{"id":1315,"date":"2020-07-14T08:16:55","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T14:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iseeancestors.com\/comm\/?p=1315"},"modified":"2020-07-14T11:49:32","modified_gmt":"2020-07-14T17:49:32","slug":"russell-thomas-stewart-a-retrospective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iSeeAncestors.com\/comm\/2020\/07\/14\/russell-thomas-stewart-a-retrospective\/","title":{"rendered":"Russell Thomas Stewart: A Retrospective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russell Thomas Stewart was born September 16, 1889 in Buffington Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania. He was a son of John Galbreath Stewart and Mary (McKee) Stewart<\/a>. He was probably born on, or near, the Stewart homestead, a farm originally settled by his great great-grandparents, John and Margaret (McFarland) Stewart about 1796. When Russell was five years old his father died, and his mother moved the family to Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

At the age of twenty on December 24, 1909, Russell married Grace Allen Davis<\/a>, a daughter of Albert and Anna May (White) Davis of Fayette City, Pennsylvania. Grace was only fourteen years old when she married. A year later they had a daughter, Violet May Stewart. Sadly, Violet died of pneumonia just two years later. They also had a second daughter, Anna Mae Stewart, born just before Violet died in 1913.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Pvt. Russell T. Stewart,
Camp Lee,
circa Spring 1918<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Russell and Grace divorced or separated sometime between 1913 and 1916. Grace remarried in 1916 and took custody of their daughter Anna. When he registered for the draft on June 6, 1917, Russell reported he was single and supporting his mother. He was an unemployed laborer. At one time he was a meter maker, and perhaps employed at Westinghouse Electric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russell was drafted and assigned to the Army\u2019s 80th<\/sup> Infantry Division, known as the \u201cBlue Ridge Division\u201d because most recruits were from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia. He reported to Camp Lee, near Petersburg, Virginia on October 6, 1917, at a time when uniforms and equipment were in short supply. He likely trained in his civilian clothes initially. His army serial number was 1828386. <\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training continued at Camp Lee until mid-May, when the Division was ordered to France. Russell boarded the Zeelandia<\/em>, a Dutch passenger ship converted for use as a troop transport. <\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> It sailed May 18, 1918 from Newport News, Virginia on its first voyage as a transport. As the convoy neared it\u2019s destination, Saint-Nazaire, France, it came under attack by up to seven German U-boats. Although windows were blown out by the concussion of the Zeelandia<\/em>\u2019s own guns, no enemy torpedoes hit the convoy. They safely made port May 31, 1918.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russell was one of 255 men in Company M, one of four companies in the 3rd<\/sup> Battalion of the 319th<\/sup> Infantry. The 319th<\/sup> had many recruits from Pittsburgh. It was part of the 160th<\/sup> Brigade in the 80th<\/sup> Division. He seems to have remained with Company M, and for that reason, we can approximate his movements while in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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USS Zeelandia Being Outfitted at New York Navy Yard, May 10, 1918<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On June 4th<\/sup> Russell was promoted to Private First Class. The Division also moved inland through Calais and on to Desvres. They crowded into the French \u201c40 hommes\/8 chevaux\u201d rail cars. These light \u201c40 and 8\u201d cars could carry 40 men or 8 horses. <\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> By July 4th<\/sup> the Division traveled from Desvres to the area of Bouquemaison in the Somme. Here they were attached to the British VI Corps for a few weeks of training. A constant stream of artillery, trucks and troops flowed through Bouquemaison. The observation balloons at the front lines were visible from here, and at night, he could see the flash of cannons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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40 and 8 Box Car Leaving Calais, 305th Engineers, 80th Division<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

