5th Company Virginia Coast Artillery

The History of the

5th Company, Virginia Coast Artillery

During 1917


Pursuant to a phone conference call in May of 1917, between the Virginia Adjutant General and Captain Marshall M. Milton, CAC of Roanoke, Virginia, where the outcome of that conference call resulted in Captain Milton being ordered to take steps for the formation of the Fifth Company, Virginia Coast Artillery Corps.

The local Roanoke newspaper ran ads for local recruits to join the Fifth Company and 25-local men were soon signed up. These men gathered on the evening of June 11, 1917, and elected among them the following officers:

Captain Marshall M. Milton
1st Lieutenant Lawrence S. Woods
2nd Lt. J. C. Holmes

Soon after an aggressive recruiting campaign was begun, with Captain Milton working in the Virginia counties along the Shenandoah, and 2nd Lt. Holmes, who was from Pulaski County, covering the counties in the southwest part of Virginia. By June 26 a sufficient number of men had been recruited to comply with Virginia State regulations, and so, on July 2, 1917, the 5th Company, Virginia Coast Artillery Corps was mustered into State service by Colonel Phillip Ward, USA. The new members of the 5th Company then returned to their homes to await the call-up for Federal service. Of the men in the original group of the 5th Company the communities of Harrisonburg and Christiansburg represented the largest group within the Company.

On July 25, 1917, the 5th Company Virginia Coast Artillery, which numbered at the time three officers and 110 enlisted men, was officially mustered into Federal service. At first the Company was quartered at the Stratford Hotel, using their own cooks and kitchen police. The 5th Company opened its own barber shop and started a laundry, which went by the unofficial moniker of the “Lilly White Laundry.” A quartette was organized as well as an orchestral club, and even an oratorical society, all of which provided entertainment for the men. Soon equipment for the men arrived, but no Khaki uniforms were included in this delivery. It seemed that they had been lost during the transit to the Stratford Hotel. Physical training was vigorously undertaken by the men and were pushed daily along with drills and instructions from the Manual of Arms.

Orders were received on August 16, 1917, for the 5th Company to leave the Stratford Hotel and proceed to Fort Monroe for new quarters and more training. Just before boarding the train the 5th Company paraded through the streets of Roanoke with colonel Leedy of the 2nd Virginia Infantry leading the column of men.

Upon the arrival at Fort Monroe, the 5th Company de-boarded the train and formed a marching column with the company buglers in the lead and marched off for the post grounds to the tune of “Dixie” and quite by chance they arrived just as the morning post guard was conducting its daily ceremony. This was a serious breach of military etiquette and Captain Milton was called before the commanding officer of Fort Monroe and reprimanded. The 5th Company had made an excellent first impression on the Regulars at Fort Monroe.

Very soon after the men had settled into their new quarters, Captain Milton received orders that stated the 5th Company was to supply 21 enlisted men and 1 officer to be transferred into the 1st and 2nd Companies then stationed at Fort Monroe. These two companies would later become part of the 42nd Division known as the “Rainbow Division.” The men of the 5th Company took this order very hard and a serious blow to moral befell the Company. The question on how to select these 21-men for transfer was worked out after a conference between the officers of the Company, 2nd Lt. Holmes then assembled the 5th Company and the following men were called, after being picked at random:

1st Lt. Lawrence S. Woods, Roanoke, VA
Cpl. Lacy Powers, Roanoke, VA
Cpl. Henry L. Bowyer, Emory, VA
PFC Robert F. Bane, Roanoke, VA
PFC Everette H. Rinker, Harrisonburg, VA
Pvt. William J. Bowser, Tazewell, VA
Pvt. Harry S. Campbell, Hot Springs, VA
Pvt. William B. Crockett, Wytheville, VA
Pvt. Samuel H. Cooke, Roanoke, VA
Pvt. James S Hargis, Hansonville, VA
Pvt. Ellis F. Hargis, Lebanon, VA
Pvt. Ritchie S. Hudnall, Roanoke, VA
Pvt. Willie W. Lovell, Roanoke, VA
Pvt. Grant W. Lowe, Roanoke, VA
Pvt. John J. Martin, Buchanan, VA
Pvt. Charles W. Muse, Roanoke, VA
Pvt. Troy D. Rorrer, Dublin, VA
Pvt. Posey J. Ross, Ferrum, VA
Pvt. Reynolds S. Shoemaker, Hansonville, VA
Pvt. William W. Watkins, Indian, VA
Pvt. Isaac E. Williams, Christiansburg, VA
Pvt. Roy D. Whitlock, Riner, VA

