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First Over There: The Attack on Cantigny, America's First Battle of World War I
The riveting true story of America's first modern military battle, its first military victory during World War One, and its first steps onto the world stage
At first light on Tuesday, May 28th, 1918, waves of American riflemen from the U.S. Army's 1st Division climbed from their trenches, charged across the shell-scarred French dirt of no-man's-land, and captured the hilltop village of Cantigny from the grip of the German Army. Those who survived the enemy machine-gun fire and hand-to-hand fighting held on for the next two days and nights in shallow foxholes under the sting of mustard gas and crushing steel of artillery fire.
Thirteen months after the United States entered World War I, these 3,500 soldiers became the first "doughboys" to enter the fight. The operation, the first American attack ever supported by tanks, airplanes, and modern artillery, was ordered by the leader of America's forces in Europe, General John "Black Jack" Pershing, and planned by a young staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel George C. Marshall, who would fill the lead role in World War II twenty-six years later.
Drawing on the letters, diaries, and reports by the men themselves, Matthew J. Davenport's First Over There tells the inspiring, untold story of these soldiers and their journey to victory on the Western Front in the Battle of Cantigny. The first American battle of the "war to end all wars" would mark not only its first victory abroad, but the birth of its modern Army.
At first light on Tuesday, May 28th, 1918, waves of American riflemen from the U.S. Army's 1st Division climbed from their trenches, charged across the shell-scarred French dirt of no-man's-land, and captured the hilltop village of Cantigny from the grip of the German Army. Those who survived the enemy machine-gun fire and hand-to-hand fighting held on for the next two days and nights in shallow foxholes under the sting of mustard gas and crushing steel of artillery fire.
Thirteen months after the United States entered World War I, these 3,500 soldiers became the first "doughboys" to enter the fight. The operation, the first American attack ever supported by tanks, airplanes, and modern artillery, was ordered by the leader of America's forces in Europe, General John "Black Jack" Pershing, and planned by a young staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel George C. Marshall, who would fill the lead role in World War II twenty-six years later.
Drawing on the letters, diaries, and reports by the men themselves, Matthew J. Davenport's First Over There tells the inspiring, untold story of these soldiers and their journey to victory on the Western Front in the Battle of Cantigny. The first American battle of the "war to end all wars" would mark not only its first victory abroad, but the birth of its modern Army.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2015
57 people are currently reading
691 people want to read
About the author
Matthew J. Davenport
3 books50 followersMatthew Davenport's first book, First Over There, a finalist for the 2015 Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History, was acclaimed as “a brilliant work for every library” by Library Journal and was heralded by Pulitzer-Prize winning historian James McPherson as "military history at its best." His forthcoming book, The Longest Minute, the gripping, true story of the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, is scheduled for release from St. Martin's Press in Fall 2023.
Matthew Davenport has been a contributing writer for the Wall Street Journal Book Review and salon.com and is a member of the Authors Guild. A native of Missouri and a former prosecutor, he practices law in North Carolina where he lives with his wife and two sons.
Matthew Davenport has been a contributing writer for the Wall Street Journal Book Review and salon.com and is a member of the Authors Guild. A native of Missouri and a former prosecutor, he practices law in North Carolina where he lives with his wife and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 23, 2017
With this book, Mr. Davenport has written an excellent look at the US Army’s introduction to combat it the First World War. The author looks at how the US 1st Division came to be, was trained, the personalities making up the Division and finally how it conducted the Army’s first offensive operations in the Great War.
Starting with the US’ declaration of war and total unpreparedness the US was for that war, Mr. Davenport takes the reader through the raising and political necessity of getting US troops to France. The author makes a point of these were not elite regiments. Gen Pershing, whose command was the Southwestern United States, was told to pick 4 infantry regiments and 1 artillery regiment in his command and send them to France. These units were severely understrength and had to be brought up to wartime strength with half trained and in some cases untrained volunteers. The rush to get the Division to France was so hurried that it arrived in France even before the first draft numbers had even been selected.
When the Division arrives in France, the author traces its training and growth in the military arts. He discusses the philosophical differences Gen Pershing had with his allies, mainly in tactics and about feeding Americans into French and British units as replacements. Pershing didn’t want to train his men in trench warfare, believing that it sapped the men's aggressive spirit. The author relates that from Gen Bullard, the Division Commander, on down the division's leaders welcomed the French and British input on how to fight in the trenches. Mr. Davenport tells how Gen Bullard finessed this training dichotomy with Gen Pershing. In addition to the training issues, the author looks at the people who made the plans and carried them out. The author gives an excellent account of the future head of the army in World War II, George C. Marshall, contributions to the battle. As the operations officer of the division, he planned, set the training for the division and when the time came conducted the battle. He showed his adaptability when the French heavy artillery pulled out after the first days battle. The author also provides an amusing anecdote about his time on the front lines during a gas attack.
Another member of the division who rose to prominence in later years was Sam Ervin, the Senator who ran the Watergate hearings. A Lt in one of the infantry regiments, he was accused of sleeping on duty. The Regimental Commander threw him out of the regiment and would not allow him back as a commissioned officer, even after Ervin was exhonorated. Ervin’s devotion to both the regiment and his comrades was such that he resigned his commission and rejoined the regiment as a private.
