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| The Last Night of the War By Frederick C. Yohn, 1920 |
Mark Mortenson
At the end of October 1918, the 2nd Division, commanded by Major General John A. Lejeune USMC, was placed under the command of Major General Charles Summerall commanding the First Army’s V Corps. To set the tone for the November attacks, which would be the final offensive mounted by the AEF. Summerall visited with the Marines in each battalion giving them a stern rather arrogant speech. He demanded they keep moving forward at a fast pace and not sparing time to take prisoners or aid wounded Marines. Most of the, now highly experienced, combat infantry Marines did not appreciate the tone of the lecture or its content.
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| George Hamilton, USMC |
Major George Hamilton of the division's 5th Marine Regiment was respected by Marine officers above him. Those under his command had full confidence in him and would die for him. As a company commander he was recommended for the Medal of Honor for heroism at Belleau Wood on June 6th, the first day of the counteroffensive. [Article] In October commanding 1/5, at Blanc Mont his battalion was reduced to 168 Marines in “the Box” but he stood his ground and led his “boys” to victory. [Article] Hamilton was an expert rifleman, and unlike most senior officers he carried his rifle with him to participate.
With no fires allowed, the cold damp November weather was taking a toll on the physical condition of the Marines. Many were ill and contagious from the flu (both Spanish and common), while others suffered from bronchitis, diarrhea and blisters. The ranks were severely diminished, and replacements were not available.
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| There Must Have Been a Good Reason for It, But This Map Is Unconventionally Upside Down with North at the Bottom. The Site of the Crossing Is Shown Lower-Right (Northwest) Corner |
The Marines had been living on the edge of combat death for months. On November 10, 1918, rumors of a possible end to the war gained momentum, with the belief that the 11th would be the final day. It would be nice to wait out the final hours, but Major Hamilton remained in attack mode simply accepting that orders were orders. The general plan of attack was simply to cross the Meuse River, attack the Germans on the other side and keep moving east at a quick pace. The 2nd Division's Army Engineers were busy making portable wooden pontoon bridges. Major Hamilton would be responsible for overseeing the southern Meuse River crossing consisting of 3 battalions, 1/5, 2/5 and the U.S. Army 89th. Hamilton’s friend Marine Major George Shuler would oversee the northern crossing of 1/6, 2/6, 3/6 and 3/5.
At around 1900 the sections for the pontoon bridges were loaded onto wagons and movement began to the river. With darkness, dense fog was so thick that it was difficult to see three feet ahead. Second Engineers guided the Marines along the path forward, to assure everyone they were heading in the right direction. The action between both sides had intensified with flares and bombs bursting away creating an assortment of muted colors in the fog above. When they reached the elevated riverbank the pontoon sections were hand carried to the river below. Although the Germans could not see the opposite side of the river, they fired random machine guns and artillery into the area. Again, the engineers displayed heroism as they lashed the pontoon sections together and secured the complete bridges on both sides of the river with 30-foot anchor lines. The Marines praised them.
The two northern bridges were destroyed before a crossing was deployed so Major Shuler and his men would have to remain and ride out the night. The news at Hamilton’s southern crossing was not good either. The 89th Division would not be able to meet the timeline to cross. Additionally, the southern bridge that 2/5 was to cross had been identified by the Germans. With the element of surprise lost, artillery destroyed the bridge. The Marines in 2/5 would have to align with 1/5 to cross on the only bridge remaining. The Marines did not like standing and waiting in the middle of a war zone, with even gas explosions, but there was no option. Throughout the mayhem, Marine comrades close by would glance at each other reflecting an air of confidence.
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| One of the Bridge Sites in 2012 |
Finally, around 2230 on the eve of potential Armistice, the Marines in 1/5, focused and mentally prepared, were set to cross with fixed bayonets. As Major Hamilton was navigating onto the bridge to lead his men, he was either bumped or lost his balance, which placed his legs in the frigid water. Other Marines began to cross. Hamilton quickly joined the line and was off and charging forward again with his “boys”, which he often called his Marines. Through the darkness and fog the Marines had to cross in a single line, spacing themselves accordingly. If they bunched too close the bridge would sink about a foot into the water. Still, they had to keep close contact with their partner in front to identify direction. During his speech Summerall had warned the Marines they would face many German machine guns along the far bank. He was correct and while crossing some Marines were hit with scattered fire, making a “sock’ noise, plunging them into the river. The death toll was climbing.