With the departure of the 21 enlisted men and 1st Lt. Woods, the remaining men of the 5th Company were left in very low spirits. Homesickness began to creep into the Company. But soon enough new replacement men filtered into the depleted 5th Company. Things began to look up as new uniforms arrived and other equipment had arrived. Now the men looked like soldiers and they were kept busy like soldiers too. Sergeant B. F. Henson a Regular from Fort Monroe was assigned as the 5th Company’s drill instructor. Sgt. Henson was a very efficient leader and the men of the 5th Company respected his leadership greatly. Sgt. Henson soon found the men of the 5th Company to be very apt and showed a good esprit de corps.

New officers also began to arrive into the 5th Company. Captains Earl Douglas and John McCaslin, who had just graduated from the first officers training camp held at Fort Monroe, were assigned to duty with the 5th Company. The two new Captains were then instructed to show the men of the 5th Company how to handle the big guns of Battery Church at Fort Monroe. Battery Church then consisted of two 12-inch disappearing guns, and the 5th company trained several hours each day on these two 12-inchers.

Life for the 5th Company at Fort Monroe fit well with the men after they became familiar with the workings and routines of the Fort. The men of the 5th Company worked hard to become the best outfit on Post and tried to overcome the less than stellar first impression they had made when they first arrived. Even in sport the 5th Company excelled. That fall the 5th Company won the football championship game of the Chesapeake Bay Coast Defense area. But as the fall wore into the winter of 1917-18 the men of the 5th grew anxious for orders to be sent to France.

While at Fort Monroe the 5th Company was part of the 1st Virginia Coast Artillery Regiment, but on December 24, 1917, orders were given for the formation of a new outfit to be formed to be known as the 60th Artillery Regiment, CAC and this unit was slated for service in France. Now the men of the 5th Company had a chance of being picked for duty in France. Orders were soon posted in the day room of the 5th company that stated they were to become Battery B of the new 60th Artillery. At last their time had arrived and now the strength of the old 5th Company was increased to 232 men. The new recruits came from Columbus Barracks in Columbus, Ohio; Jefferson Barracks in Missouri; and from other National Guard companies. Training was greatly sped up and the men performed so well that Battery B was commended for their excellent work by the commanding officer of the 60th, Major Elmer J. Wallace.

Battery B was ordered to proceed to Camp Stuart for new quarters and on April 2, 1918, they left Fort Monroe by boat for Newport News and then on to Camp Stuart. Once they arrived at Camp Stuart the embarkation rules had been changed. This meant they would have to unpack all equipment and bags and repack under the new rules before the army inspector would pass them for embarkation. Battery B was busy packing bags and equipment because there was no way they were going to miss the boat for France.

While at Camp Stuart disaster strikes Battery B when a few days before they were to leave for the trip to France scarlet fever broke out among the men of one of the barracks. This resulted in that barracks being quarantined and the men in that barracks could not leave. But on April 21, 1918 the men were up early and were able to join the rest of the regiment. Battery B was marched around the outskirts of Newport News to the pier where the transport USS Siboney was then tied up. After the Embarkation officer was given the list of passengers the men and officers of the 60th Artillery went aboard the Siboney. Battery B was a lucky bunch as they drew quarters on the second deck, which was above the water line and was a much sought-after berthing space. But that night the Siboney stayed tied to the dock and it was not until April 23 that she finally got under way. The Siboney steamed up the east coast just at the three-mile limit off the coast and met up with her convoy and the escort ship the cruiser USS North Carolina, on the second day out from Newport News.

From now on the history of the 5th Company, Virginia Coast Artillery is told from the history of the 60th Artillery Regiment, CAC.


This page is owned by Joe Hartwell, © 2019.
Date this page was last updated: August 4, 2019

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