Leslie Reuben MacPherson was born at Guysborough Intervale, Guysborough County, on December 12, 1895, the fourth of Maria (Knocton) and James R. MacPherson’s five children. Sometime after 1911, Leslie left the family home for Massachusetts, where his eldest sibling, Mary Jane “Minnie,” had married and established residence.
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| George (left, age 5 or 6), James R. & Leslie Reuben MacPherson (age 10 or 11) |
Shortly after the United States’ entrance into the First World War on April 6, 1917, the American Congress approved the implementation of a military draft. On June 5, 1917, Leslie completed the required draft registration form at Brookline, MA. At the time, he was employed as a “helper on [an] ice wagon” for the Boston Ice Company, Chestnut Hill, and living at 17 Sheafe St., Chestnut Hill, Brookline.
Leslie was called into service with the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) soon after his registration and assigned to the 60th Infantry Regiment. Established in June 1917, the 60th initially trained at Camp Green, North Carolina, and later organized its ranks at Gettysburg, PA. The regiment consisted of three separate battalions—Leslie was part of its 2nd Battalion’s ranks—and was assigned to AEF’s 5th Division, where it served in its 9th Infantry Brigade alongside the 61st Regiment.
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| Pte. Leslie Reuben MacPherson |
The 5th Division crossed the Atlantic to France in April 1918 and established its training camp near Bar-sur-Aube, a commune east of Troye, France, in early May. Before month’s end, the Division was attached to the French 7th Army’s 33rd Corps, which occupied the extreme southern portion of the front line in the Upper Alsace and Vosges Mountains. For six weeks, the Americans received instruction from experienced French Officers and soldiers, trained with live ammunition, and completed introductory trench tours in the Anould Sector.
While the mountainous terrain resulted in little active fighting, German forces soon realized that inexperienced American troops occupied the positions opposite their lines and subjected them to several small-scale gas and infantry attacks. The novice soldiers stood their ground in every instance, demonstrating their readiness for regular front-line duty.
In mid-July, the 5th Division was assigned to the Saint-Dié Sector, approximately 16 kilometres north of Anould, France, and commenced a regular rotation along a 25-kilometer section of the front line. As with its previous location, the area was “quiet,” but its terrain was considerably less mountainous. On August 17, soldiers from the 10th Brigade’s 6th Infantry Regiment successfully completed the 5th Division’s first combat assignment, capturing the town of Frapelle and an adjacent area of high ground.
Five days later, the 5th Division received notice of its selection for the first “all-American” operation of the war—an attack on the Saint-Mihiel Salient. Located between Verdun and Pont-à-Mousson, the area had been occupied by German forces during the war’s opening days and posed a persistent threat to communication and supply lines between Verdun and Nancy. By late August, all 5th Division units had made their way to Lunéville, south of Nancy, where personnel commenced preparations for their first major combat assignment.
Early the following month, the 5th Division’s personnel began a lengthy march into their assigned sector, located along the salient’s southern boundary. Seven American Divisions in the southern sectors and three Divisions—two American and one French—along its northwestern corner were to launch “pincer-like drives” into the salient, cutting off German soldiers in its more mountainous tip and securing possession of the area.
The 5th Division was located close to the salient’s southeastern corner, where its soldiers occupied approximately two kilometres of the line. Their objective was to push northward for approximately eight kilometres to a section of the Hindenburg line east of Thiaucourt. The 5th’s 9th Infantry Brigade, consisting of the 6th and 11th Regiments, would initiate the attack, while the 10th Brigade’s 60th and 61st Regiments stood by in reserve. Once the 9th Brigade’s soldiers had reached their first-day objectives, the 10th Brigade’s soldiers would enter the line and complete the final push to the Hindenburg Line.
In the early morning hours of September 12, supporting artillery units launched a preliminary barrage of the German line. At 5:00 a.m., the 10th Brigade’s soldiers advanced toward their first objective. As the fighting progressed, personnel succeeded in securing all objectives by early afternoon. Meanwhile, American units from the northwest pushed southward, making contact with their southern comrades before midnight. As a result, German forces in the salient’s tip were unable to retreat and surrendered during the ensuing hours.
Over the next 48 hours, the victorious American units established a consolidated defensive line and set the stage for the final push to the Hindenburg Line. On the night of September 1516, the 9th Brigade’s 60th and 61st Regiments entered the trenches and prepared for combat. As he entered the line for his first major combat experience, Leslie was attached to the 60th Regiment’s Headquarters Company, where he held the rank of Corporal. His 2nd Battalion comrades assumed positions on the 5th Division’s left flank, along the southern edge of Bois de Bonvaux.
Throughout their first full day in the line, the 2nd Battalion’s soldiers endured continuous harassing artillery fire. A particularly intense bombardment targeted the entire 60th Regiment sector at 4:00 p.m. September 16 and lasted for half an hour. Despite the difficult circumstances, personnel maintained their positions and participated with their 61st Regiment colleagues in a successful early evening attack on the German line.
The 5th Division’s soldiers remained in the trenches for another 24 hours before being relieved on the night of September 16/17. During its Saint-Mihiel combat tour, the Division suffered a total of 1,612 casualties—13 Officers and 305 “other ranks” (OR) killed in action, 44 Officers and 1,123 OR wounded, 11 Officers and 116 OR “gassed.”
Corporal Leslie Reuben MacPherson was one of the 9th Brigade’s September 16,1918 fatalities. While no details are available on the circumstances of his death, accounts of the day’s events suggest that he was killed either during the afternoon artillery bombardment or the early evening attack on the German line. Leslie was laid to rest in Meuse - Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France.
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| Pte. Leslie MacPherson's headstone, Meuse - Argonne Cemetery |
A detailed description of Leslie Reuben Mac Pherson’s family background and military service will be available in an updated digital version of Bantry Publishing’s First World War Honour Roll of Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Volume II, scheduled for release in autumn 2018.
Family photograph and military portrait courtesy of Lauren Bouchard, New Hampshire.
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