September 25-October 16, 1918, Meuse Argonne: “What is death for your country, for God and country?”

by Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Map of the 42nd Division's units during the actions to reduce the Cote de Chatillon and Hill 288. (Reilly)

On 25th September 1918, in accordance with General Orders No. 127, Cpl. Robert Gober Burton was promoted to sergeant. At the time of his promotion, Burton, and the 151st Machine Gun Battalion were quartered in former German barracks that had been abandoned in the German retreat from the Saint Mihiel salient.

Writing home on September 29, 1918, Burton apprised his family of his situation.

The Germans claim that there are only two divisions in France the 42nd

Shoulder strap sent home by Sgt. Burton in
his Sept 29, 1918 letter. Ga. Guard Archives

the Rainbow. I am sending a shoulder strap from the coat of one of the famous Prussian Guards. We have run into this same regiment four different times and at four different places and it was one of these that said that there were only two American divisions over here. I am also sending you two citations that we have won since we have been over. This is what they think of the Rainbow.

The boys from Monroe were certainly lucky. Only two of us were hurt and one not seriously. Guthrie and I were the only ones hurt.

I was made a Sergeant soon after I came back to the company. “Slowly but surely.”

As I told you we are quartered in some German barracks. The boys are singing and talking and laughing so that you can hardly hear yourself think. It is surely a relief from duties in the lines and we are taking full advantage of it.

Well I don’t write much more and get all the souvenirs and the envelope too so will close.

As ever,

Your devoted son,

Gober[i]

Burton wrote home three days later. The tone of this letter was darker than any of his previous correspondence.

France

October 2, 1918

My dearest Mother

Well here comes again another letter. You see, I am writing as often as possible and sometimes when it is not possible. I don’t like to write letters as you know but I don’t mind writing to you so much. We have to write in some peculiar places and at peculiar times, but at that, we get off a lot of correspondence as the mail report shows.

Before I quit to night, I think that I will write to Frank and Rache. I have the spirit a little tonight and I can write some.

Mother dear, you know I have been thinking lately of what about getting killed over here for my country. It wouldn’t be so bad. I would merely have made the supreme sacrifice. That is about all that the American Soldier can ask for. What is death for your country, for God and country?

This is not a pessimistic letter. I was just thinking about it. So, I should happen to “go west,” over here, hold your head high with the realization that I only made the supreme sacrifice. It will have been for you and Auntie and Ida and all the rest, and rest assured that I have given it gladly.

After what I have seen what the Germans have done in Northern France to a peaceful country, and to the womanhood and to the homes of these people I have heard somebody say that they would fight when it came to our country but would rather that it would be kept where it is.

Well mother, this will do for this time. Am waiting for a letter.

Your devoted son,

Gober[ii]

On October 4, 1918, the 151st MGB resumed the march and on October 6, 1918 bivouacked in the Bois de Montfaucon[iii]. Their position was near the front lines and the Soldiers were once again subject to German artillery and machine gun fire. Private Carlton Barton of Company C was wounded October 6[iv]. On October 10, Sgt. William O. Williams of Company A received his second wound of the war.[v] That same day, Pvt. Scott Cook of Company C was severely wounded. He would remain hospitalized until December 10 before shipping home. He was discharged February 17, 1919 with 25 percent disability.[vi]

From October 11 to 12, the 42nd Division relieved the 1st Division, then occupying a position in the line running northeast from the Cote de Maldah just east of Sommerance, France through the Bois de Romagne. The 32nd Division was in line to their right while the line their left was reinforced by the 82nd Division.[vii]

As part of the relief of the 1st Division, Maj. Cooper Winn and his company commanders conducted a reconnaissance of the machine gun positions of the 2nd Brigade. They found that the machine gun battalion for the 2nd Brigade had been employed as the 151st had been during the Aisne Marne campaign, that is, rather than positioned as a battalion support by fire element, the machine gunners had been parceled out to battalions of the brigade’s infantry regiments[viii]. Rather than assuming these positions, the 151st MGB established a firing line just east of Hill 263. Gunners from Company B and D established this line on October 12, 1918 while under heavy fire. This line had barely been established when the battalion received orders to support an infantry assault on the Bois de Romagne and Hills 288 and 243 as well as the Cote de Chatillon which served as an important observation point for German defenses on the Kriemhilde Zone of the Hindenburg Line.

