USA > California > Alameda County > History of Alameda County, California. Volume I > Part 39
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But the Regiment was destined to penetrate still nearer the Hinden- burg line. On October 30th Colonel Farrell was ordered to take his Regi- ment and the 143rd Machine Gun Battalion to Amiens in northwestern France to organize the Second Corps Regional Replacement Depot. Amiens, in the Département of the Somme, was the pivotal point of the Allies' front in northern France. Colonel Farrell made the trip by auto, passing through Gien, Fontainebleau, Paris, Clermont, Mont- didier, Cantigny, and then going on to Amiens. The troops followed on foot, as troops usually did in France, save when they enjoyed the luxury of "40 hommes, 8 chevaux" on French railroads.
A short distance outside of Paris, Colonel Farrell and his troops got their first view of real trenches and wire entanglements. They had made better ones at Camp Kearney, but these undoubtedly looked more business-like. They saw a shell hole now and then. These steadily in-
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
creased until they got to Montdidier. There the country had been badly ploughed by projectiles, while the city was completely leveled. Cantigny, the town where the Americans made their first attack, the 159th found completely blotted out; no one would have suspected that there had ever been a town there. Colonel Farrell arrived at Amiens just at dark on November 1st, after parelleling the battle line all the way. He found that his regiment had beaten him by an hour and a half. The next day he reported to Major General Read, commanding the Second Corps, composed of the 27th and 30th Divisions, both National Guard units, operating with the 4th British Army.
Colonel Farrell asked to be sent to the front, but was informed that the Corps had just been withdrawn from the line for rest. Their duties there were to receive all men evacuated from hospitals of northern France, clothe, arm, and equip them, and forward them to their own organizations. Anywhere from 50 to 600 of these American casuals came in every twenty-four hours. Fully 90 per cent of them came in at night. But no matter what hour of the day or night, all arrivals had to be fed, issued blankets, and if it was night, put to bed. The Regiment had to have a force of men on duty at the railroad station at all times to take charge of them as they got off the trains. This flow of wounded casuals continued,of course, long after the signing of the armistice.
AFTER THE ARMISTICE OF NOVEMBER 11, 1918
Christmas found the Regiment still at this station, but two days later the persistent rumor that the organization would soon be home- ward bound was replaced by the positive order for entrainment. On December 27th the 159th entrained for Cadillac. In this little town, about twenty-five miles south of Bordeaux in southern France, the 159th was filled to war strength. Then ensued two months of impa- tient waiting on the part of the Alameda County and other western boys for the final recall to the States. It was not until March 21st, 1919, that the final inspections were over and the men of the 159th looked their last on France as the transport steamed out of the harbor of Bordeaux.
While still awaiting the order to leave France, Colonel Farrell, in a letter to Adjutant General Borree, paid the following tribute to his officers and men :
"Although we were all sadly disappointed on account of the old
THE 159TH INFANTRY GREETED ON BROADWAY BY THE LARGEST CROWD IN THE HISTORY OF OAKLAND
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
outfit not getting a chance to go into action, I want you to know that we all worked and soldiered and did everything that was required of us.
"I will always believe that this was one of the best regiments of the army, barring none. Never did a regimental commander have a more loyal hard working set of officers and men than I had. They worked together in harmony, were always on the job, and knew their business. There were no clicques among the officers. They got along with each other and all worked to make this the best outfit in the Division. For the good record the regiment has made, I claim no credit that is not shared by all the good officers.
"Major Dickson in particular has been an indefatigable worker over here and has been a tower of strength to the outfit. With the exception of two or three weeks, Major O'Toole has been away at different schools ever since we came over here. I missed him very much as he is one of the most conscientious and reliable men I ever knew. Another officer I want to mention in particular is Captain Bates, Supply Officer. He is always on the job and never failed us in the tight places, working day and night, when necessary to keep the out- fit supplied. I have nothing but praise for all the old officers. They all made good."
