FORTITUDINENEWSLETTER OF THE MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL PROGRAM

VOLUMES XI-XII SPRING-SUMMER 1982 NUMBERS 4 AND 1

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DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release; distribution isunlimited.

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HISTORYAND MUSEUMSDIVISION

Telephone: (202) 433-3838, 433-3840, 433-3841

SUPPORT BRANCHLiCol Philip A. Forbes, USMC

HeadlDivisioo Executive Officer

Administrative: CWO4 Robert M. Skidinore, USMC,Security: GySgt Vernon 1). Kittle, USMC. Archives:Mrs. Joyce E. Bonnetc. library: Miss Evelyn A.Englander.

Publications Production: Mr. Robert E. Struder.Production: Miss Catherine A. Stoll. Graphic Arts:Mr. Richard A. Hillman. Typesetting: LCpl MarkJ,Zigante, USMC.

Editor, FortitudineMr. V. Keith Fleming, Jr.

Assistant EditorMaj William It. Melton

Numbers 4 and 1

This quarterly newsletter of the Marine Corps historical program ispublished for the Corps and friends of Marine Corps history in accor-dance with Department of the Navy Publications and Printing Regula-tions NAVEXOS P-35. Individuals and institutions desiring For-titudine on a complimentary basis ate invited to apply to: History andMuseums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (Code HDS-1),Washington, D.C. 20380.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Director's Page: Who Was First at Chapultepec? 3

Readers Always Write 7

Comments from the Museum's Visitors Log 1982 9

Acquisitions 10

Certificates of Appreciation 11

Historic Guadalcanal Maps in Collection 12

World War H Chronology 14

Continental Marines at Yorktown Celebration 16

Walter F. Smith: The Marine Band's Original Second Leader 19

Oral History Report 21

Events at the Center 21

In Memoriam 23

Sousa Vignette 24

Fortitudine is produced in the Publications Production Section of the History andMuseums Division. The text for Fortitudine is set in 10 point and 8 point Garamondtypeface. Headlines are in 18 point or 24 point Garamond. The newsletter is printed on120-pound, lithocoated paper. Printing, by offset lithography, is by the Defense Prin-ting Service.

F 0 RTITUD INEMotto of the United States Marine Corps in the 1812 era.

Volumes XI-X11 Spring-Summer 1982

DIRECtORBOrn Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret)

H1STORICAL BRANCHCol Oliver M. Whipplc,Jr., USMC

Deputy Director for History

Mr. Henry I. Shaw,Jr.Chief Historian

Histories Section: Maj Frank M. Batha, Jr., USMC;Maj William R. Melton, USMC; Maj Edward F.Wells, USMC; Mr. Jack Shulimson; Mr. Charles It.Smith; Mt. V. Keith Flensrng,Jr.

Reference Section: Mr. Danny J. Crawford; Mr.Robert V. Aquilina; Mrs. Cathleen 3. Solms: Mrs.Ann A. Ferrante.

Oral Historji Section: Mr. Benis M. Frank

MUSEUMS BRANCHCol F. B. Nihart, USMC (Ret)Deputy Director for Museums

Mr. Charles A. WoodChief Curator

LtCol Charles H. Waterhouse, USMCRArtist-in-Residence

Personal Papers: Mr. Charles A. Wood. MilitaryMusic: Mc. Judvon E. Bennecr, Jr. Manne Ba,rackr,Special Projects: Mr. Richard A. Long. Art: Mr.JohnT. Dyer, Jr. Exhibits: Mr. Carl M. DeVere, Sr.; SSgtDavid Dendy, USMC; Mr. Benny L. Lenox, Sr.Registrar. Mr. Kenneth L. Smith-Christmas.

Museums Activities, QuanricoLtCol.Herman C. Brown, USMC

Officer-in-Charge

Ordnance: Mr. Leo 5. Champion. Aviation: Mr.Joseph E. Payton. Exhibits: Mr. C. Edward Thayer.Security: Sgr Brace L. Yant. USMC

THE COVERThis drawing, "A Marine's Best Friend," by the late Col Donald L.Dickson, is one of a series he made as a captain on Guadalcanal in1942.

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Director's Page

Who Was First

At Chap ult epec?

The painting catches the scene as it was at aboutnine o'clock in the morning on 13 September 1847.Chapultepec — "grasshopper hill" in Aztec — is in theleft background. Far to the right Mexico City with its

On the two-story south wall of the Special Exhi bitsGallery of the Marine Corps Historical Center thereis a large and handsome new addition: "Cha-pultepec, "a 9 by 19-foot painting in the grand scale,19th Century tradition by British-born artist JamesW/alker.

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BGen Simmons

cathedral and church towers and the aqueductleading to it can be dimly seen.

This was the culmination of Scott's great wideturning movement that had begun with his landingat Veracruz on 9 March 1847. A Marine battalion,collected from the Gulf Squadron, had gone ashore,under Capt Alvin Edson, as part of the 3d ArtilleryRegiment in Worth's Division. After Veracruz'scapitulation on 29 March, the Marines had re-embarked to go on with the taids and landingsagainst Mexican Gulf Coast ports.

Scott moved out of Veracruz on 8 April, begin-ning a 300-mile march, all uphill, fighting a series ofbattles, beginning with Cerro Gordo, against Mex-ican dictator, General Antonio Lopez de Santa An-na. In mid-May he halted at Puebla to re-group. Hehad to release nearly all his volunteer troops whoseone-year terms of enlistment were expiring.Replacements were slow in arriving. Among themwas a new Marine battalion offered by CommandantArchibald Henderson to President Polk for servicewith Scott's army. The Marines, under LtCol SamuelE. Watson, arrived at Veracruz on iJuly and were tt-tached to the brigade of BGen Franklin Pierce forthe march to Puebla. Acting as a rear guard, theMarines did rather well in an action against guerillasat National Bridge on 21 July. They arrived atPuebla on 6 August and were brigaded with MajGenJohn A. Quitman's division. Watson, who had beenwith Scott in the War of 1812, was given commandof Quitmans 2d Brigade, consisting of the 2d Penn-sylvania Volunteers and the Marine Battalion.

Scott marched out of Puebla on 7 August with11,000 men. Santa Anna had about 25,000. Amonth's hard fighting and skillful maneuveringbrought Scott to within assaulting distance of MexicoCity. The month had included the battles of Con-treras, Churubusco, and El Molino del Rey. Duringall this fighting, the Marines were in the rear andScott felt that he owed them an explanation. On 27August he wrote:

I regret having been obliged, on the 20th, to leaveMajor-General Quitman, an able commander, with part ofhis division, —the Line Second Pennsylvania volunteers,and the veteran detachment of United States Marines, — at

our important depot, San Augustine. It was there that Ihad placed our sick and wounded, the siege-, supply- andbaggage-trains, If these had been lost, the army wouldhave been driven almost to dispair; and, considering theenemy's very great excess of numbers, and the many ap-proaches to the depot, it might well have become, em-phatically, the post of honor.

Chapultepec Castle was the key to Mexico City,protecting as it did the two causeways that led acrossthe surrounding swamp to the San Cosme and Belengates. I say "gates." Actually the Spanish word isgarita, which translates several ways, including "sen-try box." The garitas were not really gates but stoneguardhouses controlling the entry and exit of trafficinto and out of the city.

On 11 September, Scott held a council of war atTacubaya, a mile or so south of Chapultepec andlaid out his plan of attack. The Castle was thought tobe defended by 800 to 1,000 Mexicans. It served as

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the National Military Academy of Mexico, and, as itwould turn out, about one hundred of the defenderswere cadets.

Scott had four infantry divisions: Worth's,Twiggs', Pillow's, and Quitman's. Gideon Pillowwould advance with his division from El Molino delRey against the west face of Chapultepec. Quitmanwould move north from Tacubaya against the southface. Meanwhile, David Twiggs would demonstrateagainst the Garita de San Antonio, the southern-most gate. William Worth would stand by to rein-force Pillow and, subsequently, advance against theSan Cosine gate.

Watson's second-in-command was Maj Levi

Twiggs, 54 years old, veteran of the War of 1812,and brother of the Twiggs who was in command ofScott's 2d Division. Also present was the hard-drinking but redoubtable Capt John G. Reynolds.Reynolds would later describe the Marines' role inthe opening stages of the assault in a letter to Mrs.Twiggs:

On the 11th of September at San Angel, a party ofone hundred and twenty were called from General Quit.man's Division which was comprised of the SouthCarolina, 2d Pennsylvania, and New York Regiments ofVolunteers as likewise was our small battalion —this com-mand was denominated the "Light Storming Battalion";to this, was joined with another consisting of forty menelected in the same manner (Volunteers) and termed the"Pioneer Storming Party", and placed under my com-mand; the whole under that of your beloved husband.

