USA > New York > The first hundred years : records and reminiscences of a century of Company I, Seventh Regiment, N.G.N.Y., 1838-1938 > Part 39
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55
Lieutenant Hall commanded the Company in this fight and led it with skill and a disregard for his personal safety which won for him the Distinguished Service Cross and the greater honor of dying for his country on the battlefield. Two days before the Battalion Adjutant had informed him that there was an order at Regimental Headquarters which transferred him to the Aviation Ser- vice. The night before the fight he was suffering from illness which made him so weak that he kept at his work by sheer grit. With two good and sufficient reasons for going to the rear, he elected to stay with his Company for what he knew was to be one of the hardest fights of the war.
At the very start of the advance, the blast from a shell threw him back, but it was only a second before he was again at the head of his men. One man's clothing was so torn from him by the enemy wire that he was chilled by the cold of that damp morning. Lieutenant Hall, weak and ill and suffering from the cold himself, took off his coat and gave it to the soldier. Soon after that he lay wounded and dying in a shell hole, unable to speak, while the shells shrieked and the bullets hissed about him and the fight went on. Moving with difficulty he reached across to a wounded doughboy by his side, grasped his hand, smiled and then settled back and breathed his last.
448
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
The Memorial Tablet to Lieutenant Hall is a bronze one modelled by Julio Kilenyi and cast by the Gorham Company. It has been placed over the fire- place in the Company Room. The smaller tablets will be placed on the doors of the lockers used by the men commemorated in the case of those who had served in the Armory. The remaining names will be grouped on a tablet not yet finished.
HERE'S TO THE WALSHES!
On December 3, 1920, enlisted Alexis B. Walsh, the fifth brother of that family to serve in Company I, and this does not include a brother-in-law who served with the Company during the Border tour of duty. Previews of "Lex" lead us to say he is a worthy successor to Joe, Bob, Charlie, George and Jack.
1921
On December 18, 1920, Captain Buell was promoted to Major and assigned to the command of the 3rd Battalion where he will still be able to keep an eye on his friends and admirers in the old Company. His advancement in the Regiment was inevitable.
While expected, it was nonetheless with pleasure that the members of the Company received the announcement that the new captain would be Washington Irving Clayton. His appointment dated from January 3, 1921.
* *
At the Ninth Company Dinner at the Hotel McAlpin March 5, 1921, Gordon Grant paid the following tribute to old
TOUJOURS PRET The 7th has feet, and her feet are not cold. Arms at the "ready," her fame to uphold. The 7th has guts and a heart big and sound. The 7th has ears that are close to the ground. Hands that are fistfulls in case of a fight, And features too many by far to recite.
The brain in her head is both nimble and wise,
But the 7th can NOT get along without I's
Active and Vet, May their sun never set, Once we have been one, We never forget.
Active and Vet, The dry and the wet, The longer we linger The keener we get.
Active and Vet, The Country's best bet. Is there a man here Who has a regret ? NOT YET
-G. G.
Company I, Peekskill, 1921
450
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
The Company shooting has really been up and coming of late. We have taken second place in both the Abeel (ten man) and Kemp (twenty-five man) team matches.
*
It is a pleasure also to record that one of our Company I graduates, Arthur W. Little, has been appointed Colonel of the 369th Infantry (old 15th) New York, with which he served with distinction during the World War.
* *
On March 10, 1921, Sergeant George W. Woltz was promoted First Lieu- tenant, filling the vacancy created by the promotion of Captain Clayton. Lieu- tenant Woltz made his début as "assistant skipper" the following Wednesday, coming on the drill floor attired in brand new paraphernalia from well polished leggins to brightly burnished shoulder bars, etc. His service is as follows: Enlisted in Company I January 14, 1918; Corporal, June 18, 1918; Ser- geant January 21, 1919; First Lieutenant March 19, 1921. Lieutenant Woltz's rise in military circles has been rapid and bears out that old axiom "true worth is invariably appreciated." The Company predicts that Lieutenant Woltz will go far in the military profession if his known ability and efficiency as a Ser- geant counts for aught.
COMPANY NOTES-1922
February 24, 1922, First Lieutenant George W. Woltz, as we predicted, was promoted to Captain and Regimental Adjutant. The vacancy created in the Company was filled by advancing Edward H. Morris to the grade of First Lieutenant. It is also pleasant to note the promotion of one of our old "I" men, Samuel A. Ritchie, to Regimental Sergeant-Major, February 6, 1922.
