The Spartanburg Herald
Page 1
Established in 1890
Spartanburg, S.C. Saturday Morning, March 29, 1919
Price 5 Cents
[page1]
[p.1 Col. 6, headlines: Hampton Guards Reach Home Wednesday. Debarked, Deloused and Delighted Men Ready For Parade. Gen. O'Ryan and Staff of 27th Division, State Officials Mayor
and Other Distinguished Guests Are Expected to Review Monster Parade Monday.
Sgt. Gary Foster Loaded Down With Decoration.
Lieut. James Schwing, the Only Spartanburg Officer in Company F, Pays a Glowing Tribute to His Men, Who Went Through Thick of the Fighting.];
[photo caption: Sgt. Cary Evans Foster, Co. F., 118th Infantry
Sergeant Foster, of Inman, is recognized as Spartanburg's most
highly honored soldier. He has been awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor, the distinguished Service Cross and a British
decoration for extraordinary heroism in action. Sergeant
Foster landed at Charleston Thursday and is now at Camp Jackson
awaiting his discharge.]
[table: In Memory of 16 Members of Co. F., 188th Infantry Who Lost
Their lives in France
Two officers of Company F were killed. They were: Lieut.
George
J. read of Chicago, who was assigned to Company F in France.
Lieut. Read lost his life in a terrible bombardment of the
trenches held by Company F.
Lieut. Tillman H. Smith of Asheville, N.C., who was assigned to
the company while training at Camp Sevier. Lieut. Smith was
killed by machine gun fire.
The following enlisted men who lost their lives, lived near
Spartanburg: Leroy Turney, whose home was just below Arkright,
on a Roebuck, R.F.D. Levi Butler, of Tryon, N.C., who had
many friends in Spartanburg. Smith J. Harvey of Pacolet.
Youman Z. Weeks of Orangeburg, but who once lived in
Spartanburg. Weeks was awarded the distinguished service for
the exploit which cost his life and the prized medal will go to
his relatives.]; [
(by Chas. P. Calvert, Staff Correspondent.)
[p.1 Col. 6, article segment 1: Columbia, S.C., March 28 - Debarked, deloused and delighted
members of Company F, 118th infantry, formerly the Hampton
Guards, of Spartanburg, are taking possession of the streets of
Columbia tonight. They are getting their uniforms pressed up
after going through the delousing plant and will make an
excellent appearance on the streets here when the units of the
Thirtieth Division now at Camp Jackson parade through the
streets of Columbia on Monday afternoon.
Governor Robert A. Cooper, has extended an invitation to
officers of the Twenty Seventh Division, New York, and several
of these have signified their intention of visiting Columbia
on this occasion. Officials of South Carolina, majors of the
several cities from which the troops went to the front, members
of the legislature and other distinguished guests are expected
to review the parade of the Thirtieth here Monday afternoon.
The troops do not want to parade, however, they are too well
disciplined to complain, and it is expected that there will be
8,000 in the line of march.]; [p.1 Col. 6, article segment 2: May Reach Home Wednesday.
Immediately after the parade the men will be mustered out of
the service and Spartanburg troops may be expected back home by
Wednesday or Thursday. All of the 188th Infantry is in camp
tonight and most of the Charleston units that disembarked early
this morning have reached Jackson. They will be deloused early
Saturday morning. Corporal Tome Calvert and Paul West of the
White Stone, members of the 105th ammunition train arrived at
Camp Jackson at 5 o'clock this afternoon well and happy.]; [p.1 Col. 6, article segment 3: Appetite Unaffected by Honors. Sergeant Gary Evans Foster, winner of the Congressional Medal
of honor, left Camp Jackson tonight and came to Columbia where
he devoured a tremendous supper. He expressed his intention of
buying a new uniform as the one he now wears was practically
ruined in the delousing process. He states that he will not
wear any of his numerous medals until he gets a decent uniform.
Those Spartanburg people who expect to visit Columbia for the
parade Monday had better reserve their rooms in advance as
every hotel in the city is full.]; [p.1 Col. 6, article segment 4: Anxious for Discharges.
The Old Hampton Guards, now Known as Company F, 188th Infantry
arrived in Camp Jackson last on Thursday night. The boys were
immediately put through the delousing process and while their
uniforms were not the most beautiful in the world, the crowd
was well and happy. They are quartered in comfortable barracks
on the extreme edge of Camp Jackson and hope to receive their
discharge papers by Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.