The 12th (the division having reached the village ofTacubaya on the previous night) was occupied in bombar-ding & reconnoitering the fortress; on which latter servicethe Light Battalion was engaged under the immediatedirection of Gen'l Quitman in person; while on this duty,the Major received a flesh wound in the right thigh; at thetime feeling no pain, he supposed the ball had simplypassed through the skirts of his undress coat—the follow-ing morning, about six o'clock, he observed to me that hehad received a pretty severewound on yesterday's recon-naissance, but not sufficiently bad as to prevent him fromleading his command —about two hours after this conver-sation the whole army moved forward to the assault — theMarines under Col. Watson leading in the Tacubaya road,the command of Major Twiggs in the rear— the object, asat the time explained by the Generals (Quitman andShields) was for the former to get into position and the lat-ter to advance under their fire, and gain an entrancewithin the Castle, for which purpose my party had beenprovided, in addition to their muskets, with picks, crowslcrowbars] and scaling ladders, but unfortunately theMarines advanced beyond the point where it was the inten-tion of the Generals they should have filed off toward theCastle; the consequence was a lengthened halt at an anglein the road, at which point your brave husband reteivedhis mortal wound: the whole command, Marines & Storm-ing Parties, were obliged during the temporary halt to

keep themselves close under cover of the maguay or pul-que bushes, rising and firing as opportunitiespresented — the enemy's fire was heavy & constant, kept upwith field-pieces, escopettas lescopeta: shotgun] andmusketry. Your husband was anxious for his commandmade up as it was from force of circumstances, and in ahurried moment composed of members from every regi-ment of the division, it was impossible for any officer withso limited a knowledge of his men to recognize them — theMajor rose from the side of Col. Watson and MajorDulaney, and crossed to the opposite side of the road, fac-ed square about to the Castle, and made a general enquiry"Where is my Storming Party, where is mycommand?—then addressing me, said, "Reynolds arethose yours or my men"? — both parties being similarlydressed and drawn from the same source, were it not forthe extra implements with which my party had been fur-nished, that enabled roe to answer promptly and with con-fidence, they were mine, it would have been impossible tohave identified the one from the other — these were his lastwords, I had answered and was looking at him when I

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observed him falling—I sprang and caught him, just as hisbody reached the ground. Your brave and generous hus-band never afterward spoke; he died instantly giving onelong gasp; he was struck in the centre of his right breastwith a musket ball. I called to Col. Watson and MajorDulaney, both by name and informed each separately thatMajor Twiggs was killed, and then returned and with theassistance of a private soldier, conveyed his body to theside of the road nearest the Castle, that it receive no fur-ther injury, placed a stone under his head, adjusted him inthe manner the desd are usually laid out—his cap Icarefully placed over his face to protect it from the rays ofthe sun — he was dressed in blue pantaloons with brown in-dia rubber overcoat, buttoned to the chin, sword belt onthe outside .

The Major went into action with his double barrelledfowling piece which was taken possession by me, with thehope of securing it for your son George . .

Strangely, Reynolds did not know that GeorgeTwiggs, a second lieutenant in the 2d Artillery, had

been killed a month earlier at National Bridge.After Maj Twiggs' death, Reynolds urged Watson

to get things moving but the elderly lieutenant col-one! was waiting for orders from Quitman.

Quitman, seeing that the storming party had bog-ged down, sent Persifor Smith's brigade aroundWatson's right flank and James Shields' brigadearound his left to close the gap separating them fromPillow's division.

This is about what we see in Walker's painting.James Walker, in Mexico at the outbreak of the war,had attached himself to Scott's army doing sketchesand battle scenes. He had come forward fromTacubaya with Quitman's division. Shields, wound-ed and one arm in a sling, is on foot in the leftforeground directing his brigade of New York andSouth Carolina volunteers (the Palmetto flag of thelatter regiment can be seen in the centerforeground). To the left is the cypress grove wherethe advance of Pillow's division, its commanderpainfully wounded, has come to a halt.

We can turn to Winfield Scott's after-action reportto learn what happened next:

Smith's brigade, carried the two batteries in theroad, took some guns with many prisoners, and drove theenemy posted behind in support. The New York andSouth Carolina volunteers (Shields' brigade) and the 2dPennsylvania volunteers, all on the left of Quitman's line,together with portions of his storming parties, crossed themeadows in front, under heavy fire and entered the outerenclosures of Chapultepec just in time to join in the finalassault from the west.

Sadly, I must report that Marines apparently werenot the first into the Castle. That honor seems to goto the Voltiguers from Pillow's division. At least,Capt Moses Barnard of the Voltiguers is creditedwith being the first to plant a flag on the parapet.

It was then about 9:30 a.m. While the moppingup was going on in the Castle (the Marines took 20or 30 prisoners; six of the defending cadets weredead and would become the immortal "Los NinosHeroicos", Capt George C. Terrett went off on hisown with Company E of the Marine Battalion. Hecaptured a troublesome battery, then started up thecauseway that led to San Cosme gate with 67 Marinesand two sections of Army light artillery. A troop ofMexican lancers clattered out but failed to stopthem. They were joined by 2dLt Ulysses S. Grantand 26 soldiers from the 4th Infantry. Together theycarried the San Cosme gate and held it for about fif-teen minutes before being ordered to withdraw.

By noontime Quitman had finished withChapultepec and was moving his division against the

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Belen gate, Watson's Marines out in front. It was agrim charge, banners furled and no music. Thegarita was taken at twenty minutes past one p.m.

During the night Santa Anna withdrew from thecity and at dawn a white flag flew over the Citadel.Quitman's division was the first to enter the city.

The Marines were given the job of clearing thePalacio Nacional. Although Quitman in his reportsays that Capt Benjamin S. Roberts of the Rifle Regi-ment raised the flag, it was actually Marine LtAugustus S. Nicholson who cut down the Mexicancolors and ran up the Stars and Stipes.

When the Marine Battalion returned to Wash-ington the citizens gave Commandant Henderson anew set of colors emblazoned with a new motto:

"From Tripoli to the Halls of the Montezumas."You can see that set of colors, if you like, in the

Armed Forces Gallery of the Smithsonian's NationalMuseum of American History.

"Montezumas" is rather hard to rhyme withanything, so the unknown poet who wrote the lyricsfor The Marines Hymn sometime after the CivilWar, reversed the chronology and came out with thefamiliar:

From the Ha/Is of MontezumaTo the Shores of Tripoli

In further memorialization, a red stripe was addedto the blue trousers of the Marine officers andNCOs. Right?

Wrong. This favorite legend seems to have creptinto Marine Corps mythology in the 1920s. The factis that there was a red stripe on the trousers of thevery first blue uniforms adopted at the time of theMarine Corps' re-creation in 1798.

After the war James Walker came back toWashington with his sketchbooks. In 1857 he wascommissioned by the Congress to paint the Battle ofChapultepec for the House Military Affairs Commit-tee Room for a sum of $6,000. The painting provedtoo large for that room so it was hung in the weststaircase of the Senate wing of the Capitol. Here itremained until 1961 when it was placed in storage.In 1980, the Senate Commission on Art and Anti-quities resolved to have the painting restored andplaced once again on public view. With the approvalof Senate leadership from both parties, and the con-currence of the Joint Committee on the Library,restoration was completed.

As for a place to hang it, what better place thanthe Marine Corps Historical Center?

We are grateful.

each of the aces listed in the Summer 1981 For-titudine. I was surprised at the high number of NavyCross awards. . . . all aces received at least theDistinguished Flying Cross except no. 71, Hall, andno. 96, Carlton, for which no awards were listed.They might well have received Air Medals [which)are not listed in Blakeney's book . . . . Some aceslater achieved general officer rank: no. 2, Foss (in theSouth Dakota Air National Guard); no. 7, Carl; no.13, Galer; no. 34, Dobbin; no. 52, Owens; no. 61,Axtell; and . . . no. 103, Fontana. There may be afew others [of which I am not aware].

Question: Was Boyington the only Marine ace tobecome a prisoner of war in World War II? I wouldalso like to see Dr. Olynyk research the aces'hometowns, highest rank held, complete list ofdecorations, and whether deceased.

this is a particularly auspicious occasion todelve into old Marine Corps associations. It was onthis day, 7 August 1942 [40 years ago] that I and myfellow second lieutenants, Carl Schuessler, Ken Kir-by, Todd Whitten, and Capt William R. Campbell,then attached to VMO-251 but temporarily detach-ed for duty on the USS Vincennes and USS Astoria,participated in the original assault on Guadalcanal.We flew as rear seat observers and liaison pilots fromcatapult aircraft off the cruisers. Two of us, Lts.Schuessler and Kirby, did not survive Adm Goto'sdevastating counterattack on our forces the followingnight. May their souls rest in peace, with those otherbrave men who died that night.

