My singular aim in this book has been to accurately tell the story of the men who fought the Battle of Cantigny, a daunting challenge in a time where death has forever placed each participant beyond my reach. The story is not mine to tell; it is theirs, and I have sought to build the narrative around their words. Reconstructing what happened on a battlefield ninety-six years ago has only been possible with the help of countless researchers, archivists, caretakers of regional or ancestral histories, and family members of the soldiers themselves.
I must begin with Joseph Persico, the best-selling military historian, who took time out of the research and writing of his final book to review the manuscript and give this first-time author incalculable guidance and wisdom. Right up until his passing in the late summer of 2014, Mr. Persico was never too busy to offer his advice and encouragement, and this book—impossible without his help—serves as one of many monuments to his legacy.
Col. Paul Herbert (US Army, retired) went above and beyond his calling as the executive director of the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park, Illinois, and gave me his indispensable advice and discerning eye in reviewing the manuscript. Andrew Woods, the research historian at the First Division Museum’s Col. Robert R. McCormick Research Center, plumbed the depths of the museum’s archives to provide me with unit muster rolls, soldiers’ diaries and letters, oral histories, and photographs. Both he and Eric Gillespie, the museum’s research center director, were extremely gracious with their time and made my visits there productive and enjoyable.
James Carl Nelson graciously shared stacks of primary source material he uncovered in his indefatigable research for his own wonderful books on the First World War, The Remains of Company D and Five Lieutenants. He provided a knowing ear for factual issues that arose, and his review of the manuscript and continued encouragement were most helpful.
Dr. John Milton Cooper, Professor Emeritus at University of Wisconsin–Madison, a studied historian on the causes and diplomatic aftermath of the First World War and biographer of President Woodrow Wilson, was kind enough to review the manuscript with a professor’s eye. His feedback was invaluable, and I remain indebted to him for his time.
My researcher in Washington, DC, Kevin Morrow, a master of navigating all branches and wings of the National Archives and Library of Congress, provided timely assistance in tracking down volumes of archival records in both DC and Maryland. And Norm Richards, my researcher back in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, unstintingly answered my continued calls for hundreds of burial files, enlistment records, and unit morning reports from the National Personnel Records Center.
At the US Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, Paul Kurzawa compiled for me countless World War I veterans’ surveys, diaries, and letters from the archives. At the United States Military Academy at West Point, Marilee Meyer, the memorial/archives administrator, was always available to answer questions and uncover biographical facts about former cadets. Russell Horton, the reference and outreach archivist at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison, was very helpful in providing a transcribed copy of Ruben J. Nelson’s diary. And down at the Donovan Research Library at Ft. Benning, Georgia, Genoa Stanford provided yeoman’s work in digging up Infantry School student monographs from the 1920s and ’30s.
Patricia Poland, librarian for the Local History Room in the Union County Library in Monroe, North Carolina, was extremely helpful in gathering all the local papers compiled on Samuel I. Parker, and she made my visit very pleasant and productive. Also in Monroe, all three of the sweet ladies in the Heritage Room at the Union County Courthouse were most informative and helped me immensely, and I am ashamed I did not get their names.
I also extend my deep gratitude to the following: Sara Keckeisen, librarian at the Kansas Historical Society; Linda Hall, archives assistant at Williams College; Elena Versenyi, undergraduate assistant at the Wilson Library at UNC; Nancy Daniel, assistant curator at the Senator Sam J. Ervin Jr. Library and Museum; and at the George C. Marshall Foundation, the archivist, Jeffrey Kozak, and the director, Paul Barron.
Although there is no substitute for archival research, as a finding aid, the Internet is unmatched. A few specific Web sites have been most helpful in tracking down true digital copies of documents and periodicals not otherwise preserved in physical storage, among them www.newspaperarchive.com, www.fold3.com, and www.newspapers.com. The Web site www.ancestry.com has proved essential in finding relatives and family members, as well as century-old census and birth records. I found www.findagrave.com to be a great help in tracking down burial locations as well as connected family histories, and for locating graves in US national cemeteries, the searchable databases of http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov (for those buried stateside) and www.abmc.gov (for those buried overseas) are unparalleled.
Through the course of my research, by far the most enjoyable and rewarding times were connecting with descendants and family members of Cantigny soldiers.
John Curry’s great-nephew, Jim Nolan, was kind enough to provide me with the letters his grandmother—Curry’s sister—received from Company E officers, as well as family history and photographs. Additionally, Jim’s continued interest and encouragement in the project have been most uplifting.
Charles Avery’s great-granddaughter, Annette Jensen, was kind enough to put me in touch with her grandmother—Avery’s daughter—Corinne Avery Smith, who corresponded with me and spoke with me by telephone, giving me great insight into her father’s active life, sense of humor, and colorful personality.