OAKLAND WELCOMES THE 159TH
Oakland's welcome to the boys of the 159th was one of the many joyous demonstrations held in the spring and summer of 1919 through- out the entire country as detachment after detachment of the Amer- ican Expeditionary Forces returned from their baptism of shrapnel and tear gas. The annals of Alameda County can never chronicle a day of greater rejoicing than the twenty-eighth of April, 1919, when the long awaited 493 heroes alighted from the troop train at the foot of Broadway. There was an attempt to parade, but military formation was a secondary consideration in the mad rush of mothers, sisters, and sweethearts to greet their khaki-clad boys. Broadway was crowded with cheering thousands throughout the line of march, factory whistles shrieked, auto horns honked, and the town gave itself over to an all- day festival. Not only was Oakland represented in the throng of more than 100,000 persons who greeted the heroes, but residents of Berk- eley, Alameda, Hayward, San Leandro, and other localities in both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties stood in line.
The day was a busy and a hilarious one for the soldiers who were
AR
VICE
DEFENDERS RECREATION CLUB
THE DEFENDERS' RECREATION CLUB, WAR CAMP COMMUNITY SERVICE, THIRTEENTH AND HARRISON STREETS, OAKLAND Mayor Davie is addressing the troops
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OAKLANDERS GREETING THE 159TH INFANTRY IN 1919
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
regaled from the moment they arrived until they left for the Presidio in the evening with a long program prepared by a citizens' committee headed by Mayor Davie. The first feature after the unofficial welcome at Third and Broadway was a lunch served by the Red Cross as soon as the raptures of relatives and friends of the men had subsided suf- ficiently to enable them to partake of the food. An eye-witness de- clared that the boys went through the meal with the same despatch with which many of them had penetrated the Hindenburg line.
Of the triumphal progress up Broadway, finally made despite the crowd, at times over carpets of flowers spread by schoolgirls, and of the arrival at Lakeside Park, newspaper reporters of the day have written in ecstatic paragraphs. To do the celebration justice were as difficult as to paint a sunset. The official welcome was extended to the boys on the shores of Lake Merritt. Chairman of the Day Jesse Robinson, head of the Community Welcome Service Committee, pre- sided, and Mayor Davie delivered the address of welcome before at least 50,000 persons. Upon the conclusion of the program of speeches, sing- ing, and music, the soldiers repaired to the Defenders' Club to be greeted by their relatives. The Club, so long the hospitality center for men in uniform, was the scene of many happy reunions.
From the Defenders' Club the officers and men of "Oakland's Own" marched to the Hotel Oakland over a rose-strewn pathway. At the hostelry a turkey banquet was spread for the boys, who were wel- comed with a brief address by the Mayor, to which Colonel L. M. Farrell responded. After the dinner, Idora Park was thrown open to the fighting men and their kinsfolk who enjoyed the many attractions of the resort until it was time to leave for the Presidio. Although de- mobilization was not long off, the 159th was still in the service of Uncle Sam. The veterans of the long journey from Oakland to Flanders had their last Government transportation on the familiar Key Route ferry, which took them to their last war-time destination, the Presidio of San Francisco, from which they had started almost two years before.
Colonel Farrell, commenting on the services and home-coming of the 159th, said: "We acted as a replacement outfit and our men were taken away from us to fill up the depleted ranks of the other organ- izations. I guess that our men were to be found in every unit on the front line. It would be a matter of too much conceit to say that this wonderful demonstration was intended solely for us. It is as much for the men who did not come back with us as for the men who are
THE "VICTORY CHORUS" AT LAKESIDE PARK, OAKLAND, DURING THE RECEPTION TO THE 159TH INFANTRY The slogan "Get 'em Jobs" can be seen on each megaphone
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
here today. We have thrown away our mess-kits for our stay in Oakland, and from the banquet that has been prepared for us I would say that we won't need them again for a couple of days. It gives a Californian an immense feeling to get back home. You can't describe it. Why, we feel that this fog today is better than all the sunshine that we would have had on an August day. I know that I am speaking for every one of the men when I say that we appreciate the welcome that has been given us and that we are mighty glad to get home. We were one of the first organizations to be called to the Colors and we are one of the last to return. The men that are with us today were being held in reserve on the Somme front when the armistice was signed."
