This is a demographic analysis of the soldiers assigned to the Illinois National Guard, Company L, 132nd Infantry, 66th Brigade, 33rd Divison, during WWI and is based on documents, archives, books, and personal knowledge.
Company L of the 132nd Infantry during WWI was formed on October 17, 1917 at Camp Logan, Houston, Texas. The cadre of 125 Company L soldiers was formed from members of the Illinois National Guard, Second Infantry Regiment, Chicago, Company L. They were Federalized and called to active duty; most on 25 July 1917; on September 10th, 1917, they departed Chicago by train from Chicago to Camp Logan. Additional solders were assigned to Company L. Some were from exisiting National Guard and Regular Army units, most were draftees from the National Draft of 1917. Read Corporal Lee Reuter’s personal journal entries from Federal activation to arrival at Camp Logan, Houston, Texas.
Most of the draftees were trained at Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois and then sent to join Company L at Camp Logan, Houston,Texas.
Company L departed Houston, Texas, by train 7 May 1918 arriving at Camp Upton, Long Island on 12 May 1918. Two-Hundred-Forty-One (241 including 3 Officers) Company L soldiers departed for France from Hoboken New Jersey on the SS Mount Vernon 16 May 1918 arriving at Brest, France on 24 May 1918. Post-war, 210 Company L soldiers (including 3 Officers) departed onboard the SS Mount Vernon from Brest, France to America on 9 May 1919, arriving 24 May at Hoboken, New Jersey. Company L served in combat operations in France for 202 days, and Post-war Luxembourg for 137 days, then an additional Post-war 13 days in France preparing for return to America: A total of 352 days stationed in Europe.
Soldiers who served overseas were awarded the WWI Victory Medal, with Combat Campaign Clasps. Many were awarded combat wound chevrons and Over Seas Service chevrons.
. Somme Offensive – Aug 1918 to 11 Nov 1918
· Meuse-Argonne – 26 Sept 1918 to 11 Nov 1918
· Defensive Sector – 4 Jun 1917 to 11 Nov 1918
. Those who did not serve overseas were awarded the WWI Victory Medal.
 |
 |
| WWI Victory Medal with Campaign Clasps |
WWI Victory Medal |
It is a primary goal of the Men of L organization that descendants, and visitors, better understand and appreciate the sacrifices these soldiers made defending American. We hope that their descendants will add the information on this Men of L website to their family histories.
The information provided may not represent the total soldiers assigned nor the validity of all the data. Many documents have conflicting data, such as dates and locations. The goal of this analysis is for providing insights into who the Men of L soldiers were. Ronald Miller compiled this data is responsive for any errors. Please contact Ron with questions or any updating information.
466 soldiers have been identified as being assigned to Company L during WWI
241 Company L soldiers sailed to France 16 May 1918 from the Hoboken, New Jersey, arriving on 24 May at Brest, France.
111 soldiers were assigned to Company L while in France.
210 Company L soldiers departed from Brest, France 9 May 1919, arriving in New York harbor on 17 May. The 132nd Infantry proceeded to Camps Mills, and Merritt before returning to Illinois for discharge out-processing.
The Biographies contain information compiled on the war service, and life, of each soldier. The link will open in a new browser window or tab so you may review any name listed in these analysis.
Dates and number of soldier’s assigned to Company L
403 Soldiers were US born. States of Birth
No birth location found for many.
63 Foreign Born Soldier’s Birth Countries
CHART and NAMES
LIST-MoL-63-Foreign_Born_COUNTRY of BIRTH
60 Foreign Born soldiers: Arrival Year.
Rank at discharge
listed by name.
Dates when 466 Men of L soldiers enlisted or drafted.
151 First Generation Men of L Soldiers
Both parents Foreign Born: 105
One parent Foreign Born: 45
Unknown: 1
60 Foreign Born Men of L soldier’s year of Naturalization and Names
including year of Arrival.
CHART and NAMES
MoL-ForeignBorn-60-NAMES-ARR-NatYEAR
Brothers who served in Company L.
ZAHRNDT
Oscar
Rollie
FLEISCHMANN
Andrew
John J.
Ralph
CARROLL
Joseph
John
Battlefield Commissions
11 Company L enlisted soldiers were promoted to Officer rank in France.
Cornwall, R.V.
Dierstein, F.C.
Goodwin, A.W.
Keating, A.J.
LaVallie, O.E.
Lesley, H.L.
Markuson, H.C.
Mayall, D.S.
Pietrowicz, M.S.
Thompson, R.K.
Watson, K.E.
Soldier’s BIRTH YEAR
Note that many documents list different day, month, and year.
Soldier’s AGE AT DEATH
Note that many documents list different day, month, and year.
Deaths while in Europe
19 Combat
1 Accidental
Name, Rank, Cause,Death, date, Home of Record, and Serial Number
Soldiers buried in France and in US National Cemeteries
Repatriated soldiers are not listed as buried in France.
Information on service with Company L was added to each veteran’s page at the Veterans Legacy Memorial
Names of the Men of L who are buried in Foreign and U.S. National Cemeteries
Company L Commander, Captain Charles Wise was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Medal. Details on the Combat Operations page.
Eighteen (18) Company L soldiers cited for Combat Gallantry and eligible for the Silver Star Medal.
Soldiers (84) who earned a Purple Heart Medal based on current criteria of, “Injured by enemy action and receive documented treatment from a medical officer” and were documented in Company L or other records. Lost records of medical treatment by a medical officer have been assumed in some cases. Combat injury or death from gas was not considered a combat wound in 1918; they are for this analysis.
132 Soldiers should have been eligible for the Purple Heart Medal based on being ‘Sick in Hospital’ during combat periods. Some soldiers with this notation have documentation of combat wounds, or Purple Heart awards without Company L records being located. The 1973 National Archives fire destroyed most WWI personnel records. The listing includes the 84 soldier’s listed above.
Purple Heart eligible & Sick-in-Hospital Company L
Occupations
The Men of L worked in a variety of occupations during their lives. Many, primarily farmers, were one-occupation their entire life. Others held a variety of occupations. This analysis is general in nature based on Census and draft registration forms. See individual soldier’s Comments Page for details.
Occupations #
Accountant 6
Baker 3
Banking 8
Barber 5
Bookkeeper 7
Butcher 5
Carpenter 9
Casket maker 1
Chauffeur 8
Chemist 1
Clerical 38
Coal Industry 31
Driver 14
Electrician 8
Engineer 6
Farming 78
Judge 1
Laborer 90
Lawyer 2
Machinist 8
Manager 13
Mechanic 11
Painting 14
Police 9
Postal Service 13
Printing Industry 6
Proprietor / Owner 24
Railroad Industry 28
Salesmen 47
Tailor 2
Welder 4
Notable Company L Soldiers
Artist: Henry Joe Darger. American writer, novelist and artist who worked as a hospital custodian in Chicago, Illinois. He has become famous for his posthumously discovered 15,145-page, single-spaced fantasy manuscript called The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion, along with several hundred drawings and watercolor paintings illustrating the story.
Judge: George Rooney. Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, court.
Underage soldier: John O. Amerlan, Sr. enlisted in to the Army of United States August 16th 1917 in Chicago, Illinois for Illinois National Guard Organization in Federal Service. He told them he was 19 years old, but was only 16 yrs old, soon to be 17 yrs old. The army found out he was underage so his mother signed for him to go into the service.
©2021