One thing that struck me about the men of the division is the level of education the jr officers had. There were several with PHDs and more with degrees from Ivy League colleges. Also the age of the enlisted soldiers was more than I expected. While there were some 18-21 yr old kids. There were several that are mentioned were past 30 with some approaching 40!
When it comes to the battle itself, Mr Davenport does a superb job of describing the events and the carnage that occurred. As battles in the Great War go, this was a rather minor affair. A small bite and hold operation set against the great German Spring offensive. This offensive underscored how the Americans lack of preparations for war was still affecting them more than a year after formally joining the Allies. They still lacked heavy artillery of their own, as well as armor and engineering support. All of these had to be provided by the French and their needs caused them to pull out early, leaving the Division without effective counter battery fire and armor. The author does a very good job point out just what effect that had on the men trying to hold their gains. It wasn’t pretty.
Also in describing the battle, I think Mr. Davenport describes the deaths and what happened to the bodies of the dead of almost every death during those three long days in May. While not extremely graphic, it does bring to reader to the realization that war is extremely costly even in what is accepted as a just cause.
All in all this is an excellent look at the moment the US Army came of age in the Great War. It has excellent maps, many of them reproductions of the actual maps used by the troops in the battle. I would give this 4.25 stars if GR allowed. I rounded down.
Starting with the US’ declaration of war and total unpreparedness the US was for that war, Mr. Davenport takes the reader through the raising and political necessity of getting US troops to France. The author makes a point of these were not elite regiments. Gen Pershing, whose command was the Southwestern United States, was told to pick 4 infantry regiments and 1 artillery regiment in his command and send them to France. These units were severely understrength and had to be brought up to wartime strength with half trained and in some cases untrained volunteers. The rush to get the Division to France was so hurried that it arrived in France even before the first draft numbers had even been selected.
When the Division arrives in France, the author traces its training and growth in the military arts. He discusses the philosophical differences Gen Pershing had with his allies, mainly in tactics and about feeding Americans into French and British units as replacements. Pershing didn’t want to train his men in trench warfare, believing that it sapped the men's aggressive spirit. The author relates that from Gen Bullard, the Division Commander, on down the division's leaders welcomed the French and British input on how to fight in the trenches. Mr. Davenport tells how Gen Bullard finessed this training dichotomy with Gen Pershing. In addition to the training issues, the author looks at the people who made the plans and carried them out. The author gives an excellent account of the future head of the army in World War II, George C. Marshall, contributions to the battle. As the operations officer of the division, he planned, set the training for the division and when the time came conducted the battle. He showed his adaptability when the French heavy artillery pulled out after the first days battle. The author also provides an amusing anecdote about his time on the front lines during a gas attack.
Another member of the division who rose to prominence in later years was Sam Ervin, the Senator who ran the Watergate hearings. A Lt in one of the infantry regiments, he was accused of sleeping on duty. The Regimental Commander threw him out of the regiment and would not allow him back as a commissioned officer, even after Ervin was exhonorated. Ervin’s devotion to both the regiment and his comrades was such that he resigned his commission and rejoined the regiment as a private.
One thing that struck me about the men of the division is the level of education the jr officers had. There were several with PHDs and more with degrees from Ivy League colleges. Also the age of the enlisted soldiers was more than I expected. While there were some 18-21 yr old kids. There were several that are mentioned were past 30 with some approaching 40!
When it comes to the battle itself, Mr Davenport does a superb job of describing the events and the carnage that occurred. As battles in the Great War go, this was a rather minor affair. A small bite and hold operation set against the great German Spring offensive. This offensive underscored how the Americans lack of preparations for war was still affecting them more than a year after formally joining the Allies. They still lacked heavy artillery of their own, as well as armor and engineering support. All of these had to be provided by the French and their needs caused them to pull out early, leaving the Division without effective counter battery fire and armor. The author does a very good job point out just what effect that had on the men trying to hold their gains. It wasn’t pretty.
Also in describing the battle, I think Mr. Davenport describes the deaths and what happened to the bodies of the dead of almost every death during those three long days in May. While not extremely graphic, it does bring to reader to the realization that war is extremely costly even in what is accepted as a just cause.
All in all this is an excellent look at the moment the US Army came of age in the Great War. It has excellent maps, many of them reproductions of the actual maps used by the troops in the battle. I would give this 4.25 stars if GR allowed. I rounded down.
August 2, 2018
Cantigny monographs are as scarce as a bullet-free doughboy in a wheat field, with good reason.
3.500 Americans of the Big Red One storm a salient-ish* village after a by-the-book bombardment
with large-caliber French assistance, in spite of Pershing's boasts about a return to open warfare ; the Germans had effectively beaten him to that with the spring offensives. They hold it the next day. 300 die, like proverbial Spartans.
There's not enough to tell in a little under 300 pages, unless you pad it with a routine AEF origin story full of biographical sketches on the senior officers (pp. 33-87) and take your time to go over the top.
