Carl Wesley Fritz's Final Journey
The year, 1918 had not gone well for George Fritz. A potato blight had scourged his fields on Fritz Hill in Wheeler, New York. Fortunately, his other farms near Arkport, New York were planted with wheat and oats, which he sold to the federal government. The crops were needed in the war effort. The payments from his crop sales helped cover his losses.
During the late fall of the same year, the flu was endemic In Wheeler, where George and his family lived. Since December 12h, there were twenty cases of the flu in the community. By the 19th, George's other son, Spencer, his wife and son, all had the flu. Spencer's condition worsened and he died of pneumonia on December 23rd. His viewing and the funeral was held at their home, but his wife, Kate and son, Harold, were so ill, they could not come downstairs for the funeral.
Carl Fritz, the other son of George was tall, slender, grey eyes and brown hair. He, with his brother, Spencer, had registered for the draft in June, 1917, and enlisted in the latter part of February 1918, at age 28, to serve with the Army that was fighting the ‘war to end all wars' in France. After four weeks of boot camp, he was assigned to an artillery battery, and then transferred to other units ending up in Company A, 49th Infantry. His company shipped out to France in August. In late October, he was transferred to the Fifth Division, Co. D, 60th Inf. On September 3rd, the family received a final letter from Carl, which was probably written in June or July of that year.
World War I officially ended on November 11, 1918. Like thousands of other families, George and his family must have been relieved that the war had ended and Carl would soon be returning home. But they heard nothing from Carl. Months went by, and finally on July 3, 1919, George received a telegram from the Army. It was short and only advised that Carl had been killed in action "with date and cause of death to be determined."
What happened to Carl?
Company D, 60th Infantry, was a unit of the ‘Fifth Division", also known as the ‘Red Diamond' (Meuse) Division. When Carl transferred into the Fifth, the Division had just left the battlefield, after one month's fighting in the trenches. After a brief reprieve, on September 26,the Division launched a full out attack on the German lines, called the Argonne-Meuse Offensive, first capturing Fragell and then approached Argonne and the Meuse River. "It is in the crossing of the Meuse and the rapid conquest of the territory eastward that the Fifth Division lays its chief claim to fame.It is that achievement which gives the Fifth its name, the Meuse Division."
The Germans had four years to prepare the defenses of this region of France. The heavily wooded high hills adjacent to the river were strongly defended by artillery and heavy machine gun emplacements. The Division fought its way in a three prong attack. The 60th Infantry Regiment of the Division advanced in a valley surrounded by bluffs and high hills toward the small village of Murvaux.
At six o'clock in the morning on November 6th, Carl's regiment advanced upon Murvaux with the goal of driving out the Germans defending the village and moving on to silence the guns on the ridges. Heavy fire continued throughout the day and at some point, the Germans using light and heavy machine guns combined with their 77 mm cannons, shot point blank on the advancing regiment. By late evening the main battle was over with the Americans being successful in their mission. The Division records for that day show that 441 soldiers were killed in action, another 1187 were wounded with an additional 137 soldiers suffering from German gas attacks. The Division continued its advance to the East right up to the Armistice, five days later. Historians consider the Meuse battles involving the Fifth to be some of the fiercest in the war. Sometime during that fateful day, Carl was killed by ‘hostile fire' in or near Murvaux.
It appears that Carl was listed as missing in action. On April 29, 1919, five months after the battle, a cable order was received by the War Department form the Adjutant Generals Office, which said," To Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for report to to the whereabouts and condition of the above named,.(Carl Fritz, W).-by cable, if he is not well and on duty; otherwise by courier, By order of the Secretary of War"
A history of the Fifth Division, written that same month, listed those missing in action and Carl's name was not shown, though the book noted that the lists of soldiers missing in action or wounded had been discontinued. One of the reasons provided was that it was difficult to track soldiers who had transferred in the Division from other companies or their status had changes after the lists were compiled. This may be one reason why Carl was not listed. Also there was confusion as what regiment Carl was in. The book on the Fifth Division does not list the 49th Infantry Regiment.
In June, an initial report, in reply to the Adjutant General request listed Carl's name, serial number, his father's address and the military unit he served in, the' 60th Infantry', though his date of death, cause and location of death were still a question mark.
It is not known when Carl's grave was found. A grave location identification form completed by a Sergeant from the grave registration Service unit of the army, stated that Carl had been buried near a crucifix, was in a grave labeled as "1", his dog tag had been attached to a cross and that he had died at Mureaux. A Chaplin from the 1st Pioneer Infantry also completed another burial location form. The Pioneers were normally assigned to construction of roads, facilities, trenches for the moving army, though sometimes were used to excavate graves. His report indicated that Carl had been killed at Muraux and buried on 11/14/1918. His grave number was listed as ‘2' and that he had been killed by hostile fire. He was identified by his dog tag which was attached to a cross and that a peg with ‘Fritz' was placed in the ground.
Later it was learned that Carl had died on November 6th. It is not known how long his remains were left on the battlefield, but he was buried near an abandoned cemetery next to an old Catholic Chapel just outside of the village. A picture of the cemetery and partially destroyed chapel, taken in 1919, can be seen on the Internet.
An American pilot, Frank Luke Jr. was shot down over the village in September and later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was buried, by the villagers in the same cemetery. His grave was found by the army in the late spring of 1919. It is not known who buried Carl. It may have been fellow soldiers or possibly the residents who had returned to the village after the battles past them. It is doubtful that he was buried by the Germans as they were in the midst of battle and was driven off in retreat. It is not known how Carl's grave was found. Perhaps it was located at the same time as Lt. Luke's.
On June 28, a report stated that Carl had been disinterred from an ‘isolated grave' at Murvaux on June 11 and reburied the same day at the Argonne-Romagne military cemetery some 148 miles to the north east. It was noted his ‘original burial was good; buried in uniform; body badly decomposed.' His dog tag, found with his remains was removed, place in an envelope, and forwarded to the Effects Depot of the Quartermaster's Corps. The tag is partially rolled up on one edge, possibly indicating the amount of trauma to the body took from the hostile fire. One side of the tag reads: " _ _ rl Fritz" and the other side shows his ID number.
A reply was sent back to the Adjutant's Office to their earlier inquiry stating where and when Carl was buried and where he was reinterred. The reply did not include Carl's unit.
