The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-02-21


story Amos Ketcham, William E.
Hawks. Bernard Doyle, Joseph Cos
leila, Joseph A. PelleTin, Thomas
Malloney. Edward Flynn, Joseph La
famine, Thomas Grounds, Edmund
Howe and others whose names are
not recaller. Major igsons story is
as follows:
/ an February. 1918, the First Yer
mont Infantry, which had been wreck
ed by the short sighted and entire y
wrong policy OF the war department,
was given the new name OF the 57th
Pioneer Infantry. The remains of he
broken national guard organizations
OF New England and New York were
re-designated as corps and army
troops, assembled at Camp Wads-
worth, there filed up with drafted
men and sent overseas.
1.-THE 57th Pioneer Infantry had
about so commissioned officers and
450 non-commlssioned officers from
Vermont. These were men who had
stuck to the old organization with a
fine sense of loyalty to their state.
The other commissioned officers OF
the regiment as finally completed
came from the national regiments Of
many states. The balance Of the en-
lis ed personnel came from Philadel-
phia, Chicago and from Tennessee.
On the sixth day OF September, 1918,
about 5000 men from Tennessee
were called into service. They came
from the cities and villages, off the
cotton plantations and from the
mountain homes OF tina state. These
boys were home loving, God fearing
lot Of men. To many the trip to camp
was first experience on railway
train. twenty-five hundred of them
were assigned to our regiment on the
18th day of September. They were
equipped. inocula ed vaccinated and
on the 23rd day of September. IL days
after coming to the regiment, started
on the long trip 10 France. At Camp
Merritt We stopped long enough 10
secure equipment to conform to the
overseas standard, so far as avail
able. We were assigned to sail on
her pier in Hoboken.
1.-The first ba talon assigned TO
guard duty aboard the troopship NOV
ed out from camp about o'clock on
the morning of the 2Sth OF September
The second and third battalions
marched out from their barracks
abou5 l a. m. on the morning of the
goth OF September. We had proceed
ed but a short distance when it was
discovered that men were falling out
of ranks, unable 10 keep up. The at
tention OF the commanding officer
was ca led to The situation. The CO.
umn was halted, the camp surgeon
was summoned the medical examina-
ton showed that the dreaded influen-
"a. had hit us. Although many men
had fallen out we were ordered to re
sumo the march We went forward
up and up over thai winding moonlit
road leading to Alpine Landing on the
Hudson, where ferry boats were wait
ing to take us TO Hoboken.
THE victims OF the epidemic fell
on either side of the road, unable to
carry their heavy packs. Some threw
their equipment away and with de-
termination tried to keep up with
their comrades Army trucks and
ambulances following picked up those
who had fallen and took them back
TO the camp hospital. How many men
or how much equipment we lost on
that march has never been determin-
ed.
ION board the transport men con-
tinued to be stricken and 100 of these
were taken off and returned TO shore
before sal ing. On Sunday afternoon
the Goth tugs pulled the grea. ship
into mid-stream, turned her PROV in
the direction of open ocean, the great
propellers began 10 turn and we were
off to the 'Grea Adventure
I'VE had on board 9,033 officers and
men and about 200 army nurses on
their way to hospitals in France. The
presence of the nurses was very for
tunate as it afterwards turned out.
The ship was packed, conditions were
such thai the influenza bacillus could
breed and multiply with extraordi-
nary swiftness. We were much of
the way without convoy. The U-boat
menace made it necessary to keep
every port hole closed at nigh. and
I the air below decks, whore the men
slept, was hot and heavy. The num-
Der of sick increased rapidly. Wash
! ington was appraised of the situa-
ton, but the call for men for the a.
lied armies was so great tina. we must