The Remains of Company D

A Story of the Great War

James Carl Nelson

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9780312551001
• eBook ISBN: 9781429940344
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

A combat narrative of suffering and heroism and a rare eye-level account of World War I—"One of the best. Nelson is an excellent stylist . . .he knows how to tell a story with a capital 'S.'" — Star Tribune

"[Never before] has an American nonfiction writer reached into history and produced a testament of young men in terrible battle with the stateliness, the mastery of cadence, the truthfulness, and the muted heartbreak of James Carl Nelson in The Remains of Company D ." —Ron Powers, New York Times –bestselling coauthor of Flags of Our Fathers

The Remains of Company D follows the members of Company D, 28th Infantry Regiment, United States First Division, from enlistment to combat and the effort to recover their remains, focusing on the three major battles at Cantigny, Soissons, and in the Meuse-Argonne and the effect these horrific battles had on the men.

This is an important and powerful tale of the different destinies, personalities, and motivations of the men in Company D, and a timeless portrayal of men at war.

"Not since Henry Berry's Make the Kaiser Dance has there been an intimate history like this one to illustrate the doughboys' contributions in World War I. The story of Company D, 28th Infantry Regiment, First Division, is one not soon to forget. . . . The author's meticulous and persistent research in tracking down the descendants of the combatants to uncover their letters and diaries makes his work the standard for research into the story of the American Expeditionary Force. Essential for all students of the modern war." — Library Journal

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Praise for The Remains of Company D
• Dedication
• Maps
• Prelude: Soissons, France, July 19, 1918
• 1. A Doughboy
• 2. War Fever
• 3. “What Are You Going to Do Now, Young Man?”
• 4. The Armies in Heaven
• 5. “It’s Easy to Lick the Kaiser”
• 6. Zero Hour
• 7. “I Wonder How Deep It Went In”
• 8. “They Thought We Were Only Children”
• 9. No Man’s Land
• 10. “I Wish I Had Two Lives”
• 11. Into the Wheat
• 12. “Kamerad!”
• 13. The Paris-Soissons Road
• 14. “Shooting, Yelling, Swearing”
• 15. “Most of the Old Crew Have Been Killed”
• 16. Montrefagne
• 17. Hill 263
• 18. “In the Interest of Humanity”
• 19. “To the End of Your Days”
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Additional Archival Records
• Additional Interviews
• Newspapers, ca. 1917–1991
• Internet Resources
• Index
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Newsletter Sign-up
• Contents
• Copyright