The 353rd "All Kansas" Infantry Regiment of the National Army, Part 1 – An Overview

Series Introduction by Editor/Publisher  Michael Hanlon

Since I became interested in the First World War, one of my efforts has been to share the story and experiences of the Doughboys who went "Over There" to fight the Kaiser's troops and "Make the World Safe for Democracy." I've tried to draw on the best AEF histories available to share with our readers. For some time, however, I've been aware of a gap in what's to be found on this subtopic—the service of the "National Army" units in France.  These were the divisions made up primarily (not exclusively) of draftees. These units were eventually to be the bulk of the four-million-man army America planned for the war.  

The early fighting by Pershing's forces was accomplished, though, by already formed "regular" formations of soldiers and Marines and the National Guard units that had recently been active on the Mexican border. The National Army divisions, on the other hand, had to be created from scratch. The draft had to be organized and implemented. The training bases called cantonments had to be constructed. Only then, the process of turning  civilian citizens into trained warriors could begin. This process took over a year to crank out the first troops ready for deployment. The first of these 28,000-man divisions, the 77th,  arrived in France just in time for the Second Battle of the Marne in August 1918, and ten more saw action, with six more preparing for deployment just before the  Armistice came. It's been my observation that the contributions of the men in these units—except Alvin York (82nd Division)—have been somewhat neglected since the war.  

Our frequent contributor, Jim Patton,  has come up with a corrective measure for this deficiency.  He has researched a representative, highly active  unit of the National Army and prepared a ten-part series on its service. The 353rd Infantry Regiment was a component of the 89th Division, which was formed with men from the Midwest. All the men of the 353rd, initially, were from Kansas, and the unit trained at Camp Funston in Kansas. The regiment saw action in both the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives with its parent division and was subsequently called upon to participate in the occupation of Germany. Their story will give you a good idea of the effort required to take typical young American men of the period lacking any military experience and turn them into capable and successful soldiers of the Republic.

The 353rd "All Kansas" Infantry Regiment of the National Army, Part 1—An Overview

The Helmet the Kansans Wore in France with the
89th Division Insignia

By James Patton

The 89th "Rolling W" Infantry Division was established at Camp Funston, Kansas, on 5 August  1917. At inception, it was under the command of Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood (1860–1927), a famous Apache fighter and the former CO of Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba, who, along with Teddy, had become a spokesman for the Preparedness Movement in the U.S. In 1915, Wood was one of the founders of the Plattsburg Camps (held at Plattsburgh, NY) for the training of future officers. One of the four regiments of this division was the 353rd Infantry, formed on 5 September, with an initial strength of 2,974 men, all of whom were draftees from Kansas, so the regiment was named "All-Kansas."

The commander of the 353rd throughout (with a short stint as the acting commandant of the 177th Brigade) was Col. James H.  Reeves (1870–1963), a native of Alabama and a member of the West Point Class of 1892. Having previously served in Cuba, the Philippines, the Boxer Rebellion, and two stints as a military attaché in China, he was promoted and transferred from the 3rd Cavalry, then serving on the Mexican border. 

Division Commander MG Leonard Wood

The Timeline of the 353rd "All-Kansas" Infantry Regiment

• Organized at Camp Funston, Kansas, 5 September 1917

• Left Camp Funston, 26 May 1918

• Left Hoboken, NJ, two ships (111 officers, 3401 enlisted men) on 4 June

• Reynal Training Area, France, 24 June–4 August

• Lucey Sector, 5 August 5–11 September

• St. Mihiel Offensive,  12-16 September

• Euvezin Sector, 16 September–7 October

• Reserve Fifth Corps,  9-19 October

• Meuse-Argonne Offensive—Bantheville Wood

19 October- 1 November

• Final drive Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 1 November

• Barricourt Woods-Tailly and Army Line, 2 November

• Capture of Stenay, 11 November

• Army of Occupation, 24 November 1918–6 May 1919

• Left port of Brest, France, USS Leviathan (105 officers, 2533 enlisted men) on 14 May 1919

• Arrived at Hoboken, NJ, 22 May 1919

• Demobilized 2 June 1919 at Camp Funston, Kansas

Ready for Occupancy: A Newly Constructed Camp Funston

The All-Kansas men had a hot war, with heavy fighting in both the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives. Members of the regiment were awarded two of the 89th Division’s nine Medals of Honor. By the way, the 353rd had a song that the folks back home could stand around the piano and sing: The Kansas Hymn, dedicated to the "All-Kansas Regiment" with words and  music by  Lillian Forrest. We will tell you more about Lillian's song in our final installment, when we cover the legends and traditions of the 353rd Infantry.

Incidentally, unlike many National Army regiment-sized units, the 353rd had a post-WWI life. After the 1919-1920 demobilization period, the 353rd was reactivated in the new Army Reserve on 24 June 1921. It was no longer All-Kansas, though, having added units based in Nebraska and South Dakota. Recalled to active duty on 15 July 1942, the regiment fought in the latter stages of the European campaign. The regiment was active in the Army Reserve from 1948 until 2008, when certain active-duty training battalions at then-Fort Polk, LA, were badged to the 353rd Infantry. In 2020, only the single battalion 3/353rd remained, assigned instead to the Security Force Assistance Command based at Fort Liberty, NC. 

Over the course of the next nine Fridays, we will continue to follow the progress of the All Kansas men as chronicled in The History of the 353rd Infantry Regiment, 89th Division, National Army September 1917 – June 1919 by Capt. Charles F. Dienst and associates, published in Wichita by the 353rd Infantry Society in 1921. 

Next Friday we will rendezvous with the thousands of young Kansans who have been ordered to report to Camp Funston, Kansas, to begin their military training.

James Patton