I have an annual custom, honoring those men andthose times. Each August 7th, I mix bourbon andgrapefruit juice (unsweetened—. "battery acid") overchipped ice and drink to them all. This drinkoriginated with the fighter command onGuadalcanal where Adm Nimitz furnished us with acase of Old Crow Bourbon. We scrounged the rest ofthe drink from the Japanese ice house and the messhail, and we drank from canteen cups.

Roy T. SpurlockCol, USMCR (Ret)

Miami, Florida

to set the record straight, Roger W. Conant,Capt, USMCR, was killed aboard the USS Franklinon 19 March 1945. The attached document [an allot-ment form signed by Capt Conant] should put thesubject to rest m the only known enlisted sur-vivor who served with VMF-214 from June 29, 1943

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Readers

Always

Write

GUADAL CANAL ANNIVERSARY

The folio wing letter came to us quite some time ago.We saved it for this issue as the most appropriatetime for it to be published.

David E. SchulzWinona, Minnesota

Mr. Schulz' letter included a listing from Heroes,U.S. Marine Corps of the decorations awarded eachMarine ace in World War II. The list is on file in ourReference Section anda photocopy is available on re-quest.

The records available to the Reference Section donot provide an answer to Mr. Schulz' question regar-ding prisoners of war. Perhaps some of our readerscan give the answer.

ACES' NAMES CLARIFIED

The Fall 1981- Winter 1982 issue of Fortitudine car-ried letters on the mixup on the various World War11 aces lists regarding two Marine officers with similarnames. One of them, Arthur Roger Conant, who us-ed only the initial of his first name, was a pilot withVMF-215. The editor commented that the otherman, Roger JV. Conant, ". . . served asa ground of-ficer in VMF-214 much later in the war. "The follow-ing letter addresses that statement.

MEDALS FOR ACES

out of curiosity, I looked in [Jane Blakeney'sHeroes, U.S. Marine Corps, 1861-1955(Washington, 1957)) for the decorations awarded to

to August 1, 1945 that also served aboard the USSFrank/ti, on 19 March 1945.

Edward G. WailerHawthorne, New Jersey

Records here at the Historical Center agree with Mr.Wa//er's information on Capt Conant's death. Brevi-ty prevented use of the information in the editor'scomment in the last issue.

MORE ON ACES

Articles in Fortitudine by Robert Sherrnd (Spring1981) and FrankJ. Olynyk (Summer 1981) on WorldWar II Marine fighter aces continue to generate let-ters.

My friend and colleague, John B. Lundstrom ofthe Milwaukee, Wisconsin Public Museum, has per-formed prodigious feats of research while preparinghis own manuscript on the first six months of thePacific War. With access to Japanese documents,John has been able to piece together amazinglydetailed accounts of dozens of U.S. Navy (and someMarine) fighter combats from that period.

It appears that VMF-2 11 at Wake Island recordeda success which has gone unheralded in the U.S. foryears. When 211's last pair of flyable Wildcats in-tercepted a Japanese carrier-plane raid on 22

December 1941, Capt Herbert C. Freuler shot downat least one of the 30-plus aircraft from the carriersSoryu and Hiryu. These two ships had split off fromthe homeward-bound Pearl Harbor strike force toaid the Imperial Navy's suppression of the unex-pectedly stiff opposition at Wake.

At the time, Freuler's success was thought to be aZero fighter. (Sherrod, page 43 states as much.) Butthe after-action reports translated and available toJohn Lundstrom show that the missing plane was aNakajima B5N, later called "Kate" by Alliedaviators. The crew of the missing torpedo-bomberhad been credited with sinking battleship Arizonaon 7 December.

Freuler was so close to his victim that his F4F-3 wasdamaged in the explosion, and he crash-landed back

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at Wake. His wingman was MIA, thus endingVMF-211's spirited three-week defense of the island.

Barrett TilimanAthena, Oregon

Mr. Ti/man has written several books on Naval avia-tion. His next book will be on the GrummanEVildcat.

COMMENTS ON CAPT FREULER

the post war interrogations of Wake survivorscredit Freuler with two or three fighters — he is

generally credited with two. Aircraft recognition atthat time was very poor, and it frequently appears [asif] any single engine Japanese aircraft would be iden-tified as a Zero. . . . from the Japanese side I havealmost nothing. . . . the recent book by Gordon W.Prange, At Dawn We Slept [mentions]. . . . PettyOfficer Noboru Kanai. . . . Page 513 indicates thathe may have dropped the bomb which detonatedArizona's magazine. Page 576 says that he was shotdown at Wake by the defenders; no details are givenas to whether it was aircraft or ground fire.

With regard to the comments on my aces article[Fortitudine, Summer 1981 and Fall 1981-Winter1982] [Orvin H. Ramlo] died in 1977, as I recentlyfound out. He is one of the 'unverified' aces, since Ihave found no dates. I have just gone through theaviation muster rolls for Aug-Nov 1942, and it is alittle tougher to believe he is an ace. He arrived onGuadalcanal late, Aug 29, was WIA Sept 14, andevacuated Sept 16. For August and September the223 and 224 rolls list combats, and he is listed foronly Sept 5 and 14. We'll probably never know forsure, unless his flight log can be located.

Marion Carl's claims of August 24 [1942] are moreinteresting. I based my question on the presence ofBettys at Guadalcanal that day on JapaneseMonograph 121, page 10, which states:

attacks upon the transports and the airfield onGuadalcanal Island were planned for the 22nd, 23rd, and24th. However, due to unfavorable weather the plan couldnot be executed.

this monograph (on microfilm from Opera-tional Archives) is titled Outline of Southeast AreaNaval Air Operations, and is mostly concerned withland-based operations, from Rabaul especially. Butin checking my notes I found another report, which

supports the presence of Bettys. The 3d (Marine)Defense Battalion (an antiaircraft unit) reports forAug 24: "1428, very low altitude, 3 two enginebombers, straffed field; 1428, glide to 8200', 315°,6 two-engine bombers, one shot down." So I guessthat we have to conclude that on this date at least,the bombers did get through from Rabaul, whateverthe weather.

GOOCH'S MARINES

Frank OlynykAurora, Ohio

Dear Sir,Saw the item in Fortitudine [Summer 19811 regar-

ding "Tell It to the Sea Soldiers" and the bit aboutGooch's Marines. I never realised that the US Armynever accepted the Colonial Regiments as Marines

but it has always been our understanding that theywere raised as Marine Regiments.

A. G. BrownMajor, MBE, RM (Ret)

Director, Royal Marines Museum

FiRST WOMEN MARINES

I received a CODY of the Summer 1981 issue of For-titudine containing the article and photograph ofthe first eight women marines enlisted in August1918, I being one of them.

Incidentally, those hats and jackets [we wore inthe photograph] belonged to the Marines in the of-fice, and to those who know, there was great conster-nation to see good conduct medals and ribbons in-dicating activities in active service.

Violet Van Wagner LopezKew Gardens, New York

Comments from the Museum's Visitors Log 1982

Beats the Army at West PointFantastic — I wish it was in Chicago

Helpful friendly staff (several times)

Scarey! I want a college defermentSacred to the Father of three MarinesExciting but could be biggerMy brother was killed at Iwo Jima

The rooms are too hot (several times)Take no prisoners, close and destroyWish the gift store was openDo not sign me up for the MarinesI am going to join when I am olderVietnam display should have a Claymore mine

It's time for the Marines to get more moneyfrom CongressIt shows that the working soldier of the USA isa MarineThanks, Marines.

The best museum in D.C.Great, but needs more on the air wings.Not enough on blacks in Vietnam.

Bravo pour nos arnis.

Best museum, for its size, I have ever seen.

Need M48 tank for tankers.Die traditionspfleg des USMC ist beispie/haft.

Made me feel at home again.The place has changed since I was stationedhere.

Here's health to you and to our Corps.Sure hate to do it again.Longue vie aux U.S. Marines!The music is dumb.Gained a better appreciation of the MarineCorps.

My Dad was a Marine and he loved it.It's growing better every year.

Need more WM exhibits.Too much to grasp in one visit.Excellent. Will have to return with my family.Outstanding, as usual.Thanks to all in the Corps.

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Acquisitions

A marked increase in acquisitions activity becameapparent recently as we received a number of signifi-cant and interesting gifts. Coupled with several ma-jor conferences, new exhibits, and our ongoing at-tempts to computerize our vast backlog of holdings,this influx of new accessions kept the staff quitebusy. As always, space does not permit the listing ofall the donors to our collection, but their generosityis nevertheless deeply appreciated.

