NY Guard Soldiers survived subs, crowded ships deploying to France in 1918 

By Eric Durr
New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, via the army.mil web site

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As April 1918 became May, the 27,000 Soldiers of the New York National Guard's 27th Division left Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina, and boarded trains and ships heading for France where World War I was raging.

The President Grant, the troopship which carried the Soldiers of the New York National Guard's 108th Infantry Regiment to France in World War I when the 27th Division shipped out for Europe in May, 1918. The 27th Division, which included all but two regiments of the New York National Guard, left New York in August and September 1917.

There had been a massive parade down Fifth Avenue when the division left, and then eight months of training began.

Led by Maj. Gen. John F. O' Ryan , the National Guard Soldiers built their own camp, dug practice trenches and lived in them, learned to shoot, and reorganized for war.

An influx of 2,300 "national army" draftees from Camp Upton on Long Island brought the division up to strength.

First to leave was the 107th Infantry Regiment, the old 7th Regiment of the New York National Guard. The 7th was famous as the "silk stocking regiment" filled with socially prominent members.

The regiment turned in old equipment and drew new gear, including swapping their 1903 Springfield rifles for the M1917, an American-made version of the British Lee-Enfield rifle.

The headquarters left Camp Wadsworth on April 28. The rest of the regiment left on April 29 for Newport News Virginia.

Read the entire article on the army.mil web site.

External Web Site Notice: This page contains information directly presented from an external source. The terms and conditions of this page may not be the same as those of this website. Click here to read the full disclaimer notice for external web sites. Thank you.