Van Horton

Van Horton’s Personal Narrative was derived from information found in public records, military personnel files, and local/state historical association materials. Please note that the Robb Centre never fully closes the book on our servicemembers; as new information becomes available, narratives will be updated to appropriately represent the life story of each veteran.

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Military Honor(s):

Distinguished Service Cross

Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Corporal Van Horton (ASN: 2168859), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company E, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92d Division, A.E.F., near Lesseux, France, 4 September 1918. During a hostile attack, preceded by a heavy minenwerfer barrage, involving the entire front of the battalion, the combat group to which this courageous soldier belonged was attacked by about 20 of the enemy, using liquid fire. The sergeant in charge of the group and four other men having been killed, he fearlessly rushed to receive the attack and the persistency with which he fought resulted in stopping the attack and driving back the enemy.

Croix de Guerre with Silver Gilt Star 17 May 1919

Citation: French Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star, under Order No. 17.470 “D”, dated May 17, 1919. Date or place of act not shown.

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Life & Service

  • Birth: 25 February 1895, Athens, AL, United States
  • Place of Residence:
  • Race/Ethnicity: African American
  • Death: 6 February 1937 Rockford, IL, United States
  • Branch: Army
  • Military Rank: Sergeant
  • Company: [E]
  • Infantry Regiment: 366th
  • Division: 92nd
Early Life (Pre-War): Includes general parent information, sibling information, education) Toggle Accordion

Van Horton was born to Minnie (1870-?), stepson to Jordan Horton (1879-?) on February 25, 1895 in Athens, Limestone County, Alabama, the older brother to sister Josephine (1899-?). In his youth, Van worked on his stepfather’s farm as a laborer.

Service: Includes a summary of transfers, rank change(s), training, enlistment, and discharge locations Toggle Accordion

Van Horton enlisted in the United States Army on October 29, 1917 in Alabama as a Private. Then-Sergeant Horton and his company left Hoboken, New Jersey on the U.S. Army Transport Ship Vauban on June 14, 1918, arriving in Brest, France, on June 20, 1918. Sergeant Horton received the Distinguished Service Cross and French Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star for his actions on September 4, 1918 near Lesseux, France;

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Corporal Van Horton (ASN: 2168859), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company E, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92d Division, A.E.F., near Lesseux, France, 4 September 1918. During a hostile attack, preceded by a heavy minenwerfer barrage, involving the entire front of the battalion, the combat group to which this courageous soldier belonged was attacked by about 20 of the enemy, using liquid fire. The sergeant in charge of the group and four other men having been killed, he fearlessly rushed to receive the attack and the persistency with which he fought resulted in stopping the attack and driving back the enemy”. Awarded DSC by CG, AEF, November 8, 1918. Published in G.O. No. 143, W.D., 1918. French Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star, under Order No. 17.470 “D”, dated May 17, 1919. Date or place of act not shown.

Sergeant Horton and his company left Brest, France on the U.S. Army Transport Ship Aquitania on February 22, 1919, arriving in New York on February 28, 1919. Sergeant Horton was Honorably Discharged on March 22, 1919.

Service: Act of Valor Toggle Accordion

While serving with [E] Company, 2nd Battalion, 366th Infantry Regiment, 183rd Infantry Brigade, 92nd Infantry Division, then Corporal Van Horton demonstrated supreme bravery during a raid on his company’s position near the village of Lesseux. This is his story.

Saint-Dié Sector – 4 September 1918

August 1918:

Following a few early incursions during the initial months of the Great War, all offensive action through France’s Vosges Mountains came to a grinding halt. The naturally defensible terrain which spanned the Franco-German border in 1914 had made conventional offensives through this area virtually impossible, thus the frontlines of this sector quickly settled and, for nearly 4 years, neither the French nor the Germans made any significant gains in this region. This changed in the summer of 1918 when the military sector centered on the city of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges was passed to the American Army’s 5th Infantry Division under the watchful eyes of the French XXXIII Corps.

German winter watch in the Vosges. Firing a heavy howitzer.

Descending onto the strategically valuable town of Frapelle, the 6th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, broke the peace on 17 August, 1918. Justifiably concerned that this sudden burst of activity was the initial phase of a much larger offensive, the Germans rallied every gun in the sector, as well as a number of heavy guns and first-rate troops from outside of the sector, to prevent such an attack and begin an operation to retake Frapelle. Thus, when the 92nd Infantry Division assumed control of the sector less than a week later on 23 August, 1918, their soldiers very literally marched straight into enemy fire. The leading elements of the 366th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division, were caught in this maelstrom and suffered the 92nd Division’s first casualties as a result of enemy fire. This incident served as a brutal introduction to life on the Western Front for the remaining men of the 366th Infantry Regiment.

