An ongoing project-in-progress for a few years now has been the identification of area military personnel who died in service to our country, for the purpose of recording their stories and returning their sacrifice to people's consciousness. These can be found at Fallen Heroes.
Recently I came across a 1927 list of the area dead from the Great War (World War I) and noticed that after the last name (Clinton Bowen of Vivian), a second list began with names of other fallen soldiers - segregated even in death.
Shreveport Times 22-May-1927, Page 15
While all of the area's fallen heroes have largely been forgotten, save for this project, these names are special in that their sacrifice was for the most part ignored even in their own time. They will be added to the aforementioned greater list, but given their exclusion from past honors, will additionally be singled out for recognition here.
Note six of the seven lost their lives after the armistice was signed (11-Nov-1918). The cause of their individual deaths is not known, but could have been due to accident, disease, and even attack by fellow service members.
Note six of the seven lost their lives after the armistice was signed (11-Nov-1918). The cause of their individual deaths is not known, but could have been due to accident, disease, and even attack by fellow service members.
During WWI some black soldiers were given combat duties and frequently served gallantly, however most were relegated to supporting roles and the "dirty work" of war (as if all of it is not dirty work). At the same time, they often faced hostility from white commanding officers officers and soldiers in the field; and scorn from the citizens they had been defending once they returned home.
Below is the information found about these heroes, now remembered and their service honored. Note all were members of the U. S. Army. At the end summary details are provided about the units in which three of the men served.Anderson, Fred (1887-1919)
Rank: Wagoner
Home Town of Record: Gilliam, LA
Birthdate: 25-Mar-1887
Birthplace: Waskom Texas
Occupation: Farming for J. J. Lay (John J. Lay, planter and founder of Gilliam bank)
Marital Status: Single
Military Unit: 801st Pioneer Infantry Regiment
Date of Death: 15-Feb-1919
Burial: Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial
Notes: A wagoner was a non-commissioned rank and was someone who worked with wagons and teams of horses or mules to carry supplies. It would be the equivalent to a truck driver today.
WWI Draft Registration, 05-Jun-1917
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) Profile
Britton, Earl (1893-1918)
Rank: Private (Pvt)
Home Town of Record: Dixie, LA
Birthdate: 17-Dec-1893
Birthplace: Near Benton, Louisiana
Occupation: Farmer for ? North ?
Marital Status: Separated, with wife and child
Military Unit: 815th Pioneer Infantry, Company C
Date of Death: 22-Nov-1918
Burial:Originally buried in the American Cemetery - Cheppy-Sur-Meuse; transferred to U. S. and reinterred in St. Paul CME Church Cemetery
Notes: Application for military headstone notes "Died in the line of duty."
References:
WWI Draft Registration
Application for Military Headstone
Cook, Willie (1894- 1918)
Rank: Pvt
Home Town of Record: Hosston, LA
Birthdate: 15-Oct-1894
Birthplace: Belvieu (?), LA
Occupation: Farmer, for Eugene Broon
Marital Status: Single
Military Unit: Unknown
Date of Death: 19-Oct-1918
Burial: Unknown
Notes:
Dawson, Will (1892-1919)
Rank: Private First Class (PFC)
Home Town of Record: Dixie, LA
Birthdate: 12-Oct-1892
Birthplace: Foster, LA
Occupation: Farming, for S. S. Pittman (planter)
Military Unit: Unknown
Date of Death: 16-Jul-1919
Burial: Unknown
Notes: None
Johnson, Spencer, Jr. (1892-1918)
Rank: PFC
Home Town of Record: Caddo Parish, LA
Birthdate: 23-Sep-1892 in
Birthplace: Belcher, LA
Occupation: Farm labor at R. L. Nance & Co. (farm manager)
Marital Status: Married
Military Unit: 803rd Pioneer Infantry Division
Date of Death: 13-Dec-1918
Burial: Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial, Lorraine, France
Notes: Living in Ward 1, Caddo Parish with parents Spencer, Sr. and Caroline Johnson in 1900 and 1910 per census.
ABMC Profile
Sasser, Hill (1892-1919)
Rank: Pvt
Home Town of Record: Gilliam, LA
Birthdate: 02-Jun-1892
Birthplace: Smithland, TX
Occupation: Farming, for R. T. Douglas (farmer)
Marital Status: Single
Military Unit: Unknown
Date of Death: 31-Jan-1919
Burial: Unknown
Notes: Hill's parents were Jake and Mary Sasser. A 07-May-1931 Shreveport Times article (Page 13) lists names of war dead from Caddo Parish that were to be included on a bronze plaque enshrined in the Louisiana State University Memorial Tower. Since no other black soldiers are listed, this may have been by "accident," in that on some records his race is ambiguous.
References:
1900 U. S. Census, Marion County, Texas
WWI Draft Registration
Williams, Ernest (~1889-1919)
Rank: Pvt
Home Town of Record: Oil City, LA
Birthdate: ~1889
Birthplace: Unknown
Occupation: Laborer in oil section
Marital Status: Unknown, single as of 1910
Military Unit: Unknown
Date of Death: 25-Jan-1919
Burial: Unknown
Notes: Was a resident of Ward 2, Caddo Parish (southwest half) in 1910; listed in the census as a boarder with John and Docie Wright.
Pioneer Infantry
Pioneer Infantry refers to soldiers involved with engineering and construction activities. Black soldiers assigned to the Pioneer units during WWI typically provided manual labor for supporting services to the front lines, such as road and railroad work; laying barbed wire, and digging trenches. Many also stayed in Europe for months after the war ended, as they participated in the unenviable task of recovery and burial of the dead, with the bodies found often in a state of severe decomposition.
Summary information about the units in which Wag. Anderson (801st), Pvt Britton (815th), and PFC Johnson (803rd) served is disclosed below, with references provided for those interested in further study.
801st Pioneer Infantry (P. I.) - was organized in Jun-1918 at Camp Zachary Taylor, KY and went overseas in September to serve the First Army through the end of hostilities. The troops had been trained to use rifles, though never actually used them; but had not received any training for defense in case of a gas attack, an ever present danger. The 801st returned to the U. S. in Jun-1919.
References:
The U. S. Army In World War I: Orders of Battle, Ground Units 1917-1919, Richard A. Rinaldi, (2005), P. 103
The Unknown Soldiers: African-American Troops in World War I, Arthur E. Barbeau, Florette Henri (1996), P. 100
Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era, Chad L. Williams (2010), Page 102
803rd P. I. - was organized in Jul-1918 at Camp Grant, IL and was sent overseas in September. They served the U. S. Second Army through the end of he conflict. It is reported that the 803rd endured 22 consecutive days of artillery fire during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Battle of the Argonne Forest). They returned to the U. S. in Jul-1919.
Members of the 803rd Pioneer Infantry aboard the U.S.S. Philippines, 18-Jul-1919
References:
Rinaldi, P. 103
815th P. I. was organized Sep-1918 and deployed overseas the following month. in support of the First Army. Members of the 815th, along with those of the 813th, and 816th were sent to Romagne France where they were responsible for collecting bodies within a 50 kilometer radius and interring them in what would become Meuse-Argonne National Cemetery. The work was described as "gruesome, repulsive, and unhealthful." The 815th returned stateside in Jul-1919.
References:
Rinaldi. P. 105
Barbeau and Henri, P. 165
Williams, P. 189
