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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
WORLD WAR I
Watertown's Company E
Went to War in 1917
April 6, 1917
On April 6, 1917, the United States
formally declared war on Germany following attacks by German U-boats on unarmed
U.S. merchant ships and after the Germans tried to persuade Mexico to invade
the U.S.
_____________________________________________________
On 15
July 1917, the Wisconsin National Guard was activated for Federal Service. The
unit in Watertown was Company E of the 5TH Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. Captain
Albert F. Solliday, was in command, assisted by 1LT
Jas. T. Hale and 2LT Lawrence W. Murphy.
CPT
Albert F. Solliday followed in his father’s footsteps
in both his civilian and military pursuits. Like his father, he became a
dentist and had a practice in Watertown for many years. Born in Watertown 23
Oct. 1871, he attended Watertown’s Lincoln School, then attended St. John’s
Military Academy in Delafield, then Shattuck Military Academy in Faribault, MN,
and Northwestern University Dental College in IL. Upon his return home after
his deployment to France with the 32d “Red Arrow” Division during WWI, he
became the inaugural commander of Watertown’s American Legion Post in 1919. He
passed away in Watertown on 12 May 1958 at the age of 86.
At
this time, the unit’s armory was the old high school on E. Main St.
On 17
August 1917, Co. E left Watertown and went to Camp
Douglas, Wisconsin.
On 31
August 1917, the strength of Company E is listed at 3 officers and 86 enlisted
men.
On 25
September 1917, Co. E was sent from Camp Douglas, Wisconsin
to Camp MacArthur, near Waco, Texas.
The
entire Wisconsin National Guard left the State and went to Camp MacArthur, near
Waco, Texas. Once there, the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guards were
consolidated to form the 32d “Red Arrow” Division. All of
the Wisconsin National Guard units were reorganized and renamed to conform to
the organization of Army Divisions at that time. The 5TH Wisconsin Infantry was
no exception, it was broken up and parts of it assigned to the 57TH Depot
Brigade. The 57TH Depot Brigade was only a temporary unit. Personnel assigned
to the 57TH Depot Brigade were used to organize new units that were needed for
the Division but were not in existence. Once all of
its personnel were assigned to other units, the 57TH Depot Brigade ceased to
exist. Many of the soldiers from Watertown were assigned to the 120TH or 121ST
Machine Gun Battalions of the 32d “Red Arrow” Division.
Once
training was completed at Camp MacArthur, the 32d “Red Arrow” Division was
shipped to France to fight in World War I.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The unit in Watertown
was Company E of the 5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. On 17 August 1917, Co. E
left Watertown and went to Camp Douglas, WI.
On 25 Sept 1917 the company was transferred to Waco, TX and became
Company C, 120th Machine Gun Battalion and then for the duration of the war was
knows as Company D. On 4 February the
company left for Camp Merritt, N J with deployment to Brest France on 4 March, 1918.
Armistice Day is commemorated every year on November 11 to mark the
armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany, for the
cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect
at eleven o'clock in the morning — the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day
of the eleventh month" of 1918.
__________________________________________________________________________________
1905
07 26 OCONOMOWOC
CAPTAIN IN TROUBLE
Chief of Police Block went to Camp Douglas the
first of the week to arrest a man by the name of Saeger
who was wanted on a charge preferred by a woman living in Ixonia. Saeger is a member of the Oconomowoc company then in camp
and the captain of the company refused to give him up without an order from the
Adjutant-General of the state. The order was obtained, but the man had fled and the chief returned without his prisoner. It looks
to the writer as if the captain had made a lot of trouble for himself. WR
09 03 WATERTOWN
HAS NO MILITIA COMPANY
It is
surprising that in a city the size of Watertown, there is no militia
company. There are any number of places
with not half of its population that have companies in the National Guard.
There is an abundance material here for a good company, which would be a great
advertisement for the city in a trusting attention toward it, for it shows
enterprise in public spirit upon the part if the members and the citizens in
general.
