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Show Victory Parade of A. E. F. 'Corps d' Elite' in Paris Twenty Years Ago Recalls Grand Review Of the 'Boys in Blue' in Washington in 1865 , t, 1 ; . i r ' , ."T'.;- v '-s- j ? ' ' . 1 - , ' v 1 i ' - " I 4 J yU ' ! ft i , if fcj , ' : V , 1 - ;, 'v. ,v :, ; t1? - ! vVl ' 5' i 41 l5 f t Xv V 1 a ar THE "BIG PARADE" OF 1919 The A. E. F. Composite Kegiment just before passing through the Arc de Triomphe, Place de l'Etoile, in Paris. (U. S. Army Signal Corps Photograph) 1, : v ,(, rVA :ffi -.!J THE "BIG PARADE" OF 1865 Union troops marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. Washing-ton. (From the painting by James E. Taylor) By ELMO SCOTT WATSON (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) MOST Americans are familiar with the story of the "Grand Review" of the Union army which took place in Washington Washing-ton soon after the Civil war ended. But it is doubtful if many of them recall a similar sim-ilar "Victory Parade" which followed a more recent conflict con-flict even though it occurred only 20 years ago this month. One reason, of course, is that it was staged 3,000 miles away, in the capital of a foreign for-eign land. Therefore it was witnessed by only a few Americans, whereas 64 years earlier more than 100,000 of them had crowded the streets of the capital of their own country to cheer their victorious vic-torious warriors. The "Big Parade" of 1865, held in Washington on May 23 and 24, was the march of 179,000 veterans vet-erans of the Army of the Potomac and 65,000 of the Army of the West, representatives of the total of nearly 3,000,000 men who had been called into service to save the nation from disunion. The "Big Parade" of 1919, held in Paris on July 14 France's national na-tional holiday of Bastille day was a march of only 3,200 American Amer-ican soldiers but they symbolized symbo-lized the armed might of more than 4,000,000 men whom Uncle Sam had mobilized to serve in the greatest war the world has ever known. And they were all picked men, these 3,200, for it was a composite regiment which was the "Corps d' Elite" of, the A. E. F. The story of that regiment, regi-ment, unique in American military mili-tary history, was told in a recent issue of the U. S. Army Recruiting Recruit-ing News as follows: On April 21, 1919, Maj. Gen. Joseph Jo-seph 'T. Dickman. then commanding command-ing the Third Army at Coblenz, Germany, issued the following instructions: in-structions: "The Commander-in-Chief wiU send to England about May 24 from A.ilwerp, a Composite Regiment of Infantry consisting of 12 companies organized from the Third Army. "This Regiment must consist of the best officers, noncommissioned officers and men of the Third Army. It will give exhibitions in England and possibly later in other countries. "You will immediately organize in your Division two composite companies com-panies of Infantry . . . selecting the largest, most snappy and best looking officers and men for these two companies . . ." On May 10 the composite companies com-panies assembled at the Carnival grounds in Coblenz. The Third Army Composite Regiment was formally for-mally organized on May 18, 1919, the composite companies of the several sev-eral Divisions being given regimental regiment-al designations as follows: Composite Co. from: Designated: 1st Brigade, 1st Div. Co. "A" 2nd Brigade, 1st Div. Co. "B" 5th Brigade, 3rd Div. Co. "C" 6th Brigade, 3rd Div. Co. "D" 4th Brigade, 2nd Div. Co. "E" 3rd Brigade, 2nd Div. Co. "F" 9th Brigade, 5th Div. Co. "G" 10th Brigade, 5th Div. Co. "H" 7th Brigade, 4th Div. Co. "I" 8th Brigade, 4th Div. Co. "K" 11th Brigade, 6th Div. Co. "L" 12th Brigade, 6th Div. Co. "M" Col. Conrad S. Babcock assumed command of the Composite Regiment Regi-ment on May 19, and the regiment began drilling and performed the usual camp duties at the Carnival grounds until June 15, when it entrained en-trained for Joinville-le-Pont on the outskirts of Paris. Reviewed by Pershing. On the afternoon of June 22 the third batallion tendered a reception to Gen. John J. Pershing at the Pershing stadium, following which the regiment was reviewed and inspected in-spected by the president of France and General Pershing. On July 4. at 6:30 a. m., the regiment regi-ment embussed for Paris to parade in that city, forming in the historic Place de la Concorde and passing in review before the president of France and General Pershing. On July 14 a provisional battalion embussed at four a. m. for Paris, forming on Boulevard Ueuilly. The American column moved forward over the parade route, passing under un-der the famous Arc de Triomphe and paying honors to the monument of the war dead in the Place de l'Etoile and to the president of France at the head of the Boulevard Boule-vard Champs' Elysees. The Composite regiment left Le Havre on July 16 and arrived at Southampton, England, that evening. eve-ning. On the afternoon of July 17 it arrived in London. Inspected by Prince of Wales. The next morning the regiment formed in Hyde park and participated participat-ed in a medal presentation ceremony, cere-mony, afterwards being inspected and reviewed by the prince of Wales and General Pershing. Again the next morning the picked body of American soldiery formed in Hyde park for a parade past the saluting point at the Queen Victoria monument, the salute being be-ing received there by King George V in the reviewing stand. On July 23 the Composite regiment entrained for Southampton, and sailed at six p. m., for Le Havre, arriving at the French port the following fol-lowing morning. Disembarking immediately