Rain Day Boys- Remembering valiant Greene County soldiers
Editor蘑菇视频 note: This article originally appeared in the Greene County Messenger in 2018. During this year蘑菇视频 Rain Day Festival on July 29, a moment of silence will be held at 6 p.m. to honor the sacrifices of these brave men.
news@greenecountymessenger.com
Each year, July 29th becomes a day of celebration and good times in Waynesburg and vicinity when the town observes Rain Day.
However, on that same day back in 1918, for a group of soldiers in Company K, 110th Infantry, 28th Division, fighting just outside Courmont, France, during World War One that date proved inauspicious.
Charged with taking on a nest of German machine gunners and artillery entrenched on a wooded hilltop, Company K made an uphill assault through 700 yards of wheat field. During their attack, they were met with severe resistance and such intense firepower that 18 of them were either killed in battle or wounded so severely they eventually died of their injuries.
All 18 were residents of Greene County.
Sixteen years ago, former district attorney Glenn Toothman and genealogist Candice Buchanan began researching these fallen soldiers who are just some of the 150 Greene County soldiers who served in Company K.
Their efforts grew out of Toothman蘑菇视频 project to create Memory Medallions, hi-tech multimedia emblems attached to a tombstone that direct cemetery visitors through their cell phones. to online data about the deceased.
Starting with Civil War era veterans, Toothman soon segued into those who fought in World War One. He and Buchanan eventually came to realize they had relatives among the 18 soldiers they called the Rain Day Boys, killed as a result of the battle of Grimpettes Woods near Courmont.
Wanting to keep the memory of these young men alive, they began writing a book about them and the battle that claimed their lives. The book, 鈥淩ain Day Boys: The Greene That Lay Near Grimpettes Woods鈥�, was released in December, nearly seven months before the 100th anniversary of the battle that sustained the largest loss of life ever recorded in Greene County military history.
鈥淭he book is in two sections,鈥� Buchanan said. 鈥淭he first details the battle; the second tells about each of the fallen soldiers.鈥�
The Army sent the bodies of most of the soldiers back home for burial. One, however, is buried in France. A second is listed on the MIA tablet displayed at the American cemetery in France.
鈥淲e covered a lot of territory in our researches,鈥� Toothman said. 鈥淲e went into every resource option we felt necessary to explore.鈥�
To write the book, they visited the soldier grave sites scattered over Greene County and scoured newspaper obituaries and articles that gave glimpses into the story of the men and their battle. They also searched the Pennsylvania archives and military and family records.
Because the soldiers were all unmarried, (the youngest was 18 or 19; the oldest around 30) they had no direct descendants, so the co-authors interviewed cousins, nieces and nephews who shared postcards, letters, photos and memorabilia. One family even showed them a wallet owned by one of the soldiers.
鈥淚 am a lawyer and Candice has a Master蘑菇视频 in Public History, so research is something we both do as part of our careers,鈥� Toothman said.
In their research, Buchanan discovered she has two relatives 鈥� Bert Buchanan and Lawrence Staggers who were Rain Day Boys. Toothman has two of his own 鈥� William Throckmorton from his mother蘑菇视频 side and Hallie Closser, a cousin on his wife, Diane蘑菇视频 side.
For this year蘑菇视频 upcoming Rain Day celebration, the co-authors put together a 鈥渟ignificant program鈥� that will honor the Rain Day Boys. Starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Greene County Courthouse in Waynesburg, John I. Hook, a Greene County native and Vietnam-era veteran, will be the featured speaker. Hook has an interest in local history and now lives in New York City.
During the event, Heaven Bound, a chorus from a mix of local churches will sing World War One era songs. A biplane flyover will conclude the talk and ceremony.
On July 29, Toothman, Buchanan and a contingent of 18 other Greene County historians will be present on the actual battlefield near Courmont, France. To commemorate the Rain Day Boys, Waynesburg University president, Douglas Lee, will lay a wreath at a monument placed at the top of the hill overlooking the battle site, which remains a working farm to this day.
The university has a connection to several of the soldiers because they attended classes at what was then called Waynesburg College. Interestingly enough, former Pennsylvania governor, Edward Martin, was both a 1901 graduate of the university as well as the Rain Boys鈥� military leader.
鈥淐andice and I have been working on this book for 16 years and the information all seemed to jell in time for the 100th anniversary of the battle,鈥� Toothman said. 鈥淚 feel that these boys led us along all the way.鈥�
鈥淩ain Day Boys: The Greene That Lay Near Grimpettes Woods鈥� is available online at RainDayBoys.com and at the McCracken Pharmacy in Waynesburg. The 210-page book with photos of each of the boys, their families and homes sells for $16 in black and white and for $35 in color.
A historical note: The Americans eventually took control of the hill atop Grimpettes Woods on Aug. 3, five days after the battle.