THE MOCK REVIEW
In April the Regiment revived one of its old-time favorite amusements by putting on a Mock Review. Depicting army discipline as it never was and yet should have been, the entertainment as previewed by the newspaper boys "was one of the smartest ever presented in the history of military circles in this city."
Company I arrayed as "Egyptian Pretties" and led by Supply Sergeant Douglas S. Mapes were a sight for the gods, Egyptian or otherwise. The gor- geous Douglas, mounted upon his modernistic steed, viewed the field à la Nelson with his spy glass and did not miss a single one of the attractive ladies in the crowd.
Company I got a new Second Lieutenant May 6, 1922, in the person of Eugene W. Potter. Blond, handsome and a favorite of all, Lieutenant Potter had already shown his fitness for the new rank by being a first class Sergeant.
451
THE FIRST POST-WAR DECADE
Sergeant Mapes, Leader of the "Egyptian Pretties"
PEEKSKILL CAMP-1922
July 23 to August 6 may be written off as a pronounced success in the his- tory of the 7th Regiment. The first week of the tour was spent for the most part on the rifle range, the second was put in on the drill field. Captain Smith, otherwise known as "Stahara," took the Company in hand during the latter part of our stay and the way in which he put us through bayonet drill and setting-up exercises caused more than one well-upholstered soldier to lose part of that curving "fig'a." As Man'y and Lou'y Lazo aptly put it, "It was one of the tragedies of our young life."
Company I was selected to go on guard Thursday night after the famous battle of the Country Club which was so nobly captured by the Staff. The battle will long live in the memories of some of the rookies. There was a four- mile hike out and extended order down and up all the hills, through morass and brush, and last, but not least, the fording of a young river, not once but twice ! Said river had the swiftness and punch of a modern flapper and cooled the nether extremities from knees (à la Bill Glynn) to waists (à la Doc Rackoff) depending on how close to the ground the soldier was built. The hike home,
452
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
Sergeants at Peekskill, 1923 Sergeants Fleming, Mapes, Murphy, Steiger, McLaughlin, Samuels
oozing water at every step, was accomplished safely and will be a subject of conversation for many a day. The men had just time to dress for Guard Mount which, in spite of chafed spots, blisters and tired "dogs," was pulled off in a snappy manner. Then we turned out for evening parade; and afterward, through the long night could be heard the heavy tread of Company I walking post while the rest of the Regiment slept !
CAPTAIN WASHINGTON IRVING CLAYTON
On December 26, 1922, the Company received with aching hearts the news of the death of our beloved Captain.
Washington Irving Clayton was a young officer of inestimable worth and promise and to all who knew him a much loved comrade. He had all the fine qualities of heart and mind which combined to make the ideal citizen soldier. To a sterling character was added in him an even disposition, patience, cheer- fulness and tact. His genuineness and absolute fairness at once endeared him to men of all types-and in the acid test of camp life, with its monotonous round of duties as well as on the battlefield-there was found no flaw in him, he was "without fear and without reproach."
After serving with the old 7th on the Mexican Border in 1916 with rifle and pack, and then as non-commissioned officer in training camp and over- seas with the 107th Infantry, he came home with the Division apparently to enjoy long years of usefulness and honor. No man was ever more loyally de- voted to the old organization than he. So much so that after being discharged
453
THE FIRST POST-WAR DECADE
la.
Captain Washington Irving Clayton, 1920-1922
454
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
from the service of the United States, in April 1919, he at once turned to the task of building up again that historic New York Regiment on Park Avenue.
Enlisting again in his old Company, I, "Irv" Clayton was soon commis- sioned Lieutenant and a few months later, Captain. To the difficult work of recruiting and drilling his Company he gave every moment of his spare time and every bit of his energy. Few but those who have been through it can real- ize the task he had before him. It is still a marvel to the veterans of the 7th that this young man succeeded in view of the difficulties facing any military organization in the years after the war. But Captain Clayton won in this as he had won in everything he undertook by sheer force of courage and per- sonality. He spared not his strength but he overestimated it. He did not realize the drafts which his service in France had made upon it.
Wounded in the assault of the 3rd Battalion, 107th Infantry, on Guillemont Farm, September 29, 1918, Captain Clayton apparently had made a complete recovery. But the German machine gun bullet that made a groove along the side of his head, the strain and shock of battle, the heart-breaking marches and exposure must have left the seeds of the brain abscess which finally carried him off in the flower of manhood. After a long and painful struggle against this hidden enemy, during which his splendid fighting qualities were never more heroically displayed, he died the day after Christmas, 1922.
