Forever a Private?

With the move completed, I can finally get back to research.  I'll forever have a soft spot for Marines of World War I, so when a Marine from today gave me the name of Charles Wolfhagel to me, I had to look into his service.  

Unlike today, many enlisted ranks were based on their billet and location.  Recruiting duty was one such type billet, where you could be a gunnery sergeant in city A, but if you wanted to transfer to city B and it only had Private billets, you could be reduced to private to transfer to the city.  Fred Stockham did this to stay in St Louis before World War I, and as we will see, so too did Wolfhagel.

Charles Wolfhagel, born in Paterson, New Jersey, on 15 June 1881.  He was still a teenager when his mother died, and his father died seven years later.  For a while he worked for his brother-in-law.  On 13 March 1905, Wolfhagel enlisted in the Marine Corps at Marine Barracks Brooklyn.  After a few months, he was transferred to Marine Barracks Narraganset Bay, Rhode Island, where he took up duty as the naval district commandant's orderly.

In June 1907, he transferred to the USS Virginia (BB-13) and spent the next two years on ships as part of the Marine detachments for the Virginia, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.  By March 1909, he was stationed at Marine Barracks Portsmouth (NH), where he ended his first enlistment as a Private.

Two years passed before Wolfhagel reenlisted.  On 9 March 1911, he reenlisted at Syracuse, New York, and was assigned duty as a recruiter in the city, then in Buffalo, and later Erie, Pennsylvania.  In October 1911, while in Buffalo, he was promoted to Corporal (recruiting warrant), and the following February he was promoted to Sergeant (RW).  As his promotion warrant was temporary, he was reduced to Private in March 1912, but the next month he was again a Corporal (RW).  In April 1912, he earned back his Sergeants stripes (RW), but August 1913 arrived and he was reduced to Private again, in order to transfer back to recruiting duty in Syracuse.

Wolfhagel transferred to Marine Barracks Washington Navy Yard in October 1913 and in the following April he joined the 46th Company which boarded the USS New York (BB-34), and all participated in the operations at Vera Cruz.  The company returned to the US and Wolfhagel joined the USS Washington (ACR-11) as part of its Marine detachment.  This too was short-lived, as he transferred to Marine Barracks Portsmouth (NH) once again, and discharged on 16 March 1915, as a Private.

At some point, Wolfhagel returned to Buffalo, where he reenlisted on 9 June 1915, and transferred to the 20th Company en route to Haiti.  While his service to this point had been classified as "excellent" and there were no reductions in rank due to poor performance, Wolfhagel was not immune to the whims of many Marines.  On 27 November 1915, while in Haiti, he went over leave.  What he didn't know until he returned on 1 December was that his promotion to Corporal had come through.  He was court-martialed and found guilty, but allowed to retain his rank on probation.

Extract of muster roll

  

 

Wolfhagel remained in Haiti, with periods of temporary duty in Cuba, until the United States entered the First World War.  On 25 January 1918, he received promotion to Sergeant (temporary warrant), and it became permanent in May.  In May, the 20th Company returned to the US and joined the 5th Regiment at Quantico, until it boarded the USS Henderson bound for France in June 1917.

On 1 August 1917, he was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant (TW), which he retained through the remainder of his service.  As part of the 5th Regiment, Wolfhagel participated in the Battle of Belleau Wood, where he was wounded and cited for bravery with the Silver Star citation (today's Silver Star Medal).  In July, the regiment once again was in battle, this time at Soissons.

As things quieted a bit in August, the Haitian Campaign Medal was delivered to Wolfhagel and others of the regiment who had served in Hispanola.  At the same time, he received the citation for bravery at Belleau Wood.

Blanc Mont isn't as well known a battle for Marines as Belleau Wood; however, the numbers of casualties exceeds the June battle.  The ferocity of the battle is often overlooked, but thankfully well covered by Pete Owen and John Swift in "A Hideous Price."    Wolfhagel suffered wounds during this battle, and lingered in the hospital until 14 November 1918 when he succumbed to them.

Today, Gunnery Sergeant Charles Wolfhagel rests peacefully at St. Mihiel American Cemetery.   I found Gunny Wolfhagel intriguing mostly because we had been in many of the same locations in our respective lifetimes.  As a native of Upstate NY (and one-time resident of Syracuse), and a historian serving at Quantico, we'd covered some of the same ground.  I even had the chance to walk the battlefields of Belleau Wood, and Blanc Mont.  One cannot walk the hallowed ground in France and not feel as if the ghosts of the past are walking with you; I know I certainly had the hairs go up on the back of my neck when in the wood and when overlooking Somme-py.

Thanks to TG Heck for bringing Wolfhagel to my attention with this fantastic photo from a memorial honoring World War I veterans in Ridgewood, New Jersey. 

Photo courtesy of TG Heck

Gunnery Sergeant Wolfhagel, thank you for your service.  You are remembered.