View of the Cote de Chatillon from the firing position of the 151st MGB. The Musarde Farm is visible in the foreground.
Photo by Maj. William Carraway

On October 13, the four companies of the 151st MGB moved into position on the forward slope of Hill 263. Before them was an open valley over which the infantry regiments of the 84th Brigade would have to cross. At the base of the Cote de Chatillon, 1,200 meters from the guns of the 151st MGB, sat the Musarde Farm, a two-story stone farm house and collection of out buildings which would provide shelter for German firing positions. To the rear of the Musarde Farm, circling the Cote de Chatillon were a network of reinforced German trenches which ran from the nearby town of Landres et St. George over the Cote de Chatillon and to the crest of the neighboring Hill 288. Between the latter two heights was Hill 242.

German trenches at the base of the Cote de Chatillon.  Photo by Maj. William Carraway

On October 14, 1918, at 8:15 am, the 84th Brigade began its assault. The 151st MGB provided an overhead fire barrage which suppressed the German trench positions so effectively that the 167th Infantry Regiment was able to traverse the valley all the way to the base of the Cote de Chatillon where their forward progress was checked by barbed wire. Simultaneously, the 168th Infantry Regiment surged forward and, despite heavy casualties, seized the crest of Hill 288. The following day, the 167th Infantry Regiment was unable to advance their position, but the 168th succeeded in driving Germans from Hill 242.

On the evening of October 15, Col. Douglas MacArthur met with Maj. Gen. Summerall, commander of the 5th Corps. Summerall ordered MacArthur to take the Cote de Chatillon on October 16, or report 5,000 casualties. MacArthur replied that he would take the hill or report no brigade.[ix]

For two weeks, the Cote de Chatillon had withstood assaults by three American divisions. For two days, the 167th Infantry had been paralyzed by the defensive German works to their front.

The Musarde Farm today.  Photo by Maj. William Carraway

At 10:00 am, on the morning of October 16, the 151st provided concentrated machine gun fire on the Cote de Chatillon and Musarde Farm. By this time, the 151st’s complement of 48 guns had been augmented with an additional 12 Hotchkiss guns.[x] With the fire support from the 151st, he 168th Infantry breached the German defenses, their assault carrying them to the crest of the Cote de Chatillon. The 168th was unable to hold this position and was forced to retreat to the base of the hill. Taking advantage of the progress of its sister regiment, the 167th Infantry shifted right into the area of advance of the 168th, cleared the barbed wire obstacles and, at 2:00 pm attacked along with the 168th. This coordinated attack successfully repulsed a German counter attack and its momentum carried the men to the crest of the Cote de Chatillon. [xi]

Casualties for the 151st MGB were relatively light compared to previous engagements. The battalion suffered 13 wounded but miraculously, none were killed in action. The attacking infantry regiments had suffered fewer casualties than anticipated. The 167th suffered 117 killed and 554 wounded while the 168th lost 143 killed and 566 wounded.[xii]

The role the 151st MGB played in the reduction of the Cote de Chatillon and Hill 288 so impressed Maj. Gen. Summerall that he called for a conference of his machine gun battalion commanders where the newly promoted Lt. Col. Winn briefed his battalion’s actions in the assault.[xiii] MacArthur cited the 151st MGB for their role in the assault and recommended Winn for the Distinguished Service Cross.

