Original U.S. WWI Incredibly Scarce Named 59th Pioneer Infantry Unit History with Comrade Signatures - Printed in Toul, France

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is one of the scarcest WWI Unit histories to find, primarily due to the insignia used by its men, featuring a yellow-bordered blue diamond with a yellow “Swas” in the center, which at this point in history was and continues to be used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The 59th Pioneer Infantry took part in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the deadliest campaign in American history.

The unit history, which measures 5½ x 8”, is named on the interior to a soldier in Company F. On the next pages are the names, companies, and addresses of 14 other soldiers in the regiment, who the owner wanted to keep in touch with. The history contains rosters of every company in the regiment, as well as a map at the end which shows stations occupied by the regiment in France.

This is a fantastic unit history that is well-read and shows some serious wear. A really tremendous & scarce example, ready for further research and display.

The members of the 59th Pioneer Infantry during WW1 as part of the American Expeditionary Force, came mostly from the 1st Delaware Infantry unit of the National Guard. The members came mostly from  Delaware, Southern New Jersey, Maryland, and Southern Pennsylvania area. Both the Commanding Officer, Col. John Warner Reed, and his Executive officer Lt. Col. James Austin Ellison, were from Wilmington, DE. 

Formation of the 59th Pioneer Infantry:

On January 5th, 1918, a messenger brought word to Colonel J.W. Reed, of the 54th Depot Brigage, 29th Division, Camp McClellan, Alabama, to report to Division Headquarters, and upon his arrival there he was informed that instructions had been received from Washington to reassemble the units and men formerly of the 1st Delaware Infantry who had arrived at Camp McClellan October 6th, 1917. The 1st Delaware Infantry, which was the only National Guard organization in the State of Delaware that had been called to the Colors in the year 1917, had previouslyi been organized into a regiment and, after a tour of guard duty commencing in March, 1917, covering various points susceptible of attack by German sympathizers in the State of Delaware, was assembled as a regiment, September 15th, 1917, and moved to the State rifle range near New Castle, Delaware, where it remained until entrainment for Camp McClellan, October 4th, 1917. Special Orders No.7, Headquarters, 29th. Division, followed the informal announcement and ordered the reassembling of the various units into a Regiment of Infantry, which moved from Camp McClellan, Alabama, on the 12th and 13th of January, 1918, arriving at Camp Dix, New Jersey, on the 15th and 16th of January, 1918.

No information had been given regarding the duties of Pioneer Infantry and the Regiment, after its arrival at Camp Dix, was trained as an Infantry Regiment, but it was learned that the duties of this branch of the Service were similar to those of the Pioneer Infantry of the British Arm, viz., Engineer duty with combatant service when required.

On February 27th 1918, the formal designation "59th Pioneer Infantry" was conferred upon the command, the strength of the regiment being 52 officers and 1663 enlisted men.

After formation, various other units were added to the regiment to bring it up to combat size, after which it trained until August 21st 1918, when orders were received to embark for Europe. The regiment arrived on September 8th 1918, and then due to the urgent need at the front, was deployed on September 26th to various 1st army locations.

The regiment remained in Europe after the Armistice of November 11th 1918, and various companies continued to be transferred to various commands for ongoing use.