George William FEIGE
KILLED IN ACTION IN WORLD WAR I (CORPORAL, COMPANY E, 9TH U.S. INFANTRY)

DESCRIPTION OF 9TH U.S. INFANTRY'S ROLE IN WORLD WAR I
SOURCE: WWW.MANCHU.ORG/ LINAGE/ PAGE1.HTM

"UPON THE ENTRY OF THE UNITED STATES INTO WORLD WAR I IN APRIL 1917, THE REGIMENT WAS AGAIN CALLED TO BATTLE ON FOREIGN SOIL. IT ARRIVED IN FRANCE IN 1917 AS PART OF THE FAMOUS "INDIANHEAD" SECOND INFANTRY DIVISION. IN EARLY OCTOBER 1917, THE MANCHUS MOVED TO THE FRONT. THE REGIMENT FIRST BECAME INVOLVED IN THE THEN STATIC WARFARE IN THE SOUS REUVROIS SECTOR. WHEN SUBSEQUENTLY MOVED TO CHATEAU-THIERRY, IT MET AND STALLED THE BOCHE PURGE ON PARIS. LATER DURING THE INVOLVED CAMPAIGN IN THE MEUSE-ARGONNE SECTOR, AND IN ONE OF THE FINAL CAMPAIGNS OF THE WAR, THE 9TH INFANTRY SUCCESSFULLY SPEARHEADED ONE OF THE MOST RECKLESS AND DARING MOVES IN THE HISTORY OF MODERN WARFARE.

AFTER CAPTURING THE EDGE OF THE BELVAL FOREST ON THE AFTERNOON OF 03 NOVEMBER 1918, THE REGIMENT IMMEDIATELY PREPARED TO CONTINUE THE SURGE INTO THE ENEMY LINES. AT 1630 HOURS, DURING AN INTENSE RAINSTORM AND UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS, THE FORWARD MOVEMENT WAS BEGUN WITH COLUMNS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ONLY PASSABLE ROAD THROUGH THE WOODED TERRAIN. THE MOVEMENT NECESSITATED PASSAGE THROUGH THE MAIN LINE OF ENEMY RESISTANCE, CARRIED WITHIN 100 YARDS OF ARTILLERY ENGAGED IN FIRING UPON THEIR RECENTLY ABANDONED POSITIONS. WITHOUT DISTURBING THOSE UNITS, THE REGIMENT PROCEEDED SILENTLY, INTERCEPTING AND CAPTURING ENEMY PATROLS AND OUTPOSTS, AS WELL AS DEFENSIVE POSITIONS WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT. AT 2330 HOURS THE MOVEMENT WAS COMPLETED AND A PERIMETER WAS ESTABLISHED MORE THAN FIVE MILES TO THE REAR OF THE DEFENDING GERMANS.

THE GERMAN'S ATTEMPT TO MAKE THE BEVEL FOREST ONE OF THE FIERCE, SLOW DEFENSIVE MANEUVERS WAS THWARTED AND THEIR LINES BECAME UTTERLY DISORGANIZED. THIS WAS ONE OF THREE SUCCESSFUL NIGHT MOVES OR RAIDS MADE BY THE MANCHU REGIMENT WITHIN A PERIOD OF DAYS THAT AIDED CONSIDERABLY IN DEALING A DEATH BLOW TO THE BEWILDERED GERMANS.

AFTER THE ARMISTICE WAS SIGNED ON 11 NOVEMBER 1918, MANCHU TROOPS MARCHED INTO GERMANY TO SERVE AS AN OCCUPATION FORCE. OCCUPATION WAS TERMINATED AND THE REGIMENT RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES IN JULY AND AUGUST 1919. THIS WAS THE FOURTH SUCH RETURN OF THE "MANCHU" REGIMENT SINCE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. THE REGIMENT WAS AWARDED BATTLE STREAMERS FOR AISNE, MEUSE-ARGONNE, LORRAINE, ILE DE FRANCE, ST. MIHIEL AND AISNE-MAME CAMPAIGNS. IN 1918, THE MANCHUS WERE AWARDED THE FRENCH FOURRAGERE FOR GALLANTRY DURING THE MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE."

MY NOTES:

WAS HE DRAFTED OR DID HE ENLIST?

"DURING WORLD WAR I THERE WERE THREE REGISTRATIONS. THE FIRST, ON JUNE 5, 1917, WAS FOR ALL MEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 21 AND 31. THE SECOND, ON JUNE 5, 1918, REGISTERED THOSE WHO ATTAINED AGE 21 AFTER JUNE 5, 1917. (A SUPPLEMENTAL REGISTRATION WAS HELD ON AUGUST 24, 1918, FOR THOSE BECOMING 21 YEARS OLD AFTER JUNE 5, 1918. THIS WAS INCLUDED IN THE SECOND REGISTRATION.) THE THIRD REGISTRATION WAS HELD ON SEPTEMBER 12, 1918, FOR MEN AGE 18 THROUGH 45"

SOURCE: WWW.ARCHIVES.GOV/ GENEALOGY/ MILITARY/ WW1/ DRAFT-REGISTRATION/

SO, IT APPEARS THAT HE WAS TOO YOUNG TO BE DRAFTED ON THE FIRST AND SECOND DRAFTS. HE WAS OLD ENOUGH FOR THE THIRD DRAFT HOWEVER, SINCE HE DIED LESS THAN A MONTH FROM THE REGISTRATION DATE AND HAD ATTAINED THE RANK OF COPORAL, ONE WOULD HAVE TO ASSUME HE ENLISTED.

PERHAPS GEORGE CONSIDERED HIMSELF FIRST AS AN AMERICAN AND THEN A GERMAN, BEING A SECOND-GENERATION AMERICAN OF GERMAN DESCENT? NOTE THAT ON GEORGE'S MOTHER'S SIDE, THERE IS A LONG HISTORY OF AMERICANS WHO SERVED, INCLUDING GEORGE'S GRANDFATHER AND GREAT-GRANDFATHER, GEORGE AND DAVID SALISBURY, WHO FOUGHT IN THE CIVIL WAR (GEORGE, BEING AT THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG). THAT SIDE OF THE FAMILY ALSO HAS SEVERAL KNOWN MEMBERS WHO FOUGHT IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, INCLUDING: MAJ. ASA BURNHAM, NATHAN HUNTINGTON AND ABRAM SMITH.

GEORGE WAS SURVIVED BY BOTH OF HIS PARENTS, HIS GRANDMOTHER CAROLINE MATILDA SMITH SALISBURY, AND ALL OF HIS SIBLINGS.



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