George received the telegram in early July advising of Carl's death, but no death date, cause of death or burial location. This may have been an unfortunate coincidence due to the lack of timely communications at that time.
Not hearing from the government and undoubtedly frustrated, on December 13, 1919, George wrote a letter to the Army's Grave Registration Division, which referred to the telegram and that he tried to find out the date and cause of death of Carl, but had not been successful. He again asked for more information. Possibly a reason why George did not receive replies to his inquires is that his correspondence refers to Co. A, 49th Inf., the division/regiment that Carl was in before he was transferred to the Fifth Division
On December 19th, the Graves Registration Unit, reported on Carl's original burial location, but not his regiment. Three days later, another report questioned the 49th Inf. but had confirmed his burial date and cause of death (Killed by hostile fire) On January 16, 1920, his death date, the correct Regiment and two burial locations; Murvaux and Argonne were reported.
Ten days later, George was sent a letter reporting on Carl's cause of death and identifying his burial location in the Argonne Cemetery. The letter stated that the grave had been suitably marked pending a permanent monument to be authorized by the National Fine Arts Commission. The Argonne Cemetery is the largest WWI cemetery in Europe, with 14,261 burials.
On March 1, there was a communication between the Adjutant General and Quartermaster's Offices establishing Carl's official date of death as 11/6/1918 and that he had been killed in action.
On May 3, 1921, George requested that Carl's body be returned to the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D. C. and requested that he be notified when Carl's remains would be buried and how his grave would be marked. Three weeks later, he changed his mind and requested that the body be returned to Arkport which was approved on May 28th.
In late May, George went to the Steuben County Surrogate's Court and was given permission to carry out Letters of Administration for Carl. Carl did not have a will. He had only a few personal assets and a government life insurance policy worth $7500 with George as the beneficiary. Carl's interest in the farms in Wheeler, reverted back to George, who held the land contract on 100 acres. The monthly life insurance payments did not start until 1924.
In the meantime, orders had been issued to disinter Carl's remains at Argonne. On July 18th, he was placed in a casket. The report on the disinterment indicated that his body was badly decomposed and that his features were unrecognizable. No wounds or missing parts could be found. His hair on his body and head was gone. From the remains, even his height could not be estimated. Apparently his skull was at least partially intact, as gold and silver fillings were found along with teeth that had lost their fillings. He had been previously buried in a wooden box, in his uniform and wrapped in burlap. From this description and the condition of his dog tag it can be assumed that Carl was probably killed by an artillery shell explosion.
On August 4, 1921, George was sent a letter advising that Carl's remains would be shipped to the U. S, and then on to Arkport. The letter also identified his correct regiment. On August 20, George was sent another letter informing his of the anticipated arrival date of the casket. On the 23rd, Carl's remains were transported to Antwerp, Belgium from the Argonne Cemetery. There his casket was placed aboard the USAT Wheaton, a merchant marine ship, which sailed to Hoboken, N. J arriving on August 28.
Carl was assigned a military escort, a Pvt. Span to accompany him on his last journey via the Erie Railroad from Jersey City to Arkport. Pvt. Span was authorized four meal vouchers and $5.00 for other expenses. Carl finally arrived home on September 3, 1921. George sent a telegram back to the Army that the body had arrived. There were no funeral announcements in the local papers. He was buried at the family plot in the Arkport Cemetery. His tombstone reads "In Memory, 1889-1918."
Approximately 80 men from Steuben County died in WWI. Carl was the last soldier, from Steuben to die in battle in the ‘War To End All Wars.'
This report could not have been prepared without the graciousness of Terry Krautwurst who copied Carl's burial records at the National Archives Personnel Records Center St. Louis and forwarded them to me. Other sources were also used for the report.
Compiled by Gary S. Fritz, grand nephew of Carl W. Fritz
11/2012
Miscellaneous
George moved from the family homestead in Dansville, New York to Wheeler in 1883 and ending up purchasing 350 acres of land which he planted with potatoes and other grains. He became a very successful farmer and businessman in the community and owned the first car in the community.
George inherited portions of his father's farms in Dansville and it was likely that he had plans to live out his years there. George was married twice. His first wife, Mary Jones, whose grandfather built and sailed river arks in what today is known as Arkport, passed away at age 37 in 1900. She and George had two sons; Spencer and Carl. George remarried in 1902 to Eliza Brewer, a widower. She died in 1925.
When Spencer and Carl reached twenty one years of age, George offered each of them 100 acres of the Wheeler farms. Both agreed and George held a land contract on the farms. The boys worked the remainder of the farms on shares. In addition to farming, Spencer sought employment at the Curtis Motorcycle Company in Hammondsport, New York, where he worked on motor cycle engines and the Curtiss aircraft design. He also obtained a patent for a potato digger, which he promptly sold for $100 to McCormick Harvester.
He passed away at age 31. His wife had no interest in maintaining the farm and George took it back agreeing to make monthly payments to her. Kate and her son, Harold, my father, moved back to her family homestead and she later remarried.
It is reported that Carl got engaged to an Alice Stickney, a school teacher in Wheeler before he enlisted. She married a newspaper reporter in 1920 and divorced five years later. She then married Harold Schoeffler.
George and his wife had moved from Wheeler back to Dansville in 1922, occupying the family homestead there. He rented out the farms in Wheeler and worked the 400 acres he had in Dansville. His second wife died in 1925. His brother, Clark, also owned about 100 acres of farm land adjacent to Georges.
Then came the final tragedy. On 2/20/1926, Clark passed away from a heart attack. Three days later, George died at age 70.
George was Clark's only beneficiary and thus inherited his farm. George's will provided that his estate was to be bequeathed to Harold, who was sixteen years of age at the time of George's death. Harold was assigned a legal guardian to administer the inheritance until Harold reached twenty one years of age. Harold not only ended up with George's property but also his uncle Clarks.
George's will contained a strange condition. Harold had to marry and have a child before he reached thirty three years of age, or the estate would revert to a Masonic Hospital. He met these conditions.
George's estate included property, stocks, bonds, promissory notes, deeds and cash worth more than $75,000, a substantial sum for that time. The guardian was able to convince the army to make a lump sum payment from Carl's life insurance policy. Unfortunately for Harold, the depression was just beginning and he was not able to sell all the farms until 1945.
George, his two wives, Carl and Harold are buried in the family plot in Arkport. Spencer is buried in Wheeler.