Next Chapter: The Drive for Sedan

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[i] Robert G. Burton to Mrs. R. F. Burton. September 29, 1918

[ii] Robert G. Burton to Mrs. R. F. Burton. October 2, 1918

[iii] Peavy, Arthur and Miller, White, The 151st Machine Gun Battalion 42d (Rainbow) Division: A Battalion History and Citations of the Rainbow August 13, 1917 to April 26, 1919. J. W. Burke Co., 1919. 15

[iv] Ancestry.com. Georgia, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013

[v] Ancestry.com. Georgia, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013

[vi] Ancestry.com. Georgia, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013

[vii] American Battle Monuments Commission. 42D Division Summary of Operations in the World War. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1944, 53

[viii] Peavy, Arthur and Miller, White, The 151st Machine Gun Battalion 42d (Rainbow) Division: A Battalion History and Citations of the Rainbow August 13, 1917 to April 26, 1919. J. W. Burke Co., 1919. 15

[ix] N. P. Parkinson and Joel R. Parkinson, Commanding Fire: An Officers Life in the 151st Machine Gun Battalion, 42nd Rainbow Division during World War I. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., 2013,157

[x] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 713

[xi] American Battle Monuments Commission. 42D Division Summary of Operations in the World War. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1944, 65

[xii]Frazer, Nimrod T. Send the Alabamians: World War I Fighters in the Rainbow Division. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2014, 187

[xiii] [xiii] Peavy, Arthur and Miller, White, The 151st Machine Gun Battalion 42d (Rainbow) Division: A Battalion History and Citations of the Rainbow August 13, 1917 to April 26, 1919. J. W. Burke Co., 1919. 16

August 13-September 27, 1918, Saint Mihiel: “Germany Can’t Hold Out Much Longer”

by Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Final resting place of Pvt. Madie Ware, Company B, Macon Volunteers,
151st MGB. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

On August 13, 1918, one week after their unit had been pulled from front line service near Sergy, France, Soldiers of the 151st Machine Gun Battalion received their first opportunity for leave since arriving in France in October 1917. While the battalion rested and trained in the Bourmont Training Area near Champigny, ten percent of the battalion’s Soldiers rotated to Paris on 48-hour leaves of absence.[i]

On August 17, elements of the 151st MGB began movement from La Ferte sur Marne by rail and by road march to Sauville, a commune in the Ardennes Department in northern France. Here, the battalion began what was expected to be five-weeks of training. Rather than their customary field camp locations, the men were comfortably billeted and provided with the opportunity to clean clothing and equipment. The Soldiers fully expected that they would receive the customary seven-day leaves authorized for units that had spent more than four months in France.[ii] Meanwhile, the Soldiers conducted a series of battle drills in which the battalion prepared to provide fire support for infantry assaults.

While his comrades in arms were training in the Ardennes, Cpl. Robert Gober Burton was still recovering from the wound he received July 30, near Sergy. Writing to his mother, Burton expressed optimism for the war’s prospects.

France August 25, 1918

Cpl. R. G. Burton's letter of  August 25, 1918. 
Georgia Guard Archives

Dearest mother,

I am well and getting along fine now. The weather here is about as hot as it is at home at this time of the year, so we are not doing much these days.

It certainly does look as if your prayers have been answered when you consider my miraculous escape. You know I even have the bullet that hit me in the arm. I also have the testament and I shall try and keep them. The first chance I get I will send both of these home.

None of the other boys from home have been hurt so far as I know. I certainly do hope that they haven’t.

The war isn’t going to last much longer if I can tell anything about it at all. For Fritz is being pushed back in every quarter and the US is bringing in fresh troops by the thousands every week to keep him on the go. Germany can’t hold out much longer. German power is on the decline while ours is in the ascension all the time. German prisoners even now admit that they are defeated but claim that they shall carry the war till all her men have gone but they won’t do that. They are too cowardly and yellow.

Well mother dear, will write you another letter in a day or so.

