OCR Text |
Show liOlEOIllSlfl . ' . .. :J ::. .....'.....'.k:'-,--K-i.j Who Was the First Killed in Action? These men were killed m an effort of the Oermnns to ascertain the identity iden-tity of the American troops facing Uieir lines. They put down a box bar-rase bar-rase completely surrounding men of Company F of the Sixteenth infantry and captured a number of them, in addition to killing the soldiers named in the War department statement. The following extract from the inscription in-scription on the monument erected at Bathlemont, Lorraine, by the people of the department of Meurtlie-et-Mo-selle over the graves of the three American soldiers who first lost their lives in bailie was furnished by Maj. Gen. C. P. Summerall : "Here, in Lorraine earth, rest the three first American soldiers who were killed in view of the enemy on the 3rd of November, 1917. Corporal James B. Oresham (from Evansville), Private Thomas F. Enright (from Pittsburgh), Private Merle D. Hay (from Glidden), all of P company, Sixteenth Infantry regiment, First division. "As worthy sons of their great and noble nation, they have fought for Justice. Liberty and Civilization against (lie German imperialism, scourge of mankind. They died on the Field of Honor." Lorraine was enemy territory when this action too'- piace. T WASHINGTON. Who was the VV first soldier of the American army killed in action in the AVorld wai ? When President Harding participated par-ticipated in the ceremonies over the bodies of more than 5,000 American soldiers at Hoboken he placed a wreath on the coffin of Private Joseph W. Guyon, a member of the Thirty-second Thirty-second division, with the statement that he was the first American soldier "who perished on enemy territory" in the World war. The War department furnishes the available historical data on. the subject as follows: "The first American soldiers killed in battle (November 3, 1917), were Corp. James B. Gresham (from Evansville, Ev-ansville, Ind.), Private Thomas F. En-right En-right (from Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Private Pri-vate Jlerle D. Hay (from Glidden. Ia.), all of Company F, Sixteenth infantry, in-fantry, First division. |