As has been noted previously, on rare occasions wedo purchase some items that simply do not becomeavailable through donations. Such an occasion occur-red when a circa 1859 Marine Corps snare drum wasoffered to us by a local antique shop. After severalexpert examinations of the drum by such notablesavants as Mr. John Bosworth and Mr. George P.Carroll, we purchased the drum and will display it inthe museum.

Aside from direct purchase, we received several ar-tifacts from the Marine Corps Historical Foundationwhich it purchased for the museum on our recom-mendation. The most recent of these gifts was agroup of pre-WW I uniforms and an interestingkhaki variation of the Model 1917 winter serviceuniform from a private collection. When we express-ed interest in some of the other items in this collec-tion, the owner, GySgt Donald D. Moore, USMC,graciously donated the insignia and medals wedesired.

We were also given some WW I period uniformsby Mrs. Dorothy Christiansen. She found these inher Alexandria, Virginia, costume shop and offeredthem to the museum. Mrs. Arthur E. Lyng of Ar!-ingron, Massachusetts, and Mrs. Frances). Whitfieldof Belton, Texas, both donated WWI uniforms, too.Ably assisted by GySgt Kenneth Boss, USMC, Mrs.Lying also gave us all of Major Lyng's medals.

10

Maj Ashley U7. Fisher III, USMCR (Ret) (left),recently presented this flag, a souvenir of theOkinawa Campaign, to ColNihart, who accepted onbehalf of the museum.

Our growing collection of "George" medals fromthe Guadalcanal campaign gained yet another exam-ple from the widow of Mr. Camille Tamucci. Mr.Manuel Berkowitz of Atlanta, himself a museumdonor and Guadalcanal veteran, assisted Mrs.Tamucci in making this gift. Both men had servedtogether in the 7th Marines' Weapons Company.We received captured Japanese flags from LtCol KarlT. Soule, USMCR (Ret), and Maj Ashley W. FisherIII, USMCR (Ret), of Brownsville, Texas. A very in-teresting engraved Model 1918 mess kit came fromMr. Bernard Johnson of Arlington, Virginia. Themess kit was decorated with three scenes engraved bya Marine prisoner of war in a Japanese prison campduring WW II. One of the scenes shows a Marine incirca 1941 combat dress and is entitled "Bataan1942."

We were given quite a few personal papers collec-tions dealing with the WW II period during thewinter. Among the many donors were Mrs. Jane L.Chamberlin of West Palm Beach, Col James A.Donovan, Jr., USMC (Ret), of Atlanta, and Mr.Gordon C. McFadden of Shavertown, Pennsylvania.In addition, we were fortunate to be given three veryinteresting papers collections dealing with earliereras of Marine Corps history. A collection of MexicanWar period letters of Maj A. A. Nicholson, USMC,

were donated by Mrs. Byron C. Cain through theMarine Military Academy. In addition to the gift ofhis medals, Mr. Perry K. Dean of Seaford, NewYork, gave us his personal papers and photographswhich covered the 1923 East Coast ExpeditionaryMarch through Virginia. From Capt Karen I. Kelly,USMC, we obtained a collection of 2dLt DonaldWebb's papers and citations from his service with the2d Division, AEF, in WW I.

Aside from papers, photographs and uniforms,some interesting WW I period weapons arrived dur-ing the winter. Mr. George Monzeglio of EastHaven, Connecticut, gave us both a Krag bayonetand a Model 1907 British bayonet. When she in-herited several small arms on the death of her father,Mrs. Adrienne Wirt-Burroughs of Erie, Penn-sylvania, donated them to the Marine CorpsMuseum. Among them was a Model 1896 Mauser"Broomhandle" pistol, complete with its woodenshoulder stock/holster. MajGen Ian M. Bethel,USMC (Ret), sent us a handmade crossbow fromBougainville and Mr. Arthur R. Samsoe of Edison,New Jersey, gave us a Japanese Type 14 semiautomatic pistol that was damaged by Marine rifle

11

fire on Iwo Jima. It has a neat .30 caliber holethrough the side of the barrel. Mrs. Mildred Horn ofTacoma, Washington, also sent us a Type 14 pistol,along with other Japanese weapons and equipmentwhich her late husband captured. From Mr. Ray-mond Haggas of Whitesboro, New York we receiveda Model 1911A1 pistol which had engraved on itsslide, "VMF-542." Firearms with direct connectionto Marine Corps aviation are extremely rare, and weare most appreciative of Mr. Haggas' generosity.

Other aviation-related items came from Mr.Harvey Walsh of Alexandria, Virginia; Mr. Lloyd E.Shewmaker of Kimberly, Ohio; and Maj Paul A.Bernas, USMC (Ret), of Taylor, Michigan. Mr.Walsh's gift was the identification plate reported tobe from the first Corsair to land on Henderson Field.Mr. Shewmaker's gift was an aircraft radio and MajBernas' donation was a large collection of flight gearand instruments. One of the most significant Marineaviation donations we received was a photographalbum of aircraft at Quantico during the early 1920sdonated by Capt Henry R. Eller, USMC (Ret), ofChimayo, New Mexico. — KLSC

Certificates of AppreciationRecent awards of Certificates of Apprecia-

tion issued on behalf of the Commandant ofthe Marine Corps to persons who have madesignificant contributions to the Marine CorpsHistorical Program are as follows:

For donations to the Marine Corps HistoricalCenter:

Col James A. Donovan, USMC(Ret)Mr. Alfred LaneMr. Ray D. Fowler

For service as a Member of the Board ofDirectors of the Marine Corps Historical Foun-dat ion:

Col Archie J. Clapp, USMC (Ret)Mr. J. Robert Moskin

For service to the Marine Corps HistoricalCenter:

Mr. Gerald M. Berns

For the donation of his personal library ofmilitary books:

LCdr Ray William Snibbe, CHC, USN

gram:For participation in the Oral History Pro-

For service as museum docents:Penny EtnyreGlenna PageJeanne TiernanStephanne WalkerPriscilla BarkerGail MooreTerry KnightGenie GaryFran ReadPatricia Price

Dr. Eugene BoardmenDr. Edward M. BakkeBGen Herman H. Hanneken, USMC(Ret)

Historic Guadalcanal Maps in Collectionby George MacGihivray

Original maps and overlays from Guadalcanal,now being evaluated for inclusion in a museumdisplay marking the 40th anniversary of the cam-paign, provide a graphic record of the early fightingfor the island. The maps, by their elementalsimplicity, illustrate the 1st Marine Division's car-tographic problems in planning and conducting thecampaign.

The division's commander, MajGen Alexander A.Vandegrift, and his staff learned of the proposedcampaign on 26 June 1942, shortly after their arrivalin New Zealand. Planning began immediately andjust as quickly encountered problems in obtainingterrain information about the objectives in theSolomon Islands. The only readily available mapswere British Admiralty hydrographic charts made in1908. The division needed more than this.

Gen Vandegrift sent LtCol Frank B. Goettge, thedivision intelligence officer, to Australia to interviewpeople who had been in the Solomons under theBritish administration. He gained not only valuableinformation but managed to have eight of these per-Sons assigned to Vandegrift's staff. Their combinedknowledge produced a sketch map of the proposedlanding area on Guadalcanal.

The sketch map, although helpful, was not ade-quate. To gain more information, LtCol Merrill B.Twining, the division's assistant operations officer,and Maj William B. McKean, member of the staff ofTransport Squadron 26, went to Port Moresby, NewGuinea, for a flight in a B-17 over Guadalcanal andTulagi on 17 July. The bomber flew over Tulagi Bayand then over the north coast of Guadalcanal.Japanese float planes attacked before the B- 17 reach-ed the Lunga Point area. The attack prevented thetaking of photographs or good visual observation ofthe uncompleted air strip being built by theJapanese. The two Marine officers, however, couldreport the beaches near Lunga Point appearedsuitable for a landing.

The 1st Marine Division used its own resources toproduce tactical maps of Guadalcanal. Sources forthese first maps were aerial photographs taken inJune, the Royal Navy hydrographic charts, and the

12

sketch map obtained from the former Britishresidents of the island. The result was still in-complete but had to suffice for the assault on 7August.

The division used several series of maps after lan-ding on Guadalcanal. The 11th Marines' Head-quarters and Service Battery provided one fromaerial photographs taken on 16 June and 2 August.The division intelligence section produced Map 101on 18 August. Sometime afterward, the 11thMarines produced Map 104 which was made up of 12mimeographed sheets. This map served the 1st

Marine Division for most of the campaign. TheHistorical Center's map collection contains over onehundred original operational over-lays keyed to Map104.

The 1st Marine Division possessed only crude maps(above, right) when it landed on Guadalcanal. The11th Marines soon produced the more accurate12-sheet Map 104 (see detail below).