Your devoted son,

Gober[iii]

On August 29, just two weeks into the expected five-week training period, the 151st MGB received orders to move out that evening. After scrambling to assemble men and equipment for transport the battalion departed Sauville at 9:30 P.M. in a driving rain. Arriving in Gironcourt September 3, the 151st received more than 200 replacement Soldiers.[iv]

After a series of movements., the battalion arrived in concealed positions in forested terrain near the village of Siecheprey approximately 22 kilometers east of Saint Mihiel. Here, on September 9, battalion leadership received and disseminated orders for the offensive which was scheduled to commence on September 12. In the coming engagement, the 151st would be employed as a battalion under its own command rather than as attachments to the attacking infantry units.

42nd Division in the St. Mihiel Offensive. Americans All: The Rainbow at War 

The attack in which the 151st MGB would participate was the first great offensive of the 1st U.S. Army. The attack would fall upon the Saint Mihiel Salient, a protrusion of the Western Front which was created by successful German advances during the Battle of Flirey in the fall of 1914. In the four years since the creation of the salient, German troops had fortified their positions, emplacing trenches and barbed wire. French assaults in the Saint Mihiel salient had for four years failed to dislodge the Germans from their positions. From the first days they entered the trenches in the Lorraine Sector in March 1918, the Soldiers of the 151st MGB had heard stories of the salient from French Soldiers who had served there.[v]

The Americans would attack the salient with three corps while a French corps would help to fix German forces near the town of Saint Mihiel. The Fourth Corps, consisting of the 42nd, 89th, 1st and 3rd Divisions would attack the center of the salient with the First Corps, and its 2nd, 5th, 90th and 82nd Divisions to its right. Attacking the western portion of the salient was the Fifth Corps consisting of the 4th and 26th Divisions along with the French 15th Colonial Division.[vi] These corps would attempt to attack the salient in a pincher maneuver to pierce the salient and trap any German Forces remaining near Saint. Mihiel.

The order for the attack was fifty pages and was augmented by ten annexes covering the use of artillery, tanks, air corps and other combined arms assets.[vii] The term D-Day was first used in this order as a control measure to coordinate the movement of multiple echelons of command across the salient.

On September 10, 1918, Maj. Cooper Winn and his four company commanders moved forward to conduct a leader’s reconnaissance and select firing positions to provide an overhead barrage in support of the 167th and 168th Infantry Regiments of the 84th Infantry Brigade. During a heavy rain on September 11, the battalion moved into the trench positions at the jump-off point for the assault arriving just before midnight.[viii] About this time Cpl. Robert Burton returned to the battalion from his hospital convalescence. He would not reach his battalion until after they had “gone over the top.”[ix]

Cpl. Frank Cramblett

At 1:00 a.m. September 12, the Americans initiated the assault with artillery fire. At 5:00 a.m. infantry assault began. The doughboys moved forward with tank and air support under cover of an overhead barrage supplied by the 64 Hotchkiss machine guns of the 151st. The gunners maintained a 15-minute barrage on German trenches in the Bois de la Connard. As the first wave of infantry approached their first objective, the 151st displaced forward as a unit in order to establish a second firing position to cover the second wave. From this position Maj. Winn could direct concentrated fire on points in the German line of resistance. During this phase of the attack, two Soldiers of Company D were killed as German machine gun fire raked the 151st position. Corporal Frank Cramblett was struck down and Pvt. G. J. Reemsnyder was shot through the temple while putting his machine gun into action.[x]

The German defenders were largely surprised by the assault. Although they expected an attack would be made, they did not expect it to happen until later in the month. Thus, the initial wave caught many unprepared as recalled by Pvt. J. Ambler of Company D, 150th Machine Gun Battalion.

