WORLD WAR I
The 96th Company at
BOURESCHES
By Dick Camp
“There is nothing but U.S. Marines in the town of Bouresches.”
—BG James Harbord, USA
CG, 4th Marine Brigade
13 June 1918
The Marines of the 96th Company were taking full advantage of a rare opportunity to “crap out” in the late afternoon sunshine. They were tired after five days of little sleep
and even less food. Their sudden, unexpected move had outstripped the field kitchens, and they had been forced to forage
for whatever they could find in abandoned French houses—most
of which already had been looted by the retreating French army.
Early that morning the leathernecks had marched into the Bois
de Clerembauts, a small copse of trees that dotted the Chateau-Thierry countryside. They spent the rest of the day in the grisly
task of tidying up the graves of fallen Marines. The more skillful
of them fashioned makeshift crosses, while others erected fences
around the burial mounds. The graves reminded the men of their
own mortality. Until that point they had not suffered too heavily,
although several men had been wounded by artillery fire.
When finished, they waited among the trees, some stretched out
catching up on sleep, while others quietly “shot the bull” with bud-
dies. Neatly stacked 1903 Springfield rifles and heavy marching
order marked the location of squad and platoon formations. Suddenly, the quiet was broken by a sentry’s challenge, “Who’s there?”
“Message for the company commander,” came the reply, as a
tired-looking, dust-covered Marine came into the clearing. The
sentry pointed and watched as the stranger approached the command group and came to attention. He handed the message to a
well-built officer who was sporting a mustache and smoking a
pipe. The men stopped talking and waited expectantly—
something big was up, they could sense it.
The Fourth Marine Brigade
The last days in May 1918 had brought welcomed relief for the
men of the Marine Brigade. Warm weather finally had arrived,
giving them an opportunity to shed their long winter underwear
and dry out after an onerous tour of duty in the trenches. They
also had a surprise, a rare day off to celebrate Decoration Day,
30 May. There were no drills, and at noon formation, the regimental bands played “Departed Days.” For most it was a time of
rest and relaxation, a time to write letters or to catch up on sleep,
but for a few it was a day of frenzied activity.
The Germans were on the move. Three days before, a massive