Th.L OTZ: This p w&a r.plQtuc. fros pects1 Stth Nap dswo froa th. information •ppiiedby a nan thorou€hl.y fsaiiiar with th. t.rrata shown. It is an approztaats picinrial reprisent—alton drown from this person's arr. it is not to bi const.-M is beto so acc'\r$te map.

All these maps were crude by contemporary andmodern standards of map making. Each hadnumerous blank spots where clouds obscured theground in aerial photographs. The earliest maps con-fused the Tenaru and Ilu rivers with the result thatthe well-known "Battle of the Tenaru" actually oc-curred on the Ilu. Another source of confusion arosefrom using the same scale but different 1000-yard ar-bitrary grid systems on Maps 101 and 104. Never-theless, these maps served the 1st Marine Divisionwell.

Mr. MacGihivray served on Guadalcanal with the7th Marines. After the war, he graduatedfrom Dart-mouth College and earned a master's degree ingeography from Clark University. A charter memberof the Marine Corps Historical Foundation, herecently retiredfrom the Central Intelligence Agencywhere he was librarian of the map collection.

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World War II Chronology2 April. The first flight echelon of MAG-13 arriv-

ed at Tutuila, American Samoa.9 April. American forces on Bataan surrendered.

Japanese heavy artillery began bombardment of Cor-regidor.9-12 April. Escapees from Bataan joined the

Marines on Corregidor. Sailors from Mariveles form-ed the nucleus of a organization designated the 4thBattalion, 4th Marines.

1 May. The 8th Defense Battalion arrived onWallis Island from Tutuila.

5-6 May. A reinforced Japanese regiment landedon Corregidor. The 1st Battalion, 4th Marines op-posed the landing.

6 May. MajGen J. M. Wainwright, USA, sur-rendered all forces in the Philippines. Col S. L.Howard ordered the regimental and national colorsof the 4th Marines burned to prevent their capture.

7-8 May. The Battle of the Coral Sea.

25 May. Two companies from the 2d Raider Bat-talion and the 37mm battery from the 3d DefenseBattalion debarked at Midway from the USS St.Louis.

1 June. Recruiting of black Marines began.3-6 June. The Battle of Midway. The first

Japanese raid against Midway set seaplane hangarsafire and started a large fire in the fuel oil tanks atSand Island. The attack destroyed Marine buildings,including the power house, on Eastern Island. Twogroups of planes from VMF-221 received heavydamage in an attempt to intercept the approachingJapanese force. Marine bombers participated in at-tacks on the Japanese carriers.

14 June. The advance echelon of the 1st MarineDivision arrived at Wellington, New Zealand fromthe U.S.26June. The 1st Marine Division received the war-ning order for the Guadalcanal-Tulagi campaign.15 July. A detachment from the 4th Defense Bat-talion arrived to augment the defenses at EspirituSanto in the New Hebrides.2 August. VMO-251 arrived at Espiritu Santo.7 August. The 1st Marine Division landed on

Guadalcanal and Tulagi with naval and air support.8 August. The Battle of Savo Island.9 August. Naval forces supporting the 1st Marine

Division departed the Solomons for Noumea, leav-

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ing the landing force without air or surface supportuntil 20 August.12 August. LtCol Frank Goettge, 1st Marine Divi-sion intelligence officer, led a 25-man recon-naissance patrol along the west bank of theMatanikau River. Only three Marines escaped arm-bush by the Japanese.17 August. About 200 Marines from the 2d RaiderBattalion landed on Makin Atoll. They partially suc-ceeded in attempts to destoy Japanese installations,gather intelligence data, and divert attention fromthe action on Guadalcanal. Japanese fortification ofTarawa, also in the Gilbert Islands, followed thisraid.18 August. The firstJapanese reinforcements land-ed on Guadalcanal; U.S. forces completed Hender-son Field on the island.20 August. The forward echelon of MAG-23 (19F4Fs of VMF-223 and 12 SBD-3s of VMSB-232) ar-rived at Henderson Field.

21 August. The Battle of the Tenaru (Ilu) River. AJapanese battalion attacked Marine positions at themouth of the flu River. The 1st Battalion, 1st

Marines crossed the river upstream and envelopedthe Japanese while a tank attack successfully con-cluded the action. This was the first importantground action on the island.25 August. The Battle of the Eastern Solomons.Planes from VMSB-232 assisted in an attack on aJapanese task force carrying Guadalcanal rein-forcements.30 August. The remainder of MAG-23 (VMF-221and VMF-231) arrived at Henderson Field.30-31 August. More than 6,000Japanese troops ofthe Kawaguchi Force landed west of Lunga Pointnear Kokumbona in an attempt to strike at theMarine perimeter.

1 September. Seabees landed on the island toassist in developing Henderson Field.3 September. BGen Roy S. Geiger arrived on

Guadalcanal with the command echelon of the 1stMarine Aircraft Wing.8 September. The 1st Raider Battalion and the

1st Parachute Battalion, supported by MAG-23, car-ried out a successful raid on a Japanese supply baseeast of Tasimboko on Guadalcanal.12 September. The Battle of the Ridge onGuadalcanal. As Japanese ships shelled Henderson

Field, a Japanese ground force probed lightly at theraider-parachute force on Edson's Ridge, south ofthe field.13 September. The Battle of the Ridge. The 1stRaider Battalion counterattacked the Japanese butwas forced to withdraw to its original position. TheJapanese attacked the center and right of the Marineline defending the ridge.14 September. The Battle of the Ridge. TheMarines on the ridge repulsed an attempt byJapanese to penetrate the Henderson Fieldperimeter.18 September. The Navy's Task Force 65 broughtthe 7th Marines (Rein) and emergency supplies toGuadalcanal. The 1st Parachute Battalion departedwith the ships.23-27 September. Defending Japanese repulsed anattempt by the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines and the 1stRaider Battalion to cross the upstream end of theMatanikau River.25 September. President Roosevelt dedicatedCamp Pendleton, California, named in honor ofMajGen Joseph H. Pendleton.

7-9 October. The 5th Marines engaged theJapanese at the mouth of the Matanikau while the7th Marines (-) and the 3d Battalion, 2d Marines(Rein) crossed the river inland and raided the PointCruz and Matanikau village areas. The raid thwartedan attempt by the Japanese infantry to cross theMatanikau and establish artillery there.9 October. The rear echelon of the 2d Marines

and VMF-121 arrived on Guadalcanal.13 October. Ships brought reinforcements fromthe 164th Infantry, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing,and casual Marines and supplies to Guadalcanal.Two Japanese air strikes damaged Henderson andFighter One fields.16 October. MAG-14 relieved MAG-23 as the ad-ministrative and maintenance agency at HendersonField.23 October. Marines repelled a Japanese tank andinfantry attack across the Matanikau.24-25 October. The Japanese attacked the southflank of the Marines' defense perimeter. The 1st Bat-talion, 7th Marines, reinforced by the 3d Battalion,164th Infantry and supported by fire from the 2dBattalion, 164th Infantry, repelled successive at-tacks.25-26 October. Japanese destroyers harassed U.S.shipping in Sealark Channel and beach positions ofthe 3d Defense Battalion whileJapanese bombers hitHenderson Field. The 1st Battalion, 164th Infantry

15

repulsed an attack against the south flank of theLunga perimeter. A separate Japanese atttackpenetrated the lines of the 2d Battalion, 7thMarines. The 2d Battalion, reinforced by a companyfrom the 5th Marines, later drove off the enemyforce. The Japanese withdrew inland.

1-2 November. The 2d Battalion, 7th Marines ad-vanced east across the base of Koli Point to theMetapona River to investigate reports of Japanese ac-tivity there.2-3 November. The 5th Marines attacked to com-

press the Japanese pocket west of Point Cruz. The at-tack overcame Japanese resistance.4 November. The 1st Marine Division divided its

zone into two sectors. BGen William A. Rupertuscommanded the East Sector and BGen Edmund B.Sebree, USA, controlled the West.4-5 November. A combined Marine and Army

force landed at Aola Bay, about 40 miles east of theLunga River, to construct a new airfield.6 November. The 7th Marines attacked eastward

along the coast of Guadalcanal.7 November. MajGen Thomas Holcomb, Com-

mandant of the Marine Corps, approved theorganization of a women's reserve.8 November. American and British forces landed

in French North Africa. Twelve Marines, command-ed by LtCol Louis C. Plain, went ashore at Arzeu andassisted in taking three steamers and a patrol boat.They continued overland to the port of Mets-el-Kebir where they occupied the ancient Spanish for-tress at the northern tip of Oran harbor.8 November. Two battalions of the 7th Marines

and the 164th Infantry moved east to surroundJapanese on Koli Point on Guadalcanal.10-11 November. A party from the MarineDetachment of the USS Philadelphia, operatingunder the Army's 47th Infantry, landed at the portof Safi, French Morocco, and proceeded to the air-port where it guarded the facilities until relieved.12-13 November. Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.Planes from Henderson Field bombed and strafedthe retiring Japanese ships.13 November. Japanese troops arrived at MundaPoint, New Georgia, to construct an airfield.15 November. The 3d Defense Battalion and the244th Coast Artillery Battalion, USA, participatedin the destruction of Japanese transports atTassafaronga.9 December. The 1st Marine Division began em-

barking for Australia. Command of troops onGuadalcanal passed to the Americal Division.