At the
present time, the infantry branch of the state's militia consists of forty-four
companies, and that number is already organized and assigned, but from time to
time companies for various reasons disband, leaving vacancies in the regiment
to be filled, and it is quite probable that, should a company be organized
here, it would not be very long before it would receive regimental assignment.
There
are several gentlemen in the city who have been members of militia companies
and have had experience, and should they take the initial steps looking to the
organization of a company, a sufficient number of young men would respond to
make the efforts a success. WDT
1908
U.S. CAVALRY
ENCAMPMENT ON GROUNDS OF NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE
1917
07 16 MEMBERS
PHOTOGRAPHED
08 18 CO.
E. DRILLING EVERYDAY NOW IN ARMORY
Non-Commissioned Officers Will Be
Appointed After Men Have Had a Try at the Various Positions
There
are 76 men enlisted in the Company E, W.N.G., here and one commissioned
officer, Capt. A. F. Solliday.
In all
probability James T. Hale of Fort Sheridan will be stationed at Watertown with
Company E, as first lieutenant. Alfred
Krueger has been appointed acting first sergeant and is assisting in the work
of instructions. Private Ed J. Dunn has
been placed in charge of the armory and the men who are quartered there. There will be about ten non-commissioned
officers to be appointed, four sergeants and six corporals.
It is
planned to give all the young men a chance in the different positions before
any one is appointed. Furloughs are not
granted the men for longer than ten days, and Company E will probably leave
before twelve days.
Tentage
and equipment is pouring into Camp Douglas and as the local company is to be
one of the first to receive its equipment, it will in all
likelihood be called before any of the other newly formed companies.
Intensive
drill has been started, the roll being called at 8:20 o’clock in the morning
and three hours of drill follows. The
roll is again called, following the noon hour, at 1:30 o’clock and the company
is drilled until 4:30 o’clock.
The
men from out of town who are quartered in the armory, march to dinner at the
Buena Vista House as they are under orders.
The Watertown Republican, 18 Jul 1917
08 22 WATERTOWN'S
CO. E MARCHED OFF TO BATTLE IN WORLD WAR I
In Watertown's
century and a half of existence our men and women have answered the country's
calls, but the day Company E left here marked the largest single local effort
ever made to fight in one of the country's wars.
Of the
original Company E, four members lost their lives in the war. They were Sergeant Frank L. Pitterle, after whom the local
American Legion Post is co-named, Benjamin Potter, Fred Bergman and Luke B.
Dunnigan.
Old
records show the day when the men left for the war was a pretty
somber one. Hours before the men
were to leave for war, the crowds were lining up at the armory. That's
the building which later became the city's recreation center, and later the
site of The Heritage Inn. From there the
entourage went to the depot.
It
must have been a moving day. Here's what
our paper had to say about it:
"Shortly
before
"The
Misses Margaret Abele, Catherine Blair, Ruth Cruger
and Helen Schultz carried an American flag through the streets, forming a
pocket of it, each girl carrying a corner and soliciting donations for the mess
fund of Company E so that the boys might have little items added to their daily
fare. The sum of $200 was collected by
the girls and was wrapped up by them and given to the treasurer of the
company."
The
company was organized shortly after the United States entered the war and left
Watertown
The
company left Texas on
The
first experience of war for the Watertown men came when they were traveling on
the ship. The Atlantic was then infested
with German submarines and many death-defying experiences were encountered.
The
company landed at Brest on March 4, leaving for Vousolersl
on March 9 and then the Alsace front at Ettuefont and
on May 18 the unit was ordered to the front.
Until
May 29 the company remained at the front and was then sent into the reserves at
La Chappelle.
Later
the company returned to the front and remained there until July 20. From there the company was transferred by
train to Chateau Thiery, arriving on July 29 where it
encountered its first major battle.
Until Aug. 10 the company remained on duty there and was then sent to
Joinville and then to Juvigny. Later the
men saw action in the famous Argonne Forest, serving from Sept. 20 to Nov. 11
when the armistice was signed and hostilities ceased.
