World War I

"The War to End all Wars"
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare. Air Combat. Machine Guns. Tanks. Trenches. Chemical Weapons.

April 2007 marked the ninetieth anniversary of the United States’ entry into the Great War. The bloody stalemate that developed in the First World War inspired a number of military innovations meant to secure decisive victories instead of continuing the futile bloodletting.

The SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum’s exhibit, “Forgotten Stories: South Carolina Fights the Great War,” focuses on the military history of the war, strategies used during it, and how the war is a part of South Carolina's military tradition.  The exhibit themes examine various aspects of the war such as trench warfare, the use of artillery, the new use of airplanes, Medal of Honor winners from SC, and the forgotten story of the African-American 371st Infantry Regiment. 

The exhibit also highlights the often-overlooked Mexican Punitive Expedition and includes exciting visuals, such as life-like mannequins, a simulated trench, and interactive kiosks.  This exhibit is displayed in the museum’s new, expanded gallery space in the renovated “cistern” area of the Columbia Mills Building.

LEFT: "Forgotten Stories" exhibit gallery
RIGHT: World War I exhibit reproduction trench area 

African-American 371st Infantry Regiment
The 371st Infantry Regiment, an African-American unit of mostly South Carolinians from small towns like Sandy Springs, Anderson, Edgefield and Laurens, didn’t arrive at the battlefield in any normal way. The white commander of the unit, Colonel Perry L. Miles, a West Point graduate and veteran of two wars, had watched the unit hone itself into one with real fighting potential at Columbia’s Camp Jackson. He knew the disappointment of the men to be first assigned depot duty instead of fighting with the American Expeditionary Force against the German alliance in France. Miles pleaded to allow the troops to prove themselves on the battlefield, and he gained the support of Camp Jackson Commander Charles J. Bailey.

The 371st would indeed be permitted to fight, but after disembarking from their troop ship at a tiny French village in April of 1918, they received startling news: they had been transferred to the French army. The French, accustomed to fighting with men of different races and ethnicity from all over its vast colonial empire, wanted the 371st. After four years with over a million French casualties and the stalemate of trench warfare, France was grateful for the African-Americans’ willingness to fight to push the Germans from French soil. The 371st was given French equipment, and had to turn in their prized Springfield rifles for French rifles. The unit was reorganized to fit the French army structure and spent the spring of 1918 training in French tactics, communicated via interpreters. That summer, the regiment was put into the line to relieve exhausted French and allied Italian units.

Having experienced battle, the 371st was then thrown into the climatic “Final Offensive” of the Great War in September and fought well, suffering heavy casualties: over 1,000 men out of 2,384 were lost in eight days. They won battles, capturing prisoners and great quantities of German munitions. Even more startling was the feat of shooting down three German airplanes with rifle and machine gun fire, perhaps a record for small arms’ ground fire. Vice-Admiral Moreau, on behalf of the French Government, decorated the regimental colors on January 27, 1919, in Brest. The 371st won the French Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre. The American Distinguished Service Cross was awarded to ten officers and twelve enlisted men.

Columbia came together in support of the 371st. A mass meeting was held at Sidney Park Church to launch a fundraising effort for a community reception at Allen University in honor of the return of the 371st. The grand event was held on February 29, 1919. African-American community leaders, including I.S. Leevy and C.A. Johnson, spoke in honor of the regiment. The two flags of the 371st Regiment were presented to the community. Those flags are now part of the flag collection of the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Museum.

This end was not the full story, however. On September 28, 1918, just six weeks before the end of World War I, Corporal Freddie Stowers, 21, of Sandy Springs, S. C. was killed leading Co. C from the 371st into no-man's land, to capture German positions. After feigning surrender the Germans opened up with machinegun and mortar fire instantly destroying over half of Co. C. Stowers rallied the men and led them to knock out one machine gun nest, and though mortally wounded, urged them on to capture a second trench line, stopping the threat and causing heavy enemy casualties. His commanding officer recommended him for the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor. The nomination languished for 70 years.

In 1988, several members of Congress began campaigning on behalf of black World War I soldiers who had not been properly recognized. After an extensive investigation ordered by the Secretary of Army, Stowers was awarded the Medal of Honor. It was presented to Stowers' two surviving sisters at the White House by President George Bush in 1991. He was the first black soldier from World War I to earn the medal.

World War I Exhibit Website
Visit http://www.scforwardtogether.org/ to learn more about the war.  This website is part of the multi-institutional exhibits on World War I. 

Continue to World War II