July 22nd<\/sup> they marched from Bouquemaison to La Bazeque Farm, only seven miles from the front. Russell\u2019s regiment was attached to the British 2nd<\/sup> Division, VI Corps for yet more training. This time he spent short periods of time actually in the front-line trenches in the Ayette Sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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80th Division, Last Train Leaving the Somme, August 23, 1918<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They left La Bazeque Farm and marched through Fr\u00e9vent, Autheux, and on to Bernaville by August 21st<\/sup>. Here he boarded another 40 and 8 boxcar, this time bound for Ch\u00e2tillon-sur-Seine. <\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Russell may have glimpsed Paris as the train passed there. Some companies in the regiment passed Paris during the night and saw nothing but dimmed street lights camouflaged against air raids. There and then, Russell was an eye witness to the birth of America as a preeminent super-power. Control of our infantry divisions passed from the British and French, to the Americans. We now had a very large army deployed on foreign soil and we were in control of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 2nd<\/sup> Russell again boarded the 40 and 8 boxcars at Ch\u00e2tillon-sur-Seine, this time bound for the area near Ligny. This was the Saint-Mihiel salient, where an offensive had been planned. Instead, the salient was to be cleared only enough for a major offensive later in the month. Upon reaching their destination, the men \u201ctook to the woods,\u201d literally running from the box cars to the surrounding woods to avoid detection by the enemy. Marches now were under cover of darkness, with absolutely no lights allowed, not even luminous watch dials. Russell spent his days confined to the woods and his nights finding his footing in pitch darkness. Verdun loomed in the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 16th<\/sup> Russell had his 29th birthday bivouacked in the woods between Ipp\u00e9court and Souilly, France. He arrived at 3:30am after marching through the night. On September 23rd<\/sup> he entered the front line trenches. For two days his battalion was temporarily attached to the 33rd<\/sup> Division to relieve the 131st<\/sup> Infantry Regiment. <\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Company M, 319th Infantry, Taken After the War<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

September 25th<\/sup> Russell was lying with his face pressed to a dirt road. Overhead was the continuous deafening roar of high explosive enemy artillery shells, some landing nearby. He was marching to the front-line, but the road was clogged with thousands of men and everyone had to wait. Under orders not to break ranks, there was nowhere to run anyway. Later that night Russell would be in position at Le Mort Homme (Dead Man’s Hill) near Bethincourt. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was about to begin. Several hundred yards to Russell\u2019s left were units of the 77th<\/sup> Division, about to become famous as the \u201clost battalion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 26th<\/sup> a deafening, continuous artillery barrage pounded the enemy for four hours from 1:00am to 5:00am. A more intense barrage pounded for 30 minutes followed by a rolling barrage, where shells began exploding 100 meters further ahead, every 4 minutes. Russell\u2019s regiment, not having slept, climbed up out of their trenches and followed this rolling barrage forward. Russell went \u201cover the top\u201d later in the morning and his company faced less resistance. <\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> They achieved their objective, although in the confusion, his company and another exactly reversed their intended destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fighting continued and on September 27th<\/sup> Russell was near Dannevoux, pinned down by a heavy enemy artillery bombardment both day and night, with periodic machine gun fire and snipers. The enemy artillery was on higher ground across the river to the east. In places their fire was enfilading, meaning it was lengthwise down our line from the side. The battle was intense, but they slowly advanced the front to the Meuse River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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British Troops Go “Over the Top”<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

By September 29th<\/sup> Russell and his regiment were relieved by another regiment. He made his way in the dark early that morning, in a driving rain and by noon everyone was 10 kilometers rearward, and able to get a hot meal. However they were held in reserve for the 37th<\/sup> Division and could be called up on a moment\u2019s notice. Luckily most soldiers spent no more than a few days at the actual front-line. The constant machine-gun, sniper, and artillery fire prevented them from sleeping or eating and they soon became exhausted and ineffective. In the last three days, Russell\u2019s regiment alone lost 63 killed, 26 died later of wounds, and 218 were wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
State of Pennsylvania\u2019s Memorial at
Nantillois, France<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

October 7th<\/sup> Russell was about to learn what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object. He was in the front-line again, this time at the Bois des Ogons (Woods of Ogons) north of Nantillois, France. The artillery and machine gun fire was constant day and night all around him. The Germans were under orders to hold this place at all cost. The State of Pennsylvania erected a memorial at Nantillois after the war in honor of what their boys from Pittsburgh did here. <\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 8th<\/sup> Russell was having a whiz-bang time, but not in the sense we think today. He endured constant high-explosive artillery and machine gun fire, poison gas clouds and whiz-bangs. \u201cWhiz-bangs\u201d are light artillery shells that travel faster than sound. They heard the whizz going by before they heard the bang of the cannon itself. Russell wore his gas mask most of the night. Each day he faced intense enemy resistance as the front line inched northward hour by hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Village of Cunel, France, Taken a Month After the War<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

