The World War I Memoirs of Robert P. Patterson: A Captain in the Great War

The Argonne

The Argonne I The Argonne is a large forest, with thick underbrush that makes walking very slow. It has deep ravines running generally east and west.1 One could find his way through only by relying on the compass. We were in the offensive from its commencement on September 26th until October 15th. The front on which the attack was launched ran from the Meuse to the western edge of the Argonne. The movement that was commenced on September 26th was called the First Argonne-Meuse Offensive. There were six or seven divisions in the front, with others in reserve. The 77th Division was the left division in the attack. Its front was across the forest and proved to be so wide that eventually every infantry soldier was put into line. After the first two or three days we had no battalions in support. This led to trouble.2 II We stayed in the vicinity of La Chalade for four days, in readiness to attack. The 305th Infantry was also there, and I saw Charles de Rham of that regiment , who was killed at the opening of the attack a few days later. We had good quarters in French trenches there and had very little to do. The French troops remained in the front trenches in order to conceal the presence of Americans in the sector.3 On the 25th a large number of replacements came up. F Company received one hundred and ten of them. Our losses on the Vesle had reduced us to about seventy men for duty in the platoons. We had more on the rolls, but quite a number were serving as runners and cooks, and on special detail with the supply company. I now reconstituted the 1st platoon, putting Sergeant Faucher in command and giving him Zimmerman as extra sergeant and William Murphy, John Duffy, Joseph Scott, and Frank Carney for corporals. Practically all the privates in the platoon were replacements. Sergeant Joseph Lo Bono was transferred to G Company which received two hundred of the new men. Lieutenant Blazer was detached for duty with Map 6. The 77th Division in the first phase of the MeuseArgonne Offensive, September 28 to October 18, 1914. From Adler, History of the Seventy-seventh Division. Spirit of the Argonne. From Adler, History of the Seventy-seventh Division. 58 The World War I Memoirs of Robert P. Patterson H Company and remained there until the middle of October. Sergeant Frederick Peterson took charge of the 4th platoon. He was a brave soldier who knew his business thoroughly. Hayes and I were now the only officers in F Company. These new fellows came from the Northwest. They were excellent men but very green.4 We gave them hasty instruction on hand grenades, rifle grenades , and gas. In the fighting that followed, they behaved well. There is no doubt, however, that their inexperience was the cause of losses that might have been avoided. A seasoned soldier, on halting at a place near the front, gets his pick or shovel out and begins to dig a funk-hole at once, thereby protecting himself to a considerable extent. A raw man does not realize the value of such cover and is slower about digging. One feature of the fields where fighting had occurred was the long lines of funk-holes that could be seen stretching across the country. Another feature of course was the equipment that had been abandoned. One of the new men, Reuben Pierson, I made a sergeant during the fight at St. Juvin, and another, a very young fellow named Clayton Nichols, I made a corporal. Among these men there was an Indian, Andrew Washington, who proved to be skillful at scouting and patrolling. General Robert Alexander, who in August had succeeded General George B. Duncan in command of the division, made a speech to the officers of our brigade, explaining the objects of the coming offensive.5 I recall with pleasure that after the speech General Edmund Wittenmyer, our brigade commander, introduced me to General Alexander and was kind enough to tell him that I was one of his best fighting captains, adding a few words about my action near Bazoches. III The artillery began the offensive at two in the morning.6 The infantry attack came at six in the morning of the 26th.7 In our regiment the 1st battalion led off, followed by the...