“The day the battle of Saint Mihiel started our division was advancing very rapidly. On the advance we passed thousands of prisoners, many of them wounded and gassed. One of the Germans was crawling towards us with his heel shot off when a doughboy rushed at him with a fixed bayonet.  He was about to run him through when I yelled at the top of my voice ‘You damn fool, give him a chance, he’s wounded.’ The young fellow then felt ashamed of himself and walked away.  I stopped and gave the Hun a drink of water and a few ‘hard tacks.’ He certainly had appreciated what I had done for him, for he said a lot, but his German was Greek to me.”[xi]

By the end of September 12, the Americans had achieved all of the objectives established for the first and second day of the attack.[xii] The assault continued the following day. During the fighting three Soldiers of the Macon Volunteers, Pvt. Madie Ware of Abbeville, Ga; Pvt. Rich Gussie of Union, Ky. and Pvt. Otis Cook of Griffin, Ga. were killed in action.

Final resting place of Pvt. Otis Cook in the St. Mihiel American Cemetery.
Photo by Maj. William Carraway

The 42nd Division resumed the attack at 6:00 am September 13. By noon, the assault had reached its terminus with all objectives gained. The 151st and its supported infantry regiments took up positions in the vicinity of Saint Benoit en Woevre. On September 14, Field Order No. 24 issued by the 42nd Division ordered the units to “promptly organize this sector for defense.”[xiii] This order served as the de facto end of the Saint Mihiel Offensive.

View from Saint Benoit en Woevre looking southeast towards the 42nd Division's axis of approach. 
Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Whereas the 151st MGB had suffered terribly while moving with assaulting infantry units at Croix Rouge Farm and Hill 212 in July, the massed fire concept employed by Maj. Winn greatly reduced the casualties suffered by the battalion while vastly improving its combat effectiveness. In addition to the five Soldiers killed the battalion suffered nine wounded.

The battalion remained in defensive positions in what came to be called the Essey-Pannes Sector. During the deliberate defensive operations that followed, the Soldiers worked to improve their positions and provided supporting fire for raids conducted by 84th Brigade’s infantry regiments. German gas attacks wounded five on September 14 and 15 and a German artillery barrage on September 22 wounded five members of Company A and B. Pvt Thomas Whitaker of Company B, the Macon Volunteers was killed the next day.

On September 27, the 151st MGB and infantry regiments of the 84th Brigade were relieved by the 83rd Brigade. Three days later, the entire 42nd Division was relieved by the 89th Division.[xiv] They would have but a few days rest before entering the Meuse Argonne offensives.

Next Chapter:  Cote de Chatillon

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[i] Peavy, Arthur and Miller, White, The 151st Machine Gun Battalion 42d (Rainbow) Division: A Battalion History and Citations of the Rainbow August 13, 1917 to April 26, 1919. J. W. Burke Co., 1919, 13.

[ii] Ibid, 13

[iii] Robert G. Burton to Mrs. R. F. Burton. August 25, 1918

[iv] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 228A

Walter Binford Diary, n.d., 570

[v] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 228A

Walter Binford Diary, n.d., 539

[vi] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 228A

Walter Binford Diary, n.d., 542

[vii] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 228A

Walter Binford Diary, n.d., 544

[viii] Peavy, Arthur and Miller, White, The 151st Machine Gun Battalion 42d (Rainbow) Division: A Battalion History and Citations of the Rainbow August 13, 1917 to April 26, 1919. J. W. Burke Co., 1919, 14

[ix] Robert G. Burton to Frank Burton. December 18, 1918

[x] Parkinson, N. P., and Joel R. Parkinson. Commanding Fire: An Officers Life in the 151st Machine Gun Battalion, 42nd Rainbow Division during World War I. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., 2013, 121

[xi] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 228A

Walter Binford Diary, n.d., 571

[xii] American Battle Monuments Commission. 42D Division Summary of Operations in the World War. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1944, 42.

[xiii] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 228A

Walter Binford Diary, n.d., 575

[xiv] American Battle Monuments Commission. 42D Division Summary of Operations in the World War. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1944, 47.