October 9th<\/sup> Russell found himself one mile behind enemy lines. His company and two others had advanced, but their sister companies were stopped by enemy machine gun fire. They were so far behind enemy lines they surprised the German garrison at Cunel and took nearly 200 prisoners. <\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span> They searched the village building by building, then continued to advance until they came under shelling from our own artillery. Sensing their advance had been too easy, they suddenly realized the enemy was about to close in behind them. They pulled back. Five in the battalion were killed, 36 wounded and 40 were missing. However back at headquarters, the runners could not find these companies and all 600 men were presumed dead or captured for a time that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Browning Automatic Rifle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

October 10th<\/sup> Russell and his battalion was relieved by a sister battalion. By October 12th<\/sup> he made his way rearward for several days of rest. Nearly everyone suffered some effect from poison gas. During this \u201crest\u201d period, they trained daily in new tactical formations and attack methods. They were issued the new Browning Automatic Rifles, one of the first assault rifles. <\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Over a half million rounds of ammunition were shot during these few days of training. At the end of the month 2,000 men arrived to replace casualties of the previous two battles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 31st<\/sup> Russell may have said, \u201cLet\u2019s Roll!\u201d After the horrific battle at Nantillois, Russell had \u201crested\u201d these past three weeks. There were new weapons issued, new tactics learned, and a sense the war would soon be over. He was again marching to the front. His brigade was assigned to lead an attack the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

November 1st<\/sup> Russell followed another rolling artillery barrage and moved forward to attack. A sister regiment made no progress all day due to overwhelming machine-gun fire. Russell was able to reach Im\u00e9court, where his battalion met stiff resistance. Some units continued forward and pushed 2 kilometers further on the road to Sivry-les-Buzancy. Russell\u2019s battalion remained in the area surrounding Im\u00e9court, and defended it from several German counter-attacks all afternoon and into the night with some hand-to-hand combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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305th Engineers at Im\u00e9court, France, November 1, 1918<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A detachment from the 305th<\/sup> Engineers was assigned to repair the road between Im\u00e9court and Sivry the afternoon of November 1st<\/sup>. They were driven off by enemy gun fire. Russell\u2019s battalion, and specifically Russell\u2019s company, was sent to this very area to defend the road and probably also the army engineers trying to repair it. <\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

November 2, 1918. Russell was killed in action. He and his battalion led an attack to clear the woods northwest of Im\u00e9court, France, which was successfully completed by 4:00am. This decisive battle precipitated the German retreat from the area and removed the resistance that prevented two other American divisions (50,000 men) from advancing. Ironically this, the last battle for the 319th<\/sup> Regiment, claimed Russell\u2019s life after all the torpedoes, 40 and 8 boxcars, marches, heat, cold, dust, rain, mud, darkness, sleeplessness, hunger, trenches, craters, barbed wire, noise, high explosive artillery shells, snipers, machine guns, rifles, whiz-bangs, poison gas, death, blood and body fragments he had endured. Another few minutes and he probably would have lived to come home. <\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Second Temporary Grave Site, April 15, 1919<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

November 11th<\/sup> the Great War ended. Back in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania Mary (McKee) Stewart and her children were happily awaiting the return of her son, Russell. It would be another three weeks until on December 5th<\/sup> Mary received the telegram every mother dreads. Her son Russell had been killed in action a month earlier on November 2nd<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 80th<\/sup> Division is the only American division that took part in all three phases of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In total, it had 5,234 casualties between September 21st and November 11th. It was during these battles it earned the motto: Only Moves Forward<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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80th Division Rolls Through Im\u00e9court, November 3, 1918
Russell Stewart was buried a few hundred feet to the right of the camera.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

During the war, bodies were generally buried near where they fell. Russell was buried in a make-shift cemetery on the grounds of the Chateau d’Im\u00e9court, along with 17 other soldiers. <\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span> After the war and into the 1920s, remains were exhumed and identified. The family could choose to have them brought home, or reburied in a national cemetery in France. Russell was exhumed and subsequently reburied April 15, 1919. He was again exhumed and reburied December 24, 1921 in his final resting place at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial near Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France. Ironically, he is only one mile from Cunel, the village he raided October 9th<\/sup> so far behind enemy lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mary Stewart’s Telegram, December 5, 1918<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Were it not for a photocopy of his mother\u2019s tattered telegram, I never would have known, investigated or discovered his amazing story and all the horrific days he courageously endured. <\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span> A truly remarkable man, and I think, no braver man ever walked the Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike Voisin
Grandnephew<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post is a summary of my discoveries about Russell Stewart, but my past articles explore them in greater detail. Please see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n