The opening, with the 50-something men of a platoon of E company in a German box barrage, is a moment of brilliance. Survivor's recollections of their comrades' precise faiths in combination with inscriptions on the American Somme Monument to the Missing put you straight on the bottom of that trench in that "so much for the glory of war" fetal position.
The decimation by unseen enemies through the lingering smoke curtain of the French creep as the companies of the 1st Division advance, rifles held high above the wheat as if fording a river, is a memorable picture also. The Germans here were a relief unit that had barely had time to settle and was as tired as the Americans who'd spent hours on their feet, packed like sardines with giant backpacks in communication trenches.
The mix of battle history & oral history suits the small-scale nature of the engagement and Davenport obviously wrote his first book as a labour of love, having known some grizzled veterans with "Cantigny" on their caps, with special attention to the fallen that have streets or squares named after them in their hometowns.
"These volunteers left positions of responsibility and profit, dropped their personal affairs and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the new business of war....the German assaults were blunted by a combination of artillery firepower & dodged determination"
Yet It's all written rather flowery, too rich in adjectives... it makes the eye wander.
*In effect, the town was strategically worthless and impossible to hold by itself without possession of the overlooking ridge. See the Cantigny chapter in:
Thunder and Flames: Americans in the Crucible of Combat, 1917-1918 by Edward G. Lengel
3.500 Americans of the Big Red One storm a salient-ish* village after a by-the-book bombardment
with large-caliber French assistance, in spite of Pershing's boasts about a return to open warfare ; the Germans had effectively beaten him to that with the spring offensives. They hold it the next day. 300 die, like proverbial Spartans.
There's not enough to tell in a little under 300 pages, unless you pad it with a routine AEF origin story full of biographical sketches on the senior officers (pp. 33-87) and take your time to go over the top.
The opening, with the 50-something men of a platoon of E company in a German box barrage, is a moment of brilliance. Survivor's recollections of their comrades' precise faiths in combination with inscriptions on the American Somme Monument to the Missing put you straight on the bottom of that trench in that "so much for the glory of war" fetal position.
The decimation by unseen enemies through the lingering smoke curtain of the French creep as the companies of the 1st Division advance, rifles held high above the wheat as if fording a river, is a memorable picture also. The Germans here were a relief unit that had barely had time to settle and was as tired as the Americans who'd spent hours on their feet, packed like sardines with giant backpacks in communication trenches.
The mix of battle history & oral history suits the small-scale nature of the engagement and Davenport obviously wrote his first book as a labour of love, having known some grizzled veterans with "Cantigny" on their caps, with special attention to the fallen that have streets or squares named after them in their hometowns.
"These volunteers left positions of responsibility and profit, dropped their personal affairs and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the new business of war....the German assaults were blunted by a combination of artillery firepower & dodged determination"
Yet It's all written rather flowery, too rich in adjectives... it makes the eye wander.
*In effect, the town was strategically worthless and impossible to hold by itself without possession of the overlooking ridge. See the Cantigny chapter in:
Thunder and Flames: Americans in the Crucible of Combat, 1917-1918 by Edward G. Lengel
August 14, 2021
An interesting examination of how to squeeze a mountain out of a molehill. The actual operation, although America's first "battle" in the First World War, is realistically little more than a skirmish when compared to other engagements even occurring at other points on the Western Front even at the same time.
The actual combat only fills the latter half of the book, with the first half being taken up with an uncritical and superficial overview of the growth of the American Expeditionary Force and their deployment to France. The contextual framework of Spring 1918 was glossed over entirely, and the command differences which Edward Lengel discussed at length in To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918 are largely non- existent here.
When eventually the Doughboys go over the top the inevitable (bit picturesque, with the waves of infantry advancing through cornfields) scenes occur, as the consequences of ignoring since three years of tactical innovation are revealed. From this point on the reader is bombarded with detail upon detail of (it seems) every American casualty, all of whom seem to be "pierced by bullets" "flayed by shrapnel" or simply disappear in explosions. It's repetitive, it smacked more of regurgitating casualty lists and, too be honest, it had me skim reading chunks of the narrative to get to the next relevant development.
Unfortunately I can't really recommend this one, it was more suited to an Osprey monograph and the lack of critical analysis (it takes a bit of foreknowledge to twig that the German defenders are a replacement unit who haven't worked out where the coffee machine is yet, let alone where the weak spots in their defences are, and the fact that the "battle" is actually a minor line straightening operation is missed entirely) dooms the book.
The actual combat only fills the latter half of the book, with the first half being taken up with an uncritical and superficial overview of the growth of the American Expeditionary Force and their deployment to France. The contextual framework of Spring 1918 was glossed over entirely, and the command differences which Edward Lengel discussed at length in To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918 are largely non- existent here.
When eventually the Doughboys go over the top the inevitable (bit picturesque, with the waves of infantry advancing through cornfields) scenes occur, as the consequences of ignoring since three years of tactical innovation are revealed. From this point on the reader is bombarded with detail upon detail of (it seems) every American casualty, all of whom seem to be "pierced by bullets" "flayed by shrapnel" or simply disappear in explosions. It's repetitive, it smacked more of regurgitating casualty lists and, too be honest, it had me skim reading chunks of the narrative to get to the next relevant development.