The Grim Reaper cut him down in the full vigor of youth but his family and his comrades can find some comfort in the thought that Irving Clayton died a soldier's death as surely as if he had fallen on the shell-swept field of France four years ago.
Captain Clayton was buried in Greenwood Cemetery after services in St. Agnes's Church in West 92nd Street. The active Company formed the mili- tary escort and many of his old comrades of the overseas Company accompanied his body to its final resting place as honorary bearers.
And so passed a gallant soldier and a fine gentleman !
1923
The mock review of last year was such a success that another was planned, carefully prepared and duly perpetrated on May 11.
Rumor ran hot through the Armory that the Reviewing Staff would be "Admiral S.O.S. Sunkitt," his wife (she wouldn't think of letting him out alone at night) and "Colonel J. I. V. Fleming-Hayes" (who matriculated in Company I), present Commandant of the famous "Silk Stocking Dandies," and so it proved to be.
The Reviewing Staff after much hesitation finally consented to pose. "Colonel Wade Fleming-Hayes" will be noted beaming on the extreme right, and special attention is directed to "Mrs. Sunkitt's" gown, designed by Rube Goldberg and carried out (the gown) by Stephen Merritt.
455
THE FIRST POST-WAR DECADE
"Admiral and Mrs. S.O.S. Sunkitt" and staff
After the review Private Joseph Mein McGuire of "J" Company was sig- nally honored when "Colonel Fleming-Hayes" decorated him with the Con- spicuous Service Wrist Watch for twenty years of married life! Said the "Colonel":
"On behalf of all the married men who have suffered similarly, I commend Private McGuire for his bravery, which we recognize to be above and beyond the call of duty, and I take great pleasure in strapping him to this handsome, seventeen-jewelled, twenty-year guaranteed, pewter wrist watch."
Company I as "Irrepressible Infants" were most fetching and drew thun- derous applause from the packed boxes and galleries.
DEATH OF SERGEANT DELAFIELD
The Company lost one of its most beloved veterans on June 19, 1923, through the death of Albert Delafield. He was the son of General Richard Delafield and was born at West Point, N.Y., while his father was on duty as Commander of that post. He enlisted in Company I, March 16, 1871, and retired April 27, 1911, with rank of brevet Second Lieutenant. During almost the whole of this long service he was Quartermaster Sergeant and his untiring efficiency and un- swerving loyalty were recognized throughout the Regiment. It is with whole- hearted and sincere feeling that we say no more loyal Grey Jacket ever wore
456
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
the uniform. He never sought anything for himself but always had the interest of the Regiment and Company I at heart.
Promotion is again the order of the day and although we lost three of our best members, it is nevertheless nice to see their proven ability recognized. The first loss was Sergeant Edward H. Morris who, after March 31, will be known as Second Lieutenant, Company A.
*
The next loss was that of our genial and efficient First Sergeant, Martin S. Herbert, who has been promoted to First Lieutenant, Service Company. Our oldest member in length of service and loved by all, Lieutenant Herbert takes with him the best wishes of the entire Company. The "ink" of our mourn- ing notice that Ned Morris has left us is not yet dry when the news comes in that Lieutenant Edward H. Morris has been officially transferred from Com- pany A to his old home, the Ninth Company. However, bitter accompanies the sweet, and we find that Ed's return is to take the place of Lieutenant Theo- dore T. Johnson, who has been appointed Adjutant of the 3rd Battalion. The Company regrets exceedingly the loss of Lieutenant Johnson, at the same time we are happy to have Lieutenant Morris with us again. Case of one good man going out and another good man coming in. .. . "Adios, Tip. ... Howdy, Ed."
It has been recorded that A.G.O. General Orders No. 32, authorized brevet commissions of "Brigadier General" for our former Ninth Company mem- bers, Colonels Wade H. Hayes, Arthur W. Little and Raphael A. Egan, "in recognition of the services rendered in the World War and for distinguished conduct and public service in the presence of the enemy."
CAPTAIN EDWARD H. MORRIS
The long vacant captaincy of Company I was filled on July 17, 1923, by the promotion of First Lieutenant Edward H. Morris.
Ned Morris enlisted in Company I, 7th N.Y. Infantry, January 11, 1912. He served on the Mexican Border in 1916 as Corporal and was made Sergeant March 23, 1917. He went overseas with the Company, May 10, 1918.
At Dickebusch Lake in the front line, August 25, Sergeant Morris was wounded and after recovery and his return to the Regiment he was sent to Of- ficers Training School.
He was commissioned Second Lieutenant, October 31, 1918, and assigned to the 112th Infantry, 28th Division. Later he was transferred to the 312th Machine Gun Battalion and returned to the U.S. with that unit in 1919.