The year, 1918 had not gone well for George Fritz. A potato blight had scourged his fields on Fritz Hill in Wheeler, New York. Fortunately, his other farms near Arkport, New York were planted with wheat and oats, which he sold to the federal government. The crops were needed in the war effort. The payments from his crop sales helped cover his losses.
During the late fall of the same year, the flu was endemic In Wheeler, where George and his family lived. Since December 12h, there were twenty cases of the flu in the community. By the 19th, George's other son, Spencer, his wife and son, all had the flu. Spencer's condition worsened and he died of pneumonia on December 23rd. His viewing and the funeral was held at their home, but his wife, Kate and son, Harold, were so ill, they could not come downstairs for the funeral.
Carl Fritz, the other son of George was tall, slender, grey eyes and brown hair. He, with his brother, Spencer, had registered for the draft in June, 1917, and enlisted in the latter part of February 1918, at age 28, to serve with the Army that was fighting the ‘war to end all wars' in France. After four weeks of boot camp, he was assigned to an artillery battery, and then transferred to other units ending up in Company A, 49th Infantry. His company shipped out to France in August. In late October, he was transferred to the Fifth Division, Co. D, 60th Inf. On September 3rd, the family received a final letter from Carl, which was probably written in June or July of that year.
World War I officially ended on November 11, 1918. Like thousands of other families, George and his family must have been relieved that the war had ended and Carl would soon be returning home. But they heard nothing from Carl. Months went by, and finally on July 3, 1919, George received a telegram from the Army. It was short and only advised that Carl had been killed in action "with date and cause of death to be determined."
What happened to Carl?
Company D, 60th Infantry, was a unit of the ‘Fifth Division", also known as the ‘Red Diamond' (Meuse) Division. When Carl transferred into the Fifth, the Division had just left the battlefield, after one month's fighting in the trenches. After a brief reprieve, on September 26,the Division launched a full out attack on the German lines, called the Argonne-Meuse Offensive, first capturing Fragell and then approached Argonne and the Meuse River. "It is in the crossing of the Meuse and the rapid conquest of the territory eastward that the Fifth Division lays its chief claim to fame.It is that achievement which gives the Fifth its name, the Meuse Division."
The Germans had four years to prepare the defenses of this region of France. The heavily wooded high hills adjacent to the river were strongly defended by artillery and heavy machine gun emplacements. The Division fought its way in a three prong attack. The 60th Infantry Regiment of the Division advanced in a valley surrounded by bluffs and high hills toward the small village of Murvaux.
At six o'clock in the morning on November 6th, Carl's regiment advanced upon Murvaux with the goal of driving out the Germans defending the village and moving on to silence the guns on the ridges. Heavy fire continued throughout the day and at some point, the Germans using light and heavy machine guns combined with their 77 mm cannons, shot point blank on the advancing regiment. By late evening the main battle was over with the Americans being successful in their mission. The Division records for that day show that 441 soldiers were killed in action, another 1187 were wounded with an additional 137 soldiers suffering from German gas attacks. The Division continued its advance to the East right up to the Armistice, five days later. Historians consider the Meuse battles involving the Fifth to be some of the fiercest in the war. Sometime during that fateful day, Carl was killed by ‘hostile fire' in or near Murvaux.
It appears that Carl was listed as missing in action. On April 29, 1919, five months after the battle, a cable order was received by the War Department form the Adjutant Generals Office, which said," To Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for report to to the whereabouts and condition of the above named,.(Carl Fritz, W).-by cable, if he is not well and on duty; otherwise by courier, By order of the Secretary of War"
A history of the Fifth Division, written that same month, listed those missing in action and Carl's name was not shown, though the book noted that the lists of soldiers missing in action or wounded had been discontinued. One of the reasons provided was that it was difficult to track soldiers who had transferred in the Division from other companies or their status had changes after the lists were compiled. This may be one reason why Carl was not listed. Also there was confusion as what regiment Carl was in. The book on the Fifth Division does not list the 49th Infantry Regiment.
In June, an initial report, in reply to the Adjutant General request listed Carl's name, serial number, his father's address and the military unit he served in, the' 60th Infantry', though his date of death, cause and location of death were still a question mark.
It is not known when Carl's grave was found. A grave location identification form completed by a Sergeant from the grave registration Service unit of the army, stated that Carl had been buried near a crucifix, was in a grave labeled as "1", his dog tag had been attached to a cross and that he had died at Mureaux. A Chaplin from the 1st Pioneer Infantry also completed another burial location form. The Pioneers were normally assigned to construction of roads, facilities, trenches for the moving army, though sometimes were used to excavate graves. His report indicated that Carl had been killed at Muraux and buried on 11/14/1918. His grave number was listed as ‘2' and that he had been killed by hostile fire. He was identified by his dog tag which was attached to a cross and that a peg with ‘Fritz' was placed in the ground.
Later it was learned that Carl had died on November 6th. It is not known how long his remains were left on the battlefield, but he was buried near an abandoned cemetery next to an old Catholic Chapel just outside of the village. A picture of the cemetery and partially destroyed chapel, taken in 1919, can be seen on the Internet.
An American pilot, Frank Luke Jr. was shot down over the village in September and later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was buried, by the villagers in the same cemetery. His grave was found by the army in the late spring of 1919. It is not known who buried Carl. It may have been fellow soldiers or possibly the residents who had returned to the village after the battles past them. It is doubtful that he was buried by the Germans as they were in the midst of battle and was driven off in retreat. It is not known how Carl's grave was found. Perhaps it was located at the same time as Lt. Luke's.
On June 28, a report stated that Carl had been disinterred from an ‘isolated grave' at Murvaux on June 11 and reburied the same day at the Argonne-Romagne military cemetery some 148 miles to the north east. It was noted his ‘original burial was good; buried in uniform; body badly decomposed.' His dog tag, found with his remains was removed, place in an envelope, and forwarded to the Effects Depot of the Quartermaster's Corps. The tag is partially rolled up on one edge, possibly indicating the amount of trauma to the body took from the hostile fire. One side of the tag reads: " _ _ rl Fritz" and the other side shows his ID number.
A reply was sent back to the Adjutant's Office to their earlier inquiry stating where and when Carl was buried and where he was reinterred. The reply did not include Carl's unit.