Unfortunately I can't really recommend this one, it was more suited to an Osprey monograph and the lack of critical analysis (it takes a bit of foreknowledge to twig that the German defenders are a replacement unit who haven't worked out where the coffee machine is yet, let alone where the weak spots in their defences are, and the fact that the "battle" is actually a minor line straightening operation is missed entirely) dooms the book.
March 3, 2022
This is a fast-paced, very readable account of the AEF's first offensive in the Great War. This is a ~300-page narrative of how the US Army's 1st Division - The Big Red One - attacked and held onto the small French village of Cantigny, France, May 28th, 1918. The battle demonstrated that the American's could fight well as an independent army and did not have to be mixed in with European units or led by European generals. The day of this victorious battle was celebrated as a holiday of sorts for several years after because it proved the AEF was a force to be reckoned with.
The opening chapter was brilliant. The author places the reader alongside the Doughboys manning the trenches, as they withstand a seemingly endless barrage of German artillery. Death after death is chronicled and I began to wonder how anyone survived the war. Too many times the description was "there was nothing left to bury" or just "vanished." As others have commented, it begins to read like an obituary but I'm glad that the men who gave so much for 300 yards of turf are remembered. Also, it is a stark reminder of how horrific that war was.
The story settles-in as the author gives some light background about the AEF and Pershing's naive notion of "open warfare" and his preference for training with the bayonet as opposed to grenades and machine guns. This didn't last long:
The current back and forth jabs could never achieve a decisive victory which "must be won by driving the enemy out into the open and engaging in a war of movement." There was little value in familiarization with the existing method of trench warfare, Pershing believed.
The Cantigny offensive was literally, the original Marshall plan. The reader will go over the top and advance behind the allied artillery barrage, dive into shell craters to dodge enemy small arms, machine gun, and artillery fire; dig a new trench line, throw up wire, and fight off several counter attacks before being relieved. This is a harrowing account that will make the reader want to go AWOL (oh why did I ever give up reading those romance novels?). It seemed like a lot of death and destruction for a few hundred yards of earth but this, in a nutshell, was World War I. This is why the United States lost 116,516 KIA and 320,518 total casualties in less than six months of fighting. World War I was a meat grinder. It was also a training ground for the officer Corps that would revisit Europe in WWII.
One last note: I was rather surprised that the surviving parents or spouses had the option of having their loved one's body reinterred back in the United States. I don't remember this as an option in WWII. I wonder if this was just our policy for Cantigny and was modified after that battle or lasted throughout WWI?
God bless those men.
Thanks to my brother Mike who sent me the book and contributed to this review.
The opening chapter was brilliant. The author places the reader alongside the Doughboys manning the trenches, as they withstand a seemingly endless barrage of German artillery. Death after death is chronicled and I began to wonder how anyone survived the war. Too many times the description was "there was nothing left to bury" or just "vanished." As others have commented, it begins to read like an obituary but I'm glad that the men who gave so much for 300 yards of turf are remembered. Also, it is a stark reminder of how horrific that war was.
The story settles-in as the author gives some light background about the AEF and Pershing's naive notion of "open warfare" and his preference for training with the bayonet as opposed to grenades and machine guns. This didn't last long:
The current back and forth jabs could never achieve a decisive victory which "must be won by driving the enemy out into the open and engaging in a war of movement." There was little value in familiarization with the existing method of trench warfare, Pershing believed.
The Cantigny offensive was literally, the original Marshall plan. The reader will go over the top and advance behind the allied artillery barrage, dive into shell craters to dodge enemy small arms, machine gun, and artillery fire; dig a new trench line, throw up wire, and fight off several counter attacks before being relieved. This is a harrowing account that will make the reader want to go AWOL (oh why did I ever give up reading those romance novels?). It seemed like a lot of death and destruction for a few hundred yards of earth but this, in a nutshell, was World War I. This is why the United States lost 116,516 KIA and 320,518 total casualties in less than six months of fighting. World War I was a meat grinder. It was also a training ground for the officer Corps that would revisit Europe in WWII.
One last note: I was rather surprised that the surviving parents or spouses had the option of having their loved one's body reinterred back in the United States. I don't remember this as an option in WWII. I wonder if this was just our policy for Cantigny and was modified after that battle or lasted throughout WWI?
God bless those men.
Thanks to my brother Mike who sent me the book and contributed to this review.
May 15, 2018
The US declared war on Germany on April 6, 2017, but it wasn't until dawn's early light on May 28, 2018 that the Doughboys began making their presence in France felt - during three days of fierce fighting during the Battle of Cantigny. Matthew Davenport tells the remarkable story of the 4,000 khaki clad American heroes that went "over the top" to fight for and capture Cantigny - a battle that changed French and German perceptions of the Doughboys and led to furthur victories on the Western Front. Davenport's wonderfully written book allows the reader to walk alongside these heroes as they experienced horrors of war that US military men had yet to experience. Though the attack was ultimately victorious, victory came at a price, with German maxim guns, sharp shooters, gas attacks, and shelling resulting in 300 American dead and another 1,300 wounded. I highly recommend this book to any student of World War I.
