Indiana World War Records
GOLD STAR HONOR ROLL
A Record of Indiana Men and Women who
died in the service of the United States and the Allied Nations in the
World War 1914 — 1918
PUBLISHED BY THE
INDIANA HISTORICAL
COMMISSION INDIANAPOLIS 1921
When the Indiana Historical
Commission decided early in 1919 to issue a series of publications
recounting the history of our State's part in the World War, it was
agreed that the first volume should be dedicated to the Gold Star men
and women of Indiana. Believing that first honor should be paid to
those heroes who had laid down their lives for their country's honor,
it was decided to give special attention to their records, and to
prepare a volume worthy of their sacrifices.
A careful check was made from the
daily casualty lists published in the United States Official Bulletin,
beginning with the first name printed, that of James B. Gresham — who
was not only the first man from Indiana, but the first of the Americans
to fall in battle after the United States entered the war, on
through the entire list. The checking of names was continued until the
publication of the Official Bulletin was suspended.
The name and address of every man and
woman reported from Indiana as having been killed in action, died from
wounds, died of disease, or from other causes, was copied and
classified according to the county in which they had lived. In addition
to this, a careful check was made of the casualty lists published in
the Indianapolis newspapers, covering the entire period of the war, and
running on down until the close of the year 1920, with the view of
obtaining the name of every Indiana soldier, sailor, marine, and nurse,
who had died while serving with the fighting forces of the United
States and the allies during the World War. Also, an examination was
made of the casualty lists sent out by the Adjutant General in
Washington to the state Adjutant General of Indiana in the July, 1920,
with the view of including any additional names that had been omitted
from the files of the Official Bulletin or from the lists published in
the newspapers.
The names prepared from all these
different sources were then classified according to counties, and the
lists were in turn sent to the local county committees to be verified.
A special questionnaire was printed and also sent to the committees to
be filled out for each name. When the records were completed they were
returned to the office of the Historical Commission, and from these the
biographical sketches were prepared for the volume.
None except those directly connected
with the details of the work in assembling these thousands of records
can ever realize the immense amount of labor involved in preparing a
memorial volume of this kind. An effort has been made to obtain the
following information for every record included in this volume: Names
of the parents, date and place of deceased's birth, his occupation, the
date and place where he entered service, camps where trained, a brief
statement of his service record, the date and place of his death, and
the place of burial.
Special efforts have also been made
to obtain a photograph in every case. This part of the work has been
unbelievably successful. Photographs of every imaginable description
have been received. In numerous cases the parents have entrusted to us
the last and only photograph in their possession, showing their
eagerness to cooperate in this memorable work. Had this phase of the
work been delayed for even the short period of two or three years
it is doubtful if fifty per cent of the photographs could have been
obtained. It is indeed a great satisfaction to us to be able to report
that in the handling of the thousands of pictures, not one has been
lost.
The chief regret in assembling a
memorial volume of this kind is the physical limitation that prevents
giving greater space to the individual records of these heroes. If it
were possible, an entire page or more should be given to each record.
Copies of letters written by the chaplain, nurses, and comrades, who
were present during the last moments lived by these men and women have
been gathered and filed with most of the records, but unfortunately
they can not be printed in the limited space alloted in the volume.
Under the plan adopted, that of placing five records to the page,
together with their photographs, it has made a volume of considerably
more than six hundred pages. But to have condensed the sketches more
than has been done, or to have reduced still more the size of the
photographs, would have been entirely unwise, if not ungrateful.
In preparing a volume of this kind
where the records run into the thousands, it is too much to hope that
the work will be entirely free from errors. Especially is this true in
regard to the military and naval units
mentioned in certain cases.
Oftentimes utterly contradictory reports have been received regarding
the same individual's record. But in every case a sincere effort has
been made to determine the exact unit and branch of service in which he
was enrolled, and to give a brief sketch of his service record. If from
the brief sketches herewith produced the sons and daughters of later
generations learn something of the heroic services rendered by these
men and women, and of the sacrifices they made, then this volume will
have served the purpose for which it was published. Special mention
should be made here of the splendid work performed by the local
committees in the different counties in collecting the Gold Star
records. Too much credit can not be given to these loyal, earnest
workers, who so nobly assisted in this great cause. Without their
cooperation this volume would never have been a success. Earnestly and
patiently they labored, week after week, and month after month, going
about over the county, interviewing the parents and next of kin, in an
effort to secure the information asked for on the questionnaire, and to
obtain a photograph of these heroes. They gave their time and labor
freely in this sacred work, and many of them expended considerable sums
out of their own private income in order to gather the records from
their county and permanently preserve them. To these earnest and
untiring workers, the Indiana Historical Commission is forever
indebted.