George received the telegram in early July advising of Carl's death, but no death date, cause of death or burial location. This may have been an unfortunate coincidence due to the lack of timely communications at that time.
Not hearing from the government and undoubtedly frustrated, on December 13, 1919, George wrote a letter to the Army's Grave Registration Division, which referred to the telegram and that he tried to find out the date and cause of death of Carl, but had not been successful. He again asked for more information. Possibly a reason why George did not receive replies to his inquires is that his correspondence refers to Co. A, 49th Inf., the division/regiment that Carl was in before he was transferred to the Fifth Division
On December 19th, the Graves Registration Unit, reported on Carl's original burial location, but not his regiment. Three days later, another report questioned the 49th Inf. but had confirmed his burial date and cause of death (Killed by hostile fire) On January 16, 1920, his death date, the correct Regiment and two burial locations; Murvaux and Argonne were reported.
Ten days later, George was sent a letter reporting on Carl's cause of death and identifying his burial location in the Argonne Cemetery. The letter stated that the grave had been suitably marked pending a permanent monument to be authorized by the National Fine Arts Commission. The Argonne Cemetery is the largest WWI cemetery in Europe, with 14,261 burials.
On March 1, there was a communication between the Adjutant General and Quartermaster's Offices establishing Carl's official date of death as 11/6/1918 and that he had been killed in action.
On May 3, 1921, George requested that Carl's body be returned to the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D. C. and requested that he be notified when Carl's remains would be buried and how his grave would be marked. Three weeks later, he changed his mind and requested that the body be returned to Arkport which was approved on May 28th.
In late May, George went to the Steuben County Surrogate's Court and was given permission to carry out Letters of Administration for Carl. Carl did not have a will. He had only a few personal assets and a government life insurance policy worth $7500 with George as the beneficiary. Carl's interest in the farms in Wheeler, reverted back to George, who held the land contract on 100 acres. The monthly life insurance payments did not start until 1924.
In the meantime, orders had been issued to disinter Carl's remains at Argonne. On July 18th, he was placed in a casket. The report on the disinterment indicated that his body was badly decomposed and that his features were unrecognizable. No wounds or missing parts could be found. His hair on his body and head was gone. From the remains, even his height could not be estimated. Apparently his skull was at least partially intact, as gold and silver fillings were found along with teeth that had lost their fillings. He had been previously buried in a wooden box, in his uniform and wrapped in burlap. From this description and the condition of his dog tag it can be assumed that Carl was probably killed by an artillery shell explosion.
On August 4, 1921, George was sent a letter advising that Carl's remains would be shipped to the U. S, and then on to Arkport. The letter also identified his correct regiment. On August 20, George was sent another letter informing his of the anticipated arrival date of the casket. On the 23rd, Carl's remains were transported to Antwerp, Belgium from the Argonne Cemetery. There his casket was placed aboard the USAT Wheaton, a merchant marine ship, which sailed to Hoboken, N. J arriving on August 28.
Carl was assigned a military escort, a Pvt. Span to accompany him on his last journey via the Erie Railroad from Jersey City to Arkport. Pvt. Span was authorized four meal vouchers and $5.00 for other expenses. Carl finally arrived home on September 3, 1921. George sent a telegram back to the Army that the body had arrived. There were no funeral announcements in the local papers. He was buried at the family plot in the Arkport Cemetery. His tombstone reads "In Memory, 1889-1918."
Approximately 80 men from Steuben County died in WWI. Carl was the last soldier, from Steuben to die in battle in the ‘War To End All Wars.'
This report could not have been prepared without the graciousness of Terry Krautwurst who copied Carl's burial records at the National Archives Personnel Records Center St. Louis and forwarded them to me. Other sources were also used for the report.
Compiled by Gary S. Fritz, grand nephew of Carl W. Fritz
11/2012
Miscellaneous
George moved from the family homestead in Dansville, New York to Wheeler in 1883 and ending up purchasing 350 acres of land which he planted with potatoes and other grains. He became a very successful farmer and businessman in the community and owned the first car in the community.
George inherited portions of his father's farms in Dansville and it was likely that he had plans to live out his years there. George was married twice. His first wife, Mary Jones, whose grandfather built and sailed river arks in what today is known as Arkport, passed away at age 37 in 1900. She and George had two sons; Spencer and Carl. George remarried in 1902 to Eliza Brewer, a widower. She died in 1925.
When Spencer and Carl reached twenty one years of age, George offered each of them 100 acres of the Wheeler farms. Both agreed and George held a land contract on the farms. The boys worked the remainder of the farms on shares. In addition to farming, Spencer sought employment at the Curtis Motorcycle Company in Hammondsport, New York, where he worked on motor cycle engines and the Curtiss aircraft design. He also obtained a patent for a potato digger, which he promptly sold for $100 to McCormick Harvester.
He passed away at age 31. His wife had no interest in maintaining the farm and George took it back agreeing to make monthly payments to her. Kate and her son, Harold, my father, moved back to her family homestead and she later remarried.
It is reported that Carl got engaged to an Alice Stickney, a school teacher in Wheeler before he enlisted. She married a newspaper reporter in 1920 and divorced five years later. She then married Harold Schoeffler.
George and his wife had moved from Wheeler back to Dansville in 1922, occupying the family homestead there. He rented out the farms in Wheeler and worked the 400 acres he had in Dansville. His second wife died in 1925. His brother, Clark, also owned about 100 acres of farm land adjacent to Georges.
Then came the final tragedy. On 2/20/1926, Clark passed away from a heart attack. Three days later, George died at age 70.
George was Clark's only beneficiary and thus inherited his farm. George's will provided that his estate was to be bequeathed to Harold, who was sixteen years of age at the time of George's death. Harold was assigned a legal guardian to administer the inheritance until Harold reached twenty one years of age. Harold not only ended up with George's property but also his uncle Clarks.
George's will contained a strange condition. Harold had to marry and have a child before he reached thirty three years of age, or the estate would revert to a Masonic Hospital. He met these conditions.
George's estate included property, stocks, bonds, promissory notes, deeds and cash worth more than $75,000, a substantial sum for that time. The guardian was able to convince the army to make a lump sum payment from Carl's life insurance policy. Unfortunately for Harold, the depression was just beginning and he was not able to sell all the farms until 1945.
George, his two wives, Carl and Harold are buried in the family plot in Arkport. Spencer is buried in Wheeler.
