The Grandfathers. World War 1. PART THREE--VERNE RUSSELL.

VERNE RUSSELL: July 1918 - May 1920 Discharge. Post-War Life. Death in 1971.

   As I said in the previous post about Mike’s grandfather, Albert Sesma, I’ve come to realize that I could study the events of the Summer and Fall of 1918 and never be able to fully understand them, much less describe them. Still, the study of our three grandfathers’ WW1 service has helped me understand WW1 and them better. I also fully expect that as soon as I think I am finished, I will find some new records about the grandfathers.

  Officially, the United States military had been in Europe for a year and in combat since October 1917. For our grandfathers, their families, and all the millions like them, The Great War, the War to End All Wars — was life altering. The Great War killed millions of people. And killed the hopes and dreams of the millions who loved them. The altered lives of the survivors and their future generations can barely be measured. I am trying to do some measuring.

  This post is about my maternal grandfather Verne Russell or at least what I know about his story right now as we approach the 100th anniversary of 11-11-18.

VERNE RUSSELL

Verne Russell, undated photo

  As I wrote in PART ONE, Verne Russell was already in France in July 1918, getting into position with Company C, 5th Field Battalion of the Signal Corps for the so-called “2nd” Battle of Marne.

   His enlistment record lists the following "battles, engagements, skirmishes, expeditions." I've added dates, but dates vary in different sources that I've read, so don’t @ me if you have different dates for these events.

       2nd Battle Marne — July 15 to August 6, including 

  Champagne Marne — July 15-17

  Aisne Marne — July 18-30

       St Mihiel — September 12-15

       Meuse Argonne —  September 26 to November 11

Verne’s enlistment record lists two dates for wounds received in service: July 29, 1918 and October 4, 1918.

   A Purple Heart Certificate was in my mother’s files, for “wounds received in action, in France, July 29, 1918.” The certificate is dated November 15, 1965 and I think perhaps he had applied to the V.A. for benefits and perhaps requested some verification of the Purple Heart when he submitted his service records. In a previous post, I wrote about growing up knowing very little about my grandfather except that he was “gassed in the war.” I’m pretty sure that July 29th was the first time he was gassed. 

Verne Russell. Purple Heart Certificate.

   The list of battles on his record indicates a gap between July 29th and September. I can only speculate, but he must have been sent to one of the nearby hospitals for his July 29 wounds. And I assume they decided they weren’t severe enough to send him home. If they had been very severe, it’s likely he would have been sent to a more distant hospital to return home, and not returned to his unit.

   The following narrative from the "History of the Third Division" was written by someone from Verne’s own Company C, 5th Field Battalion of the Signal Corps. It gives a sense of what this period was like.

"On the morning of July 15th, 1918, I endeavored to reach the 7th Infantry by way of Courboin. There was a terrific barrage on at the time and I passed a party of men of Company "B" working in a wire trench with absolute disregard for the rain of shells; an Ammunition Train was blown up two hundred yards from them but they continued to work. I reached the 7th Infantry at 9.30 A. M., found the telephone dugout wrecked and all lines out. From this point I went to the 30th Infantry in Bois d'Aigremont, where in places, I literally waded through blood. I entered the telephone dugout and of fifteen men only four survived, one man at the switchboard and three out repairing lines. I then proceeded to the 38th Infantry and found both the Signal Officer and the Regimental Signal Officer wounded, and a M. S. E. Company "C", 5th Field Battalion, Signal Corps, in charge, who had lines reconstructed and maintained. I then went to the regimental headquarters and reported to Col. Butts, who stated that all his runners were killed and that he had no communication with the outside, and asked me to take his reports back, which I did. I managed to get out by way of La Roque Farm across an aviation field subject to the direct fire of 7.5's. I delivered the messages to Message Center and made my way to the 38th Infantry at St. Eugene where I found a lieutenant very much in charge and a Sergeant 1st Class and a Corporal and two privates, all that was left of a detachment of nineteen men, and fifteen infantrymen who were forced out of ^a front-line trench near Fossoy. Their only avenue of escape was towards the Marne. They retired twenty yards to the shelter of a railroad embankment and held an indignation meeting, returned and recaptured the trench and one hundred and fifty-seven prisoners, including three officers. On July 16th I requested that the detachment with the 30th Infantry, be relieved as the men were going to pieces. Through the Division Signal Officer I obtained forty men from the 103rd Battalion, Signal Corps, 28th Division, who relieved our men. The men marched in, carrying fifteen miles of wire on their backs. After three days of rest the platoon went back cheerfully while St. Eugene was under heavy shell fire. A "H. E." shell hit a small building occupied by the Signal Corps as a store-room. It so happened that the chimney was used as a store place for pyrotechnics. The shell set fire to the pyrotechnics and for twenty minutes the chimney emitted a gorgeous display of fire works, everybody taking shelter until the cause of the eruption was realized."