May 3, 2020
What an intimate history of a group of men long forgotten. As Mr. Davenport says, the U.S. Army's 1st Division is long forgotten because of the sex appeal of WWII, Vietnam, and other conflicts, but it still serves a purpose in being one of the first groups to fight on foreign soil on a world stage. Mr Davenport tells the story with such great detail, and has a lot of first hand sources that back up what he is trying to say. He also does a good job of evoking the five sense when describing the towns, the battlefields, and France when writing which is always key when describing war. Great job, and read the Epilogue too, especially the note from Ruffus Shelton. Eyes will water up a bit.
July 1, 2015
Good information, well researched...but somehow the book never really reached me. While the topic, and information were amazing, the words rarely seemed to hold life for me. (A sad state given the fact that there seem to be a many amazing tales here) The book has its high points to be sure, and is worth reading as part of the history of WWI, military history, or as a stand alone.
June 1, 2015
FIRST OVER THERE is an absolutely captivating account of America's entry into WWI as the AEF fought the first battle "over there" in Cantigny, France. It is difficult to believe this is Matthew Davenport's first book because it is so brilliantly written! It only reads like a compelling novel because Davenport is able to literally take you by the hand and walk you through the gripping days in Cantigny through his magnificent writing. From the beginning of the book, as General Pershing readies his troops for battle with his speech, to the powerful ending in the epilogue where Davenport describes what life was like for the players involved post Cantigny, I was utterly engrossed. It was as if I was there in the trenches too, terrified but eager to fight for a noble cause at the same time. The author was able to have me imagine what their "adventure of war" was actually like. Davenport's book got me so attached to the soldiers involved, along with their families, that I really look forward to and enjoy reading the posts on First Over There's FB page. Hopefully Matthew Davenport will write more books in the future so we all can learn more about history the way it should be taught! This is an exceptional piece of work!
January 3, 2021
This review is not about the book - but the gushing reaction to it.
So after 13 months the USA puts in a Brigade attack, and then in September 1918 attacks at St Mihiel with 550,000 (14 Divisions) and 110,000 French troops, its first major attack of the war, 2 months before the war ends.
And from the Smoke and the Fire, Terraine, 1980.
"in April 1917 the US did not have a single formed division equipped for the field, 10 months later she only had one in the line in France. By comparison the British put 4 high quality divisions in the line straight away; 5 months later they had 11; and after 12 months 28. 19 months later at the very end the US had 18 divisions in the line; at the comparable stage Britain had 40."
Terraine suggests equipment and organisation were of vital importance. At St Mihiel none of the US artillery was of US manufacture. The first US tank only numbered 15 and arrived in October 1918. The US Air Force was largely French equipped.
The American success at Cantigny assured the French that American divisions could be depended upon in the line against the German offensive to take Paris. The victory at Cantigny was followed by attacks at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood in the first half of June.
So after 13 months the USA puts in a Brigade attack, and then in September 1918 attacks at St Mihiel with 550,000 (14 Divisions) and 110,000 French troops, its first major attack of the war, 2 months before the war ends.
And from the Smoke and the Fire, Terraine, 1980.
"in April 1917 the US did not have a single formed division equipped for the field, 10 months later she only had one in the line in France. By comparison the British put 4 high quality divisions in the line straight away; 5 months later they had 11; and after 12 months 28. 19 months later at the very end the US had 18 divisions in the line; at the comparable stage Britain had 40."
Terraine suggests equipment and organisation were of vital importance. At St Mihiel none of the US artillery was of US manufacture. The first US tank only numbered 15 and arrived in October 1918. The US Air Force was largely French equipped.
The American success at Cantigny assured the French that American divisions could be depended upon in the line against the German offensive to take Paris. The victory at Cantigny was followed by attacks at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood in the first half of June.
January 16, 2018
This was a very eye-opening read about a battle that most Americans--including myself--have never heard of, but the echoes of its affects still influence the us today. I was impressed with the sheer level of detail--sometimes minute by minute, with exact names and fates of each casualty--that the author managed to describe. The author doesn't shy away from the graphic results of this war, or the impact on those who fought in it. I loved how he followed up on the lives of many of the survivors--or families of those killed in action--to help understand the aftermath, and how many involved went on to have a huge impact in the Second World War only a couple decades later. I'd rank this as one of the best WWI books I've read, and highly recommend it.
January 6, 2019
A moving, beautifully-written account of the US military’s first action in World War I and the groundbreaking leadership and brave soldiers who made it a success. Davenport tells history in a clear, personal, perspectival way without being patronizing, schmalzy, or biased. An absolute page-turner.