Carl Wesley Fritz's Final Journey
The year, 1918 had not gone well for George Fritz. A potato blight had scourged his fields on Fritz Hill in Wheeler, New York. Fortunately, his other farms near Arkport, New York were planted with wheat and oats, which he sold to the federal government. The crops were needed in the war effort. The payments from his crop sales helped cover his losses.
During the late fall of the same year, the flu was endemic In Wheeler, where George and his family lived. Since December 12h, there were twenty cases of the flu in the community. By the 19th, George's other son, Spencer, his wife and son, all had the flu. Spencer's condition worsened and he died of pneumonia on December 23rd. His viewing and the funeral was held at their home, but his wife, Kate and son, Harold, were so ill, they could not come downstairs for the funeral.
Carl Fritz, the other son of George was tall, slender, grey eyes and brown hair. He, with his brother, Spencer, had registered for the draft in June, 1917, and enlisted in the latter part of February 1918, at age 28, to serve with the Army that was fighting the ‘war to end all wars' in France. After four weeks of boot camp, he was assigned to an artillery battery, and then transferred to other units ending up in Company A, 49th Infantry. His company shipped out to France in August. In late October, he was transferred to the Fifth Division, Co. D, 60th Inf. On September 3rd, the family received a final letter from Carl, which was probably written in June or July of that year.
World War I officially ended on November 11, 1918. Like thousands of other families, George and his family must have been relieved that the war had ended and Carl would soon be returning home. But they heard nothing from Carl. Months went by, and finally on July 3, 1919, George received a telegram from the Army. It was short and only advised that Carl had been killed in action "with date and cause of death to be determined."
What happened to Carl?
Company D, 60th Infantry, was a unit of the ‘Fifth Division", also known as the ‘Red Diamond' (Meuse) Division. When Carl transferred into the Fifth, the Division had just left the battlefield, after one month's fighting in the trenches. After a brief reprieve, on September 26,the Division launched a full out attack on the German lines, called the Argonne-Meuse Offensive, first capturing Fragell and then approached Argonne and the Meuse River. "It is in the crossing of the Meuse and the rapid conquest of the territory eastward that the Fifth Division lays its chief claim to fame.It is that achievement which gives the Fifth its name, the Meuse Division."
The Germans had four years to prepare the defenses of this region of France. The heavily wooded high hills adjacent to the river were strongly defended by artillery and heavy machine gun emplacements. The Division fought its way in a three prong attack. The 60th Infantry Regiment of the Division advanced in a valley surrounded by bluffs and high hills toward the small village of Murvaux.
At six o'clock in the morning on November 6th, Carl's regiment advanced upon Murvaux with the goal of driving out the Germans defending the village and moving on to silence the guns on the ridges. Heavy fire continued throughout the day and at some point, the Germans using light and heavy machine guns combined with their 77 mm cannons, shot point blank on the advancing regiment. By late evening the main battle was over with the Americans being successful in their mission. The Division records for that day show that 441 soldiers were killed in action, another 1187 were wounded with an additional 137 soldiers suffering from German gas attacks. The Division continued its advance to the East right up to the Armistice, five days later. Historians consider the Meuse battles involving the Fifth to be some of the fiercest in the war. Sometime during that fateful day, Carl was killed by ‘hostile fire' in or near Murvaux.
It appears that Carl was listed as missing in action. On April 29, 1919, five months after the battle, a cable order was received by the War Department form the Adjutant Generals Office, which said," To Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for report to to the whereabouts and condition of the above named,.(Carl Fritz, W).-by cable, if he is not well and on duty; otherwise by courier, By order of the Secretary of War"
A history of the Fifth Division, written that same month, listed those missing in action and Carl's name was not shown, though the book noted that the lists of soldiers missing in action or wounded had been discontinued. One of the reasons provided was that it was difficult to track soldiers who had transferred in the Division from other companies or their status had changes after the lists were compiled. This may be one reason why Carl was not listed. Also there was confusion as what regiment Carl was in. The book on the Fifth Division does not list the 49th Infantry Regiment.
In June, an initial report, in reply to the Adjutant General request listed Carl's name, serial number, his father's address and the military unit he served in, the' 60th Infantry', though his date of death, cause and location of death were still a question mark.
It is not known when Carl's grave was found. A grave location identification form completed by a Sergeant from the grave registration Service unit of the army, stated that Carl had been buried near a crucifix, was in a grave labeled as "1", his dog tag had been attached to a cross and that he had died at Mureaux. A Chaplin from the 1st Pioneer Infantry also completed another burial location form. The Pioneers were normally assigned to construction of roads, facilities, trenches for the moving army, though sometimes were used to excavate graves. His report indicated that Carl had been killed at Muraux and buried on 11/14/1918. His grave number was listed as ‘2' and that he had been killed by hostile fire. He was identified by his dog tag which was attached to a cross and that a peg with ‘Fritz' was placed in the ground.
Later it was learned that Carl had died on November 6th. It is not known how long his remains were left on the battlefield, but he was buried near an abandoned cemetery next to an old Catholic Chapel just outside of the village. A picture of the cemetery and partially destroyed chapel, taken in 1919, can be seen on the Internet.
An American pilot, Frank Luke Jr. was shot down over the village in September and later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was buried, by the villagers in the same cemetery. His grave was found by the army in the late spring of 1919. It is not known who buried Carl. It may have been fellow soldiers or possibly the residents who had returned to the village after the battles past them. It is doubtful that he was buried by the Germans as they were in the midst of battle and was driven off in retreat. It is not known how Carl's grave was found. Perhaps it was located at the same time as Lt. Luke's.
On June 28, a report stated that Carl had been disinterred from an ‘isolated grave' at Murvaux on June 11 and reburied the same day at the Argonne-Romagne military cemetery some 148 miles to the north east. It was noted his ‘original burial was good; buried in uniform; body badly decomposed.' His dog tag, found with his remains was removed, place in an envelope, and forwarded to the Effects Depot of the Quartermaster's Corps. The tag is partially rolled up on one edge, possibly indicating the amount of trauma to the body took from the hostile fire. One side of the tag reads: " _ _ rl Fritz" and the other side shows his ID number.
A reply was sent back to the Adjutant's Office to their earlier inquiry stating where and when Carl was buried and where he was reinterred. The reply did not include Carl's unit.