The unit had some occupation duties in
the ensuing months, but it was on
The
roster of Company E on the date of departure contained many familiar family
names. The list follows:
A. F. Soliday,
captain; J. T. Hale, Jr., first lieutenant; L. W. Murphy, second lieutenant;
Alfred Krueger, first sergeant; E. J. Dunn, quartermaster sergeant; Frank L. Pitterle,
company clerk.
Sergeants
- Allen Biefeld, Fred
Hollenbeck, Elmer Kehr, William Kubow, James Monroe, Samuel Kontos.
Corporals
- Edwin Kaercher, Walter Kuester, Edward McCall, Seth Perry,
Benjamin Potter, George Semrich, Fred Ullrich, Lester
Williams, Benjamin Winkleman.
Musician
- Walter Simon.
Privates
- Alvin Beerbohm, Percy Behlke, Ray Behlke, Fred Bergmann, Raymond Bock, Francis McCall, Ralph Dittman, George Draeger, Luke Dunigan,
Clarence Eickstaedt, Fred Erdmann, Herbert Euper, Walter Flint, Thomas Gavney,
Herman Gerth, A. C. Gillard, Anton Glun, Thomas Hady, William Hayes, James Hannes, Emil Hoefs, Frank lhde, Albert lhde, Delphus Jackson, Joseph Kioes, Arthur Koch, William Kortegast,
Hilmer Krueger, Alfred Kuehnemann,
Michael Kunitz, George Lambras.
Roy
Lane, Arthur Lietzke, August Luebke,
Frank Luebke, Edward Luebke,
Elmer Luther, Edwin Mantz, Victor Marks, George
McCall, Francis McCall, Lawrence Meitner, Bernhardt Neitzel,
Alphonsus Noon, Henry Novotny, Jay Perry, Gustav Rennhack,
H. E. Rennhack, George Ryan, George Schilling, Edwin
Schlueter, Arthur Schmeling, Fred Schultz, Gustav Sendlebach,
Irving Somner, Joseph Stacy, Alex Stoebe,
Albert Tews, Herbert Tolksdorf, Fred Vergenz, Clinton Vesper, Ernest Wilde, Edwin Wilde,
Alexander Woelffer, Harold Zickert,
Oscar Zillisch.
WDT
1917
07 14 TABLEAU / “Doing Their
Bit”
In
the windows of the Gamm Corner Drug Store on July 14th, 1917.
Girls’
Auxiliary of the Watertown Red Cross Chapter.
Articles sold by the Auxiliary for the Benefit of the Chapter. These girls are
doing real work every Tuesday and Friday, sewing and folding articles for the
use of the wounded soldiers in the world’s greatest war.
Lucille Meyers, Ruth Mansfield, Josephine Sproesser, Jane Carroll, Rachael Heisemann,
Rosella Boyle, Ruth Dieter, Adelia Siegler, Erna Krueger, Margaret Pingle, Margaret Lange, Mary Conway, Josephine Bolger,
Harriet Blakely, Gertrude Link, Crystal Atkinson, Doris Etscheid,
Lois Werner, Mary J, Solon, Hazel Schoolcraft, Margaret Mutchler. Wounded Soldier—Henry Mulberger Jr.
-- -- PORTION OF ABOVE TABLEAU
GEE !
I wish I were a
MAN
I'd join
Co. E,
Watertown Guards
08 17 MASCOT FOR CO. E.
Gosling sent to members
as parting gift
The members of Co. E left for Camp Douglas today. They have one mascot in the shape of a little
fox terrier.
Saturday morning
they will receive another. Whether it
will be received as heartily as the dog is a question.
From all indications it will
be royally welcomed, for in Camp Douglas at the present time are mascots of all
descriptions, from a goat to a gold fish.
The Gosling is a Watertown
product for which this city is famous.
It is the gift of the Watertown Poultry and Pet Stock Association. The Watertown News, August 17, 1917
09 01 COMPANY
E’S GOSLING
Mascots
come and mascots go, and where there are envious attempts on the part of rival
companies to boost their mascots as the real for-sure-enough wonder of the
camp, such attempts are short lived, for Company E’s gosling
is the real attraction in the mascot line at Camp Douglas.