By Pvt Earle N. Trickey

Two long lines of men faced each other 20 pacesapart, winding across the dusty plain to form a cor-ridor. Uniforms of white with bright trim markedFrench soldiers, uniforms of blue for the ContinentalLine, rifle shirts and grays and browns among themilitia, and one spot of green—the ContinentalMarines.

Then, in the distance, bagpipes and a lonelydrum, and from the direction of the village the redline approached, brass and silver, steel and goldgleaming in the afternoon sun. As the head of thatsolemn procession entered the human corridor, theleading band struck up a tune that tradition says was"The World Turned Upside Down" (a tune that alsohas a set of words entitled "When the King ComesInto His Own Again"). The colorful display of

Cdr Trickey is an engineering writer and editor for amajor defense industry and also a private in theMarine Detachment of the reconstructed Continen-ta/Armed Sloop Providence. A 1946 graduate of theUS. Naval Academy, he served in cruisers,destroyers, and submarines on active duty and wasan instructor at the Naval Academy PreparatorySchool and the Naval Officer Candidate School. Heis retired from the Naval Reserve.

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British flags was missing, for their banners werecased, in accordance with the surrender document.Grenadiers led each regiment, in their great bearskinhats, followed by the light infantry in short jacketsand peaked leather caps. Then the battalion com-panies of the regiment, row on row of red uniforms,four or eight abreast, marched stiffly past without aglance to right or left. Thirteen British regimentswere represented, and the Royal Artillery wasrepresented by cannons drawn down the line by thegun crews.

Bright and gaudy uniforms of the Germanmercenaries followed, and after them came the redsand greens of Loyalist and Tory troops. Last of allcame a horde of "camp-followers" —gap-tootheddrudges smoking clay pipes, grubby children in tornpinafores, stylish ladies with high-piled hair and col-orful riding habits.

This sobering scene concluded with the Britishforce grounding its weapons. Then the recreated ar-my of Lord Charles Cornwallis reversed its course tomarch out to applause, with colors flying, as theYorktown Reenactment came to an end.

And that is what the men of the Marine Detach-ment of the Continental Sloop Providence willalways remember, That was the high point, theculmination of two years of planning, the reenact-ment of that page of history that tells of the march ofRochambeau's army to join General Washingtonand defeat the British at Yorktown.

Much has been published, some a littlemisleading, so a brief review is in order. The reenact-ment of Rochambeau's march covered approximatelythe same path the French took in 1781, but withmodern transport only a week was needed, com-pared to more than three months then. The reenact-ment army's five regiments traveled independentlyon slightly different routes, so more small townscould be visited and more people could participatein this slice of the Bicentennial.

The five regiments were the Bourbonnais (towhich the Marines were attached), Soissonais, Sam-tonge, Royal Deux-Ponts, and Lauzun's Legion.Each consisted of one hundred to one hundred andfifty soldiers, plus a number of women and children,some of whom also carried guns and flags.

The troops began gathering at East Greenwich(Rhode Island) High School on Friday, 9 October,and on Saturday there was a parade through Pro-vidence. (The movement of the French fromNewport to Providence had already been reenactedin June, with Sloop Providence participating.) TheMarines found themselves serving as artillerymen tohelp some short-handed cannon crews on theStatehouse lawn. The Rochambeau Army, assembl-ed from a dozen states and Canada, underwentblessings, pep talks, and congratulations fromRhode Island Governor Garrahy and otherdignitaries, followed by a fried-chicken-box-lunch-supper in the Statehouse, a rather novel occurrencein those sedate surroundings.

Sunday morning, 11 October, the regiments leftfor their first five destinations in convoys. Thetypical convoy consisted of three buses; a heavy-dutytruck for tents, supplies, and other cargo; a flatbedtrailer truck for the regiment's cannons; a couplecommand vehicles; and a towtruck for emergencies,all manned by the Rhode Island National Guard,followed by a couple dozen private cars, trailers,pickup trucks, and motorhomes.

By back road and interstate highway, Bourbonnaismotor-marched to Yorktown Heights, New York, onthe edge of Croton Reservoir. (In this town bothFrench and American armies camped during theRevolution, and here in May of 1781 ColonelsChristopher Greene and Ebenezer Flagg and twodozen of their men died when Tories surprised theRhode Island Black Regiment.) The ceremoniesbegan with a parade to the municipal building. Theofficial welcome consisted of an exchange of plaquesand awards, short speeches, and appropriate roundsof cheers. The regimental commander gave his corn-

17

mands in French, to heighten the effect ofsimulating a French military unit.

The parade then marched to a recreation area for amock battle. A third of the regiment took the role ofBritish, defending a redoubt, already constructed ofboards and brush by the town, while the rest of theregiment assaulted it. The ranks advanced, firing involleys, and sustaining a preassigned number of"casualties." Nurses wrapped the "wounded" withred-stained rags, while small children in the au-dience had to be reassured that soldiers were not ac-tually dying on the field. When the British redoubtwas captured, the demonstration was concluded witha "feu de joie," in which all the soldiers, forming asingle line, fired their muskets in rapid successionfrom one end of the line to the other, giving the im-pression of a string of giant firecrackers.

The host community provided the campsite, andin most cases it would be near a school or armory,with indoor eating facilities, toilets, and a gym-nasium or hall for those who did not want to pitchtents. In Yorktown Heights a church group providedsupper, Chamber of Commerce members cookedbreakfast, and bag lunches were handed out ondeparture.

Members of the Marine detachment from therecreated Continental armed sloop Providence posein their period un:forms.

Photo courtesy Sloop Providence

Photo courtesy Sloop ProvidenceMarines from the sloop Providence reload theirmuskets during the reenactment of the battle ofYorktown last October. The Marine in the center ishanding a paper cartridge to another.

This routine was repeated in Liberty Corner, NewJersey, where again the small-town hospitality wasoutstanding. On Tuesday, 13 October, all fiveregiments met at the National Guard armory inNorth Philadelphia, and a parade and commemora-tion ceremony were held downtown in In-dependence National Historic Park. On Wednesdaythe Bourbonnais Regiment enjoyed the warmwelcome of Elkton, Maryland, where the ladies' aux-iliary of the fire department provided somememorable meals. By Thursday afternoon the regi-ment was in Alexandria, Virginia, with the Sam-tonge Regiment, for the longest parade of the weekand a mock battle at the Masonic WashingtonMemorial.

Friday morning, 16 October, the regiment con-ducted a ceremony at Mount Vernon and then it wason the road to Yorktown. The Rochambeau Marchthen dissolved, having marched and fought andcamped in twenty communities over a distance of sixhundred miles, sharing a moment of history withthousands of Americans. Sloop Providence had par-ticipated too with her appearance in several portsand the symbolic transport of troops by sea from An-napolis to Yorktown.

As troops of Rocham beau's army arrived atYorktown they joined others already in previouslyassigned units, under the military control of the

18

Brigade of the American Revolution, and under theoverall organization of the Virginia BicentennialCommission. Between three and four thousand menrepresented the British, German, French andAmerican armies, the greatest assembly of recreatedmilitary units of the Bicentennial. All the Marinesfrom the northeastern states formed a twenty-mancompany in the New England Battalion.

Beyond the old earthworks, rows of eighteenth-century tents stretched across the various campsitesin proper military order. Vehicles were out of sight,and those living in trailers, vans, motorhomes, etc.,were camped in fields fully a mile away (includingmost of the Marines). In a clearing was a large messtent, where an excellent menu was dispensed withvery little waiting through several self-service lines.

The Park Service had a problem: they wanted agood show, but they also wanted safety and preserva-tion of the grounds too. For years, much effort wentinto reclaiming these old earthworks and makinggrass grow, and now several thousand fanaticswanted to tramp all over the park, with horses andcannons as well! The Park police inspected all gunsand cannons, disqualified some on safety grounds,and decreed that there should be no "casualties," tothe irritation of some enthusiasts.