George received the telegram in early July advising of Carl's death, but no death date, cause of death or burial location. This may have been an unfortunate coincidence due to the lack of timely communications at that time.
Not hearing from the government and undoubtedly frustrated, on December 13, 1919, George wrote a letter to the Army's Grave Registration Division, which referred to the telegram and that he tried to find out the date and cause of death of Carl, but had not been successful. He again asked for more information. Possibly a reason why George did not receive replies to his inquires is that his correspondence refers to Co. A, 49th Inf., the division/regiment that Carl was in before he was transferred to the Fifth Division
On December 19th, the Graves Registration Unit, reported on Carl's original burial location, but not his regiment. Three days later, another report questioned the 49th Inf. but had confirmed his burial date and cause of death (Killed by hostile fire) On January 16, 1920, his death date, the correct Regiment and two burial locations; Murvaux and Argonne were reported.
Ten days later, George was sent a letter reporting on Carl's cause of death and identifying his burial location in the Argonne Cemetery. The letter stated that the grave had been suitably marked pending a permanent monument to be authorized by the National Fine Arts Commission. The Argonne Cemetery is the largest WWI cemetery in Europe, with 14,261 burials.
On March 1, there was a communication between the Adjutant General and Quartermaster's Offices establishing Carl's official date of death as 11/6/1918 and that he had been killed in action.
On May 3, 1921, George requested that Carl's body be returned to the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D. C. and requested that he be notified when Carl's remains would be buried and how his grave would be marked. Three weeks later, he changed his mind and requested that the body be returned to Arkport which was approved on May 28th.
In late May, George went to the Steuben County Surrogate's Court and was given permission to carry out Letters of Administration for Carl. Carl did not have a will. He had only a few personal assets and a government life insurance policy worth $7500 with George as the beneficiary. Carl's interest in the farms in Wheeler, reverted back to George, who held the land contract on 100 acres. The monthly life insurance payments did not start until 1924.
In the meantime, orders had been issued to disinter Carl's remains at Argonne. On July 18th, he was placed in a casket. The report on the disinterment indicated that his body was badly decomposed and that his features were unrecognizable. No wounds or missing parts could be found. His hair on his body and head was gone. From the remains, even his height could not be estimated. Apparently his skull was at least partially intact, as gold and silver fillings were found along with teeth that had lost their fillings. He had been previously buried in a wooden box, in his uniform and wrapped in burlap. From this description and the condition of his dog tag it can be assumed that Carl was probably killed by an artillery shell explosion.
On August 4, 1921, George was sent a letter advising that Carl's remains would be shipped to the U. S, and then on to Arkport. The letter also identified his correct regiment. On August 20, George was sent another letter informing his of the anticipated arrival date of the casket. On the 23rd, Carl's remains were transported to Antwerp, Belgium from the Argonne Cemetery. There his casket was placed aboard the USAT Wheaton, a merchant marine ship, which sailed to Hoboken, N. J arriving on August 28.
Carl was assigned a military escort, a Pvt. Span to accompany him on his last journey via the Erie Railroad from Jersey City to Arkport. Pvt. Span was authorized four meal vouchers and $5.00 for other expenses. Carl finally arrived home on September 3, 1921. George sent a telegram back to the Army that the body had arrived. There were no funeral announcements in the local papers. He was buried at the family plot in the Arkport Cemetery. His tombstone reads "In Memory, 1889-1918."
Approximately 80 men from Steuben County died in WWI. Carl was the last soldier, from Steuben to die in battle in the ‘War To End All Wars.'
This report could not have been prepared without the graciousness of Terry Krautwurst who copied Carl's burial records at the National Archives Personnel Records Center St. Louis and forwarded them to me. Other sources were also used for the report.
Compiled by Gary S. Fritz, grand nephew of Carl W. Fritz
11/2012
Miscellaneous
George moved from the family homestead in Dansville, New York to Wheeler in 1883 and ending up purchasing 350 acres of land which he planted with potatoes and other grains. He became a very successful farmer and businessman in the community and owned the first car in the community.
George inherited portions of his father's farms in Dansville and it was likely that he had plans to live out his years there. George was married twice. His first wife, Mary Jones, whose grandfather built and sailed river arks in what today is known as Arkport, passed away at age 37 in 1900. She and George had two sons; Spencer and Carl. George remarried in 1902 to Eliza Brewer, a widower. She died in 1925.
When Spencer and Carl reached twenty one years of age, George offered each of them 100 acres of the Wheeler farms. Both agreed and George held a land contract on the farms. The boys worked the remainder of the farms on shares. In addition to farming, Spencer sought employment at the Curtis Motorcycle Company in Hammondsport, New York, where he worked on motor cycle engines and the Curtiss aircraft design. He also obtained a patent for a potato digger, which he promptly sold for $100 to McCormick Harvester.
He passed away at age 31. His wife had no interest in maintaining the farm and George took it back agreeing to make monthly payments to her. Kate and her son, Harold, my father, moved back to her family homestead and she later remarried.
It is reported that Carl got engaged to an Alice Stickney, a school teacher in Wheeler before he enlisted. She married a newspaper reporter in 1920 and divorced five years later. She then married Harold Schoeffler.
George and his wife had moved from Wheeler back to Dansville in 1922, occupying the family homestead there. He rented out the farms in Wheeler and worked the 400 acres he had in Dansville. His second wife died in 1925. His brother, Clark, also owned about 100 acres of farm land adjacent to Georges.
Then came the final tragedy. On 2/20/1926, Clark passed away from a heart attack. Three days later, George died at age 70.
George was Clark's only beneficiary and thus inherited his farm. George's will provided that his estate was to be bequeathed to Harold, who was sixteen years of age at the time of George's death. Harold was assigned a legal guardian to administer the inheritance until Harold reached twenty one years of age. Harold not only ended up with George's property but also his uncle Clarks.
George's will contained a strange condition. Harold had to marry and have a child before he reached thirty three years of age, or the estate would revert to a Masonic Hospital. He met these conditions.
George's estate included property, stocks, bonds, promissory notes, deeds and cash worth more than $75,000, a substantial sum for that time. The guardian was able to convince the army to make a lump sum payment from Carl's life insurance policy. Unfortunately for Harold, the depression was just beginning and he was not able to sell all the farms until 1945.
George, his two wives, Carl and Harold are buried in the family plot in Arkport. Spencer is buried in Wheeler.
