The 167th Field Artillery Brigade, formed in November 1917 as a component of the 92nd Division, was the first brigade of Black artillery regiments of ever organized. It consisted of two regiments of light artillery (the 349th and the 350th) and...
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The 167th Field Artillery Brigade, formed in November 1917 as a component of the 92nd Division, was the first brigade of Black artillery regiments of ever organized. It consisted of two regiments of light artillery (the 349th and the 350th) and one regiment of heavy artillery, the 351st. The 351st Field Artillery was trained at Camp Meade, Maryland, and in June 1918, it sailed with the rest of the 167th Brigade from Hoboken, New Jersey to Brest, France, where the troops received additional artillery training. As part of the U.S. 2nd Army's drive toward Metz, France in November 1918, the 351st attacked six towns within a week. In February and March 1919, the 351st returned to the United States. The 351st Field Artillery Collection contains a few of documents pertaining to field conditions in France. An order issued in French calls for the mandatory evacuation of the town Le Maire de Ville-à-Mousson, July 13, 1918, where the 3rd Battalion saw action. Included are schedules for the firing of weapons during training by the 351st Field Artillery in France, August-September 1918, and sanitary reports of field conditions. Many of the reports in this collection were certified by Captain Henry J. Meyer, U.S. Army surgeon. Additionally, the collection includes rosters of officers and enlisted men in the Sanitary Detachment with names, addresses, and discharge information. There is a passenger list of the army units which embarked from Brest, France in 1919, and a list of enlisted soldiers in the medical detachment who were discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as well as a list of promotions for this detachment. Of particular interest are several statements indicating that no venereal disease or vermin were found among the troops. Other medical records for the troops to be discharged include cards with names and ranks of soldiers, issued by the infirmary at Camp Meade, listing cause of admission and disposition (transfer to hospital or return to duty), February-March 1919; and lists of the sick and wounded with names, rank, company, nature of illness, and place of treatment. There are also reports of sanitary inspections of conditions on board the U.S. Louisville and medical inspections of soldiers en route from Brest to Hoboken, as well as reports about the condition of supplies. A photocopy of a portion of a 1942 reunion program forms part of the collection.
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