https://ia802503.us.archive.org/27/items/historyofthirddi00unse/historyofthirddi00unse.pdf

   Back home in Kansas, Verne’s name appeared in the local papers, thanks to the "casualty lists" published through the War Department. It’s likely he was already back with his unit by September 4th when the lists of wounded were published.

This clipping is from The Ottawa Herald, September 4, 1918. Found on newspapers.com 

“SEVERAL KANSANS WOUNDED: One is Verne C Russell of Colony.” 

The second paragraph from the bottom: 

“Wounded, degree undetermined, Corporal Verne C Russell, Colony, Kan."

The Ottawa Herald Sept 4, 1918. Found on newspapers.com

   The clipping below is from the Walnut Valley Times (El Dorado, Kansas) September 5, 1918. Found on newspapers.com 

"Casualty List Kansas Soldiers."
"The following Kansans have just been reported in the casualty lists authorized by the War Department ….Corporal Verne C. Russell, Colony …. have been wounded, but the extent of their wounds has not been determined." 

Walnut Valley Times (El Dorado, Kansas) September 5, 1918.

   I recently found this clipping from "The Garnett Review" (Garnett, Kansas) Thursday September 19, 1918. Found on newspapers.com  It says Verne was not “wounded” but “gassed” according to a letter from Verne, received by his sister Mrs Bert Scott (Lula) who lived in Colony Kansas. 

"Verne Russell Better."

"Recently it was reported that Verne Russell, of Colony, was wounded in action in France. However, his sister, Mrs. Bert Scott, received a letter from Verne, in which he says he was not wounded, but gassed, and was in the hospital a while. He stated that he was much better."

The Garnett Review, September 19, 1918

  So we don’t know exactly where Verne was between his 29 July 1918 “wound” (or getting gassed) and his second “wound” on 4 October 1918. According to the enlistment record he was back with his company at St. Mihiel in September. I’ve done a little research about how soldiers were treated at the various levels of Army medical care. This helps to get a sense of where he might have spent his time. I’m not going to discuss this any further here, but there is plenty of information via the internet or your library about Army medical services during WW1. See below for links. I can only make guesses as to Verne’s treatments in August 1918. If only his sister, Lula, had shared more information with the local papers. In February 1919, she did.

   In any case, we know Verne rejoined his company because his record shows he was present for St Mihiel — September 12-15, and Meuse-Argonne — September 26 to November 11. Rather than trying to summarize the battles during this period, I’ll refer you to the National Archives. Or you can just do your own internet search. Over a million American soldiers participated. Over 26,000 were killed during these battles. Here’s a link: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/meuse-argonne.html

   According to his records, Verne Russell was “wounded” again on October 4, 1918. In a letter Verne wrote to his sister Lula, this happened at 10:30 AM on that date, somewhere in the “Argonne Woods.” This letter was received by Lula and printed in the Iola Daily Register on February 11, 1919 under “The Happenings at Colony” with the heading “Corp Verne C Russell Written From France: Tells of His Trip to the Hospital for Treatment for the Effects of Mustard Gas.” 

I wrote about Verne’s letter in a previous post, April 17, 2017. Well, it was really more of a post about learning about a grandfather I barely knew. But I'll share the letter here as well.

   Here’s the letter, with my transcript of it below. I’m pretty sure his “dateline” of Beaul" should probably be “Beaulieu” but of course, who knows. Could be a typesetting error, or transcription error by the nurse who took Verne’s dictation.