1-3 September 1918:

Though the 92nd Division had not known peace since their arrival in the Saint-Dié Sector, their lot worsened at the beginning of September, 1918. Through the night of 31 August to the early morning hours of 1 September, the Germans slammed the 92nd Division’s frontline in an effort to retake Frapelle. However, the men of the 92nd Division were able to rally and, with invaluable artillery support from the French XXXIII Corps (the 92nd Division’s own artillery unit, the 167th Field Artillery Brigade, was in training throughout most of the war), sent the Germans back across no-man’s-land to the safety of their own trenches. When the sun rose, the 92nd Division realized the toll that the German offensive had taken on them; 4 men were dead, including First Lieutenant Thomas Bullock, and another 34 had been severely wounded or gassed. Lieutenant Bullock was the first officer of the 92nd Division to be killed in action.

A well-organized French observation post situated on the summit of a mountain in the Vosges district.

Though their own casualties had been severe, the Germans were not discouraged and struck the 92nd Division’s lines once more that afternoon. Following an opening barrage of some 1,200 shells, the Germans charged the frontline of the 183rd Infantry Brigade, 92nd Division, on the slopes of Ormont but were repelled by the 365th and 366th Infantry Regiments. Now satisfied that the 92nd Division had resolved to fight, the Germans withdrew in anticipation of a general engagement. However, though the men of the 92nd Division would have gladly taken the field, their commanding officers were not eager to escalate the engagement. Instead, the men of the 92nd Division busied themselves fixing their battered trench line and patrolling the mountains.

3rd Battalion, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division, performing gas drills at Ainville, the Vosges Mountains, France, August 8, 1918.

On 2 September the Germans resorted to bombarding the 92nd Division’s lines with a mix of high-explosive and gas shells. In one incident, an officer and 8 men became gas casualties after they failed to identify the smell of mustard gas, as the smoke from the high explosive shells had smothered the distinct scent of the toxic chemical. Additionally, it was discovered as a result of the continuous gas attacks suffered in the Saint-Dié Sector that many men did not have adequate protection from German gas. A major factor in this lack of preparedness was the fact that the standard-issue Small Box Respirator (SBR) type masks were poor-fitting and, as a consequence, many had to make do with only the mouthpiece when the gas got too thick. Though a request was put through for new-and-improved Tissot gasmasks, the 92nd Division never received these.

The Germans attacked again on 3 September, though in smaller numbers, and were again repelled by the 366th Infantry Regiment. During this firefight, First Lieutenant Aaron Fisher was badly wounded but remained in the field to command his troops until the last of the enemy had been driven from the field. In doing so, he set an admirable example for the rest of his troops to follow in the coming days.

4 September 1918:

German flamethrowers terrorized the Allied forces.

On 4 September the Germans targeted the area held by [E] Company, 366th Infantry Regiment, around the village of Lesseux. Great plumes of earth shot up into the sky, the product of a German minenwerfer barrage, and sections of the 366th Infantry Regiment’s trench collapsed under the enemy bombardment. Many men had already been wounded, and some were even buried beneath the falling earth, when the German raiders burst onto the field. Looking to their commanding sergeant for guidance, the men of at least one combat group realized that he had been killed in the mortar attack alongside several others, but it was too late to figure out who was left and to delegate command – the enemy were already upon them. Streaks of liquid-fire arced into the 366th Regiment’s trench-line, bullets flew through the air, and the shouts and screams of men echoed through the valley. However, as the chaos of battle enveloped them, a small number of soldiers stood their ground against the German attack.

One such man was Corporal Van Horton. In a particularly impressive show of valor, Corporal Horton pushed forward to meet the Germans head-on. Fighting with tenacity and courage, he engaged the enemy in close-combat and broke the strength of their attack. Had it not been for his relentless show of defiance in the face of a numerically superior and better-equipped foe, it is entirely possible that the Germans might have dealt a much greater blow to the 92nd Division. However, because of the bravery of Corporal Horton and a handful of other men, many of whom were also recognized for their service, the German offensive faltered, stopped, and was ultimately repelled following a brief firefight.

In recognition of his extraordinary courage, Horton was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on November 8, 1918, under General Orders No. 143. He was presented with and received this medal on December 2, 1918, while his unit was headquartered at Pont-à-Mousson. He was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Gilt Star on May 17, 1919, under General Orders No. 17.470 “D.”

Several other members of the 92nd Infantry Division were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions near Lesseux on September 4, 1918. Their names and links to their own Personal Narratives are included below.

Sergeant (Then-Private) Roy A. Brown, [E] Company, 366th Infantry Regiment.

Private First-Class William Clincey, [F] Company, 366th Infantry Regiment.

Private George W. Bell, [E] Company, 366th Infantry Regiment.

Private Alex Hammond, [E] Company, 366th Infantry Regiment.

Private Edward L. Merrifield, [E] Company, 366th Infantry Regiment.

Private Joe Williams, [E] Company, 366th Infantry Regiment.

Later Life (Post-War): Includes post-war education, occupation, marriage(s) and/or children, location and date of death Toggle Accordion

After Van returned home, and before 1920, Van met and married Otis Beatrice Martin (1897-1982), with her having three children, Leona (1920-2012), Carrie (1922-2012) and Van Jr. (1924-1961). Between 1920-1930 and up until his death in 1937, Van worked various labor positions in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Van died on February 6, 1937 in Rockford, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Rockwood, Illinois. The Jefferson-Horton American Legion Post 340 in Rockford, Illinois is named partially on his behalf.