Saturday and Sunday, 17 and 18 October, weredays of marching, drilling, and shooting against the"thin red line" of British. The blasts of hundreds ofmuskets firing in unison caused clouds of gray smoketo swirl about the ranks and drift in lazy foggy banksover the opposing lines. At the end of each battle,"camp-followers" swept across the field in a colorfulline collecting the used paper cartridges in theiraprons to keep the park clean. Meanwhile, the sloopProvidence participated in mock naval battles on theYork River.

On Monday, 19 October, Presidents Reagan andMitterrand, and the Lord Chancellor of Britain, ad-dressed the assembled armies, the representatives ofmany nations, and many thousand spectators. Apass-in-review then followed, with modern militaryunits from several countries in the lead. Finally it wasthe turn of the reenactment army. Then under ablue October sky, the Virginia dust under foot, theymarched eight abreast to the music of fife and drum,with the old flags bright in the sunlight, betweenthe television cameras and the reviewing stand withthe continuous roar of the crowd beating down; thenmany a man's thoughts were, "This is why we came,this what we came to see, we can never forget thisday, this act, this place."

Walter F. Smith:The Marine Band'sOriginal Second Leader

by C. Elizabeth Nowicke

Uniforms and personal papers of the original "Second leader" of the Marine Band, the late SgtMaWalter F. Smith, recently received from hisdaughter-in-law, Mrs. Edna M. Smith, ofSchoolcraft, Michigan, fill a significant gap in theMilitary Music Collection. The uniforms conform tothe regulations of 1912, a period sparselyrepresented in our holdings. Smith's personal papersinclude sheet music, photographs, correspondence,a baton, and a Viennese B-flat flugelhorn.

Walter F. Smith was born in Montevallo, Missourion 5 June 1859. He grew up in Schoolcraft,Michigan in the Greek Revival home built in 1833by his grandfather. At an early age Walter perform-ed with church choirs, local bands, and at variousChatauquas. W. F. Smith also toured with sopranoArabella Root and her pianist husband as early as1877.

In November of 1885, the solo cornet positionwith the Marine Band became vacant. Leader JohnPhilip Sousa heard of young Smith's abilities andwrote him to suggest he audition. Smith modestlyreplied that he was not worthy of such an honor, andSousa was forced to write once more to convince thecornetist to leave the wilds of Michigan.

Smith, homesick and exhausted from the longjourney to Washington, approached the auditionwith trepidation, half-hoping to play so poorly thathe would be packed off on the next train north. Tohis surprise, he made no mistakes in his perfor-mance. When the audition continued the next mor-fling, he broke down completely on sight reading,but, to his relief, was totally drowned out by theband. Sousa later recalled that he ". . . asked theassistant director Petrola what he thought of[Smithj. He simply said 'grab him,' and so I did."

Miss Nowicke is the acting curator of the militarymusic collection. She has a BA in history fromWestern Mich:gan University and previously workedat the Henry Ford Museum.

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Walter F. Smith was at the beginning of his3 0-year career with the Marine Band when he posedfor this photograph in 1886.

The tone Smith produced from the cornet im-pressed Sousa, even though, in his opinion, it hadnot reached its full breadth. Sousa provided thenecessary training. In addition, he required Smith toexchange his cornet for a model Sousa preferred.

Principal Musician Smith grew professionally andin Sousa's estimation during the following years.Smith quickly became solo cornet for the MarineBand. In time, Sousa gave his promise that Smithwould remain solo cornet as long as Sousa directedthe Marine Band. In addition, Sousa allowed Smithto Gonduct band and concert performances.

Smith corresponded with friends and relatives fre-quently, penning long, detailed letters nearly everyday between roll call and rehearsal. He recordedcomments by Sousa, performance practice of theMarine Band, quarrels between members, critiquesof other musicians, impressions of Washington, andsuch diverse subjects as Baltimore oysters, andrecognizing Civil War surgeon Dr. Mary Walker onthe streetcar.

Captivated by Washington, Smith described it asthe most beautiful city he had seen in his life,stating: "I think that except for drunkness, the city isvery free from the gross aspect which vice usually ex-hibits." Smith may not have been so enamored ofthe Nation's Capitol after suffering through his firstWashington summer. He wrote in September of1886 that he had only practiced for one hour because

the day is so hot I have been wearing only myunderflannels without coat or vest."

Sousa resigned in 1892 to form "Sousa's NewMarine Band." Smith joined his mentor the follow-ing year. Sousa's band toured from six to ten monthsof the year, frequently playing two concerts a day,seven days a week. Families were not encouraged totravel with the band, and Smith did not see his sonStanley until the child was several months old.

When the grueling tour season ended, thebandsmen had to find employment for the re-mainder of the year. Smith performed in a variety ofbands and orchestras in Michigan and the District ofColumbia, and also toured as musical accompani-ment to a "magic lantern show".

One "off season" position for which Smith appliedwas as Bandmaster of the 2nd Regiment Band ofChicago. In reply to Secretary Frank Holton's requestfor a recommendation, Colonel CommandantCharles Heywood responded that Smith had beenacting leader of the band during Sousa's Europeanvisit. After Sousa's discharge, Smith ". . . had con-ducted it in an able and satisfactory manner." He ad-ded that Smith was ". . . 'a sober and reliable man,attentive to his duties, and was much esteemedwhile here by all with whom he came in contact."

Smith reenlisted in the Marine Band in May of1898. On 3 March 1899 in accordance with "An Actto Reorganize and Increase the Efficiency of the Per-sonnel of the Navy and Marine Corps of the UnitedStates," the Commandant, BGen Charles Heywood,appointed him the original second leader of theband.

As Second Leader, Smith conducted band and or-chestra concerts, the Memorial Day service at Ar!-ington Cemetery, and the Chevy Chase Lake sum-mer resort concerts. For fourteen years he led a brassquartet which performed at openair concerts at SaintAlbans (National Cathedral) in NorthwestWashington, D.C. During World War I, Smithwent to many cities on temporary duty to recruitregimental musicians.

Ingrained with the Smith family predilection fordiary-keeping, Smith kept a "day book" as SecondLeader which earned him the wrath of LeaderWilliam F. Santelmann. Smith recorded instances ofbandsmen drinking and playing poker inSantelmann's office, and noted when the lattermissed performances, chose non-existent music, orscheduled a player to be at two performancessimultaneously. The incidents were probably moreof an indication of lax discipline and the mores ofthe time than any maliciousness on the part of theSecond Leader in documenting them.

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SgtMaj Smith had a plethora of interests and hob-bies, especially swimming and photography. Heworried over needless deaths by drowning, and wrotea treatise entitled The Art of Motionless Floating, atalent he demonstrated while simultaneously soun-ding bugle calls, reading, or drinking ginger-alefrom a bottle. To keep his fingers nimble, Smithknitted and crotcheted; his cotton hammocks weremuch prized by his friends. Smith's fascination withacoustics was evident from experiments, performedduring Sousa's tenure with the Marine Band, inwhich he encased government bugles in plaster-of-Paris with no appreciable effect on tone quality.

Smith retired in May of 1921 after over thirty yearsof service. On the occasion of his retirement, aspecial dress parade of the garrison was ordered forSmith and another bandsman, SgtMaj W. F. Boyd.Smith was presented with a silver loving cup by theleader and members of the band.

From 1925 to 1926 Smith and other concernedmembers formed a committee "For the Relief ofMembers of the Band of the U.S. Marine Corps WhoWere Retired Prior toJune 30, 1922." Their goal wasthe amendment of a 1925 law under which twenty-eight retired bandsmen were ineligible for pay andbenefit increases. As a result of the committee's ef-forts and MajGenJohn A. Lejeune's testimony at thecongressional hearing, the bill passed.

After retiring from the Marine Band, Smith work-ed as a consultant and instrument tester for a musicalinstrument company designing mouthpieces andturning slides.

He died on 21 May 1937 in the District of Colum-bia and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Other institutions with holdings relating to Walter F.Smith:

Bentley Historical LibraryMichigan Historical CollectionsThe University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI 48109

Kalamazoo Public Museum315 South Rose StreetKalamazoo, MI 49007

University Archives and Regional History CollectionWestern Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, Ml 49008

Division of Musical InstrumentsNational Museum of American HistorySmithsonian InstitutionWashington, D.C. 20560

Oral History Report

The Oral History Section, while continuing its in-depth interviews with retired prominent Marines,has conducted a number of so-called "single-issue in-terviews" dealing with a specific event, an in-dividual, or a combination of the two. One of thesewas with LtGen James P. Berkeley, USMC (Ret),whose in-depth interview we accessioned in 1973.Gen Berkeley spoke of HQMC staff decisions andpersonalities, and of Gen Pate and the Ribbon Creekaffair.

Another single-issue interview was with Col BarryZorthian, USMCR (Ret), who was the director of theJoint U.S. Public Affairs Office in Saigon during theincumbencies of Ambassadors Maxwell Taylor andHenry Cabot Lodge. Col Zorthian spoke of his dutiesand of the press relationships of the Commander,U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, aswell as III Marine Amphibious Force.