Beaul, France, Dec. 20, 1918

Dear Sister and All: This will be a full account of my trip to the hospital. The fatal day was October 4th; time 10:30 a.m.; place Argonne Woods; cause mustard gas. On the evening of the 3rd I had orders to take three men with me and stay at a switchboard station until the next morning when we would receive orders to move on at the right time. I picked my men and went to the station, those on duty returning to their dugouts. I knew that in the early morning hours we were going to throw a barrage into Jerry and of course the boys were going to follow, the Signal Corps going with the infantry. During the night I found out the barrage was to commence at four o’clock lasting one hour — then over the top. About 3:20 I went to the dugout to get my pack but could not roll it until the S.C. got out of the way for I got stepped on a number of times trying it. I gave it up and started to talk to a sergeant. While we were talking the barrage started and as the boys were to follow it up they started to file out. About the time our barrage started Jerry came down with just as good a one so you see we went out into shell fire that is something like going out of a house into a rain storm. I rolled my pack and beat it back to the station for I expected our lines to go out under that hail of shells. But as luck would have it not a line had been hit. Two things I forgot to mention: Early in the evening I had a few words with two officers about moving my station. My officers had told me to stay there but these officers from another outfit wanted the dugout I had the switchboard in for their headquarters, so I called my signal officer and we stayed. They felt sore and I can’t blame them. After the barrage started I made up for the feeling though, for they both got hit, one in the hand and the other in the neck. I tied them both up in fine shape and they went on to their headquarters. The other thing was the dugout where the S.C. stayed was large enough to sleep 150 men though we were somewhat crowded. About 6:30 our line went out but I found the break a short ways from the station. I went back and took the switchboard myself to let the men sleep. I was at the board until about 10:30 when a line was shot to pieces I found out later. I called the switchboard man, took another man and went to find the break. Jerry was shooting gas so we had to wear masks. We came to a place where the line ran through some bushes and here we located the trouble. After mending it we started back to our station to get a little sleep. I slept four hours when I had to go chase a line. I felt funny and a little sick and when I went out in the air my eyes began to burn and water but I went on. By the time I had the line fixed I had to force myself to keep my eyes open. The sickness had gone to my stomach and I did the seasick act proper. One of the sergeants was there and he took me to the first aid station. The only way I could see by this time was to pull my eyes open. They loaded me into an ambulance and sent me to a field hospital and for three weeks my mind was blank. Sometimes I would come to long enough to get a faint idea of where I was, once on the train, once in the hospital, and once here. In the fieled hospital I remember I was sick at the stomach and I heard a voice I thought I knew. On the train was where I was scared and I had a right to be. I came alive and found I was all stopped up, could not get my breath and had a rattling in my throat. I called for a doctor and they carried me to the car ahead where I could get more air. From now on is what the nurse told me. She is Miss Ethel Hofer, of California, and if you want to thank anyone, she is the one. Miss Hofer has told me I showed her a good time the first few days, said I was dippy as a coon. After I got my head back again I lay there thinking about my eyes. No one will ever know how much my brain worked those days. I knew the government would teach me some kind of a trade but I sure hated to think about not being able to see again. I asked the doctor if I would ever see again and he always said yes. But I thought differently though I never said so but once. The doctor came and pried my left eye open and I saw just a bit of light. Not long after that my right eye came to life and from that time I have been coming along in very fine shape. My eyes are just about as good as ever and my cough is better although I still cough a plenty. Can’t do much for one of these cough — just have to cough it out.Have been expecting to leave here but have decided to wait and let them do as they please. I will be home some time.CORP. VERNE C. RUSSELLCo. C, 5th Field Battery, A.E.F.

[Note: I have tried to figure out where Verne went for recovery from the October 4 gassing, but without his official medical and military records, it’s just a guessing game. He says he went to a field hospital; but which one? Thanks to a ship transport record, we know he left from Brest, France. Was he at a hospital there or was he brought there from a hospital elsewhere. 
If you’re interested, here’s a link to way too much information about The “Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War."
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/adminamerexp/DEFAULT.html

This same source has information on Army camp hospitals
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/adminamerexp/chapter25.html 
and about “Divisional Medical Service in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)”
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/divisionalmedsrvc/default.htm]

   Unlike the news clippings I found after July 29, 1918, I haven’t found any other news clippings about Verne after his October 4 gassing. But I knew that his father died on December 22, 1918; two days after he wrote to his sister, on December 20, 1918. In my research I found a clipping about Leslie Russell, who lived in Arkansas. I suppose that even if Lula wrote to Verne with the news, her letter may not have ever reached him. [Side note: Verne’s mother died in 1909 when Verne was 16 and he was sent to live with Lula at some point. He was the youngest of seven. Lula was eldest and also the only surviving sister.]

