Arthur ("Red") C. Langhorst

Arthur ("Red") C. Langhorst

In the 1910 federal census, Aurthur Langhorst was 16 years old, living with his parents and six of his sisters.  So it is not surprising that following the death of his father at the end of that year, Aurthur decided over the next year to leave his home full of females and join the United States Cavalry.  After age 17, he never again returned home to Wapakoneta, Ohio, to live .  Because of his age, and because he did not have permission from his mother,  he enlisted in the Cavalry under a false name.  This was to cause problems for him when he was older as he had great difficulty getting his military record straightened out.  Aurthur served as a Private in the 2nd Cavalry, Troop K, from May 4, 1912 to May 3, 1915.  For a large part of that time, he was stationed along the U.S./Mexican Border at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas.  It was in 1912 that El Paso held a week long festival to celebrate the admission of the new states of Arizona and New Mexico into the United States.  

Aurthur  told many stories of his time at El Paso, but here are some facts:  A succession of revolutions in Mexico since 1910 had thrown that country into turmoil and had caused many attacks by bandits into our U.S. border states. Many U.S. troops were rushed to strategic points to protect American citizens and property.  When the 2nd Cavalry reached Ft. Bliss in 1912, the Mexican border trouble was at its height, causing a constant patrol of the area near the international line.  In February, 1913, the 3rd squadron relieved the 22nd infantry on duty along the Rio Grande River in the city of El Paso.  Troop K's station was at the Santa Fe Bridge.  The work of the troops consisted of guarding property, patrolling the area for signs of bandits, and an occasional chase after a party had raided a ranch.  In 1913, Mexican revolutionary General Pancho Villa captured Juarez, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso.  So Aurthur's stories about the threat of Pancho Villa  and the response of his cavalry unit were true.  Pancho Villa survived until his assassination in 1923.

Aurthur's Regiment was then sent to Ft. Ethan Allen in Vermont on December 29, 1913, to protect the Canadian/U.S. border.  Ft. Ethan Allen had been established as a cavalry post in 1894.  This was my Aurthur's introduction to New England where he ended living for most of his life.  Following his discharge in May of 1915, he left Vermont and ended up re-enlisting on September 14, 1916, at Ft. Slocum, New York.  With the onset of World War I, Ft. Slocum was one of the busiest recruiting and training stations in the country.  Located at the western end of Long Island Sound, it served as the recruit examination station for soldiers from New England and the Mid Atlantic states.  

Aurthur joined the 6th Cavalry, Troop F.  After his training, Private 1st Class, Specialist 4th class (Horse shoer) Langhorst served from July 1, 1917 to January 16, 1918 stateside.  Then the 6th embarked for France to join the American Expeditionary Forces. Aurthur left with his unit on June 7, 1918, from Hoboken, New Jersey on the U.S, Army Transport Ship Aeolus. Soldiers of the 6th Cavalry were primarily tasked with remount details, military police duties, or with hauling artillery.  One of the stories Aurthur told was that he was sent into the German lines as a spy  since he "looked" like a German and had learned how to speak a little German from his father and grandfather.   His group was scheduled for the front line when the armistice was signed.  When the war ended on November 11, 1918, the 6th remained in France for seven more months, continuing their remount and police duties.  They returned from St. Nazaire, France on June 16, 1919, aboard the SS Kroonland, to Camp Stuart, Newport News, Virginia.  Upon arrival the "Fighting Sixth" Cavalry was then stationed at Ft. Oglethorpe in Georgia. It was at Ft. Oglethorpe that Aurthur received his Honorable Discharge on September 13, 1920.  He was noted to have gas burns on his legs and a bullet scar on his left thumb.  Aurthur told his family that he had also been exposed to mustard gas and that he had taken a piece of shrapnel in his skull while overseas.  He said that because he had enlisted under a false name, he received no compensation for these injuries.