A similar interview was held with Dr. Philip A.Crow!, who retired as a member of the Naval WarCollege faculty in 1981. Dr. Crow! taught at anumber of universities, including the NavalAcademy, and wrote several of the Army's green-backed World War II histories. His interview con-centrated on the Princeton Project in which he, withJeter Isely, wrote The U.S. Marines andAmphibiousWar, published in 1951. Dr. Crowl gave the

background of the personalities involved, and the at-mosphere of complete freedom as well as the spirit oftotal Marine Corps cooperation in which the bookwas written.

Coincidentally, individual China-related inter-views with two old China hands were added to theOral History Collection. One was with William T.Bingham of Philadelphia, who was a NavyCorpsman assigned first to Smedley Butler's 3dBrigade in Peiping and then, after a short break, tothe American Legation Guard in Peiping. Hisreminiscences of Smedley Butler, the "Old Corps" ofChina days, and the tragic deaths of then-MajWilliam H. Rupertus' wife and two children are avaluable addition to the Historical Center's collec-tion of China lore. Equally interesting and valuableare the taped memories of Wayne V. Masterson,who, while serving with the 4th Marines inShanghai, 1931-1932, was editor of the regiment'sfamed publication, UYalIa W'alIa.

Col Victor J. Croizat, USMC (Ret), interviewedhimself on tape about those periods of his MarineCorps career not covered in earlier sessions con-ducted by the Oral History Section.

Speaking of "do-it-yourself" oral history, the OralHistory Section has just begun an outreach program.To this end, a Do-It-Yourself Oral History Primerhas been prepared as a guide for meaningful andvaluable interviews. To obtain this primer, write toCommandant of the Marine Corps (Code HDH-3),Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington,D.C. 20380. —BMF

Eventsat theCenter

RESEARCHING A NEW PAINTINGLtCol Waterhouse, our artist-in-residence, recentlyphotographed members of the U.S. Army Band aspart of his research for a painting for the forthcom-ing history, "Marines in the Frigate Navy ". The pain-ring will portray bands-men of the iVar of 1812 era.

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CHIEF HISTORIAN'S MILESTONES

Mr. Henry I. (Bud) Show, Jr., the Chief Historian,recently marked two milestones in hz.c career. On 29October 1981, he began his 31st year with theHistorical Branch; his 21st year as the Corps' firstchief historian started on 4 February 1982. As ayoung Marine, Mr. Shaw participated in theOkinawa campaign in World War II and in thepostwar occupation of North China. He returned toactive duty during the Korean conflict and served asan editorial assistant on the Marine Corps Gazette.He has a BA degree in history from Hope College inMichigan and an MA in modern European historyfrom Columbia University. While in the HistoricalBranch, Mr. Show has co-authored seven officialhistories and wrote an unofficial history of theTarawa campaign.

The Historical Center received a number of newpersonnel. GySgt Vernon D. Kittle arrived fromMCAS, Iwakuni to assume duties as the new securitychief of the center. Sgt William Swain, now the sup-ply and fiscal NCO, came to us from the 10thMarines. Cp! Willis E. Spells, formerly with theManpower Department, is a clerk with the SupportBranch. LCpI Derwin W. Brown also transferredfrom the Manpower Department and became a clerkin the Archives Section.

Marine Corps Museum Branch Activities, Quan-tico, which includes the Aviation Museum, gainedthree new security guards and guides. Cpl AndresGarcia came from Marine Barracks, Subic Bay. LCplRandall K. Wade joined from the 3d ReconnaissanceBattalion on Okinawa. The final new member, CplMark E. Forbes, arrived from the 3d Engineer Bat-talion on Okinawa.

CHIEF CURATOR'S DEPAR TURE

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURESLtCol Philip A. Forbes joined the division in

January as Executive Officer and Head of the Sup-port Branch. He came from the Reserve Affairs Divi-sion at the Arlington Annex. After receiving his BAdegree in history from Louisiana State University,LtCol Forbes entered the Marine Corps in 1960 as aninfantry officer.

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Mr. Jack B. Hihiard, former Chief Curator of theMarine Corps Museum, received the SuperiorCivilian Service Medal upon his departure from thedivision. Mr. Hilhiard, who had been with the divi-sion since 1967, left to become the Senior Curator ofthe U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

In Memoriam

MajGen Harold W.Chase, USMCR (Ret),died 12 January 1982 inSan Diego. A native ofWorcester, Mass., he wasborn 6 February 1922. AtPrinceton University, hemajored in politicalscience, receiving his ABin 1943, his MA in 1948,

and his PhD in 1954. He enlisted in 1942 and wascommissioned the following year. Lt Chase served inthe Iwo Jima operation and on active duty duringKorea. During the Vietnam War, Col Chase servedas III MAF Psychological Operations Officer. GenChase was professor of political science at the Univer-sity of Minnesota for more than 20 years. He alsotaught at Columbia, the University of Chicago, andthe National War College. He was the author ofbooks and articles on constitutional history andpolitical science. Gen Chase was buried at ArlingtonNational Cemetery on 19 January 1982.

Col Clark W. Thompson, USMCR (Ret), died inGalveston, Tex., on 16 December 1981 at the age of85. He was born in La Crosse, Wisc., and attendedthe University of Oregon until enlisting in May1917. Col Thompson was commissioned in 1918. Hewas discharged in 1919 and then recommissioned inthe Voluntary Marine Corps Reserve in 1927. He re-mained active in the reserve program and was incommand of the 15th Battalion upon activation inNovember 1940. During World War II, Col Thomp-son commanded the 2d Marine Brigade's SpecialTroops and the 1st Battalion, 22d Marines, in Samoabefore reassignment to Headquarters Marine Corps.On 1 June 1946, he was placed on the HonoraryRetired List. Col Thompson served in the House ofRepresentatives, from 1934 to 1935, and 1947 to1966. He was buried in Hitchcock, Tex., on 19December 1981.

MajGen August Larson,USMC (Ret), died in An-nandale, Virginia, 4

November 1981. He wasborn 2 July 1904 inShelburne, Minn., and at-tended the University ofMinnesota. After threeyears of college, heenlisted in 1928, and was

commissioned in 1931. His early career included atour in USS Augusta and the Marine detachmentwhich guarded President Roosevelt at WarmSprings, Ga. He was a member of the 1931, 1932,1936, and 1937 Marine Corps Rifle and PistolTeams, and coached them in 1938 and 1939. In thelatter part of the fighting of the Okinawa campaign,he was first executive officer and then commandedthe 22d Marines. In 1956 he was promoted tobrigadier general and the following year becameADC of the 3d Marine Division. Prior to retirementin 1962, he had served at Headquarters as Directorof Personnel. Gen Larson was buried at ArlingtonNational Cemetery.

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Col William M.Gilliam, USMC (Ret) diedon 18 January 1982 andwas buried at CampButler NationalCemetery, Springfield,Ill. Col Gilliam enlisted in1936 from his native Il-linois. In 1940, CplGilliam received a direct

commission under the Meritorious NCO Program.He took part in the campaigns for Bougainville,Vella Lavella, Green Island, Peleliu, Guam, andOkinawa. LtCol Gilliam commanded the 4th Bat-talion, 11th Marines in Korea in 1951. Col Gilliamretired in 1966.

Col Gilliam often recalled that his first and lastcommanding officers were the same man. In 1936,prior to beginning recruit training, Pvt Gilliam wasdetailed to a young first lieutenant who patientlyanswered his questions on Marine Corps officers. In1966, that same officer signed Col Gilliam's retire-ment certificate: Gen Wallace M. Greene, Jr., Com-mandant of the Marine Corps.

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The following vignette appeared in JohnPhilip Sousa's book, Marching Along (Boston,1928). it records a conversation he had withSecretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracyaround 1890. (See story on Walter F. Smith,on page 19.)

"Sousa, I want to compliment you on the ex-cellence of your band. I was very much im-pressed with the solo playing of your cornetistat your last concert."

Here was my opportunity to eulogize theband.

Smith; he doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, hisgeneral habits and conduct are excellent, andall the Government pays him is thirty-eightdollars a month."

"You say he doesn't drink?""Not a drop," I firmly replied."And he doesn't smoke?""Not a puff.""And you say, too, that his general habits

and conduct are excellent?""He leads absolutely the simple life," I said,

enthusiastically, warming to my subject."Well, Sousa," and the Secretary leaned

back in his chair, "for Heaven's sake, whatgood will money do him?"

"Yes, Mr. Secretary, that young cornetsoloist is a fine Western boy. He comes fromSchoolcraft, Michigan; his name is Walter F.