Sen. Sam Ervin’s grandson, the Hon. Sam Ervin IV, a justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court (and whom I, as an attorney, address as “Your Honor”), was very giving of his time to correspond and meet with me to give me personal insight into the larger-than-life man he knew simply as “Granddad.”
Sam Parker Moss very graciously shared wartime photographs, family history, and detailed biographical information of his grandfather, Samuel I. Parker. Michael Fey Hesser shared the letters of his grandfather, Carl Fey, from before and after his time as a German prisoner of war, as well as family and wartime photographs, War Department paperwork, and his mother’s personal memories. And Tom Hartney, grandson of James Leo Hartney, was kind enough to share the wartime correspondence between his grandfather and grandmother—“dearest” Margaret herself—letters that could stand on their own as a fascinating love story of the First World War.
Additionally, I am deeply indebted to each of the following for opening their family treasure chests and sharing letters, journals, wartime photographs, and extensive family history related to their relatives: William Morris, grandson of L. Irwin Morris; Charles Tyler, great-nephew of Gerald R. Tyler; Sam Morris, great-nephew of Richard S. Conover II; Stephen Smith, great-nephew of Robert Banks Anderson; Tim Senay, grandson of Charles Senay; Brenda McKenzie, great-niece of Paul Eskew; Christina Goldstein, great-niece of John Eaves; Bob Shelton, great-nephew of Ruffus Shelton; and Tricia Pearlswig, whose great-grandfather, Jack Jacobs, was General Bullard’s wartime chauffeur.
Cameron Jones has done great work to transform my pencil scratches into professional maps that clearly illustrate the flow of battle. My friend and colleague Jeff Foster has proven his own talent for a second profession in photography with his wonderful shots capturing the battlefield and memorials in and around Cantigny.
Rob Kirkpatrick, my editor at St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books, not only edited and nurtured the manuscript but also propelled the story into a fitting vehicle and drove it onto a bright stage. He and his assistant editor, Jennifer Letwack, have both been ever-present and responsive to this first-time writer’s questions and concerns, and have steered the course of the book’s publication with energy and skill.
My agent, Sam Fleishman of Literary Artists Representatives in New York, has embraced this project from an early stage with enthusiasm and focus. His advice, fanfare, constructive criticism, and genuine friendship have been a source of confidence in the narrative and a reservoir of wisdom.
Many writers, present and past, have served as a personal inspiration to me, and their master strokes of talent continue to serve as a beacon where words match beauty and fill me with energy to keep trying: Anthony Trollope, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Barbara Tuchman, Ron Chernow, Jon Meacham, Richard Norton Smith, and David McCullough.
Many friends and family members have, through long conversations, listening ears, unique perspectives, and large and small acts of kindness, helped shape the project in ways they could not ever know: Lee Allen, Robert Brock, Chris Congleton, Phil Dixon Jr., Bill Drew, Clark Everett, Cliff Everett Jr., Mike Fitzpatrick, Frank Harper, Stephen Home III, Glenn Jonas, Glenn Keefe, Bert Kemp, Katie Motola, Dixie Parrish, Angela Pratt, Jon Randall, Peter Romary, Whitney Stallings, Kevin Sutterfield, and Greg Whelan.
For the deep insight of a career Army officer and West Pointer, I owe my brother-in-law Blair Ross Jr. a huge debt of gratitude. Years of book exchanges and countless hours of conversation over Scotch and cigars, centered on military history and stretching from the Napoleonic Wars to Iraq and Afghanistan, have granted me a perspective and depth of understanding I could not have acquired elsewhere.
To my late uncle John Zimmerman, who was twice wounded in action while serving with the Big Red One in France in World War II, and my late Uncle Ted Bossert, who served as a combat engineer in the same war, I appreciate them taking the time to share their wartime experiences, and I am still fueled by the fire of interest they lit in me as a young boy. And to Uncle Johnny’s friend, the late Mr. Dick Dacus, a Cantigny veteran who hosted 1st Division veterans’ gatherings at his St. Louis home where I was honored to meet him on a few occasions—and who often proudly stated “I was first of the First”—it was the stitched word “Cantigny” on his veterans’ cap that left me with a lasting curiosity for the story surrounding a small French village with a name I could not pronounce.
To my late grandfather, who served as an artilleryman in the Army during World War II, I would like to think he would appreciate reading the contribution of his favored “big guns” to victory at Cantigny. And to my father, who served in the Army in Vietnam, I thank him for teaching me not only the obligation of national service but also instilling in me a love of history and reverence for the fallen.
To my sons, Watson and Keegan, I can only hope they will grow to grasp and appreciate the gravity of sacrifice in the cause of country, and I pray their generation will never experience it.
To my wife, Jessica, the star I steer by, I could never have told this story without her constant feedback, support, and encouragement. In the spirit of saving the best for last, of all my acknowledgment listings, she is the best and the last.
To all whom I have specifically mentioned and to the many I have neglected, all that is accurate in this story is a credit to you, and any mistakes are mine alone.