The year, 1918 had not gone well for George Fritz. A potato blight had scourged his fields on Fritz Hill in Wheeler, New York. Fortunately, his other farms near Arkport, New York were planted with wheat and oats, which he sold to the federal government. The crops were needed in the war effort. The payments from his crop sales helped cover his losses.
During the late fall of the same year, the flu was endemic In Wheeler, where George and his family lived. Since December 12h, there were twenty cases of the flu in the community. By the 19th, George's other son, Spencer, his wife and son, all had the flu. Spencer's condition worsened and he died of pneumonia on December 23rd. His viewing and the funeral was held at their home, but his wife, Kate and son, Harold, were so ill, they could not come downstairs for the funeral.
Carl Fritz, the other son of George was tall, slender, grey eyes and brown hair. He, with his brother, Spencer, had registered for the draft in June, 1917, and enlisted in the latter part of February 1918, at age 28, to serve with the Army that was fighting the ‘war to end all wars' in France. After four weeks of boot camp, he was assigned to an artillery battery, and then transferred to other units ending up in Company A, 49th Infantry. His company shipped out to France in August. In late October, he was transferred to the Fifth Division, Co. D, 60th Inf. On September 3rd, the family received a final letter from Carl, which was probably written in June or July of that year.
World War I officially ended on November 11, 1918. Like thousands of other families, George and his family must have been relieved that the war had ended and Carl would soon be returning home. But they heard nothing from Carl. Months went by, and finally on July 3, 1919, George received a telegram from the Army. It was short and only advised that Carl had been killed in action "with date and cause of death to be determined."
What happened to Carl?
Company D, 60th Infantry, was a unit of the ‘Fifth Division", also known as the ‘Red Diamond' (Meuse) Division. When Carl transferred into the Fifth, the Division had just left the battlefield, after one month's fighting in the trenches. After a brief reprieve, on September 26,the Division launched a full out attack on the German lines, called the Argonne-Meuse Offensive, first capturing Fragell and then approached Argonne and the Meuse River. "It is in the crossing of the Meuse and the rapid conquest of the territory eastward that the Fifth Division lays its chief claim to fame.It is that achievement which gives the Fifth its name, the Meuse Division."
The Germans had four years to prepare the defenses of this region of France. The heavily wooded high hills adjacent to the river were strongly defended by artillery and heavy machine gun emplacements. The Division fought its way in a three prong attack. The 60th Infantry Regiment of the Division advanced in a valley surrounded by bluffs and high hills toward the small village of Murvaux.
At six o'clock in the morning on November 6th, Carl's regiment advanced upon Murvaux with the goal of driving out the Germans defending the village and moving on to silence the guns on the ridges. Heavy fire continued throughout the day and at some point, the Germans using light and heavy machine guns combined with their 77 mm cannons, shot point blank on the advancing regiment. By late evening the main battle was over with the Americans being successful in their mission. The Division records for that day show that 441 soldiers were killed in action, another 1187 were wounded with an additional 137 soldiers suffering from German gas attacks. The Division continued its advance to the East right up to the Armistice, five days later. Historians consider the Meuse battles involving the Fifth to be some of the fiercest in the war. Sometime during that fateful day, Carl was killed by ‘hostile fire' in or near Murvaux.
It appears that Carl was listed as missing in action. On April 29, 1919, five months after the battle, a cable order was received by the War Department form the Adjutant Generals Office, which said," To Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for report to to the whereabouts and condition of the above named,.(Carl Fritz, W).-by cable, if he is not well and on duty; otherwise by courier, By order of the Secretary of War"
A history of the Fifth Division, written that same month, listed those missing in action and Carl's name was not shown, though the book noted that the lists of soldiers missing in action or wounded had been discontinued. One of the reasons provided was that it was difficult to track soldiers who had transferred in the Division from other companies or their status had changes after the lists were compiled. This may be one reason why Carl was not listed. Also there was confusion as what regiment Carl was in. The book on the Fifth Division does not list the 49th Infantry Regiment.
In June, an initial report, in reply to the Adjutant General request listed Carl's name, serial number, his father's address and the military unit he served in, the' 60th Infantry', though his date of death, cause and location of death were still a question mark.
It is not known when Carl's grave was found. A grave location identification form completed by a Sergeant from the grave registration Service unit of the army, stated that Carl had been buried near a crucifix, was in a grave labeled as "1", his dog tag had been attached to a cross and that he had died at Mureaux. A Chaplin from the 1st Pioneer Infantry also completed another burial location form. The Pioneers were normally assigned to construction of roads, facilities, trenches for the moving army, though sometimes were used to excavate graves. His report indicated that Carl had been killed at Muraux and buried on 11/14/1918. His grave number was listed as ‘2' and that he had been killed by hostile fire. He was identified by his dog tag which was attached to a cross and that a peg with ‘Fritz' was placed in the ground.
Later it was learned that Carl had died on November 6th. It is not known how long his remains were left on the battlefield, but he was buried near an abandoned cemetery next to an old Catholic Chapel just outside of the village. A picture of the cemetery and partially destroyed chapel, taken in 1919, can be seen on the Internet.
An American pilot, Frank Luke Jr. was shot down over the village in September and later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was buried, by the villagers in the same cemetery. His grave was found by the army in the late spring of 1919. It is not known who buried Carl. It may have been fellow soldiers or possibly the residents who had returned to the village after the battles past them. It is doubtful that he was buried by the Germans as they were in the midst of battle and was driven off in retreat. It is not known how Carl's grave was found. Perhaps it was located at the same time as Lt. Luke's.
On June 28, a report stated that Carl had been disinterred from an ‘isolated grave' at Murvaux on June 11 and reburied the same day at the Argonne-Romagne military cemetery some 148 miles to the north east. It was noted his ‘original burial was good; buried in uniform; body badly decomposed.' His dog tag, found with his remains was removed, place in an envelope, and forwarded to the Effects Depot of the Quartermaster's Corps. The tag is partially rolled up on one edge, possibly indicating the amount of trauma to the body took from the hostile fire. One side of the tag reads: " _ _ rl Fritz" and the other side shows his ID number.
A reply was sent back to the Adjutant's Office to their earlier inquiry stating where and when Carl was buried and where he was reinterred. The reply did not include Carl's unit.