With the exception of 16 heroes, left over there where they
paid the supreme sacrifice for the great victory for humanity
and civilization over barbarianism and brutality, the crowd was
happy yesterday afternoon and were truly glad to see some of
the home folks. Jim Schwing - the lieutenant but a good
all-around fellow, had put one over on the bunch by notifying
his wife a little ahead of time that he was expected here.
Mrs. Schwing was waiting for Jim when he arrived in Columbia
and the former mail carrier saw Mrs. Schwing last night. Birth
and early this morning he was back at camp and a merry party
was had on the steps of the barracks.
Lieut. Schwing Gets D.S.C.
Lieutenant Schwing was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
for a little exploit which he reluctantly told a little about.
It seems that Lieutenant Schwing was having a little trouble by
reason of a machine gun nest. He took two men and decided to
wine out the cause of uneasiness. "We dropped several grenades
down in their dug out," he said, "and the (Continued on page
five)....
[continued from page 1] [Page 5]
[Page 5 Spartanburg Herald, March 29, 1919 included for informational purposes and continuity.
There is no accompanying image to the text below.]
[p.5, Col. 2, article segment 4 (cont.)]: Germans began to pile out. Forty of them were captured,"
Lieutenant Schwing was asked if any of the Germans were killed.
"We just slaughtered them and nobody stopped to count them." he
replied.]; [p.5 Col. 2, article segment 5: Foster Loaded Down With Medals
Gary Evans Foster, the Inman sergeant, is loaded down with
medals. He has a British medal, the Distinguished Service
Medal and the highest award it is possible to bestow upon a
soldier in Uncle Sam's army, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Sergeant Foster came up smiling in answer to summons from
Lieutenant Schwing.
"Tell about what you did," commanded Schwing.
The Inman soldier, good soldier that he is, did not obey the
lieutenant’s command. He grinned. Later, however, he was
induced to tell the story to a reporter.
"I was about 100 yards ahead of the company," he began, "when I
ran across a machine gun nest down in a ditch, which looked
like an abandoned road. I had my rifle with me and told them
to come on out and be captured. I think I killed three or four
of the Germans and the rest just came on out with their hands
up crying Kamerad and some other German talk that I couldn't
understand. I sent the prisoners on to the back f the lines
and turned them over to the officials. That is all there is to
it.
(The records of the war department show that Foster took 18
prisoners single handed and killed three Germans. Sergeant
Foster is confident that there were more prisoners than 18 in
his bat).
Happy Haynes, everybody in Spartanburg knows Happy, is back,
with all of his white hair and grinning as usual. Happy was a
messenger boy in France and Lieutenant Schwing paid him a high
compliment for good work and faithful duty. He made a good
soldier, said the lieutenant.]; [p.5 Col. 2, article segment 6:
Sergeant Fleming Glad to Get Home.
Serg. Mills L. Fleming, son of lieutenant Fleming of the
Spartanburg police force is back smiling. Sergeant Fleming did
not have much to say but he did not have to talk to let the
people know he was glad to be back again.
Joe Jackson, another well known Spartanburg boy is here. Joe's
proudest moment in the whole war was the time he turned over
122 prisoners, captured by members of Company F and took a
receipt for the whole bunch with one stroke of the pen. Joe did
the commanding while the prisoners were on the way to the rear.
Lake McKinney is dying to put his feet under the dining room
table at home and sleep on a good bed once more.
Perry Camp is here today too. Perry was a well-known boy
about Spartanburg and asked many questions about people in
town. Some of the messages Perry sent back to the boys who
didn't go to the war would not do to print.
Stud Shook is the first sergeant of Company F and a good tope
he makes. All of the boys like him and he gets along
excellently with the officers and men alike. The top sergeant
has one of the hardest jobs in the entire army and a capable
man is always required to fill this place.
James Kenneth Finch is the supply sergeant for the company and
he too is delighted to get back to the states. He did a good
job over in France and took care of the boys of Company F but
their clothes today are a sight-they have just come from the
delousing plant and look as if they never had been pressed in
the world. Their shoes were good looking, however, though some
of them need a shine badly.
Rabbit Abbott was the head entertainer for the company in
France. His real name is Royce, but that is never heard. The
Rabbit could always be depended upon to sing a song or start a
show whenever opportunity presented itself. He is always in a
good humor.
And so it goes on down the entire roster of the company. The
friend ship existing between the officers and men is more
marked in those companies that have just returned from France
where they faced death and the Germans hand in hand than it is
among those troops were unfortunate enough to remain in
this country. While the discipline of the men with the gold
service stripes is just as good if not better than it is among
those who were the silver stripes, there is something lacking
among the men who have come back from France; a better and more
intimate feeling seems to exist between officers and men.]; [p.5 Col. 2, article segment 7:
Schwing Praises His Men.