February 4, 2018
Sadly, up to this point I had never really studied or read much on the first world war beyond what was covered in a handful of university classes, and that was amongst other topics of an entire period of time reviewed in a semester long class. What I had read was admittedly rather boring, and covered the war from a distance, observing the strategies and political points. What happens in First Over There is anything but that, and I found it a wonderfully detailed story that was full of first person accounts of America’s first official contribution to the war. It’s vividly written, and paints a macabre picture of the sort of brutal trench warfare that “the Big Red One” faces there. Brutal in a sense of cold, mud, artillery, gas, machine guns, snipers, and grenades. Led by such historically significant men like Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and George Marshall, the doughboys of the First Infantry Division entered the trenches near Cantigny, France as untested recruits from all walks of life, and so many of them never left there by the time the city was taken back from the Germans. The way that Matthew Davenport writes, it tells their story as if you are there, as close as you can be 100 years later at the very least, and he offers personal connections to their lives and families back home. America’s involvement in the First World War is just one small piece of the greater story, and this battle is an even smaller chunk of all of that, but this book makes it feel no less insignificant, and gives the men who fought there a chance for their experience to never be forgotten. Whether you’ve studied that war your entire life, or are as new to it as I am, give this one a read. I doubt you’ll be dissatisfied.
August 16, 2015
Author Matthew Davenport immediately sets the stage by focusing on American General John Pershing, explaining how he would be required to lead an inexperienced and unprepared American Expeditionary Force into the trenches of a stalemated Western front. We are introduced to his talented staff of officers, including George C. Marshall, who make victory possible. Cantigny was America’s first battle of WWI and as such it was seen as a test of our fighting prowess. To exhausted French and British allies it symbolized a fresh infusion of energy and strength in the fight against the Kaiser.
Davenport provides us with a detailed, hour by hour, blow by blow account of the battle. In the course of a descriptive narrative highlighting the horrors of war, he reveals the fates of individual soldiers and traces the impact their loss has on their loved ones at home.
Its broad scope makes this more than simply a chronicle of events; it covers not only the general officers, but the corporals and privates upon whose courage and endurance the battle hinges. Cantigny, to the men who fought there, was where the American soldier proved to himself to be the equal to his fellow allies. It was where the Nation’s army matured and displayed its mettle under fire.
Davenport provides us with a detailed, hour by hour, blow by blow account of the battle. In the course of a descriptive narrative highlighting the horrors of war, he reveals the fates of individual soldiers and traces the impact their loss has on their loved ones at home.
Its broad scope makes this more than simply a chronicle of events; it covers not only the general officers, but the corporals and privates upon whose courage and endurance the battle hinges. Cantigny, to the men who fought there, was where the American soldier proved to himself to be the equal to his fellow allies. It was where the Nation’s army matured and displayed its mettle under fire.
August 12, 2015
An in depth look at America's first major involvement in World War 1 in Cantigny, France. America stands on the sidelines during the first three years of the war finally drawn in by U-Boat attacks and the Zimmerman cable. Davenport does a great job putting you in the trenches, feeling the mortar shells and the lurking ever presence of sudden death. I teach History in college and students and Americans in general know very little about our efforts in the Great War like who "Black" Jack Pershing was and what life in the trenches was like. This book really helps fill out collective Amnesia about World War 1.
September 27, 2017
The battle of Cantigny took place during a time when the world was skeptical of the quality of American troops. The first division was called forward. What happened next is described in relentless minute detail. Davenport takes the reader 'over the top' and into 'no mans land' where his meticulous research shows through. The high ranking generals and their decisions are discussed but the most compelling part of the book is the part focused on the front line soldiers. Cantigny was a small battle in scale but huge in importance for the morale and confidence of the Allies, particularly the Americans.
June 29, 2015
The very best chapter is the epilogue, but you must read the whole way through to appreciate it. This book manages to make the history of a single battle nigh a hundred years ago seem to come alive. All of the excerpts from the soldiers' own words are incredible. My words are not doing this book justice, really, I recommend this highly to anyone interested in American history. Please don't skip this thinking you're not into military history- I'm. It, and I enjoyed this immensely.
March 22, 2019
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, it sent an expeditionary force to France. The first units comprised the First Division. This is the story of the First Division and its part in the attack on Cantigny by the Allies. Some mention is made of the Second and Third Divisions and the US Marine Brigade in the latter stages of the war. A very easy read that is suitable for teenage readers.
January 10, 2016
Just an outstanding book on the 1st Division and the Battle of Cantigny. I highly recommend this book to any military historians or really anybody that wants to learn more about America's first battle in WW1. Extremely well written with tons of first hand accounts, the author really paints a picture of what the battle must have looked like.
