The first lap of our journey home—Engers to Brest—was made by
way of Cologne, Aix-la-Chapelle, Liege, Namur, Charleroi, Mons,
Valenciennes, Arras, Amiens
and Rouen, so that much of the territory
through which we passed was quite interesting. On the way to Cologne
we had an excellent view of some of the most beautiful parts of
the Rhine. Passing through Belgium we could see a little of the
devastation wrought there by the Germans, while from Arras to Amiens
we passed right along a section of the old British front.
The First Battalion arrived at Brest July
22nd and before the arrival of the remainder of the regiment, July
24th, had received orders to sail on July 26th on the "U.
S. Ship Finland." Headquarters and Second Battalion
passed through all inspections and completed their paper work within
twenty-four hours, in the hope that they too would receive prompt
orders. But the fates were against them. Though a number of transports
were lying in the harbor, the sailors had been given shore leave
to visit Paris. They finally sailed August 1st on the "Great
Northern." The homeward voyage was without incident.
The First Battalion landed at Hoboken August 5th and was sent to
Camp Mills. Headquarters and Second Battalion landed August 8th.On
the latter date the Second Division was paraded in New York City.
Headquarters and Second Battalion were represented only by a few
of the officers, as orders were strict that all men must pass a
sanitary inspection immediately. At Camp Mills the men who were
in for the duration of the war were transferred to detachments
bound for the camps nearest their homes for discharge. Of course,
all were happy with anticipations of an early arrival at home,
their great mission accomplished, yet the parting with friends
tried and found true proved quite difficult. So it was with mingled
feelings of joy and regret that the last stage of our journey was
started.
The remnant of the First Battalion on August 11th started to Fort
Riley to supervise the construction of a bridge at that place,
while on the following day Headqurters and the Second Battalion
set out for Camp Travis, the new home of the Second Division. All
along the way they were given a royal reception. The Second Engineers
was the first unit of the Second Division to reach the new station,
and upon their arival on August 15th were warmly welcomed by the
citizens of San Antonio.
The regiment begins its period of reconstruction with very few
of the men who participated in its great work in The World War,
but those few are determined that the spirit of the regiment, the
desire to be of the utmost service and the determination to overcome
all obstacles, shall be perpetuated.
[Not all of the 2nd Engineers returned to the U. S. on the Finland
and Great Northern. As seen in the photos below, at least one of
them returned on the USS Pastores.] |
| 1. President Wilson left Brest on June 29, 1919 aboard the
USS George Washington. Neither of these two ships are the USS
George Washington. President Wilson was probably not on
either ship. There is a third ship at left. Perhaps this one
was the USS George Washington. If the third ship is, in fact,
the George Washington, this photo was probably taken at Brest
on June 29, 1919. Unfortunately, that ship can't be identified. |
|
5. This photo may have been taken at Hoboken August 1919.
The ship at left is the USS Aeolus. The USS Pastores is at
right. It would be very helpful to know when and where the
Aeolus and the Pastores were in port at the same time.
The New York Times, August 31, 1919, page 14 -- VAN
OF 1ST DIVISION HERE FROM FRANCE -- Six transports arrived
yesterday from France, bringing nearly 6,000 troops, including
the first batch of the famous First Division, the first to
go in and the last to quit, who were on board the Orizaba
and the Pastores, which docked early at the army piers in
Hoboken. The other four were the Iowan, Peerless, H. R. Mallory,
and Santa Leonora, which docked at the army base in South
Brooklyn. |
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