germans made IN
three days. With the observation station
under heavy shell fire most of the time,
the artillery support in this attack was
highly praised by officers along the line.
On July 49, Harden was with the 10th
Infantry of the First Division, forming
with the Second American and the famous
French Moroccan Division the spearhea d
in the first allied attack of the decisive
campaign near scissors After fighting
for five days and nights in a veritable
hell, the officers and men Of the 10th
Infantry were relieved, covered with
glory, and their mission accomplished
1t was not long after this that Harden
yHfu ..flap Lan
as an instructor. At Camp Lewis in
Washington State. he was promoted to
the rank of captain and took command
Of Company C of the 2l3th Field Signal
Battalion of the 18th Division. He was
the only officer in the battalion who had
, served overseas.
Later, Harden was transferred &c
Honolulu, where he commanded Com.
pany + of the 53rd Telegraph Bettalion
Il company which Showed +, - liable
proficiency according to citatou col
George T. Kumpe tried to have acr
permanently assigned to the west. de.
partment, but on November Il a.lors
reached San Francisco for his di. harse
from the service.
But Harden's profession was that of
soldier. lie had no other career. After
spending three hopeless weeks lookine
, LOT All openiHS III ci'hian IKE, ne wen
back to the army At the recruitint
office they told him they would be glat
to have him back-as a first sergeant
and Harden took the job, even while
, thinking he was fitted for a more re
sponsible position.
Harden is tall, broad-shouldered, good
f natured man with smile which wins
His 16 years Of service in various coun
, tries have given him a thorough knowl
, edge of soldering which should enabl,
him to regain the rank which he lost Il
, the close of the war.