A brief history of Company H, 152nd Indiana Infantry, 38th Division, known as the Cyclone Division:


By Charles W. Burtner

Information as known by this writer and obtained from Sergeant Ward Campbell (oldest known survivor) and from Mrs. L 0. Slagle, wife of Captain L 0. Slagle.
In the early days, around 1903. it was known as Company M, commanded by Captain Frank Smith, a small man with a mighty voice. He was also a school teacher and this writer went to him for the first six months of his schooling. I can remember that he had me stand in the corner most of my time and I “never did a thing?”
        In these days the company was known as the local militia and was used in emergencies. If war was declared, it would be sworn in at once as a Federal Army Unit. Later, the company was changed to L Company, commanded by Captain Elza Rogers. A company consisted of around 38 men: a captain and two lieutenants, a first sergeant, three cooks, a carpenter, a supply sergeant, four line sergeants, three corporals, a bugler and 21 privates.
        In early 1916 when Pancho Villa, the Mexican rebel was causing so much trouble, the Company was called into service and was sent to the Mexican border in early June. Again the name was changed: this time to Company H, and was assigned to the second Indiana Infantry serving and coining back with this regiment the 5th of February, 1917. While there it was under the command of Captain L. 0. Slagle, First Lieutenant Edgar Casey, and Second Lieutenant Archie Gilmore.
        Company H was recalled March 26, 1917, when World War I was imminent and was assigned to the 152nd Indiana Infantry. When war was declared on April 6, 1917, there were a lot of Boone County boys who enlisted at once in the company, this writer among them. Early in May, 1917, we were sworn into the regular army.
        Due to the magnitude of the prospective war, the company was immediately Increased to 250 men. Two more lieutenants were assigned and numerous special duty
sergeants made in addition to the four platoon sergeants. A corporal was made for each squad of seven line duty privates.
        Part of the old border men and part of the newly enlisted men were chosen and sent to special schools, thus forming the nucleus of the company, which trained the men who were sent to us. The hours were long and the training hard, as only a war can make it. We were first sent to East Chicago, Indiana, where the company was filled up. On October 16, 1917, we were sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, near Hattiesburg -- a forest of pine trees and swamps.
        We were a fine Division of 36, 000 men and we were ready to go overseas by June 1, 1918. Orders came for all privates to leave and go overseas and the officers and non -commissioned officers to stay and train another group. We who had to stay were really chagrined beyond any words that can be put on paper. But by orders, we did stay and trained another group, and on September 16, we left Camp Shelby for Camp Mills, Long Island, N.Y. We landed in Liverpool, England, on October 17, 1918.
       We went over in a convoy of 13 ships. We lost 25 men, who were buried at sea, due to the flu. When one half day out of Liverpool, about midnight, a humorous incident occured (it did not seem funny at the time). A submarine struck and sank our supply ship, which was sailing close by our ship. The submarines chasers, which were in the water all around us, dropped a depth bomb too close to us and our ship was lifted out of the water....fell..... and listed to the side. She came near taking on water. Needless to say, consternation reigned for some thirty minutes among a lot of men. Some had to be restrained by force to keep them from taking off on life rafts. At last the Captain of the ship announced that we would float and all would be okay.
       From England we crossed the Channel and landed at Brest, France, and on up to Clissons, France, and then to LeMans, France. There, the most creal blow of all fell. All of our commissioned officers were taken from us and we were divided. One hundred and fifty men, non-coms, and cooks went with me and we were sent to the front. We were placed in different companies of the 82nd Division the All Americans. Some of the other men were sent to the 29th Division The Blue and Grey.
        Where l was,  it  was a ”heck ”of a winter and nary a soul that I knew, but I had no trouble with the men under me. Out of our original group of men we lost two who were killed in actiorn Corporal Bert (Smoky) Nicely and Joseph Gregg of Zionsvllle, Ind. Several were badly wounded, among them Charlie Bowman, who lost a leg, and others, no doubt, that we trained and that we do not know about. Most of us got home by mid -June, 1919.
        In 1932 we commenced having a Company H reunion and have had one each year since then. At first a large number of men would come from Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio. Each year there would be different men come and perhaps some would not come who had been there before. Their wives and children would also attend and it was a most enjoyable time.
But Father Time has taken his toil and now only a few of us are left that we have any knowledge of. This year, an extra effort was made and the following men were all that we could find. No doubt there are more -- somewhere --someplace.

Ray Allen (cook) - age 85 - of Bedford, hid.; John Parish (corporal) - age 78 - of Fort Wayne, hid.; Paul Crawford - age 82 - of Indianapolis; Vernice Bowman -age 77 - Indianapolis; Dewy Etter (bugler) - age 78 - Eight, IlL; Floyd Jones (military police) - age 82 - Zionsvile; and Glenn Cooper, age 76, Carl Brock, age 80, Roy Wallace, age 81; Ward Campbell, age 83; Arthur V. Allen, age 79; Russell Chambers, age 79; and Charles W. Burtner, age 79 1/2, all of Lebanon.
*
Many men and their
wives were present for the
reunion of Company H in
1937. Pictured are (row 1,
left to right) Sgt. Jess
Troutman, Corp. Glenn
Campbell, Clover Harris,
Sgt. James Kremer, Sgt.
Ward Campbell, Sgt. Roy
Sedwick, Frank Longshlre,
Capt. L 0. Slagle, 1st.
Lt. Edgar Casey, unknown,
Sgt. Arthur Redford, and
Lt. Archie Gilmore. Row
2: Frank Hall, Sgt. Otis
Larnbert, Blocky Lawson,
unknown, Sgt. Art Allen,
Carl Nickel, Sgt. Charles
W.    Burtner, Sgt. Cordon
Carney, Corp. Cicial
Graham, Bugler Martin
Powell, Corp. A. P. Quick,
Corp. Carl Brock, Sgt.
Walter H. Clark. Row 3:
unknown, James Rice, Cook
Raymond Jones, Lloyd Sloan,
unknown, unknown, Corp.
Noble Caidwell, U. Chester
Blubaugh, unknown, Ray
Allen (cook), unknown,
Charles (Pete) Wolf, unknown. Men who signed the register that day but who are not pictured or are not identified were 1st. Sgt.
William M. Kremer, William Jam, William Albright, Ott Davis, James Rice, Jacob Srlte, Ora Miles, Frank Taylor, Arlie Harmon, S. L Dodge, Riley Miller, Clark M. Shoemaker, Floyd E. Jones, John D.
Parish, and ----Brooks.
 
On the sunny afternoon of Sunday, August 15, 1976, the men of Company H and their wives met in their headquarters in the basement of the Boone County Courthouse. Also, attending were widows of now deceased Company H soldiers. Pictured are (left to right) seated: Mrs. Cordon Carney, Mrs. Noble Caldwell, Mrs. Frank Taylor, and Mrs. Vernace Bowman; standing: Mrs. Glenn Cooper, Mrs. Roy Sedwick, Mrs. Frank Davidson and Mrs. Dewey Etter.