Once on the opposite side of the river, members of 1/5 traversed the mud and tall grass to firmer ground. Their battalion of officers and Marines now totaled around 100. The Marines sprang into action with their practiced art of individual and hand-to-hand combat —kill or be killed being the order of the day. Hamilton, who was extremely athletic, was leading his Marines in this final battle of the war. The rush was intense to silence machine gun nests.
Major Charles Dunbeck commanding 2/5 followed over the bridge prior to midnight. He would report to Hamilton. Major Mark Hanna commanding the Army 89th battalion and reporting to Hamilton, finally made it across the river with a few soldiers. However, he was quickly killed and the lone bridge destroyed.
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| Original Message |
At 0910 AM on the morning of the 11th, Armistice Day, Hamilton’s commanding officer Col. Logan Feland, issued the above note to Hamilton:
All Firing will cease at 11 A.M. today, hold every inch of ground that you have gained, including that gained by patrols. Send in as soon as possible a sketch showing positions of all until 11 AM.
With all bridges across the Meuse River destroyed, it would take an extended amount of time for a courier to get across the river and locate Major Hamilton, who was continuing his mission east. According to the map above, the Marines advanced over 3,000 yards that morning. The fog would not lift until 1300. Marine Capt. Robert Blake, commanding the 66th Co., was with Hamilton when the courier finally delivered the note confirming the war was over. Capt. Blake, who later retired the Marine Corps as a major general, stated in a memoir that the time the note was received was roughly 1330 PM, 2 ½ hours after the set Armistice time of 11:00 AM. Major Hamilton saved the historic note and added his signature for authenticity. (I verify that that is Hamilton’s signature.)
There is no official record of Marine casualties on the last night and day of the war. It appears that 31 were killed and 148 wounded, however his figure does not include Marines missing in action or those who died of wounds days later. The figures might be much higher. Private Clarence Richmond of 2/5 later wrote:
Near the small bridge the bank of the river was strewn with our dead. I counted about twenty-five within a distance of a hundred yards. Several shells had hit directly where we had laid along the bank of the river. Nearly all of one platoon of one of the other companies had been either killed or wounded. All the dead still lay where they had fallen. On the other side of the river, the dead were more numerous. Here wad [sic] had suffered our greatest casualties.
Following Armistice, Major General Lejeune commanding the 2nd Division issued the following statement:
On the night of November 10th heroic deeds were done by heroic men. In the face of heavy artillery and withering machine gunfire, the Second Engineers threw two foot bridges across the Meuse and the First and Second battalions of the of the Fifth Marines crossed resolutely and unflinchingly to the east bank and carried out their mission. In the last battle of the war, as in all others in which this division has participated, it enforced its will on the enemy.
Following the war, artist Frederick C. Yohn was inspired to capture the heroism shown by the Marines on evening leading up to Armistice. He used Major Hamilton as the model Marine for his historic painting titled “The Last Night of the War” created in 1920. Hamilton is intentionally featured in the middle of his Marines, in action, across the Meuse River carrying his rifle and holding his helmet. Sadly, Hamilton died two years later in a tragic military training accident at the Gettysburg battlefield. Major Hamilton’s father Charles was known as dean of the Congressional press corps. In 1941 he gave a copy of Yohn’s famous painting featuring his son, to his friend, President Franklin Roosevelt. On February 6, 1941, FDR sent a kind thank you letter to “Charlie” praising Major Hamilton.
Several years ago, former Defense Secretary William Cohen mentioned in a note to me that Hamilton was “…surely one of America’s finest. The painting of “The Last Night of The War” is truly powerful. It captures the violence, death and unbounded courage that marked the “war to end all wars.”
My grandfather Pvt. Ove Mortensen 66th Co. 1/5 (1890-1980) was alongside Major Hamilton on the 10th and 11th of November. The memory and heroism of Major George W. Hamilton and his Marines and engineers should never be forgotten.
Mark Mortenson is the biographer of Hamilton, his work George W. Hamilton, USMC: America's Greatest World War I Hero, can be ordered HERE.
From Your Editor: This concludes our week-long focus on the U.S. Marines. Please let us know what you thought of this approach and if you have a First World War topic you would like to explore from various different angles. MH