The American Memory Collection documents the American experience. I searched for the 51st Pioneer Infantry in this collection.
In the search box, I entered “51st Pioneer Infantry” and got only two results. So I tried “51st Pioneer”.
The results were:
There is a choice to download the pdf of the page or of the whole issue.
Be sure to note the page number and position of the article; searching in the pdf may not work.
The first result in “The Stars and Stripes” was:
The second result in “The Stars and Stripes” was from the The Army’s Poets column:
The third result in “The Stars and Stripes” was:
The fourth result was in the Serial Set. It was dated 1863, so it was not relevant.
To take this another step, you can search within the “Stars and Stripes” collection for the terms: 51st Pioneer Infantry. There are other results, but the terms were not adjacent.
Search the American Memory Collection for your ancestors’ military units, and see what you can find. Remember to search for other information about their lives and times in this collection.
General Pershing’s American Expeditionary Force (AEF) launched the Saint-Mihiel offensive. This was the AEF’s first independent offensive, with an American Army under American command. The goal was to cut off the rail lines between Paris and the Eastern Front. The St. Mihiel salient was a fortified bulge into France that was 15 miles on either side of St. Mihiel, 20 miles south of Verdun.
The 51st Pioneer Infantry was divided. My Grandfather’s Company, B, was attached to First Division. They had their first experience with exploding shells, and enemy machine guns and airplanes dropping bombs. The Pioneers kept roads and bridges repaired and rebuilt. They were tasked with keeping the lines of communication open. Trucks were filled with broken brick and stone from destroyed cities and villages, and were prepositioned where enemy attacks were expected. As soon as a shell exploded in a road, the crew came and repaired it.
The map above is from “The War with Germany A Statistical Summary” by Leonard P. Ayres, Colonel, General Staff, Washington Government Printing Office, 1919.
St. Mihiel by the Numbers
1st Time American Expeditionary Forces were under American Command
1st Use of the term D-Day
7 American Divisions Advanced at 5 A.M. on 12 Sept 1918
1 million artillery shells were fired in the first 4 hours
1476 allied air planes participated in the greatest air battle of the Great War
16,000 Prisoners were taken in two days
5 Web Resources:
St. Mihiel Drive 1918 United States Army, World War I from the Official films of the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army taken in France. Note: This video does contain images of fallen soldiers.
“The War with Germany A Statistical Summary” by Leonard P. Ayres, Colonel, General Staff, Washington Government Printing Office, 1919, Chapter VIII. Two Hundred Days of Battle.
There is a chapter in “Three Quarters of a Century with the Tenth Infantry New York National Guard 1860-1935” that discusses the Tenth Infantry in World War I. The Tenth Infantry became the 1st and 51st Pioneer Infantries. I read the chapter once for context, then again to identify the actions of the 51st Pioneer Infantry. The chapter contained some details for specific Companies. This details in this chapter outlined the experience that my Grandfather had while he was in the service. I knew about the 51st Pioneer Infantry’s combat at St. Mihiel, described in a post on this blog about WWI medals.
While reading, I kept in mind that Joseph McMahon was in Co. B 51st Pioneer Infantry. He was inducted on 28 May 1918, and discharged on 10 July 1919.
The following events involving the 51st Pioneer Infantry were extracted from “Three Quarters of a Century with the Tenth Infantry New York National Guard 1860-1935” (1936) by Clarence S. Martin. Chapter XI covers the Tenth Infantry. From these details, I can gather pictures of the places and news of the day. One of the first things would be to look into the ships that carried him to France and back.
14 Jan 1918 Col J Guy Deming from Ohio National Guard put in charge of 51st
17 May 1918 first draft contingent arrive Camp Wadsworth, SC
Drills were intense, and involved digging trenches, road and bridge repair and building. Also infantry drill. They were busy from morning to late at night.
27 July 1918 – 51st entrains for Camp Merritt,NJ
29 July 1918 – left Camp Merritt, NJ, and marched to Alpine Landing
They were placed on ferries to Hoboken, NJ, then put aboard German steamer “Kroonland”
Approaching French coast
British and French destroyers surrounded the troop ship
They sailed past St. Mathieu lighthouse through LeGoulet Channel into Bay of Brest
French and British airplanes flew low looking for submarines
Several lighter-than-air blimp ships flew low in front of the convoy
8 Aug 1918 – “Kroonland” arrives Brest, France in the rain (it rained the day they left 300/365 days in 1918)
The Tenth and First stayed at Pontanezan Barracks which were built by Napoleon when he was using Brest as his base for an attack on Britan
Marched from the docks to the city on a ramp-like roadway to a hearty welcome
Left Brest by train from Kerner Station on the waterfront, enlisted men 40 to a box car (Built for 8 horses)
51st sent to Northeast France, detrained at Maron, Moselle
Billeted there
HQ of 51st at Maron, Moselle, with the First and Third Battalions
12 Sep 1918 – Started to drive to St. Mihiel front
Company B attached to First Division
Their first experience with exploding shells, and enemy machine guns and airplanes dropping bombs
The Pioneers kept roads and bridges repaired and rebuilt. They were tasked with keeping the lines of communication open.
Trucks were filled with broken brick and stone from destroyed cities and villages. These trucks were prepositioned where enemy attacks were expected. As soon as a shell had exploded in a road, the crew came and repaired it.
“The men of the Fifty-First performed the duties assigned to them in a most credible manner.”
Companies B and D, under Captain Niles – ½ caught in barrage between Seicheprey and Richecourt – Corp. Slattery killed.
20 Sep the Fifty-First ordered to Saizerais and joined 6th Army Corps. They were between the advanced lines and artillery positions, tasked with repairing roads and bridges.
Army of Occupation
The Armistice was signed; the hostilities ended. The Fifty-First was sent to Buxreule. The First was also selected for this duty and was sent to Murvaux.
They went through northern France via the Duchy of Luxembourg.
The Fifty-First entered Germany by following the banks of the Moselle River. (First traveled the Rhine.)
They passed through Lorraine, and northern France. They saw the destroyed cities and villages; the Germans shelled, the French shelled German-occupied places. There was no destruction in Luxembourg and Germany.
The German people were welcoming.
The Fifty-First’s first stop was they guarded roads and bridges in Aspalt, Luxemburg.
3 Dec 1918 crossed Moselle River into Germany
Followed stream, camped Wittlich Alf, Bollens, Caidens
Before Kochen [Kochem, Cochem], Col Deming was relieved, Lt. Col Saulspaugh took charge
2 Jan in Kochen [Kochem, Cochem] near Coblenz the Regimental Command was established.
Companies billeted in small towns around Coblenz.
19 Jan Col J. L. Gilbreth assumed command
18 Mar 1919 Gen Pershing reviewed the Regiment.
Fifty-First men had a good time while at Coblenz. There was plenty of leave and not a lot of heavy work.
They traveled from Coblenz to LeMans, France by “side car” Pullmans which were quicker than the trains they took going. LeMans had narrow crooked streets and no indoor plumbing. People had to bathe at the bath houses.
At LeMans the Fifty-First was deloused, and given new uniforms and underwear.
23 June the Fifty-First sailed from St. Nazaire on the “Wilhemina”
3 July they arrived in New York harbor
4 July they were sent to Camp Mills
6 July they left Camp Mills for Camp Upton and were mustered out
My Grandfather, Joseph F. McMahon, was born on 29 August 1894 in Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland. He arrived in the U.S. on 6 October 1907 with his widowed Mother and the youngest siblings. Sadly, he died when my Father was a young child. Through this research into his military service, I am trying to learn about him and the stories that he might have told.
As I have researched his life, I found out that many of my preconceived notions were incorrect. Most notably, he became a citizen before his military service in WWI. Also significant was that he married my Grandmother before going to war. I did not know how they met, but the 1920 U.S. Census gave the clue that they were both clerks in the Western Union Telegraph office.
One my earliest steps was contacting the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) of NARA by mail. I received a call from their office asking me to verify some information to make sure that they had the correct Joseph McMahon. I recognized the address in Brooklyn that was given. His records were lost in the 1973 fire, so I received a final payment roll record.
Another step in researching his service was writing to the New York State Archives for his service abstract card. This was done via mail before the database became available at Ancestry.com.
From this card I could begin to construct a timeline of his military life.
Joseph F. McMahon – Timeline of Service
Co B 51 Pioneer Infantry
28 May 1918
Inducted @141 New York, NY
27 July 1918
Leaves for overseas
1 Sep 1918
Pvt 1cl
4 July 1919
Return from overseas
10 July 1919
Discharge (Final Payment Roll)
My first visit to the U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center was to attend a lecture. At that point, I did not know as much about the 51st Pioneer Infantry from New York. (The person on the desk was not familiar with the term “Pioneer” so I knew I needed to have more information.) These Pioneers were New York State National Guard troops, and not part of the regular Army.
Using Google terms: 51st pioneer infantry has brought up some information
There is a website for Camp Wadsworth, Spartanburg, SC. The website includes pictures of the camp and information about the military training there. Some of the information there included:
51st Pioneer Infantry: Formerly 10th New York Infantry. Composed of 39 officers and 904 enlisted men after reorganization. Commanded by Colonel J. Guy Deming and filled to wartime strength with draftees. The regiment left Camp Wadsworth on July 17th with 3545 officers and men.
There are “Gas Attack” Magazines from Camp Wadsworth that mention the 51st. Since the website did not have a search engine, I used Google terms: 51st pioneer site:https://dmna.ny.gov
I am working to learn more about the history the 51st Pioneer Infantry from New York in World War I. My first stop was Google and Google Books.
Combining the information I have found in my Google searches, I have compiled some timeline information. Some may overlap or be contradictory, and at this point I do not know the movements or actions specifically involving Company B of the 51st Pioneer Infantry of New York.
The 51st was a New York National Guard Regiment, reorganized as a Pioneer Infantry.
The 51st Pioneer Infantry was formerly the 10th New York Infantry (National Guard).
4 JAN 1918 The 10th NY Infantry was re-designated 51st Pioneer Regiment; 1st NY Infantry was re-designated 1st Pioneer Regiment
The 51st Pioneer Infantry was composed of 39 officers and 904 enlisted men after reorganization. It was commanded by Colonel J. Guy Deming and filled to wartime strength with draftees.
They were organized in Jan 1918 in Camp Wadsworth, SC as corps troops unit
These troops were not part of any Division; they were attached when needed to an American Army or Corps.
The regiment left Camp Wadsworth on 17 July 1918 with 3545 officers and men.
They went overseas in Jul 1918
29 JUL 1918 Left Camp Wadsworth for Port of New Jersey Steamer “KROONLAND” to France
They served with IV Army Corps Aug-Sep 1918
8 AUG 1918 arrive Brest, France
Assigned to Corps Engineers, 4th Army Corps, US AEF
The 51st (and 1st) Pioneer Infantry Regiments served as Corps Engineer support with the 4th Corps.
They served with First Army Sep 1918
They served with IV and VI Army Corps Sep-Nov 1918
12 SEP 1918 St Mihiel campaign
They were with the Third Army on the Rhine occupation
They returned to the U.S. in Jul 1919
They were demobilized at Camp Upton, New York
Using the online resources at USAHEC, I searched for specific items I want to view at their facility in Carlisle, PA. I used the combined search in the “Library Catalog and Digital Collections” box on the Research Page, described in this Tutorial.
(2) Militia_Bureau_World_War_I_veterans_survey_inventory (the entry for the 51st Pioneer referred me back to the first document)
(3) (Newspapers) The 51st pioneers [weekly].
(4) (Photographs) Pioneer Regiments – 51st Pioneer Infantry RG522s – Moses Thisted Coll. View of the 51st Pioneer Infantry Regt. in Germany, 1919.
The Pioneer_infantry_World_War_I_veterans_survey_inventory included listings for all the Pioneer Infantries. From there I learned that the 7th through 50th Pioneer Infantry Regiments were never organized.
There was an entry for someone in Company B.
I am also finding out a little more about the 51st Pioneer Infantry using newspapers. Specifically, I have begun to use Fulton Postcards because of the number of digitized New York State newspapers at the site.
Despite what you might have heard, there is progress being made on anything an AI can help with, including handwriting-to-text. In this blog post, we will cover just a few of the AI tools available for transcribing images of handwritten documents into text. The conversion can be done using digital images created by scanning or photographing handwritten documents.
Transcribing documents (or important parts of documents) is a thing that I always recommend. Reading a document is passive. The motion of writing or typing a document forces us to engage different parts of our brain with its content.
Even if a tool pulls the text out of an image, there is still work to be done in checking the accuracy and formatting the text.
While this can be done with a pencil and piece of paper, I always write the transcription into a word processing document. A word processing document is easier to share and extract the key pieces of data. Be sure to store the original image and the transcription together on your computer.
NOTE: Always consider any privacy concerns before uploading documents to a website. While the website may not store the image, it may be used to train the AI model. Anything uploaded to a website usually travels through several stops on its way through the internet to the website and back.
NOTE: The results from these experiments are certainly influenced by the quality of material that is input. This means that your results may vary.
I am not affiliated with any of the products mentioned in this review.
Always check usage rights for what is generated by a tool.
As the “Unofficial Historian for the 51st Pioneer Infantry Regiment,” we are always on the lookout for materials that add to the understanding of the Regiment’s service in World War I. We located some letters and decided to try out some handwriting-to-text AI tools.
The beginning of one of the letters was:
OCR2Edit
OCR2Edit has tools to extract text from scans, images and includes more features. Since the tools are focused on text, and there was no explicit tool for converting handwriting into text, I had low expectations that this would be the right tool for the task.
At the time of writing this blog post, 3 tasks per hour could be done for free.
I selected the Image to text tool and followed the directions to start the process.
When the tool was done, I could download the text file with the transcription.
The transcription of the letterhead was good, but the handwritten part was not helpful.
Aspose
Aspose OCR app is an online tool is for turning handwritten notes to text.
The interface on this webpage is slightly awkward.
The first page of a letter uploaded and the “Recognize” button clicked. Then it is time to wait. It took a while to process the request, but there was an option to bookmark the page and return to it.
There are buttons for several of their other Optical Character Recognition (OCR) apps that might be more useful.
The format for download was selectable from a drop-down menu.
There was also an option to apply Automated Text correction.
The results are downloaded into a file named “results” which is less useful than a file that has the original filename in it.
There is a button for Options on the Home Page, where you can select: Enhance Contrast, Deskew Image and Upscale Resolution.
All of the options were selected in an attempt to get better results, but there was no improvement.
Pen TO Print
Pen TO Print was the best tool in this set of experiments.
Only the first 10 pages are free, so check out the pricing if you need to do more.
Select Handwriting to Text Converter. Then Add Files, by dragging and dropping the file or clicking the plus to open a dialog box to navigate to and select a file (or files). Then select Convert.
The text can be Download as Text or Word document, or copied to the Clipboard. The filename of a downloaded files is the original filename with “Pen2Print-Export” added to it. This feature helps keep track of the transcribed files on your computer.
This was by far the best of the tools that were tried. The output needs some minor corrections, and formatting. Both of these tasks will engage the brain, and make us think about the content.
