55th Artillery Brigade

While the infantry of the Thirtieth Division was operating with the British armies around Ypres in Belgium and near St. Quentin in France, the artillery, composed of the 113th, 114th, and 115th Field Artillery Regiments and the Trench Mortar Battery, making up the Fifty-fifth Artillery Brigade, was attached to the American divisions on the southern end of the battle line and took part in the St. Mihiel, Argonne Forest and Woevre Plain offensives.

The separation of the artillery and infantry took place at Camp Sevier, South Carolina, in May, 1918, when the Thirtieth Division was ordered overseas.  They were never together again until early in 1919, when both moved into the Le Mans area, France, preparatory to coming home.  The artillery received its training for battle at Camp Coetquidan, near Rennes, France, while the infantry went through its preparation for fighting in the extreme northern part of France.  The British needed infantry badly; their artillery was more plentiful.  On the other hand, General Pershing was in greater need of artillery than of infantry for the operation in the St. Mihiel salient.  Therefore, the Fifty-fifth Brigade was ordered to Toul to take part in the first All-American offensive instead of going to Belgium to support the two infantry brigades of the Thirtieth Division.  It was used from the latter part of August, 1918, up to the close of the fighting on November 11 as army, or "shock" artillery, being moved from sector to sector as the needs of the hour for artillery were greatest.

The majority of the men from Knox County in the artillery brigade were in Battery "C," of the 114th Field Artillery, and the Trench Mortar Battery.  There were quite a few men, however, who were scattered through the other organizations of the 114th, while perhaps a dozen were members of the 115th Artillery Regiment.  Battery "C" was recruited by Captain Roy V. Myers in the summer of 1917, while Captain Ambrose Gaines raised at the same time Troop D, of cavalry.  Upon the organization of the Thirtieth Division in the fall of 1917, Troop D was converted into the Trench Mortar Battery of the artillery brigade.  On the promotion of Captain Myers to be a major at Camp Sevier, the command of his battery was taken over by Captain Reese Amis, who remained at its head until it was mustered out of service in April, 1919.  After his arrival in France, Captain Gaines was compelled by illness to relinquish command of the Trench Mortar Battery to Lieut. Flem Hazen, who was later promoted to the rank of captain, and who handled it in the engagements in which it took part upon the front.

For variety of experiences, observation of the many phases of fighting, and actual participation in the number of battles, these two Knoxville units saw service second to none.  They were in the line fighting from the latter part of August, 1918, when they entered the Toul sector, until the hour of the armistice on the morning of November 11.  They were in three major engagements -- the St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and Woevre Plain offensives -- and two minor operations -- the defense of the Toul and Woevre sectors.  They were a part, at different times, of the First, Second, Third American armies and the Fourth French army.  They were attached to six American and French corps and served with seven American divisions, supporting the 89th, 37th, 32nd, 79th, and 33rd in battle operations.

The first large engagement in which they took part was the attack on the St. Mihiel salient, September 12 to 14, 1918.  They were in the very van of the fighting, their positions being just behind the infantry lines at Flirey in the center of the drive on the right side of the pocket.  They lost no men in the initial attack, and followed the infantry forward to Bouillonville as soon as the engineers could build a road across the old German trenches.  On the third day after the fighting began, when they had penetrated as far forward as Beney, the order came for the whole brigade to leave the sector and move to the Argonne Forest to take part in the offensive there.

This move of about 100 miles was the bitterest test to which the brigade was subjected.  The horses for pulling the guns had been exhausted in the preparation for and participation in the previous fighting, the men were worn out, their nerves were frayed from lack of sleep and rest, and rations were pitifully short.  All marching was done by night, beginning at sundown and continuing until daylight the next morning.  The nights were cold and clammy, and many of the men became sick.  The woods in which they often slept by day were little better than swamps.

They arrived, however, by forced marches and went into position on the night of September 24.  By working most of the day and part of the following night it in digging trail pits and bringing up ammunition, all batteries were ready and took part in the huge bombardment over a 20-mile front on the morning of September 26, signalling the opening of the greatest and longest battle in which American arms ever took part.  That afternoon they followed the infantry forward through Avocourt toward Montfaucon, the German strong-point of the Argonne sector.  They went forward again the following day, taking positions just back of and to the left of Montfaucon, remaining there for several days because the infantry had trouble in advancing the lines against the German resistance.  This was overcome after two or three days and the artillery moved into the vicinity of Ivoiry and Epinonville.  There it remained until withdrawn on October 6.

The Woevre sector was held then until November 8, when the preparations began for the great offensive of the Second American Army to outflank Metz with the aid of the First American Army.  All units of the brigade moved forward into the Woevre Plain on the night of November 10 and were ready for the drive toward Conflans, when the announcement of the armistice put an end to the fighting the next morning after a few rounds had been fired.  It was a very fortunate termination for the brigade, for most of its batteries were out upon an open plain, with little protection, and subject to direct fire by the enemy's artillery.  Had the fighting continued during the day of November 11, the casualties undoubtedly would have been very heavy.

In December, 1918, about a month after the close of hostilities, the brigade moved forward with the 33rd Division as a part of the Army of Occupation.  Their route lay through Conflans, Longwy, Luxemburg, and on to the German border.  There they were halted, but before the orders to turn back into the center of Luxemburg arrived, Battery "C," which was at the head of the brigade, drove over the bridge into Germany.  Thus it was the only unit of the 30th Division which actually got into Germany.  Shortly after January 1, the brigade was ordered to rejoin the division at Le Mans.  The march was made back through Luxemburg and France to Trondes, near Toul, where special trains carried the regiments to the Le Mans area.  Enroute the worst accident of the months in France befell the brigade.  A train wreck occurred in which twenty-three men were killed and many more injured near Chaumont.  Two of the men killed were members of Battery "C."

The Trench Mortar Battery received orders to return home ahead of the rest of the division.  It went to Brest for debarkation, reached Newport News on March 6, 1919, and was mustered out a week later.  The remainder of the brigade, including Battery "C," left France early in March and reached America some two weeks later.  The mustering out took place at Fort Oglethorpe, after parades through Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga, where the regiments were greeted with tremendous crowds.  The discharges were handed the men on April 7, 1919.

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