“Leslie D. Russell, a prominent planter near Pinnacle, Ark., died at a local hospital Sunday morning. He was a native of Illinois, but resided in Arkansas for the past six years. He is survived by four sons, O.H. of Los Angeles, Cal., E.A. and B.C., in France, and R.R. Russell of Pinnacle and one daughter Mrs. J.B. Scott of Colony, Kan. He was a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Camp Colony, Kan. Funeray services will be held Tuesday afternoon in charge of the Rev. B.F. Cato. Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery.”

Arkansas Democrat Mon Dec 23, 1918. Found on ancestry.com Death notice for Leslie Russell.

   While we don’t know which hospital Verne wrote from in December, thanks to Verne’s enlistment record and the return transport record we know he returned from France in March 1919. 

   Here is the March 1919 return transport record page from Ancestry. We know from the information within the record set on Ancestry that the Mount Vernon left Brest, France on March 3rd and arrived at Hoboken on March 11. It looks like they all were sent to Camp Merritt in New Jersey. For Verne, perhaps he received more recovery time at the hospital at Camp Merritt. But this may not be an accurate deciphering of the handwriting on his record. What’s clear is that in July 1919 he was back in Leavenworth. See a cropped/enlarged portion of Verne's enlistment record. It's a little hard to decipher -- and I know Army records are not always perfectly accurate -- but we also have a July 22, 1919 clipping from a local Kansas paper about a visit to his sister in Colony.

   I've cropped the top and the line showing Verne because this page is too big to show here full size. See below. (Source: The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; Lists of Incoming Passengers, compiled 1917-1938; NAI Number: 6234465; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Number: 92)

March 3, 1919 transport ship passenger list

   Here's what I can decipher from the "Remarks" on the back of Verne's Honorable Discharge, his Certificate of Furlough and the Final Pay Statement I received from the National Archives. Those documents will be added at the end of this post.. 

3/11/19.  Arrived U.S.

3/19/19.  Camp Merritt

4/22/19.  Camp Merritt

5/19/19.  Camp Merritt

7/1/19.  Ft Leavenworth

7/19/1919.  Signal Office Fort Leavenworth Kansas

5/7/1920.  Furloughed to Regular Army Reserve from Post Signal Office, Fort Leavenworth Kansas

From the back of Verne's Honorable Discharge

VERNE'S POST-WAR PERSONAL LIFE, 1919-1920

   I have a few news clippings I found via newspapers.com that fill in a little bit about Verne during 1919-1920. The Iola Daily Register reported that on July 20, 1919, Verne visited his sister, Lula in Colony, Kansas.

  “Verne Russell who is still in army service, arrived here Sunday for a visit at the home of his sister, Mrs. Bert Scott. Verne is looking fine and is improving in health from his severe gassing in France.” The Iola Daily Register (Iola, Kansas) July 22, 1919 Found on newspapers.com under “The Happenings at Colony”

The Iola Daily Register (Iola, Kansas) July 22, 1919 Found on newspapers.com 

   It appears that Verne was first assigned to “post signal office" at Leavenworth -- according to his Furlough Certificate which says he was furloughed "from" the post signal office. In the January 1920 census, Verne is listed at the General Service School Detachment No 1, U.S. Military Reservation, Leavenworth: Verne C. Russell, 25, soldier, father born in Illinois, mother born in Ohio.

   My grandmother Margaret Henderson worked at Leavenworth as well and I assume that is how they met. She was a switchboard operator — a “Telephone Girl” — at the fort telephone office according to the 1920 census. I have several news clippings about her attending parties and dances. And based on the photos in her photo album, she had a very busy social life. But she gets her own story someday.

   By November 1919, Verne and Margaret were definitely more than just social dance partners. The Iola Register reported that they went to visit Verne’s sister Lula in Colony. 

"Sergt Verne Russel from Ft. Leavenworth and Miss Margaret Henderson from Leavenworth were guests at the home of his sister Mrs Bert Scott for the week-end. Their daughter Mrs Arthur Brink and Mr. Brink were also here from Ottawa and spent Sunday."