June 6, 2024
as mcpherson's blurb says, military history at its best.... such a deeply moving book!! (strange to see "military history" and "moving" in the same general vicinity.) davenport does what every military historian is supposed to do and actually centers the perspective of the men on the ground themselves, and then takes it even further by engaging in the work of memory; you can tell he's really breaking his back in the effort to make sure that these men are remembered as they ought to be.... so incredibly refreshing!
also: i cannot even begin to imagine the research that went into this book. davenport had to have had a truly crazed number of burial files pulled at st. louis in order to make the beat-by-beat narrative work (wouldn't it be nice if nara could just finish digitizing those 🤩🤩🤩) and i commend him for it. no one is really willing to go the extra twenty miles like that; i hope this is the start of something new in the field!
my only complaint (and this may not have been his fault) is the scattershot citations. there were so many bits and pieces in this book that i wanted to use in my own scholarship but couldn't because he doesn't provide a source for them... again, probably not his fault, because the notes section would have been HUGE if he had included all of those case files, and also, this is pop history, it's a bonus that he even cited his sources... but still :-) it's a shame that this book will land in the hands of the general public and go no further, he did so much research that it should be filtering into the scholarship on this subject! but that's just my two cents :-)
also: i cannot even begin to imagine the research that went into this book. davenport had to have had a truly crazed number of burial files pulled at st. louis in order to make the beat-by-beat narrative work (wouldn't it be nice if nara could just finish digitizing those 🤩🤩🤩) and i commend him for it. no one is really willing to go the extra twenty miles like that; i hope this is the start of something new in the field!
my only complaint (and this may not have been his fault) is the scattershot citations. there were so many bits and pieces in this book that i wanted to use in my own scholarship but couldn't because he doesn't provide a source for them... again, probably not his fault, because the notes section would have been HUGE if he had included all of those case files, and also, this is pop history, it's a bonus that he even cited his sources... but still :-) it's a shame that this book will land in the hands of the general public and go no further, he did so much research that it should be filtering into the scholarship on this subject! but that's just my two cents :-)
July 6, 2017
A very detailed book on America's first battle in the Great War.
June 30, 2015
“…,Bullard recognized that “the eyes of all the Allies and of all the world would be especially on “ the doughboys of his 1st Division, and “if they failed the world would say that America would fail.” “They must not fail.”
I received this book as part of the Goodreads first to read program for an honest review.
“First Over There” by Matthew J. Davenport is a military non fiction book about the first military battle fought in World War I by the Americans at Cantigny, France in June of 1918. This book puts you right into the fight like no other history book I have ever read. It reads like a novel and you really come to care about the officers and enlisted men involved.
War is not fun or for the faint hearted. There are several instances of men being “blown to bits” or having no remains found to be buried in this devastating war. Mr. Davenport uses many first hand accounts of the battle by sharing letters and reports from the front. The people are not just nameless soldiers, but young college men, like Lt. Sam Irvin and his friend Lt. Si Parker who joined together a month before they were to graduate from the University of North Carolina. Mr. Irvin would go on to run for the Senate and is now known as the head of the Watergate Committee that lead to President Nixon’s stepping down from the Oval Office. There is a young man from Oregon who became a “runner” for the officers. He risked his life carrying messages from the front to the Generals in charge.
My favorite character was Lt. Newhall, who was seriously wounded early on in the battle and lay for two days in a ditch with another dead soldier until finally crawling to safety. His after story touched my heart also, as he went on to become a Professor who rarely spoke of the war. I started to feel immune to all the death and destruction until I read the letter of twenty year old Corporal Ruffus Shelton who died in the battle. He had written a letter to his mother on the eve of the battle which made me blubber like a baby.
It’s been many years since I have read such a powerful tale of war and heroism. Matthew J. Davenport truly makes the battle live on in my mind and I will never forget the people who fought in the Battle of Cantigny. “First Over There” is a classic much like Barbara Tuchmann’s “Guns of August”.
I received this book as part of the Goodreads first to read program for an honest review.
“First Over There” by Matthew J. Davenport is a military non fiction book about the first military battle fought in World War I by the Americans at Cantigny, France in June of 1918. This book puts you right into the fight like no other history book I have ever read. It reads like a novel and you really come to care about the officers and enlisted men involved.
War is not fun or for the faint hearted. There are several instances of men being “blown to bits” or having no remains found to be buried in this devastating war. Mr. Davenport uses many first hand accounts of the battle by sharing letters and reports from the front. The people are not just nameless soldiers, but young college men, like Lt. Sam Irvin and his friend Lt. Si Parker who joined together a month before they were to graduate from the University of North Carolina. Mr. Irvin would go on to run for the Senate and is now known as the head of the Watergate Committee that lead to President Nixon’s stepping down from the Oval Office. There is a young man from Oregon who became a “runner” for the officers. He risked his life carrying messages from the front to the Generals in charge.
My favorite character was Lt. Newhall, who was seriously wounded early on in the battle and lay for two days in a ditch with another dead soldier until finally crawling to safety. His after story touched my heart also, as he went on to become a Professor who rarely spoke of the war. I started to feel immune to all the death and destruction until I read the letter of twenty year old Corporal Ruffus Shelton who died in the battle. He had written a letter to his mother on the eve of the battle which made me blubber like a baby.
It’s been many years since I have read such a powerful tale of war and heroism. Matthew J. Davenport truly makes the battle live on in my mind and I will never forget the people who fought in the Battle of Cantigny. “First Over There” is a classic much like Barbara Tuchmann’s “Guns of August”.
