Caissons Go Rolling Along

Major General Johnson Hagood (1873–1948) was one of South Carolina's most distinguished army officers of the twentieth century. An artillerist and a scholar of military science, Hagood became a noted expert in logistics and served as the chief of staff of the Services of Supply in World War I Europe. Taken from Hagood's wartime journal, Caissons Go Rolling Along describes his artillery brigade's march into Germany in 1918, the wartime devastation, his impressions of the defeated enemy and occupied territories, and his tour of the recent battlefields in the company of the commanders who fought there. Written in a conversational style, the narrative focuses principally on Hagood's time in command of the Sixty-sixth Field Artillery Brigade following the armistice. The Sixty-sixth FAB was attached to the American Third Army, which later became the American occupation force in the Rhineland. Hagood recorded his impressions of the conditions in which he found his men at the end of the war and the events of a tour of the French, British, and American battlefields. More important, he set down a record of the devastation of the French countryside, the contrasting lack of suffering he found in Germany, the character of the Germans, and some predictions for the future. "I have left the text as it was when we held these people at the point of the bayonet," he wrote in his preface years later. "The opinions we formed at that time are important because they were the basis of our action. . . . The scourge of the Great War took a heavy toll . . . and we Americans might as well keep in mind what we were fighting for." Hagood captures defining aspects of the American character at the close of World War I. He described a boisterous, optimistic people, sure of their new place in the world. Rome provided Hagood with an analogy for the new American empire, which he took for granted in his postwar memoir. Completed during Hagood's lifetime but unpublished until now, Caissons Go Rolling Along is an engrossing portrait of war-torn Europe, a stark reminder of grim realities of the Great War, and a richly detailed look at the daunting task of occupying and rebuilding a defeated nation.

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The 6th Field Artillery Veterans Association was formed in the early 1970s. It consisted of veterans that served in the 6th Field Artillery Regiment from the WW1 through WW2 eras, and their wives. They established a board of directors and formed the Womens Auxiliary with its own cabinet. They ordained the Reverend John Cagney as their association Chaplain. The group held annual reunions whereby the members scattered across the country would meet for a few days and revel in the personal history that they shared. Most constructively, the association created a newsletter that was distributed quarterly entitled "The Centaur Flyer," after the centaur insignia of the Regiment. They appointed a WW2 veteran named John Peverill as writer, editor, publisher and distributor of this small quarterly. Not a wiser choice could have been made. Substantiated by the efforts of John Peverills newsletter, recruitment by the association grew strong and membership flourished. Veterans anxiously waited every three months to receive their fresh edition of The Centaur Flyer. The articles shed light on new or forgotten facts about the 6th and other aspects of the U.S. Army. Members read to find out details of future reunions and to see the names of recently located vets and newest members. Under the column heading Taps, they would learn of fallen brothers and those on "sick-call." The readers received their greatest thrills by perusing anecdotes and letters sent in by veterans who recounted their experiences in Regimental life. They conjured the haunting names of stubborn mounts, tough sergeants and eccentric colonels. They remembered the heroic sportsmanship from the post-WW1 days when strength and pay were low, but downtime abundant. They recalled bar fights, the guardhouse and the awe-inspiring glory of a mile-long succession of steel cannon, dusty-legged horses and weather-beaten troopers returning home after extended training expeditions. They recounted the many transitions they experienced, making rank and grade, moving from one fort to another, from Regiment to Battalion, and most emotionally, the passage from horse to motor. And then there was the Second World War that these soldiers fought in the South Pacific. These were days of troop trains and ship convoys, powdered egg meals and merciless mosquitoes, tropical heat and a fierce and hidden enemy. Wives recalled the struggles they endured on the home front, the lifeline to millions of troops fighting overseas. Mr. Peverill brought these days back to the veterans, gave them a sense of unity long forgotten and a vocal presence few senior citizens are able to enjoy. Of the many contributors to the newsletter, one was prolific and accountable in many issues. George Jones became a member of the association in the late 1970s. He quickly became an admirable force in the group, not holding a position on the board, but as an exceedingly active member. He and his wife, Katherine, frequented the reunions, absent only when ordered to stay home by a "medic." He was involved in fundraising for the organization and donated personal relics from his own years in the Regiment to the 6th F.A. museum. He enjoyed contacting and engaging in dialogues with other members, humoring them with old tales and trading for ones he hadnt yet heard. George originally sent a few of these anecdotes to John Peverill in modest letters, confessing to his 7th grade education and an unpracticed skill of written presentation. As John found unoccupied space in the layout for the newsletter, he filled in with one of Georges stories. Responses were positive. The effects were remarkable, waking the personal memories of distant events and forgotten names for readers scattered across the country. The brief tales became such an anticipated part of The Centaur Flyer that they were adorned with a column heading: Tales from the Picket Line. John also cleverly referred

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“Moves quickly; it entertains and provides a decent overview of the life of an American Doughboy” on the Western Front during the Great War (San Francisco Book Review). The American Doughboys of World War I are often referred to as the “Lost Generation”; however, in this book, we are able to gain an intimate look at their experiences after being thrust into the center of Europe’s “Great War” and enduring some of the most grueling battles in US history. Len Fairfield, the author’s grandfather, was an Artillery Scout, or Forward Observer, for the US Army and was a firsthand witness to the war’s carnage as he endured its countless hardships, all of which are revealed here in vivid detail. His story takes the reader from a hard life in Chicago, through conscription, rigorous training in America and France, and finally to the battles which have become synonymous with the US effort in France—St. Mihiel and the Argonne Forest, the latter claiming 26,000 American lives, more than any other US battle. The American Expeditionary Forces endured a rare close-quarters visit to hell until it was sensed that the Germans were finally giving way, though fighting tooth-and-nail up to the very minute of the Armistice. This action-filled work brings the reader straight to the center of America’s costly battles in World War I, reminding us once again how great-power status often has to be earned with blood on battlefields. “All in all, this book is a bit of a gem. It is a well paced easy read and you will find yourself rooting for our hero.” —War in History