Major George L. Lyerly of Hickory Bringing Home 200 Officers, 2,347 Men Who Landed In Charleston, S.C., April 19, 1919

From the Hickory Daily Record, April 19, 1919

Major Lyerly in Command

A special to the Observer from Charleston says:

North Carolina was again well represented in the debarkation here today of units of the 30^th Division brought from France on the transport Zeelandia. Major George L. Lyerly of Hickory was the ranking officer abroad. He had under his command aboard ship 200 officers and 2,347 men.

Maj. Lyerly is a young and modest officer. He spoke highly of heroic deeds of officers and men in his command, the 105^th engineers, but would say nothing concerning his own exploits. He stated that he had five men who won the D.S.C., 15 the British military cross and 20 officers cited for bravery. He mentioned the battles of Montrehain, Laseel river and others in which the 105^th engineers had especially distinguished themselves.

The debarking of the troops from the Zeelandia was pulled off in the record breaking time of 34 minutes. Five trains took them to Camp Jackson. There were 800 men from North Carolina, 300 from South Carolina, quite a number from Tennessee and a number of Georgians in two casual companies. The Zeelandia brought 500 negro soldiers, the first colored troops to land here in considerable numbers. This is the eighth troop ship for Charleston.

Among those who returned today with special honors was Lt. D.V. Sill of Cohoes, N.Y., Company F, 105^th engineers, who bears the D.S.C. and the British military cross for laying the jumping off tape preceding the attack of October 8 and carrying under heavy fire to a place of safety his wounder orderly, Corporal Bryan Wooten of Charlotte. Lieutenant Sill is a son of a minister of Cohoes. He is extremely modest and when asked by the representative of the Charlotte Observer for the story of his deed reluctantly consented to show the citation, which reads in part as follows:

“Lieutenant Sill performed a difficult task in laying the tape for the jumping off line on the night preceding the attack of October 8. Despite the fact one battalion had changed its line on the 7^th and that he had to face a continuous fire of artillery and trench mortars and machine guns, he performed a mission which would have been extremely difficult under normal conditions. While returning to headquarters Lieutenant Sill carried his wounded orderly through a heavy barrage of machine guns and artillery fire.”

There were other men aboard the Zeelandia who figured in remarkable episodes. One of these was Wilbur Lawrence, Magnes, Ark., of the medical corps, who carried a New Testament which saved his life. Lawrence was with a machine gun battalion giving first aid when a bullet drilled his overcoat and was stopped by the Testament in his breast pocket. It was with real pride that he exhibited this with the bullet hole half through it.

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Engineers Reach Home From Service Abroad. . . Hickory Boys Well and Happy and Glad to Get Back. . . To Parade in Winston-Salem. . . Major Lyerly in Command of Boys, Many of Whom Won Honors in France

Arriving at Charleston yesterday, the Hickory contingent of the 105^th engineers put foot on American soil and expressed their joy at being near home again. A message from Mrs. Geo. L. Lyerly states that the Hickory party had two hours with the boys, even trolling on the battery, and that all of the engineers were well, hale and hearty and dead anxious to reach home. The engineers are now at Camp Jackson, Columbia.

Major Lyerly who was in command of the soldiers, accepted an invitation to parade in Winston-Salem next Tuesday on condition the war department approves. This approval has already been vouchsafed and the twin city is making preparations for the event. Mayor M.H. Yount this morning received a telegram from Major R.W. Correll inviting him and all Hickory citizens to attend the celebration there April 23 in honor of the 105^th engineers.

Invitations have been sent to the mayors of Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte, Hickory, Mount Airy and other places asking their presence, and also to Senators Overman and Simmons, Governor Bickett, Col. Don E. Scott, Gen. S.L. Faison, Adjutant General B.S. Royster, Col. Albert L. Cox, Col. J.B. Metts, Col. S.N. Minor, Lieutenant Governor Gardner and others. The regiment will be in command of Col. Joseph Hyde Pratt of Chapel Hill.