It was
a happy thought on the part of the Watertown Poultry and Pet Stock Association
to send us this bird, which will go to Waco with the company, and with his “expert”
military knowledge, he will no doubt be an attraction of equal importance
there. Watertown REVEILL-“E,” publication of
Watertown’s Company E, Fifth Wisconsin Infantry, September 1, 1917
1918
10 21 JEFFERSON
COUNTY BOYS LEAVING FOR CAMP SHELBY
10 21 1918
Jefferson County recruits, leaving for Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg,
Mississippi
1923
--- BRIDGE DEDICATED TO SOLDIERS OF WWI
Watertown’s Memorial Bridge, dedicated to the
soldiers of WWI, opened in 1923 with impressive ceremonies in which noted
leaders took part. The new concrete bridge, “which is considered one of the
most beautiful structures of the kind in this part of Wisconsin,” was
ornamented with large pillars topped off with twenty-four large electric
globes, the light of which can be seen from a great distance. A feature of the
bridge’s opening was the presence of Marshall
J. Woodard, pioneer resident of this city, who was 93 years old at the time
and became the first man to drive across the new bridge. He was one of the
oldest and best known residents of this city and was
one of the early-day bankers in this city.
1945
08 18 LAST
MAN'S CLUB REUNION
A Last
Man's Club was formed out of the membership of Company E. A special bottle of wine was purchased at the
first reunion of the group, and each succeeding year it was brought to the
reunion and set in the center of the table and then put back in a vault until
the following year. When the membership
was down to one member, it was to have been opened and the last survivor was to
give a toast to his dead comrades.
The
annual dinner meeting of the Last Man’s Club of Co. E, Watertown’s military
unit in World War I, will be held tonight at Otto’s Inn. The dinner will be served at 6:30 o’clock and
the meeting will follow.
Present
tonight also will be the special bottle of wine which was set aside at the time
the club was launched. The plan is that
when all but the last surviving member of the group
have passed on, the survivor is to meet in session and after his dinner open
the bottle and drink the wine. Each year
the bottle is shown and then it is put away until the following year's dinner.
Present
officers of the club are: Allen Biefeld, president;
Arthur Schmeling, vice president; Arthur W. Lietzke,
secretary-treasurer.
Mr. Lietzke said this morning that up to that time he had
already received 37 reservations for tonight’s dinner. He said more were expected. Among the men who will be here will be
members from New York, Ohio, and other states. Wisconsin
cities, too will be well represented.
1956
08 16 LAST
MAN'S CLUB REUNION
The
Last Man's Club of Co. E., Watertown, made up of veterans who served with the company
in World War I, held its annual reunion and dinner Saturday night at the Green
Bowl. A place of honor was accorded the
bottle of wine. Elected president was F.
B. Hollenbeck, Percy Behlke, Milwaukee, and Herman Gerth, this city, were elected vice presidents. Seth Perry was named
secretary-treasurer. Allen Biefeld was
named chaplain.
1967
08 16 LAST
MAN'S CLUB REUNION AND DINNER
The
Legion Green Bowl Saturday night provided the setting for the annual dinner and
reunion of the Watertown Co. E Last Man’s Club.
Company E was Watertown’s own military unit that went into World War I,
leaving here just 50 years ago last Thursday.
Members present were Arthur Schmeling, Joseph Westermann, Seth Perry,
Thomas Hady, Arthur W. Lietzke, William Kortegast, Otto C. Andel, Bill
Hayes, Herbert Manske, Clarence Eickstaedt,
Herbert Tolksdorf, Frank W. Luebke,
Herman Gerth, Victor H. Marks, Alex Woelffer, Ray Bock, Ferd Schultz,
Allen Biefeld, Walter M. Kuester, Percy Behlke,
Alphonse Kuehnemann, Otto Toebe,
Elmer Kehr, Harvey Emmer, Roy Behlke,
Joseph Kloes and James Monroe.