The following officers returned with the Regiment: Colonel Far- rell, Captains Charles R. Hoffman, E. C. Griffin, L. H. Gadsby, W. A. Vickery, H. H. Hearfield, W. A. Capman, H. J. Ludenbach; Lieu- tenants William B. Merchant, J. R. Figh, Donald Geary, Hale Day, J. B. Dickson, W. E. White, B. C. Cochrane, George C. Homer, L. J. Van Dalsen, Edward von Schmidt, Jesse L. Delanoy, Stanley E. Hafley, Joseph Tupper, J. F. Churchill.
The 159th Infantry was demobilized at the Presidio of San Fran- cisco on May 1, 1919. In September 1921 the reorganization of the 159th Infantry was undertaken by Lieutenant Colonel R. E. Mittel- staedt, reorganization officer, and Major David P. Barrows, infantry, National Guard of California. At this time the regimental headquarters were at Berkeley and the Howitzer Company at Alameda, while the entire 1st Battalion was assigned to the East Bay region as follows: Battalion Headquarters Company, Machine Gun Company, and Com- panies B and D, Berkeley ; Companies C and G, Oakland. Oakland was still the station of Service and A Companies, Hayward had Company F, and Berkeley the Medical Detachment.
"CALIFORNIA 363RD"
The verses which follow were written by Fred Emerson Brooks of Oakland and dedicated to all of the Oakland boys in the 363rd Infantry of the 91st Division.
"We are hailed the fighting host! And we have a right to boast ; From the great Pacific Coast We come.
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
You can pass along the word; All the good things you have heard Of Three Hundred Sixty-third, By gum! We're a jolly lot of boys; You can tell us by the noise,
And we have our soldier joys On tap; But we're fighting everyone And we'll wipe the Kaiser Hun
And his lordly son of a gun Off the map! We'll go tearing through his ranks
Like the California tanks;
Teach respect for all the Yanks By gum! Everything with which they fight
Bears a Yankee patent right-
There's a Yankee patent fright Yet to come.
Chorus :
California Three-Six-Three Fights for freedom of the sea And to give democracy To the Boche. We are going to fight the Kaiser- The heaven and earth despiser- And the devil, his adviser, By gosh !
ALAMEDA COUNTY BOYS IN THE 91ST DIVISION
The "Wild West" Division, 40,000 stalwart lads from the Pacific slope and adjacent States, their emblem a green fir tree, emblematic of the resinous forests near which they trained at American Lake, Washington-among these are the men who wrought, many of them in blood, one of Alameda County's proudest records in the war. The 40th and 8th Divisions, both of which included men from the County,
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
may have been disappointed because more of their ranks did not get into the thick of battle. Not so the 91st, for the boys of this organiza- tion saw some of the hardest fighting of the American participation. In the Saint Mihiel salient, in the Meuse-Argonne, in the Ypres-Lys offensive, they contributed the final blows which forced the Germans to sue for peace.
For the reason that the majority of men from Alameda County drafted under the Selective Service Act were assigned to the 91st Division, the entire story of the administration of the Act in the County will be described under the heading of that division. Some Alameda County men were assigned to the 8th Division at Camp Fremont, for example, but most of the boys who left the East Bay region went to Camp Lewis on American Lake and trained with the 91st. Congress passed the selective draft law on May 18, 1917, about six weeks after the declaration of a state of war between the United States and Ger- many. The next day the machinery for enrolling and sifting 10,000,000 men was set in motion by the War Department. In California arrange- ments for enrolling all males between the ages of twenty-one and thirty- one had been perfected by June 4. Ralph P. Merritt was director of the Bureau of Registration, which was represented in Alameda County by several local boards.