im-mediately upon arrival at Le Havre, the regiment entrained for its en-encampment en-encampment at Joinville-le-Pont. On July 31, the regiment was reviewed re-viewed by General Pershing, the last such review by the Commander-in-Chief, A. E. F., of the Composite Orders having been received for the regiment to move to Brest and prepare to sail for the United States, the command left Joinville-le-Pont on August 4 and detrained at Brest two days later. Until August Au-gust 29 it engaged in drills and camp duties at Brest, embarking on the transport "Leviathan" on the twenty-ninth and sailing for the United States the next day. Return to America. The big steamship docked at Ho-boken, Ho-boken, N. J., on September 8, and the Composite regiment went into camp at Camp Mills on Long Island, Is-land, N. Y. On September 10 the regiment paraded on Fifth avenue, ave-nue, New York city, as escort troops of honor to the general of the armies, John J. Pershing. Five days later it left Camp Mills and moved by rail to Washington, D. C, in which city it paraded with the "Fighting First" Division, A. E. F., on September 17. During the remainder re-mainder of the month it was stationed sta-tioned at Camp Meade, Maryland, and was processed for demobilization, demobiliza-tion, which was completed on September Sep-tember 30, 1919. The "Grand Review" of May 23-24, 1865, was the idea cf Edwin M. Stanton, secretary of war in President Lincoln's and President Johnson's cabinet. To celebrate the end of the war and to give the people an opportunity to look upon the men who had saved the nation, he suggested that the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the West, then camped near Washington, be formally reviewed re-viewed in the capital before being be-ing discharged from service and returned to their homes. Accordingly, Ac-cordingly, Gen. U. S. Grant, commander-in-chief, issued an order for the review. Public and private buildings in Washington were decorated for the occasion. Floating flags and draped bunting were everywhere and at prominent places along the line of march were erected triumphal arches covered with floral embellishments. In front of the White House four reviewing review-ing stands were built, decorated with regimental battle flags and flowers. The school children of the city, the girls dressed in white and the boys in black jackets jack-ets and white trousers, were assembled as-sembled on the terraces and balconies of the Capitol to sing patriotic songs as the soldiers passed. Shortly before nine o'clock on the morning of May 23 a thrill of expectancy ran through the crowd as the magic word, "Here theycome!" passed down the line. The blare of a trumpet, the roll of drums and down the avenue ave-nue came a little group of horsemen. horse-men. At their head rode a bearded beard-ed officer, on his shoulder-straps two silver stars. It was Maj. Gen. George Meade, the victor of Gettysburg, who was leading the Army of the Potomac. Behind Be-hind him clattered his mounted escort and then in solid rank on rank the men who had fought with Grant at Spottsylvania, at Cold Harbor, in the Wilderness, and at Petersburg, and the men ho had divided their rations with the men in gray at Appomattox. Appomat-tox. Their uniforms were soiled and faded, for there had been no brushing up for this occasion, j They marched in the garb in which they had fought. General Meade lifted his sword in salute as he rode past the main reviewing stand in front of the White House. In it sat President Pres-ident Johnson and members of his cabinet. Grouped around them, in brilliant uniform, were '',; j GEN. U. S. GRANT the diplomats and envoys of foreign for-eign countries. On the , President's Presi-dent's left sat a stubby, bearded little man who had led this host to victory Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Back of them stood distinguished officers of the army and navy Halleck, Meigs, Hancock Han-cock "the Superb" and Burnside "the Splendid but Unfortunate." Shortly before three o'clock that afternoon the first day of the parade had ended. It had taken the veterans of the war in the East more than six hours to pass the reviewing stand. On the mor row their brother veterans from the West would have their chance for the plaudits of the crowd. "Before daylight the fire companies com-panies of the city were out watering water-ing the streets for the splendid military display of General Sherman's Sher-man's army" reads a contemporary contempo-rary newspaper account of the second day of the review. "At nine o'clock General Sherman, heading the column, marched down Pennsylvania avenue amid the din of huzzas and congratulations congratu-lations and a hailstorm of bouquets bou-quets and wreaths." But if this review represented all the pomp and circumstance of war, there was a reflection of its horror and cruelty, too, in the march of Sherman's men. For along with them marched thousands thou-sands of freed slaves, sheep, goats, pigs, cows and horses, which "Sherman's Bummers" had picked up along the way. In their ambulances and pack trains were game cocks, poultry, poul-try, calves, jewelry and a miscellaneous mis-cellaneous collection of other articles, ar-ticles, brought with them back from their campaign of devastation devasta-tion through the South. Perhaps the cheering crowds, looking upon these men in blue as the saviors of the nation, gave but little thought to the true meaning of that strange spectacle, nor realized re-alized the agony of defeat, oi hunger, and of poverty for years to come for the people of their own blood which this part of the triumphal march represented. |