WWI, POW/MIA Recognition Day and the Ga. ARNG

 by Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

1st Lt. Vivian Roberts, Prisoner of War, WWI, Georgia Army National Guard. Roberts photo courtesy of Tonie Maxwell.
Recognition Day photo by Maj. William Carraway

The United States observes National Prisoner of War / Missing in Action Recognition Day on the third Friday in September. On this day, Americans remember those who have been held as prisoners of war during our nation’s conflicts and those listed as missing in action. This year’s observance falls within the Georgia National Guard’s centennial of overseas service, which prompts the question: Were any Georgia National Guardsmen captured and held as prisoners of war during World War I? Are any still missing in action?

In the course of compiling the history of the 151st Machine Gun Battalion, the Georgia National Guard History Office reviewed the service records of the Georgia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 151st - the only unit of the Ga. ARNG to enter combat as an organic unit. Review of the records finds that of all of the Georgia Guard Soldiers mobilized for war in France only 1st Lt. Vivian Roberts of Macon, Ga. was captured and held as a prisoner of war.

Prelude

Vivian Hill Roberts Sr. was born September 29, 1888 in Jackson Ga. He enlisted in the Macon Hussars, then Company F of the 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment as a private July 26, 1906. Roberts served in every enlisted rank, culminating in a stint as first sergeant of Company F. before accepting a commission as a second lieutenant March 1, 1915. He was working as a bookkeeper for Benson Clothing Company in Macon when the Georgia Guard was deployed to the Mexican Border in August 1916.[i][ii] Returning with his regiment in 1917, Roberts company was redesignated Company A, 151st Machine Gun Battalion and assigned to the 42nd Division which sailed to France in October 1917.

As a platoon leader, Roberts led his machine gun sections from the Baccarat Sector near the southern terminus of the Western Front through the fiery Champagne Marne Defensive. He was promoted to first lieutenant May 15, 1918[iii]. On July 28, 1918, Roberts’ Company was heavily engaged while supporting infantry assaults on German positions near Sergy France. The men of the 151st MGB were ordered to move forward with the Infantry Regiments of the 84th Brigade, 42nd Division.[iv] As the machine gunners were already overly burdened with heavy machine guns and ammunition, Roberts ordered the men to remove unnecessary gear – including packs and canteens. In the assault, the men would only carry ammunition and gas masks.

Sergy France and Hill 212, near the site where 1st Lt. Roberts was captured
Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Capture

Roberts recalled moving forward with four machine guns and establishing firing positions for his sections. Unable to proceed due to the presence of enemy machine guns positioned near the crest of the hill upon which he was advancing, Roberts requested infantry support which came in the form of a company from the 167th under command of Capt. Wyatt. Roberts recalls what happened next.

"As we reached the crest of the hill, instead of the five or six Germans I had been firing upon, a solid line of Germans arose stretching all across the hill. Machine guns opened up on us from the woods on the right and from the church steeple and buildings from the little village of La Ferte on our left, pouring a terrific fire into our ranks. Hearing a groan at my side I turned and saw little F. H. Dent from Macon, his shirt on fire; a bullet had struck a clip of cartridges in his belt, exploding them, setting his shirt on fire as well as badly wounding him. I put the fire out, gave him first aid and sending him to the rear took his rifle… A German plane swooped down over our line strafing, mowing down it seemed about every sixth man in our line. A bullet struck me in my right thigh breaking the bone and passing on through the leg and lodging in the lower leg… I asked two infantrymen to carry me back. They tried to do it but as my right leg was dangling giving me so much pain and bullets were singing all around us I asked them to put me in a shell hole and make their escape."[v]

Roberts was found by German Soldiers. One gave him a blanket and told Roberts that they would come back for him that evening. When they returned it was only to leave Roberts once more with the knowledge that the Germans anticipated an American attack to come in the morning. Roberts remained in the shell hole for 30 hours without food or water and with three exposed wounds before a German NCO and three Red Cross men found him and bore him into German lines in a shelter half. His wounds were dressed, and he was taken via stretcher to a horse-drawn ambulance while American artillery shells crashed all around.  Roberts grimly recalled the ambulance ride.