May 16, 2015
I am mostly a WW1 buff, but have centered most of my previous reading on the British and French experience in the war. Before this book I knew little of America's part in World War I, but I stumbled on the book's fascinating Facebook page and have been following it for months, so I was anxious for the release. Once I started the book I couldn't stop. The book starts with a speech General Pershing gives the men of the First Division before they head into battle, then it throws the reader right into the heat of battle in a trench raid a couple of the platoons experienced the day before the battle. Then the narrative backs up to the beginning, from the US declaration of war to how this first combat unit was formed, how it ended up the first US division in France and in the trenches, and then a literal baptism by fire in the violence of the Western Front.
I felt the mustard gas and the powerful shock of artillery explosions from one sector to the next until a regiment of the First Division (later called the "Big Red One") is given the assignment to attack the Germans holding the little town of Cantigny. The planning and intelligence-gathering is followed, and the reader is taken through the battle step by step--I felt I knew the soldiers who fought, and felt a personal sorrow when many were killed.
The author, Matthew Davenport, doesn't try to overreach on the US part in the war, and with the soldiers involved--privates up to generals--he doesn't ever guess--the bibliography and footnotes are some of the most impressive I have seen in any military history book. A++ and recommended read.
I felt the mustard gas and the powerful shock of artillery explosions from one sector to the next until a regiment of the First Division (later called the "Big Red One") is given the assignment to attack the Germans holding the little town of Cantigny. The planning and intelligence-gathering is followed, and the reader is taken through the battle step by step--I felt I knew the soldiers who fought, and felt a personal sorrow when many were killed.
The author, Matthew Davenport, doesn't try to overreach on the US part in the war, and with the soldiers involved--privates up to generals--he doesn't ever guess--the bibliography and footnotes are some of the most impressive I have seen in any military history book. A++ and recommended read.
June 6, 2015
I don't normally read military history, but I was pleased to have had this book recommended to me.
It is truly a remarkable work, and, perhaps most importantly, Davenport takes great care in memorializing the men that time has managed to forget. I cannot say I have read many other works to which I could compare this, but it certainly earns my wholehearted recommendation.
Oh, and some of the most important Americans of the 20th Century (Sam Ervin, George C. Marshall) were fighting in the first waves at Cantigny, just in case you were wondering. On knowing that, the resulting curiosity, to me, was worth the price of admission.
It is truly a remarkable work, and, perhaps most importantly, Davenport takes great care in memorializing the men that time has managed to forget. I cannot say I have read many other works to which I could compare this, but it certainly earns my wholehearted recommendation.
Oh, and some of the most important Americans of the 20th Century (Sam Ervin, George C. Marshall) were fighting in the first waves at Cantigny, just in case you were wondering. On knowing that, the resulting curiosity, to me, was worth the price of admission.
February 4, 2018
From the history stand point it was very good!
The indescribable number of descriptive deaths was almost unbearable.
These descriptions populated about half the writing, how they died, buried alive, shot through the neck, shot in the head, riddled with shrapnel, disintegrated or shredded by a shell or mortar, on and on and on.
Including the soldiers rank, where they were from, if their bodies were found, where they were buried, etc.
I found this book to difficult to read, mainly because it was difficult to follow the flow of the battle. This reading was hampered by the multitude of elaborate descriptions of woundings and death.
The indescribable number of descriptive deaths was almost unbearable.
These descriptions populated about half the writing, how they died, buried alive, shot through the neck, shot in the head, riddled with shrapnel, disintegrated or shredded by a shell or mortar, on and on and on.
Including the soldiers rank, where they were from, if their bodies were found, where they were buried, etc.
I found this book to difficult to read, mainly because it was difficult to follow the flow of the battle. This reading was hampered by the multitude of elaborate descriptions of woundings and death.
February 6, 2018
Outstanding book about the first major battle fought by the Americans in WWI. I loved reading this book and Mr. Davenport wrote not only about the leaders (Pershing/Bullard) but of the many front line troops. Extensively research, highly detailed, but amazingly readable, I found myself sad at the fate of the many soldiers fates. Mr Davenport not only told us about many of the men but where they men laid for their final rest (in the sad cases of many, no body was ever found). He made this book personal, I really felt I knew many of the men who fought this.
Excellent work.
Excellent work.
May 16, 2015
This is that rare work of military history that reads like a novel. The author covers the very real drama of the first US Army unit to enter battle in the First World War by following the individual soldiers. He gives equal voice to the privates in the trenches as he does the generals up at headquarters. Fast-paced and full of action, recommended highly.
May 24, 2018
An extremely well written book about America's first battle of World War I. I used google maps to view the town of Cantigny, France and the surrounding area to help me further understand where this battle was fought.
After reading this book I am putting Cantigny, France on my must see places while I am still living in Europe.
After reading this book I am putting Cantigny, France on my must see places while I am still living in Europe.
May 17, 2015
Once I started this book I could not put it down. The descriptions made me feel like I was in the action and knew the men who fought. The storyline was gripping especially considering it was a true story. Great read.
June 23, 2023
Meticulous research by the author to pull this one off. A very sobering story of the immense suffering of the men that made this attack. I highly recommend this one if you are interested in this era.
August 23, 2017
Superb writing. Willing to read anything by Mr. Davenport after this.
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