way from St. Marie Farm to the ambulance dressing stations, over roads which were wet, slippery, and
under constant shell fire. Before crossing Vilcey hill it was often necessary to await the lifting of the
enemy artillery fire and push forward again during the lull. Following the heavy action of September
26, casualties were evacuated from the stations near Huit Chemins and at other points in the Bois des
Rappes and over roads under direct enemy observation and constantly subjected to harassing fire.
Early in the offensive the commanding officer of Ambulance Company No. 359 was severely
wounded, the command then passing to Captain James F. Cadenhead. This company evacuated all the
casualties from the Bois-le-Pretre. 1st Lieutenant Neshit, of Ambulance Company No. 357, was also
severely wounded during the St. Mihiel offensive. The casualties in the personnel of the ambulance
companies during this action were three killed and fourteen wounded.
The work of the battalion surgeons, the first-aid men, and the stretcher-bearers affords individual
examples of continuous devotion to duty. In order to give a comprehensive idea of the work of these
men it is interesting to quote from a diary of one of the battalion surgeons: “The night of September 11,
1918, the medical detachment of my battalion moved forward from its position in support to the front
line trenches. The night was very dark, there was a continuous downpour of rain, and we were
compelled to advance under a most terrific shell fire. We reached our position about four o’clock on the
morning of September 12. As the battalion went over the top in the early morning hours we established
our first-aid station in the trench from which they advanced. The first-aid men and stretcher-bearers
went over with the first wave, these men being continuously on the field with the infantry. Many times
the first-aid men would drag men to shell-holes and administer first aid, being compelled to leave them
there until nightfall before being able to litter them to the advance dressing station, on account of
sniping, as they were under direct observation of the enemy. This first day we had great trouble in
getting our wounded to the rear on account of the endless barbed wire entanglements, and also on
account of continuous shell fire all day long, making it impossible for ambulances to push near the
station. For this reason the ambulance-bearer section was compelled to litter wounded from my station
over the worst possible sort of terrain and under heavy fire a distance of two kilometers.”
What has been set down by this battalion surgeon was the experience of all the battalion
surgeons and their detachments throughout the offensive. One battalion surgeon, Lieutenant Morris
Finkleberg, 360th Infantry, was killed while in the performance of his duty, and several men of the
regimental medical detachments were killed and many more wounded.
The experience of our Allies had taught us that during the last few months preceding the offensive
50 per cent of all casualties had been gas casualties. For this reason the division surgeon had seen to it
that the organization of the medical gas defense had been brought to a high standard of efficiency.
Regimental and battalion surgeons, the enlisted personnel and litter-bearers were instructed in first aid to
the gassed. This was done while the Division was holding its sector, and instruction was kept up during
and after the St. Mihiel drive. The terrain of this sector was particularly well adapted to gas warfare, and
many casualties resulted.
At the Division gas hospital mustard gas cases were again bathed with alkaline solution. In the
case of other gases the men were made warm and comfortable, and in many cases the continuous
administration of oxygen was practised. The total number of cases treated at the division gas hospital in
the St. Mihiel sector was 1390; of these cases 450 were known to be mustard and 920 lachrymators,
sternutators, and diphosgene. The number of men returned to duty from the division gas hospital was
884, while 529 were evacuated to base hospitals in the rear, and 17 died.
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