The Iola Register, November 19, 1919. Found on newspapers.com

   Verne and Margaret married on April 5, 1920. The wedding announcement in the Leavenworth Post reports they left immediately for Arkansas and maybe they did but Verne’s discharge records are dated May 1920 so I’m guessing there was a bit of delay. My mother Elizabeth was born in Mansfield Arkansas in November 1921. They lived there for a few years and then moved back to Kansas, where their other child Margaret, was born in 1925. 

  "Mr. and Mrs. E.F. Henderson announce the marriage of their daughter, Margaret, to Mr. Verne C. Russell Monday evening at the parochial residence of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. The attendants were Miss Lillian Storm and Mr. Percy Shelton. Mr. and Mrs. Russell left immediately after the service for their future home at Benton, Arkansas."

Leavenworth Post, 7 April 1920. Found on newspapers.com

   Verne continued working at Leavenworth until May 1920 when it seems he was furloughed to the Army Reserve, according to the remarks on his Honorable Discharge. (I've cropped the Certificate of Furlough and the Honorable Discharge in an effort to fit them here. The missing parts are just the margins.)

CERTIFICATE OF FURLOUGH

Certificate of Furlough, from my mother's files.

Back of Verne's Certificate of Furlough, from my mother's files.

HONORABLE DISCHARGE

  The last document I have regarding Verne Russell's World War 1 service is a Final Pay Statement that I received from the National Personnel Records Center -- National Archives. It is dated May 8th which, like the Honorable Discharge document, may or may not reflect anything other than when it was signed. This document didn't add any "new" information, but it's still interesting.

Verne Russell. Final Pay Statement

VERNE'S LIFE, 1920 - 1971

   As I mentioned, Verne and my grandmother Margaret went to Arkansas for a few years, then back to Kansas and to St. Louis, Missouri where they lived with Margaret's family until they divorced in May 1932. Verne remarried in June 1932. He and Gladsia stayed in St. Louis where he worked for a while with the St. Louis Post Dispatch and then as a photographer for the War Department with the U.S. Engineers. In a 1942 letter to my father, he wrote, “You can find me at the U.S. Engineers Office in Federal bldg.” In the late 40’s they moved to the Missouri Ozarks where they built a home and tried to make a living writing and publishing short feature stories. That’s another blog post too. 

   Verne died in 1971 at the Poplar Bluff Veterans Hospital after surgery for a cerebral tumor. According to the few letters in my mother’s files, his lungs and his eyes suffered from the World War 1 gas attacks all through his life. I only met him twice as a small child. He died when I was 18. My understanding of this grandfather comes from official documents, historical research, genealogical research, newspaper clippings and finally, his own letters and articles written by him and his second wife abut their life in the Ozarks. 

   In two letters from Verne written to his daughters Betty and Peg in 1961 and 1962, he revealed how his dreams were thwarted by lack of education, death of his mother, lack of guidance from his father and brothers, health issues since being gassed in WW1.

“If I had been given better training and made to go to school …

 I would have had some sense.”

   I think he may have tried to explain why the divorce happened. Like so many others during and after the Depression, they lived in close quarters with family. The Hendersons were a close-knit family. The Russells were not. 

“Your mother’s folks were together a great deal. At that time I didn’t like the ideas of being so close to them. However, I can see now there was a bond between them that has lasted all these years and that is good.”

  It’s not that he regretted the way his life turned out. But perhaps he wanted his daughters to understand it was him, and not them. Perhaps at 11 and 7 years old, they felt “rejected” but over the years, I know that they visited him when they could and did not spoke ill of him to us. In fact, in their later years, the two sisters made several genealogy trips to study the Russell family tree. That is why I have a full file box of Russell research.

   On the one hand, his lack of education and the health issues from being gassed prevented him from fulfilling “the old urge to set the world afire.” On the other hand, his years of Army service covering 1914 to 1920 probably served as the basis for what he did accomplish. 

   And so I honor that service. And I honor his humility displayed here, in a postscript to a typed letter to my mother; with a handwritten note to “over look the mistakes my eyes play tricks on me at times” 

“One other thing. I was in WW #1 with the Third Division was in five major engagements from the Marne to Oragone.?? I also service in Hawaii [typed over “mmmmmmmm”] Honolulu from 1914..16 with 2nd Inf. And was an insturctor at Jefferson Baracks from 1916 to 197 when I went across to France.”

  Verne is buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis Missouri. 

Verne Russell gravestone at Jefferson Barracks cemetery.