June 5, registration day, probably brought home to the community for the first time the actuality of the war which had been thrust upon the United States. All day long men filed before the district places of registration and gave the required data to the clerk. Many business houses closed to permit their male employees to register; upon the recommendation of United States District Attorney John W. Preston, saloons closed until evening that no untoward incident might mar the day.
Both the municipal police departments and the Sheriff's office took precautions against opposition from German sympathizers, I. W. W.'s, or other discordant elements. The night before registration day, some one had scrawled in crayon across the canvas of the registration booth at Harrison and Eight streets the legend : "Gott strafe America." Here and there a canvas booth was slashed by a vandal knife; there were one or two mysterious fires in other tents the evening before; but through- out the day there was no active opposition to registration.
Registration figures, which totaled but from 16,000 to 17,000, were disappointing, since from 20,000 to 22,000 had been expected by City Clerk L. W. Cummings of Oakland. Slackers were warned by
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Chief of Police Petersen that they would be arrested for failure to register. All men of eligible age whose names were not on the "honor roll" compiled by Clerk Cummings were liable to arrest after June 10, registration having been continued a few days to accommodate strag- glers innocent of any intention to evade the draft law. The first arrest of a slacker was made by Oakland police on June 14th upon receipt of written instructions from the United States District Attorney for rounding up slackers. On the whole, however, few slackers were found in the East Bay region.
Registration having been effected, the next step was the organiza- tion of exemption boards, which in some cases included the same person- nel that had served for registration boards. These boards were to de- cide cases in which men claimed exemption from the operation of the Selective Service Act on account of (a) physical incapacity; (b) em- ployment in a vital war industry; or (c) holding religious views in- imical to war. The County Council of Defense was asked by Governor Stephens in a wire on June 9 to suggest candidates for nomination to these boards by the President of the United States. Citizens of known integrity who held no public office and had no connection with the military establishment should be eligible and should if possible serve without compensation.
The membership of the first boards, which were appointed on June 27, was as follows:
Alameda County
No. 1. N. J. Herby, Jacob Schaffer, I. Jordan.
No. 2. I. B. Parsons, J. C. Shinn, J. B. Ryan.
No. 3. Dr. George Rothganger, Walter S. Brann, John Gill. City of Oakland
No. 1. N. J. Herby, Jacob Schaffer, I. Jordan.
No. 2. True Van Sickle, Mark A. Thomas, Jacob Tallman.
No. 3. Charles W. Hickman, E. A. Majors, W. R. Roos.
No. 4. L. F. Herrick, J. E. Greenan, E. F. Card.
No. 5. Samuel B. Reynolds, Frank A. Fletcher, N. E. Purcell.
No. 6. W. R. King, Bruce A. Dixon, R. C. Bitterman.
No. 7. J. N. Chandler, A. P. Stiefvater, ,Lewis Hunt.
City of Berkeley
No. 1. H. G. Morrow, Louis Bartlett, Charles T. Cox.
No. 2. Walter J. Burpee, H. H. Hussey, J. T. Preston.
As the months went on, however, there were many changes in these boards, members resigning and others taking their places. For this
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
reason, the list of personnel as published at any given time during the war period would not include all the citizens who gave so liberally to this valuable work. The following list, compiled by the Adjutant General of the State of California, is the most complete the author was able to find. An asterisk before a name denotes service during the entire period.
Alameda County, Division No. 1. 1434 Park Street, Alameda. * H. C. Gallagher, chairman; Weston Olin Smith, Walter G. Tibbetts, all of Alameda. E. K. Taylor, appeal agent; E. C. Soules, chief clerk.
Alameda County, Division No. 2. 501 Castro Street, Hayward. *I. B. Parsons, chairman, Hayward; * J. D. Ryan, Livermore; * J. C. Shinn, Niles; Carl F. Wood, appeal agent, Oakland; Julia Rix Straven, chief clerk.