1968
08 10 LAST
MAN'S CLUB 51st ANNUAL REUNION
The
Last Man’s Club of Watertown Company E, a World War I contingent, will hold its
51st annual reunion at the Legion Green Bowl here Saturday night, with a dinner
beginning at 7 o’clock. A bottle of champagne, which is kept in the vault of
the Wisconsin National Bank, will be brought out and placed in the center of
the table. The stipulation, at the time the club was organized, was that the
wine was to be drunk as a toast by the last remaining member of the club. After
tomorrow night’s dinner the bottle will be placed in the vault until the 1969
reunion. Of the original club members, 47 are known to be deceased, another
five have never been contacted for lack of address and 37 are still active. It
is expected that some 25 will return for tomorrow night’s reunion.
1982
08 18 LAST
MAN’S CLUB TO OPEN WINE
The Company E Last Man’s Club will open
no wine before it’s time.
And after 42 years, the last few
members have decided it’s time.
Today at 5 p.m., the three surviving
Watertown members will meet at Lindberg’s by the River to drink toast to the 83
members of Company E who have gone before them.
Company E fought in Europe in World War
I. The company started out as a
Wisconsin National Guard unit that trained at Riverside Park before becoming
part of the U.S. Army at the start of the war, said Arthur Lietzke,
the club’s president, secretary and treasurer.
The Last Man’s club was formed in 1938
when Lietzke and others read stories about similar
clubs for Civil War veterans. Carl Otto,
who ran Otto’s Inn at 100 Madison Street, gave them the wine two years later.
The label on the bottle reads, in red
capital letters:
“This bottle of wine is the property of
Company E Last Man’s Club of Watertown, Wisconsin and is to be kept safe and
intact until there shall remain three last survivors. They shall then drink a toast together to the
memories of all departed members and disband.”
Lietzke, Frank Luebke
and Tom Hady are the three surviving Watertown members. Two other members, Fritz Erdmann
and “Shorty” Kehr are living in other states.
Lietzke recalled some of the memories he has
of Company E, starting with basic training.
He said the Watertown unit, an infantry division, and a Milwaukee unit
were joined at Waco, Texas to form a machinegun battalion.
“That was a big change,” he said. “Up until that point, we had only handled
rifles.”
The company crossed the Atlantic Ocean
and landed at Brest, France in August 1917.
Company E went to Alsace-Lorraine to relieve a French unit, and then to
Chateau Tierry to stop a German advance.
“We shoved them back quite a ways,” Lietzke, 88, said with a beaming pride that has survived the
decades.
After that the troops were sent to
Verdun for what Lietzke calls “the big push.”
“That’s where I got nailed,” he
said. “I was carrying a message from
battalion headquarters to the trenches and the damn
Germans were dropping shells with mustard gas inside. I was alone, and I jumped into a ditch but
got hit in the leg. That mustard gas
eats at your flesh like you were festering.”
He convalesced at a French hospital
until the Army occupation of Germany after the armistice, while Company E went
on to fight at Soissons and Meuse Argonne.
“I was lucky after the war. The captain asked for a volunteer who could
speak, read and write German, and I was the only one
who could. I went with the brass when
they called on the mayors of Germany to interpret for them. I had some fun, eating and sleeping at the
best hotels,” he mused.
The men who survived both the war and
the 63 years since its end decided to open the bottle today because it is
increasingly difficult for them to get around.
It will be a sentimental moment when the cork pops off, but it may end
up to be bittersweet.
“I think the wine’s turned to vinegar,”
Lietzke said.
PICTURE CAPTION:
Arthur Lietzke,
president of the Company E Last Man’s Club, has been guarding the commemorative
bottle of wine for 42 years. The bottle
will be opened today at 5 p.m.
WDTimes
Portfolio of pics, Company E of Watertown
Cross-References:
Pitterle-Beaudoin
American Legion Post
Neutrality in WWI: Mass
Meeting at Turner Hall
WISCONSIN
IN THE WORLD WAR
(an online ebook)
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin