Left for dead — the Swantie Swanson story

Note: 100 years ago, in April 1917, the United States joined England and its Allies in a conflict against the German Army, now known as World War I. This was the first of entire world struggles, “The War to End All Wars”. Unfortunately, this would not be the last of these Worldwide Wars.

For years a neighbor, Swantie Swanson walked past our place on his way to the Post Office. He was a tall, distinguished fellow. He was invariably friendly and passed the time of day if we happened to meet, but he was quiet, never instigated a conversation.

I had heard rumors about Swantie and his experiences in France with the Army during World War I. One day as he was going past I stopped him and asked if he had indeed been a soldier during WW I. He seemed surprised that I would ask the question and offered a little smile as he answered that he had been drafted during the war, and yes, he had served in France. “I’ll tell you about it sometime.” But he never did.

Years later, it remained for his daughter, Mary Poore to tell me her Dad’s story---and what an interesting story it is.

Swantie Swanson was born in a log house north of McCook, near Quick, in Frontier County, in 1895---just the right age to be drafted into the Army in 1917. After a short Basic Training session at Camp Funston (Ft. Riley) he was assigned as a machine gunner in the 129th Machine gun Battalion and sent immediately to France, where the American presence was just beginning to be felt in the fight against the Germans. Mr. Swanson fought with the British at Flanders Fields in Belgium, then in battles at Alsace, Toul, Metz, and finally Muese (River)-Argonne (Forest) in France.

Swanson’s Map Notes of the Battle of Muese-Argonne, Sept. 1918 give a graphic account of his involvement in the three day battle. Excerpts follow:

“At dawn we took off this hill. Smoke held visibility to about 5-10’. It was hurry when on your feet, & down flat when you heard a shell coming.

“Our artillery giving the enemy a terrific bombardment as we take over this sector. It is followed by death like silence. When the rocket goes up as a signal we begin our advance at 6 am. The German Artillery goes into action then.

“Took position here on hill. Took 26 prisoners. Held up here from 9:30 to 2:30 p.m. Smoke cut visibility. Lost company commander here; killed while talking to me. One half our men either killed or wounded. Enemy had domineering position. Smoke left us as we reached top of hill. Sun shines. Enemy surrenders---jumping over top of trench, with hands upraised when rifle grenades were thrown over to his position.

“German machine guns shell road here. Smoke prevents us seeing them. Saw Allied tank strike a German mine. It covered ½ an acre of ground when it came down. Ground pocketed with shell holes. Plain old buffalo sod in between. No buildings left standing. German machine gun nests protected by sand bags and trenches.

“Sign says Cheppy (town) 1 mile. (Note: Another participant at Cheppy was Capt. Harry S. Truman, who as a forward observer for the Artillery, had a significant role in the favorable outcome of the battle.) Captured 50 German prisoners and released 2 French soldiers held by them. Gas shells forced us to put on gas masks here.

“Very” is name of this village. Saw a white mule standing up dead. Held up by the shaves of the wagon it was pulling. Plenty of rifles and pistols deserted here. Found silverware out here. I took 6 spoons. Slept in an apple orchard.

“Strong resistance here attempted to halt our advance. Machine guns hailed lead on the shell holes we dropped in for protection. Advance was made from one shell hole to another. Some speed records broken here, but unfortunately not recorded. (Carrying a 40 pound machine gun) German aviator guns a Red Cross man carrying a wounded man.

“Barbed wire entanglements about 50’ across. Cut a small hole. Advanced through the wire one man at a time. Under artillery barrage here. We dug in on the brow of this hill. I used my mess kit to dig in. My hole about like a wash boiler. Was buried once from shell fire. One man’s nerves got the best of him; he was cursed, told to shut up. Stayed overnight. I was on guard from 2 to 4 am.

“At dawn we pushed ahead again. The sun rises, the day is fair. Prairie country, gently rolling. Clumps of choke cherry bushes. Abandoned machine gun nest, sod built up around. We presume it is one of the guns that spent so much lead on us yesterday.

“Another machine gunner cuts loose on us so we feel we are near his position. We double time west into canyon to get out of sight. Shell holes so deep and close together that it would be impossible to drive a car through here. We stop on crest of hill till 10:30. We find overcoats and other pieces of German equipment.

“One battery opened up on us from the front, another from our left flank. This is open prairie country. We are shelled by artillery and by machine guns. Loss of men was tremendous. A German plane comes over us. He is flying low. Locates us and hurries back. Allied plane gives chase, spitting lead. The doughboys shoot at him with rifles. He gets away. I still remember his countenance.

“Captain Wark in lead. Commands doubletime. Advance single file. Knocked down here and wounded (four shrapnel fragments and a machine gun bullet.) I was running, carrying machine gun. Snodgrass behind me was carrying tripod. He was killed by concussion of the shell that struck me. We were almost through the barrage.

(Swantie, badly wounded, crawled to an abandoned trench and lay there from about 10:30 am until dark.) As I lay in the trench that day German planes laid eggs on us and the men that had gained the woods’ edge. I counted 27 German planes. Fear was expressed that our men would be driven out. They stayed!

“An American tank was knocked out by an artillery shell fire. The crew came to our trench. One tank man looked at me, “You look pale. Here, have a drink of hot coffee (which he had kept hot on the tank engine.)

“About 4:30 pm a Red Cross man appeared. He gave me a drink of brandy to ease the pain, promised to come back at dusk to get me. He did with the help of another man.”

Swantie was taken to a nearby brick building, but was forced to walk away when the building came under enemy fire. Later that day he and other wounded were picked up in carts by medics for evacuation. (One of the medics was Paul Beatty, a friend from Oxford NE, who cried when he saw the extent of Swantie’s wounds.) They were on the road for two days to Evacuation Hospital, with only one cup of hot chocolate for food.

At the field Evacuation Hospital (a tent) Swantie underwent surgery for the first time to remove shrapnel. More operations would follow, including one on Armistice Day, Nov. 11th, when, as he was coming out from the ether, he learned that the war was over. After four months in the Hospital in France, Swantie was sent home to America.

Somehow, after Swantie was wounded in the Muese-Argonne Battle on Sept. 29th, the Army mistakenly classified him as killed in action, and dutifully sent the death certificate to his family, which read, “This is to certify that Swantie E. Swanson, Private 1st class, Co. B., 129th Machine Gun Battalion, died with honor in the service of his country, on the 29th day of September, 1918” Signed, Adjutant Gen. A.W. Robertson.

As Swantie could say, quoting Mark Twain, “The report of my death was greatly exaggerated!” Though his wounds were major, and he was later determined to have a 60% disability, they did not stop him from farming, nor from working for the Agriculture and Stabilization Conservation Service for 30 years. He died in 1986 at the age of 91.

Source: Gazette Archives, Swanson’s Map, Mary Poore’s unpublished account.