To Lee Burns of Indianapolis, the
editor is especially indebted for his many valuable suggestions in
helping to select the cover design, paper, and binding used in
preparing this volume for publication. His advice and professional
services have always been at the disposal of the
Commission, and his council has been
of great help. State House, Indianapolis, John W. Oliver, Editor
February 26, 1921 Indiana Historical Commission.
Indiana's Gold Stars
Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends." How forcibly do these
immortal words, uttered by the Man of Galilee nearly two thousand years
ago, bring home to us the patriotism and love of country of the three
thousand three hundred and fifty-four sons and fifteen daughters of
Indiana who laid down their lives for their neighbors and friends, for
their country and civilization.
If we knew the exact circumstances
surrounding the final moments of each life, words could not paint the
story nor recount the depth of the sacrifice made by these heroes of
ours. We can only say that when the honor of the flag and the cause of
humanity was at stake they freely gave their lives.
Thousands upon hundreds of thousands
of Hoosiers in their daily vocations and in every civilian war
activity, in training camp, and on the battle field, were striving for
America in the great World War. Of this number, less than four thousand
were calIed upon to sacrifice their lives. It is by way of tribute to
these that this book has been created.
We will look upon it as a memorial to
Indiana's dead in the World War, and such it is; but a more lasting
memorial has been erected in the hearts of their neighbors and their
friends, a memorial that will endure long after this book shall have
perished, and will be handed down from generation to generation so long
as Hoosier hearts beat true to the music of our American ideals. As we
turn the pages of Indiana's Gold Star Book we will catch something of
the inspiration which led these boys and girls on, something of the
heroism that steeled their nerves in the hour of trial. If we can feel
this, if we can understand how great the sacrifice by the families and
friends of these fallen ones, we will be better Americans than we have
been before, and will not ourselves, nor permit others, if in our power
to prevent, to lay careless or unfriendly hands upon the institutions
of our country.
I wish I were able to say that which
is in my heart in tribute to these fallen heroes of ours, that I might
in some way lighten the burden of those who mourn their loss. They were
sons and daughters worthy of the men and women of Indiana of other
days.
By their sacrifice they have shown to
the world that American manhood and womanhood is just as brave as in
the early days of the Republic. They died for us and for our country.
Let each one of us so live and so serve the state and nation as to
preserve and make better the institutions for which they gave the last
full measure of devotion.
Indianapolis, December 2. 1920.
Executive Office.
JAMES BETHEL GRESHAM, Corporal,
Sixteenth Infantry
The first American to give his life
on the battlefields of France after the armed forces of the United
States began military operations against Germany was a Hoosier lad,
James Bethel Gresham, of Evansville, Indiana. The impressive ceremonies
held at the time of his funeral, and that of the two comrades who fell
during the same raid that caused Corporal Gresham's death, are
particularly appropriate to Indiana's Gold Star Volume. General
Bordeaux, the French commander of the sector in which the raid
occurred, near Bathelemont, accompanied by his full staff, infantry,
artillery, and engineer chiefs, and a representative of the French
Corps commander, had charge of the ceremonies. As the bodies of these
first heroes were lowered in the graves, a company of United States Infantry fired three
volleys, and the trumpeter sounded taps. General Bordeaux delivered the
following address: "In the name of the Eighteenth Division, in
the name of the French Army, and in the name of France, I bid farewell
to Corporal Gresham, Private Enright, and Private Hay, of the Sixteenth
Infantry, American Army. "
Of their own free will they had left
their happy and prosperous country to come over here. They knew that
the war continued in Europe; they knew that the forces fighting for
honor, love, justice, civilization, were still checked by the
long-prepared forces which are serving the powers of brutal domination,
oppression, barbarity. They knew that an effort was still necessary. "
They ignored nothing of the
circumstances. Nothing had been concealed from them neither the length
nor hardships of this war, nor the violence of the battle, nor the
dreadfulness of the new weapons, nor in the perfidy of the foe. Nothing stopped
them. They had the perfidy of the foe. Nothing stopped them. They had
accepted to lead a hard and strenuous life; they had crossed the ocean
despite great peril; they had
taken their place on the front by our side; they have fallen facing the
foe in a hard and desperate hand-to-hand fight. Honor to them! Their
families, their friends, and their fellow-citizens will be proud when
they learn of their death. "
Men: These graves, the first to be
dug in our national soil, at but a short distance from the enemy, are
as a mark of the mighty hand of our allies, firmly clinging to the
common task, confirming the will of the people and Army of the United
States to fight with us to a finish ; ready to sacrifice as long as it
will be necessary, until final victory for the noblest of causes
that of liberty of nations, the weak as well as the mighty. "
Thus the death of this humble
corporal and of these two private soldiers appears to us with
extraordinary grandeur. We will therefore ask that the mortal remains
of these young men be left here — be left to us forever. We will
inscribe on their tombs: 'Here lie the first soldiers of the United
States Republic to fall on the soil of France for Justice and Liberty.