After being discharged from the service of the United States Lieutenant Morris enlisted again in Company I, 107th Infantry, in February 1920. While acting as First Sergeant of the Company he was commissioned in the National
457
THE FIRST POST-WAR DECADE
Captain Henry R. Burt 1917-1918
Captain Edward H. Morris 1923-1924
Guard and assigned to Company A. He again returned to his old Company as First Lieutenant in 1922 and now assumes command of "Toujours Pret" to which he has rendered such long, loyal and faithful service.
THE 1923 CAMP
August 12, 1923, Company I, along with some fourteen (more or less) other Companies of the 7th Regiment, resplendent in its war paint, sallied forth to again conquer Camp Smith, Peekskill, N.Y.
The two weeks' tour was time profitably spent and our accomplishments dur- ing that period redounded to the credit of the Company as a whole.
Excitement ran high in the 3rd Battalion when Major Ralph P. Buell (ex- Company I) offered a prize to be awarded to the Company making the best showing in competitive drill. The judges were to be the Regular Army Officers assigned to the Camp as instructors. A fitting climax would be to state that we were the winners-but though we made a gallant effort, such was not the case. Company K were returned victors with rating of 881/2%, I, second with 88%. Lost by a nose!
Time went all too quickly and August 26 was upon us before we knew it. All voted the 1923 Camp the best since the war.
* *
The vacancy caused by promotion of Lieutenant Morris was filled by First Sergeant Charles Steiger, promoted September 14. Lieutenant Steiger's service
45
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
record is: Enlisted in Company I, December 7, 1917; Corporal, May 31, 1918; Sergeant, January 7, 1919; Supply Sergeant, September 22, 1920; First Ser- geant, July 9, 1921, and First Lieutenant, September 14, 1923. Charlie's pro- motion was a popular one. His long, unselfish and efficient service in the Company has entitled him to any honor it has the power to bestow.
Our newly appointed entertainment committee decided that the active Com- pany should throw a banquet to open the fall drill season. A formal announce- ment set the date as October 24, and the place, Mouquin's. There was a large and enthusiastic turnout from the actives, including our three officers. The guests of honor were Colonel Wade H. Hayes and the President of the Society of Ninth Company Veterans, Captain Francis L. Gould. Charlie Petigny was awarded the coveted honor of being the best new man of the 1923 Camp. The prize and INCENTIVE was given us by Mrs. Clayton, mother of our beloved ex-Captain, and we wish to express our gratitude (as well as Charlie's) for her thoughtfulness in our behalf.
Colonel Hayes also offered a prize of a Regimental ring, to be awarded at the next dinner, to the man doing the most for Company I during the coming year.
A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE DR. DISBROW
In the death of Robert Newton Disbrow, M.D., which occurred October 23, 1923, there has passed from the rolls of Company I of the 7th a soldier as true, devoted and lovable as any who ever wore the grey. He enlisted in Com- pany I February 26, 1891, and received a full and honorable discharge Oc- tober 1, 1902. During these thirteen consecutive years his record for attendance was one hundred per cent, added to which was a devotion to duty never sur- passed and rarely equalled. He was commissioned First Lieutenant, Assistant Surgeon, 8th Battalion, February 2, 1907, Captain Medical Corps, assigned 8th C.A.C., April 18, 1908, resigned February 15, 1911.
He received the 7th Regiment Cross of Honor in bronze in 1901; and since his discharge from the Regiment, has been active in the Veterans' Association, of which he was surgeon from 1904 until the day of his death.
1924. THE WALL-SCALING SQUAD
The 75th Regimental Athletic Games were held January 19, 1924, and for the first time in a number of years, Company I competed. It cannot be claimed that success crowned our initial efforts to any great extent, until the eight man (squad) wall-scaling was announced. In this event, one or more teams per Company compete, each man fully equipped except pack and carrying a rifle. Each team is timed separately and must negotiate first the ten-foot, then the eight-foot walls, circle the Armory, and the time of the last man on each team to reach the starting mark is the team time. To quote from the Gazette: "The most spectacular event of the whole evening was the wall-scaling, won by the Ninth Company team, composed of Sergeant E. C. A. Vial, Corporals F. B.
