54th Pioneer Infantry Regiment

Nickname: Formerly the 71st New York

Taken from the 54th Pioneer Infantry with the Army of Occupation, Third U.S. Army

January 5th, 1918 marked the demise of the 71st. Regiment of the old New York State Nat. Guard and the inception of the 54th Pioneer Infantry . The Supply Company was left in the same predicament as its brother companies, namely a meagre skeleton, with but a mere handful of man. After a long tedious wait at Camp Wadsworth , Spartanburg, S. C. the Company received its full quota of men on August 9th , 1918 , and since that time has red a very busy and interesting existence.

DATES OF INTEREST

Jan. 4, 1918 - The 54th Pioneer Infantry created by G. 0. 1, Provisional Depot for Corps and Army Troops, Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina. The 71st New York Infantry, N. G. (skeletonized) being the nucleus, consisting of 19 Officers and 183 men.

Aug. 9 — 14, - Received 3300 selective service men, chiefly from 1918 Minnesota, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, bringing the Regiment to full strength.

Aug. 20, 1918 - Left Camp Wadworth, South Carolina, by rail.

Aug. 21, 1918 - Arrived Camp Stuart, Newport News, Virginia.

Aug. 29, 1918 - Boarded transports “Duca d’Aosta” and “Caserta"

Sept. 12, 1918 - Debarked at Brest, France.

Sept. 17, 1918 - Left Brest REST Camp and entrained.

Sept. 20, 1918 - Arrived Port d’Atelier, Amance, France.

Sept. 22, 1918 - Entrained for the front.

Sept. 23, 1918 - Arrived Fleury, sur Aire.   

Sept. 24, 1918 - Night hike to Clermont woods.

Sept. 25, — Nov. 11, 1918 - Meuse-Arg°nne offensive.

Nov. 17, 1918 - Regiment concentrated at Dun-sur-Meuse.

Dec. 16, 1918 - Concentrated at Longwy and Briey.

Dec. 22, 1918 - Garrisoned German towns in vicinity of Wittlich.

Dec. 30, 1918 - Garrisoned German towns in vicinity of Coblenz, as part of Army of Occupation.

Other Resources

Sources in bold are in the museum's collection.

 

“54th Pioneer Infantry Band, Coblenz, Germany, March 1919.” New York State Military Museum. http://catalog.nysmm.org/Presto/content/Detail.aspx?ctID=ZDhjMmE5MjktYTE3Yi00M2Y0LWJmYjYtZDIxZWRlNmIxN2Vi&rID=MTIxNTE=&qrs=RmFsc2U=&q=NTR0aCBQaW9uZWVyIEluZmFudHJ5&ph=VHJ1ZQ==&bckToL=VHJ1ZQ==&rrtc=VHJ1ZQ==.

"54th Pioneer Infantry, Hdqrts. Co.our Company Street Would Be." Gas Attack of the New York Division (wadsworth Gas Attack; the Rio Grande Rattler). (1918). Print. Available at the New York State Military Museum. 

54th Pioneer Infantry with the Army of Occupation, Third U.S. Army. Germany: publisher not identified, 1919. 

Bates, William Graves. Pocket Diaries, 1879-1943. 1941. Available at the New York Historical Society.

Hill, Tanny. History of Company "c" 54th Pioneer Infantry. Coblenz, Germany: Gebruder Breuer, 1919.

Minnesota War Records Commission, creator. “Collected materials, 1909-1936 (bulk 1917-1920).” Library of Congress.

New York State. Adjutant General’s Office. “New York State Adjutant General's Office Abstracts of National Guard Service in World War I.” 1917-1919. New York State Archives.

Nienhauser, Roy B. “Roy B. Nienhauser and family papers, 1828-1995 (bulk 1870s-1975).” Library of Congress.

"Regimental Notes 54th Pioneer Infantry.our Newly-Hatched." Gas Attack of the New York Division (wadsworth Gas Attack; the Rio Grande Rattler). (1918). Print. Available at the New York State Military Museum. 

Thisted, Moses N. Moses Thisted Photograph Collection. 1916.