Alameda County, Division No. 3. Emeryville. * John Gill, chair- man, Albany; * Walter S. Brann, Piedmont; * Charles D. Mooney, Emeryville; Edward R. Eliassen, appeal agent, Oakland; Mary Barth, chief clerk.
Berkeley, Division No. 1. 3004 Telegraph Avenue, South Berkeley. *Louis Bartlett, chairman; H. G. Morrow, *Charles T. Cox, all of Berkeley. W. A. Powell, appeal agent, Oakland; W. M. Hanscome, chief clerk.
Berkeley, Division No. 2. 2089 Allston Way. * Walter J. Burpee, chairman; * R. H. Hussey, *J. T. Preston, all of Berkeley ; E. S. Page, appeal agent, Oakland; J. M. Clevenger, chief clerk.
Oakland, Division No. 1. City Hall. * N. J. Herby, chairman; *Jacob Schaffer, *I. Jordan, Fred L. Button, appeal agent; Gladys Bullock, chief clerk.
Oakland, Division No. 2. 702 City Hall. * Mark A. Thomas, chair- man; * Jacob Tallman, *True Van Sickle, John W. Gwilt; May C. Crichmay, chief clerk.
Oakland, Division No. 3. 320 City Hall. * E. A. Majors, chair- man; * Charles W. Hickman, *W. R. Wood, Vance McClymonds, ap- peal agent; Stella E. Smith, chief clerk.
Oakland Division No. 4. 301 City Hall. * L. F. Herrick, chair- man; * J. E. Greenan, member and chief clerk; * E. F. Card; Carlos G. White, appeal agent.
Oakland, Division No. 5. 318 City Hall. * S. B. Reynolds, chair- man; * F. A. Fletcher, M. E. Purcell, Jesse Robinson, appeal agent; Mrs. C. A. Fortner, chief clerk.
Oakland, Division No. 6. 108 City Hall. * W. R. King, chairman;
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Bruce A. Dixon, W. S. Haskins, R. C. Bitterman, Ben O. Johnson, Edward W. Engs, appeal agent.
Oakland, Division No. 7. 7307 East Fourteenth Street. * J. M. Chandler, chairman; * A. P. Stiefvater, J. M. C. Smith, Charles Quayle, Lewis Hunt, Marie F. Newby, chief clerk.
These boards, together with the legal advisory board, were under the jurisdiction of Division No. 1, Northern District, with headquarters in room 400, City Hall, San Francisco. This district included Alameda County and the City and County of San Francisco. Warren Olney was chairman and Arthur H. Markwart, secretary.
The legal advisory board for the county included Judge W. H. Waste, chairman; Charles A. Beardsley and Ezra W. Decoto. The heaquarters of the Medical Advisory Board for District No. 6, which had jurisdiction over Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, and Stanislaus Counties, was maintained in the Thomas Building, Seventeenth and Broadway streets, Oakland. The board included the following men, leaders in their profession: W. H. Streetman, W. A. Clark, of Oakland; A. W. Hoisolt, State Hospital, Napa, and William Kuder, Alexander, Galbraith, T. J. Clark, R. A. Glenn, P. L. Ansell, W. L. Hughes, George Brown, Gertrude Moore, and Irene Lund, who served as chief clerk, all of Oakland.
Those who served as medical examiners for the local boards throughout the county were as follows :
Alameda County, Division No. 1. Sol Hayman, San Francisco; Fred W. Browning, Hayward; Thomas R. Barney, Berkeley; C. P. Pond, H. A. Miller, R. E. Burns, Alameda.
Alameda County, Division No. 2. J. J. Medros, Hayward; L. S. Anderson, Irvington; Robert L. Jump, Fruitvale.
Alameda County, Division No. 3. H. C. Naffziger, San Francisco; Samuel E. Bailey, David Hadden, Oakland.
Berkeley, Division No. 1. D. D. Crowley, A. S. Kelly, Lemuel P. Adams, Frank W. Simpson, George C. Kritsinger, Frank R. Makinson, Oakland; Frank L. Carpenter, Berkeley.