Lieut. Jim Schwing paid a glowing compliment to the men of
Company F. they were hard fighters and hard workers, he said,
and were not afraid of the devil himself. They were in the
thick of the hardest battles of the entire war and not once did
the commanding officers hear a single word of complaint.
Sometimes the men had to go without breakfast but they did not
complain; often they were ordered over the top without being
given time to eat their food, but they did not complain. They
slept in every barn in France until they got so close to the
Germans than all the barns had been shot away and still they
did not complain.
During the entire time the company was in France there was not
one serious breach of discipline. Once or twice several of the
men drank more of the red wine, or champagne than was good for
them but the only punishment meted out to them was a days' work
of digging holes in the terrain of France and then filling the
said holes up again.
Capt. John W. Lawlor, of Montclair, N.J. is commander of
Company F, but he was not assigned to the company until after
the armistice had been signed. Lieut. Schwing was in command of
the company [mast] of the time, and Capt. Lawlor was assigned
to the company while Lieut. Schwing was in the hospital.
Schwing was pretty badly shot up but has entirely recovered.
Lieut. David E. Penland, of Asheville, went through the war
with Company F also. He was assigned to the company while it
was in training at Camp Sevier, Greenville.
Schwing told of one amusing incident in France. Once the mail
was sent up while the men were in the front line trenches.
There was more mail at that time than the company had ever
seen at one time before. But the order to go over the top was
received about this time and there was no time to distribute
the precious letters from home. Lieut. Schwing divided the
mail among all men of the company, giving each man about eight
letters on the theory that all would not be killed and that
some of the mail would be saved. As it turned out, there was
no one killed in this particular little incident and later it
was discovered that the mail that they had used such
precautions in saving was the property of another company.
Lieut. Schwing also, on behalf of the entire company, hereby
extends a challenge to any baseball team in the county of
Spartanburg for a game with members of Company F. They believe
they have the best baseball team in the division and are
confident that nothing in Spartanburg can withstand their
attacks on the diamond.
The boys did not do much talking about the war yesterday. The
reporter soon learned that the men who were in the thick of the
strife had rather talk of the folks at home and something that
happened prior to their entry into something that happened
prior to their entry into the army than their deeds in France.
But whenever the war was mentioned Company F always received
its share of the praise Officers and men of the regiment alike
accorded Company F their full share of glory.
They asked a great many questions about the preparations that
are going on in Spartanburg to welcome them back to the city.
When told that Mayor John F. Floyd and other interested persons
were planning a barbecue and parade in their honor, their
evident pleasure could not be surpassed. This event cannot be
too pretentions. The men have faced many hardships and are
anxious to get home and they believe they have a right to
expect some sort of recognition by the city of Spartanburg and
their home-folks.]; [p.5 Col. 3, article segment 8: Captured 576 Prisoners.
Company F never had more than 160 men in it. During the war
this company was officially credited with capturing 576 German
prisoners, including 8 officers. This is an average of several
prisoners to each Spartanburg man who went across with the
famous 118th Infantry.
Lieut. Schwing said today that the officers for the most part,
could speak English and they did not give any trouble after
begin captured. ]; [p.5 Col. 3, article segment 1:
Major Cecil Wyche Popular Officer
Spartanburg Officer Commanded a Battalion of the Army of
Occupation
Columbia, March 28. - Major Cecil C. Wyche, smiling and cussing
at the same time, is back. He arrived at Camp Jackson early
this morning and was busy greeting old friends. Major Wyche
was smiling because he is back the United States, and cussing
because he drew and assignment at headquarters of Camp Jackson
to direct the work of delousing the men.
Among all the men of the Thirtieth division there does not seem
to be a more popular officer than Major Wyche. He expects to
get out of the service one day next week, and plans to return
to Spartanburg at once. As yet he has made no further plans
for the future.
Major Wyche probably saw more action than other men of the
division, because for a long time he was attached to the third
division, one of the regular outfits, and for several weeks
commanded a battalion forming a part of the army of
occupation. He got as far as the Rhine, but while there was
transferred back to the Thirtieth and returned to this country
with his old division.
Major Wyche said today that he saw Flourney Crook, formerly of
the Spartanburg Herald, while in Germany. Crook is now a
captain. He is not in the army, but is a captain of one of the
steamboats that plies up and down the Rhine.]
Spartanburg County in World War I Collection