459
THE FIRST POST-WAR DECADE
M.A.L. Wall-Scaling Champs, 1924 W. Glynn, T. R. Clifford, R. T. Waite, J. Van der Boget
Haldy and R. T. Waite, Cooks T. R. Clifford and W. G. Glynn, and Privates R. R. Coudert, J. R. Phillips and John A. F. Van der Boget. Yessir! They went and did it, thanks to much faithful practice on the part of the whole team and a certain inherent ability to get over back fences fast! They went over those walls as though the whole police force of New York, Chicago and Philadelphia were directly in the rear ... especially Dick Clifford. Dick was the last man over and he negotiated that ten-foot wall without any help-up at all, a spec- tacular performance if ever there was one. It was received with a roar of ap- plause from the large throng of spectators. The team led their nearest rivals, Company K, by 19 seconds." Individual gold medals rewarded the wall-scalers for their efforts, as well as a large silk banner to hang in the Company Room.
February 13, most of us were surprised when a large group of our Veterans appeared and blusteringly announced they were there to "shoot" the actives. Momentarily taken back and realizing we were unarmed (as to cartridges), a slight confusion resulted. Determined, however, to sell our lives as dearly as possible, Lieutenant Charlie gave the command: "Fix bayonets!" Before any real bloodshed resulted the "Vets" explained that they were donating a trophy and were there to shoot the "actives" for the trophy. This, of course, put a different light on the subject and, to make a long story short, they did just that, beating us by 32 points! The individual scores of a possible fifty were:
Veterans, Major F. G. Landon, 40; Captain G. Nichols, 37; Frank Gould, 37; Coudert, 35; Berrian, 37; McClure, 40; Eastman, 47 (high score of the evening) ; Roberts, 36;
460
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
M.A.L. Wall-Scaling Champs, 1925-1926 W. Glynn A. M. Morris M. Paulson Rupert Waite
Rossiere, 46; and Grant, 40; total, 395. Actives, Captain Morris, 42; Lieutenant Steiger, 43; Lieutenant Potter, 40; L. Lazo, 28; Haldy, 41; Murphy, 35; Bowes, 25; Donahue, 28; Waite, 41; Warner, 40; total, 363.
After the contest all adjourned to the Mess Hall where eats and drinks were had, the affair discussed, and much of the shooting properly cussed. The event was enjoyed so much by everybody that it has been planned to make it a regu- lar affair.
Four members of the Ninth Company, representing the Regiment, distin- guished themselves in the wall-scaling contest at the Military Athletic League Games, held in the 102nd Engineers' Armory on the night of March 12 last. They won the event and, in doing so, broke the record of ten years' standing. Each man went over and back again over the ten-foot wall without help and were the only team to do it. The team was composed of Corporal R. T. Waite, Privates W. G. Glynn, T. R. Clifford and J. A. F. Van der Boget; Sergeant E. C. A. Vial, alternate. Each man received a gold medal and the congratula- tions of the Company and the Regiment.
To the sincere regret of the Company Captain Edward H. Morris resigned on April 25. To fill the vacancy it has been announced that our new Captain will be Philip Garey, who served as First Sergeant of the overseas Company I.
461
THE FIRST POST-WAR DECADE
Captain Philip Garey, 1924-1929
CAPTAIN PHILIP GAREY
Our new Captain is the possessor of the American Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre and the British Military Medal. He en- listed in Company I June 25, 1916, served through the Mexican Border service, Cook, 1917; Corporal, 1917; Sergeant, 1918; First Sergeant, October 1, 1918; and Captain, June 24, 1924. Such a record speaks for itself and although nearly a stranger to the Company of today, we nevertheless greet him with open arms and only hope we can at least approach the standard of MAN that he has proven himself to be.
PEEKSKILL, 1924
The 1924 Regimental Camp period was set for July 13 to 27, and the Com- pany entered into its training with spirit, determined "to prove" ourselves to
462
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS OF COMPANY I
our new leader. The first week was given mainly to range firing and I, with 82% qualifications, was well up with the leaders. As a further honor, two "I" men, Joseph F. (Dixie) Nelson, catcher, and Charles C. Connolly, outfielder, played on the Regimental baseball team that won the 1924 New York State Military Championship. In the ball game between the 107th and 108th our "Dixie" Nelson, while at bat, was struck just below the temple with a speed- ball and knocked unconscious. He was in a serious condition for practically the entire night and the Company took turns watching over him. "Dixie" ral- lied out of it and showed no serious effects other than a mighty sore head. He proved the Company I stuff of which he is made by playing a full game two days later !
The second week was cut short due to a serious shortage of water and the entire Regiment entrained for home Friday, July 25, two days sooner than expected. It was later announced that "I" had won the Halsted set of dishes for having the best mess throughout camp-page Mess Sergeant William G. Glynn and his two assistant Cooks, Thomas R. Clifford and William S. Smith, please.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.