“As my leg had not been put into a splint you can imagine the condition I was in after about a two hours’ ride. We arrived at what I took to be Fismes[vi]; here we were taken to a German Field Hospital. And my leg was set and put in a splint. As the hospital was being evacuated that night due to the advance of the Americans I was soon put into an automobile ambulance with three wounded Germans We travelled all night arriving early in the morning at what I took to be Laon."[vii][viii]

In Laon, Roberts along with wounded French and German Soldiers were loaded onto freight rail cars on pallets of blood-soaked straw and blankets for transport to Formies, France near the Belgian border. Here he was asked by an English-speaking nurse when his wound had last been dressed. As jarring as this was, Roberts soon discovered that he was one of 800 wounded Soldiers being treated at the hospital by one doctor and two nurses.

August 25, 1918 edition of the
Atlanta Constitution

On August 25, 1918, The Atlanta Constitution reported Roberts as missing in action. Roberts’ family endured weeks of uncertainty, then on September 13, the Macon Telegraph reported that the 151st MGB had listed Roberts as killed in action. It was not until the November 1 edition of the Atlanta Constitution that Roberts’ family learned that Lt. Roberts was indeed alive and being held in a prison at Langensalza Thuringen, Germany.

Roberts' Return

Roberts would remain at Langensalza until December 21, 1918 when he began his journey home. Arriving at American Base Hospital Number 45 December 24, 1918, Roberts realized his earnest wish to be free by Christmas. He did not return to the United States until February 25, 1919. Roberts would remain hospitalized due to the effects of his wound until December 22, 1922 when he was released from federal service.[ix] While still a patient at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Roberts married Antoinette Lipgens. For more than 20 years Roberts served as the Clerk of Bibb County Superior Court. He died August 24, 1946 at the age of 57 and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Macon, Ga.

Missing in Action

While Lieutenant Roberts ultimately returned home to Macon, Ga. two of his comrades from the 151st Machine Gun Battalion were not so fortunate.

Pfc. James Mason, of Company B, 151st Machine Gun Battalion is listed among the names of American Soldiers missing in action at the chapel of the Aisne Marne Cemetery in Belleau, France. Mason enlisted July 20, 1916 in Company B, 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment at the age of 20. He was killed in action July 29, 1918 during actions near Sergy, France.

The name of Pfc. James Mason, of Company B, 151st Machine Gun Battalion is recorded among the names of American Soldiers missing in action at the chapel
of the Aisne Marne Cemetery in Belleau, France. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Also listed among Soldiers missing in action at the chapel of the Aisne Marne Cemetery is Pfc. Jack Taylor of Company A, 151st Machine Gun. Taylor was killed in action July 30, 1918 during actions near Sergy, France.

The name of Pfc. Jack Taylor, of Company A, 151st Machine Gun Battalion is recorded among the names of American Soldiers missing in action at the chapel
of the Aisne Marne Cemetery in Belleau, France. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

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[i] Report of the Adjutant General, State of Georgia for the Year 1916. Atlanta, GA: Byrd Printing Company, 1917, 43

[ii] Carraway, William M. "‘Loaded Down with Glory’: Robert Gober Burton and the 151st Machine Gun Battalion." History of the Georgia National Guard. March 23, 2017. Accessed September 21, 2018. http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2017/02/loadeddown-with-glory-introduction-to.html.

[iii] Roberts, Vivian H. Ancestry.com. Georgia, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:

[iv] Roberts’ Company A and Company B moved out in support of the 167th Infantry Regiment, Alabama National Guard while Company C and D supported the Iowa National Guard’s 168th Infantry Regiment.

[v] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 437

[vi] Fismes is a village located on the Vesle river approximately 20 kilometers north of Sergy where Roberts was captured.

[vii] Laon is 35 kilometers by road north of Fismes.

[viii] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 440

[ix] Henry J. Reilly, Brig. Gen., O.R.C., Americans All: The Rainbow at War. F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1936, 442