Donald M. Bishop ‘67
Alum Contributor
In the early decades of the twentieth century, it was common for Trinity students and graduates to be part-time soldiers in the National Guard. Units in the 48 states were federally funded and trained to national standards, and they were prominent organizations in their states and communities.
Connecticut’s Troop B and the Yankee Division
Many Trinity alumni and students joined the Connecticut National Guard, especially Troop B, Third Separate Squadron, Cavalry. Outdoor weekend drills on horseback and yearly annual exercises provided breaks from study or business, and the weekend warriors received some modest pay.
Troop B’s sparkplug was Captain John Henry Kelso Davis of the Class of 1899. Often on campus, he promoted the Guard to Trinity students and led weekend drills.
In 1916, after Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa raided towns in New Mexico and Texas, the Wilson administration organized a punitive expedition commanded by Brigadier General John J. Pershing (Captain George Patton was an aide on his staff). While it was units of the regular U.S. Army that entered Mexico to find Villa (ultimately unsuccessfully), many National Guard units were federalized to patrol the southern border, including Troop B.
Duty in the desert proved to be boring and exhausting, and the units were released at the beginning of 1917. Later events proved the callup’s value. Troop B deployed, toughened, improved its soldier skills and increased its cohesion.
When the U.S. declared war on Germany only a few months later on April 6, 1917, many more Trinity students rushed to fill Troop B’s ranks. It was federalized that August, becoming the 101st Machine Gun Battalion in the 26th Infantry Division, nicknamed the “Yankee Division.” Formed from the National Guard units of New England, the Yankee Division included more Trinity men who were in other New England National Guard units.
The 26th Division reached France in September, and in February 1918 it was the first complete American division to enter combat. This meant that among all the U.S. divisions to reach France, the 26th spent the second longest time in combat – more than 200 days.
Edmund R. Hampson (Class of 1918) was a Wagoner in the 101st. In a fight in July 1918, he was wounded in ten places by shrapnel. The citation for his Distinguished Service Cross (the nation’s second highest decoration for valor) read that he “courageously continued his duty of evacuating the wounded until exhausted from loss of blood during the engagement.” Even three weeks later a split iron washer was removed from his leg.
Rev. Walton Danker of the Class of 1897 was the chaplain of the 104th Infantry Regiment. During the savage fight in the village of Seicheprey – “crucible of the 26th Division” — Danker cared for the wounded and dying under fire. He received the Silver Star for his gallantry in action. Tragically, this Trinity “padre” was killed by shellfire a month later, the first American chaplain to die during the war.
Twice cited for bravery was First Lieutenant John Kramer of the Class of 1917, intelligence officer of the 103rd Infantry Regiment. Robert Van Kleek Harris of the Class of 1918 received the French Croix de Guerre for his courage leading troops in “Shrapnel Valley” during the costly Meuse-Argonne offensive.
Because of its early combat experience, the 101st Machine Gun Battalion often had to provide cadres for other formations, and many of its soldiers from Trinity would train to be officers and lead other units. The others soldiered on, and nine of the remaining Trinity men would be gassed in late October 1918.
The Clement Brothers
The Clement Chemistry Building on campus is named for a famous Trinity family. Four Clement brothers attended the college – John ’00, Martin ’01, Charles ’05 and Theron ’17. All were officers in the Pennsylvania National Guard. When war came, President Wilson asked Martin to help organize the nation’s railroads as a war measure. When Pennsylvania’s National Guard units were federalized and sent to France, the three other brothers served in the 28th “Keystone” Infantry Division, joining all its campaigns.
The Seventh New York Regiment
One more National Guard unit had several Trinity grads on its rolls: New York’s famous Seventh Regiment, headquartered in Manhattan. It was called the “silk stocking regiment” because so many prominent New Yorkers were members. In addition to training, parades and drills, the regiment had an active social life, and it provided ambitious New Yorkers opportunities for networking.
James Jellis Page of the Class of 1908 was one. After graduation he was an international manager for Vacuum Oil, working in Hawaii, Canada, Cuba, South Africa and Mauritius. When he finally returned to New York in 1916, he enlisted as a private, no doubt expecting he would become an officer in a few years.
The Seventh New York, however, was soon sent to the Mexican border; Page spent the months in the desert as a private. At the beginning of 1917, he returned to New York, but after only a few months the regiment was called up for World War I. It became the 107th Infantry Regiment of the 27th Infantry Division — one of two American divisions sent north of Paris, fighting under British and later Australian command.
Private Page was killed during the Division’s assault on the prepared German defenses of the Hindenburg Line. His courage was recognized by a posthumous award of the Silver Star. The citation read, “in the face of heavy enemy machine gun fire. He was killed going forward.”
In the same battle, Harry W. Hayward of the Class of 1897 also gave his life. Hayward, an attorney, had served in the Seventh Regiment since 1902. In 1916, he served on the Mexican border and later traveled to France to learn as much as possible about war on the Western Front. He too was killed in the 27th Division’s assault on the Hindenburg Line on September 28, 1918.
Many more Trinity alumni served in the Great War, but the College’s members of the National Guard were in the first wave of Americans to reach France. They fought the longest.
This article is the second part of an ongoing series, with new installments releasing on Sundays. For part one, click here. For part three, click here.
[…] third part of an ongoing series, with new installments releasing on Sundays. For part two, click here. For part four, click […]