A Soldier's Story: Corporal James Bethel Grisham

 


Corporal James Bethel Gresham was born on August 23, 1893, in McLean County, Kentucky. When he was about seven, he relocated with his family to Evansville, Indiana. Corporal James Bethel Gresham attended the Centennial School through grammar school and then worked at a local furniture manufacturer.

He enlisted in the US Army on April 23, 1914, was assigned to the 16th Infantry Division, and posted at Fort Bliss, Texas, to guard the US border before and during the crisis of the Mexican Expedition. Next, in June 1917, Corporal James Bethel Gresham deployed to Artois, France, with the first wave of US Troops deploying in response to World War I.

On the morning of November 3. 1917, while guarding the post, Corporal James Bethel Gresham was fatally wounded during an enemy raid on the camp. He, Private Merle Hay, and Private Thomas Enright were the first US soldiers killed during WWI.

Initially buried in Artois near the battlefield, Corporal James Bethel Gresham was repatriated in 1921 and now rests at the Locust Hill Cemetery in Evansville, Indiana.


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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to the travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

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Location: Evansville, IN, USA

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