The passer by will stop and uncover his head.
The travelers of France, of the
allied countries, of America, the men of heart who will come to visit
our battle-field of Lorraine, will go out of their way to come
here, to bring to these graves the tribute of their respect and
of their gratefulness. "Corporal Gresham, Private Enright, Private Hay:
In the name of France, I thank you. God receive your souls. Farewell!"
CHARLES GRIMES BOWMAN, Commodore, U.
S. N.
Highest ranking Naval Officer from
Indiana, who died while in service during the World War. Charles Grimes Bowman; son of John Milton
and Elizabeth Barnett Bowman;
born October 15, 1848, Delphi, Ind. Graduated from U.S. Naval Academy in the class of 1869.
Married Josephine McFarlane of
Delphi, February 24, 1876. Served successively on the Sabine, Richmond, Constellation, Yantic, and
Hartford, from 1869-1876. Naval Academy, 1876-9; on the Adams, 1879-82;
Naval Observatory, 1882-6; on
the Atlanta and the Boston, 1886-9; Naval Academy, 1889-93; Executive officer Marblehead, 1894-7; Equipment
officer Mare Island, 1897- 1900;
Commander of Castine, 1900-1; Don Juan de Austria, 1901-2; Inspector of 6th light house district,
1902-3; Navy Yard, League Island, Penn., 1903-4; Equipment officer Navy
Yard, New York, 1904-5; Captain
of Navy Yard, Pensacola, Fla., 1905-6; Commander of the Rhode Island, 1906-7. Retired at own
request, as Commodore, June 30,
1907.
Following the declaration of war by
the United States against Germany, April 6, 1917, he again offered his
services. Accepted; stationed in
Milwaukee, Wis., as Inspector. Died of acute bronchitis October 5, 1918, Milwaukee. Buried in Masonic
Cemetery, Delphi, Ind. Survived by widow, Josephine McFarlane Bowman,
Delphi, Ind. C12) Albert Leas
Hall ; son of Albert W. and Leonora Albert Leas Hall ; son of Albert W.
and Leonora Leas Hall ; born May 2, 1882, Peru, Indiana. Early education
received in the public schools of
Indianapolis. Entered the Civil Engineering School of Purdue University in 1901. Before graduating, he
passed a competitive examination for a commission in the U.S. Regular Army;
appointed Second Lieutenant
in the Infantry, April 11, 1905. Promoted to First Lieutenant, July 11, 1907. Graduated with honors from
the Mounted Service School,
Ft. Riley, Kan., and the School of Fire, Ft. Sill, Okla. Appointed Inspector and Instructor of
Artillery for Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, in 1913.
At the outbreak of the World War he
was stationed in the Philippine Islands. Ordered to return to U.S., and
appointed Director of Artillery
at Ft. Sill, Okla. When the Thirty-eighth Division was formed he was the choice of his state for
Brigadier General for Artillery, but barred because of his youth. Appointed
Commanding Officer at Camp Bowie,
Tex., and Colonel of the Fiftieth Regiment of Artillery. Died October 18, 1918, of influenza at Camp
Bowie, Tex. Buried in Crown Hill
Cemetery, Indianapolis, Ind. Survived by widow, Daisy De Graff Hall, and one son, Lewis Albert Hall.