George received the telegram in early July advising of Carl's death, but no death date, cause of death or burial location. This may have been an unfortunate coincidence due to the lack of timely communications at that time.
Not hearing from the government and undoubtedly frustrated, on December 13, 1919, George wrote a letter to the Army's Grave Registration Division, which referred to the telegram and that he tried to find out the date and cause of death of Carl, but had not been successful. He again asked for more information. Possibly a reason why George did not receive replies to his inquires is that his correspondence refers to Co. A, 49th Inf., the division/regiment that Carl was in before he was transferred to the Fifth Division
On December 19th, the Graves Registration Unit, reported on Carl's original burial location, but not his regiment. Three days later, another report questioned the 49th Inf. but had confirmed his burial date and cause of death (Killed by hostile fire) On January 16, 1920, his death date, the correct Regiment and two burial locations; Murvaux and Argonne were reported.
Ten days later, George was sent a letter reporting on Carl's cause of death and identifying his burial location in the Argonne Cemetery. The letter stated that the grave had been suitably marked pending a permanent monument to be authorized by the National Fine Arts Commission. The Argonne Cemetery is the largest WWI cemetery in Europe, with 14,261 burials.
On March 1, there was a communication between the Adjutant General and Quartermaster's Offices establishing Carl's official date of death as 11/6/1918 and that he had been killed in action.
On May 3, 1921, George requested that Carl's body be returned to the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D. C. and requested that he be notified when Carl's remains would be buried and how his grave would be marked. Three weeks later, he changed his mind and requested that the body be returned to Arkport which was approved on May 28th.
In late May, George went to the Steuben County Surrogate's Court and was given permission to carry out Letters of Administration for Carl. Carl did not have a will. He had only a few personal assets and a government life insurance policy worth $7500 with George as the beneficiary. Carl's interest in the farms in Wheeler, reverted back to George, who held the land contract on 100 acres. The monthly life insurance payments did not start until 1924.
In the meantime, orders had been issued to disinter Carl's remains at Argonne. On July 18th, he was placed in a casket. The report on the disinterment indicated that his body was badly decomposed and that his features were unrecognizable. No wounds or missing parts could be found. His hair on his body and head was gone. From the remains, even his height could not be estimated. Apparently his skull was at least partially intact, as gold and silver fillings were found along with teeth that had lost their fillings. He had been previously buried in a wooden box, in his uniform and wrapped in burlap. From this description and the condition of his dog tag it can be assumed that Carl was probably killed by an artillery shell explosion.
On August 4, 1921, George was sent a letter advising that Carl's remains would be shipped to the U. S, and then on to Arkport. The letter also identified his correct regiment. On August 20, George was sent another letter informing his of the anticipated arrival date of the casket. On the 23rd, Carl's remains were transported to Antwerp, Belgium from the Argonne Cemetery. There his casket was placed aboard the USAT Wheaton, a merchant marine ship, which sailed to Hoboken, N. J arriving on August 28.
Carl was assigned a military escort, a Pvt. Span to accompany him on his last journey via the Erie Railroad from Jersey City to Arkport. Pvt. Span was authorized four meal vouchers and $5.00 for other expenses. Carl finally arrived home on September 3, 1921. George sent a telegram back to the Army that the body had arrived. There were no funeral announcements in the local papers. He was buried at the family plot in the Arkport Cemetery. His tombstone reads "In Memory, 1889-1918."
Approximately 80 men from Steuben County died in WWI. Carl was the last soldier, from Steuben to die in battle in the ‘War To End All Wars.'
This report could not have been prepared without the graciousness of Terry Krautwurst who copied Carl's burial records at the National Archives Personnel Records Center St. Louis and forwarded them to me. Other sources were also used for the report.
Compiled by Gary S. Fritz, grand nephew of Carl W. Fritz
11/2012
Miscellaneous
George moved from the family homestead in Dansville, New York to Wheeler in 1883 and ending up purchasing 350 acres of land which he planted with potatoes and other grains. He became a very successful farmer and businessman in the community and owned the first car in the community.
George inherited portions of his father's farms in Dansville and it was likely that he had plans to live out his years there. George was married twice. His first wife, Mary Jones, whose grandfather built and sailed river arks in what today is known as Arkport, passed away at age 37 in 1900. She and George had two sons; Spencer and Carl. George remarried in 1902 to Eliza Brewer, a widower. She died in 1925.
When Spencer and Carl reached twenty one years of age, George offered each of them 100 acres of the Wheeler farms. Both agreed and George held a land contract on the farms. The boys worked the remainder of the farms on shares. In addition to farming, Spencer sought employment at the Curtis Motorcycle Company in Hammondsport, New York, where he worked on motor cycle engines and the Curtiss aircraft design. He also obtained a patent for a potato digger, which he promptly sold for $100 to McCormick Harvester.
He passed away at age 31. His wife had no interest in maintaining the farm and George took it back agreeing to make monthly payments to her. Kate and her son, Harold, my father, moved back to her family homestead and she later remarried.
It is reported that Carl got engaged to an Alice Stickney, a school teacher in Wheeler before he enlisted. She married a newspaper reporter in 1920 and divorced five years later. She then married Harold Schoeffler.
George and his wife had moved from Wheeler back to Dansville in 1922, occupying the family homestead there. He rented out the farms in Wheeler and worked the 400 acres he had in Dansville. His second wife died in 1925. His brother, Clark, also owned about 100 acres of farm land adjacent to Georges.
Then came the final tragedy. On 2/20/1926, Clark passed away from a heart attack. Three days later, George died at age 70.
George was Clark's only beneficiary and thus inherited his farm. George's will provided that his estate was to be bequeathed to Harold, who was sixteen years of age at the time of George's death. Harold was assigned a legal guardian to administer the inheritance until Harold reached twenty one years of age. Harold not only ended up with George's property but also his uncle Clarks.
George's will contained a strange condition. Harold had to marry and have a child before he reached thirty three years of age, or the estate would revert to a Masonic Hospital. He met these conditions.
George's estate included property, stocks, bonds, promissory notes, deeds and cash worth more than $75,000, a substantial sum for that time. The guardian was able to convince the army to make a lump sum payment from Carl's life insurance policy. Unfortunately for Harold, the depression was just beginning and he was not able to sell all the farms until 1945.
George, his two wives, Carl and Harold are buried in the family plot in Arkport. Spencer is buried in Wheeler.
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