James Gregory

C'est la Guerre James Gregory

In June 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I, James McBrayer Sellers joined the United States Marine Corps and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 78th Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Regiment, 4th Brigade (Marine), 2nd Division, AEF. Wounded during the Battle of Belleau Wood, he recuperated and later returned to command the 78th Company. He led them through the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The 78th was engaged in heavy fighting at Blanc Mont Ridge resulting in Sellers writing up the citations for two of his men, Cpl. John H. Pruitt and Pvt. John J. Kelly who both received the Medal of Honor. For his own personal bravery in action, Sellers was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, the Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre. He remained in the Marines in active service until 1920. James McBrayer Sellers' account of his time during the war is a fantastic look from enlistment to the discharge of a U. S. Marine Corps Officer during World War I. Starting at his enlistment and then training at Winthrop, MD and Quantico, VA, to the battlefields of France, the Occupation of Germany, and eventual settling after the war, this account illuminates a new perspective in Marine Corps history. His unique position within the Marine Corps gave him access to more sensitive information than regular enlisted men. This is shown through his letters that were slipped passed the censor, since he himself did the censoring for his company, revealing detailed information to his family in the states. He also kept track of locations and dates, as seen in the appendix. These, paired with his near perfect memory, create a very detailed and interesting account. This work will benefit any and all Marine Corps and World War I historians as a primary source and fascinating look at what it was like to be a young commissioned Marine Corps Platoon and Company Commander while in the French & German Theater of Operations from 1918 to 1919.