Berkeley, Division No. 2. John N. Force, J. J. Benton, A. M. Mc- Intosh, Berkeley; S. H. Buteau, Oakland.
Oakland, Division No. 1. Nelson H. Chamberlain, Thomas J. Clark, Oakland; Arthur M. McIntosh, Berkeley; John H. Graves, San Francisco.
Oakland, Division No. 2. Mark L. Emerson, A. W. Foshay, Oak- land; William B. McCracken, Berkeley; B. F. McElroy, San Francisco.
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Oakland Division No. 3. Hubert N. Rowell, Berkeley; F. H. Bowles, A. A. Alexander, Oakland; Lovell Langstroth, San Francisco.
Oakland, Division No. 4. Robert L. Rierson, Oakland; A. Hierony- mus, Alameda ; Clark J. Burnham, Berkeley; Hans Lisser, San Fran- cisco; C. A. Wills, San Leandro.
Oakland, Division No. 5. E. M. Clark, George Mosby, Kirby Smith, Oakland; Langley Porter, San Francisco.
Oakland, Division No. 6. U. C. Billingsley, Hayward; J. W. Cal- kins, R. T. Southerland, E. E. Brinkerhof, E. R. Sill, Oakland.
Oakland, Division No. 7. P. J. Anderson, A. L. Adams, Berkeley; Daniel Crosby, M. F. Toner, T. B. Holms, Phil Webber, E. K. Cald- well, C. W. Scott, Philip J. Walton, Hayward; S. Thomas, Oakland; Rene Bine, San Francisco.
The employment of so many men in San Francisco was the reason for the inclusion of San Francisco physicians among the medical ex- aminers. Men could report for examination in that city, thus effecting a saving in time and money.
The following figures presented in tabular form show graphically the operation of the Selective Service Act in the county. These figures are taken from the Final Report of the Provost Marshal General to the Secretary of War on the operations of the selective service system to July 15, 1919. The last column shows the number of men who were rejected when the draft was cancelled upon termination of the war. These were still uncalled when the armistice was signed.
Local Board
Called
Inducted
Accepted
Rejected
Rejected on cancellation of draft
Alameda No. 1
510
523
401
11
111
Alameda No. 2.
593
627
590
37
Alameda No. 3.
103
107
104
1
2
Berkeley No. 1
692
722
581
21
120
Berkeley No. 2.
794
829
710
13
106
Oakland No. 1
579
599
538
35
26
Oakland No. 2.
425
446
427
13
6
Oakland No. 3.
559
544
438
3
103
Oakland No. 4.
511
528
508
13
7
Oakland No. 5.
682
731
651
34
46
Oakland No. 6.
507
523
461
15
47
Oakland No. 7.
448
459
363
5
91
Totals
6,403
6,638
5,772
201
665
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
By July 24, 1917, machinery had been completely organized for summoning men who had been drafted, and the work of the local boards began. The first allotment for the county was 256, for Berkeley 348, and for Oakland 1,519. Members of boards worked untiringly in co- operation with the District board at San Francisco, which certified the names of the men recommended for service by the local boards. Un- fortunately, the district board of San Francisco had more business than it could handle. This proved embarrassing to Alameda County during the calling of the early quotas of drafted men, because on the dates ap- pointed by the government for the departure of East Bay contingents, the county was unable to send its full quota because the district board had not approved the list in time to reach all of the men affected. Com- plaints were frequently voiced by Alameda County board members because the deficiency was an apparent reflection on the patriotism of the community.
As early as September 5th the great army of the physically fit be- gan concentrating at the various cantonments provided for the recep- tion and training of the citizen soldiers throughout the United States. The three camps nearest Alameda County were Camp Lewis, on Amer- ican Lake, near Seattle, Washington; Camp Fremont, near Palo Alto on the San Francisco peninsula, and Camp Kearny, at Linda Vista, in Southern California.
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