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David Tulchin papers regarding the 77th Division "Lost Battalion"

Call Number

MS 3155

Date

1918-1972, inclusive

Creator

Tulchin, David, 1894-1972

Extent

.21 Linear feet in one box and one oversize folder

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

A small collection of documents primarily related to the annual reunions of the Lost Battalion Survivors. The Lost Battalion refers to about 550 American soldiers who found themselves trapped behind enemy lines during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive during World War I. A member of that unit, David Tulchin, compiled this collection, which includes the original field message ordering the men to advance. Newsletters, photographs, survivor lists, clippings, and other documents are also in the collection.

Biographical / Historical

On October 2, 1918, during the Allied Forces' Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France during World War I, various companies from four battalions of the 77th Division were ordered to advance against German lines as part of a larger movement. In total these companies added up to about 550 men, which was battalion strength. Under the command of Major Charles W. Whittlesey, the battalion successfully advanced, but other elements of the attack stalled or retreated. Consequently, as the Germans regrouped from the attacks, by the next day, October 3, Whittlesey and his men were surrounded and cut-off from escape. Over the next several days, the Germans laid siege to the battalion, which refused to surrender. American forces attempted to break through to rescue the "lost battalion" but were unable to do so. Eventually, one of the battalion's men was able to slip through the German lines and establish contact with the Allied forces, which enabled the creation of an escape route for the trapped men by October 8. Of the 545 or so men that started the advance, only 194 walked out without casualty; 107 men had been killed.

Among the companies in the Lost Battalion was Company C of the 77th Division, 154th Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion, 308th Infantry Regiment. That company included Russian immigrant David Tulchin (born approximately 1895), who survived the event and accumulated the documents in this collection. Tulchin would, in later years, be active in the organization and annual reunions of the Lost Battalion Survivors. The first reunion of the survivors was held in 1938 and continued into at least the early 1970s. Tulchin was elected as Secretary of the group in 1965. Tulchin died in 1972.

Arrangement

The documents are arranged roughly by format.

Scope and Contents

The collection includes documents concerning the "Lost Battalion" and the Lost Battalion Survivors compiled by David Tulchin, particularly in his capacity as Secretary for the group in the late 1960s-early 1970s. An especially significant document inof the collection is the original message of October 2, 1918, ordering Company C's advance. There are several newsletters from the 1960s-1970s, a program from 1949 listing the Lost Battalion survivors as of that year, various other lists of survivors, clippings, three photographs, and other documents. Documents specific to David Tulchin in the collection include his military record, American Legion membership cards, ribbon from the 1968 reunion, and Lost Battalion survivor identification cards.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to qualified researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.) This collection is owned by the New-York Historical Society. The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Unpublished materials created before January 1, 1978 cannot be quoted in publication without permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the David Tulchin papers regarding the 77th Division "Lost Battalion", MS 3155, New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Nora Tulchin, 2017.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:50:58 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

Collection processed by archivist Larry Weimer in January 2020.

Repository

New-York Historical Society

View Inventory

Reunions and Newsletters, 1941-1971, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

Holds a photograph of the signed roster of the 1941 reunion luncheon; 1949 booklet recounting the reunions from the first in 1938, with survivors as of April 1949; invitation letters to the 1959, 1961 and 1967 luncheons; letter of thanks from Secretary Walter Baldwin to Tulchin (1963); annual Lost Battalion Survivors newsletters for 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, and 1971; rosters of survivors for 1966 and other later years; and a few other related documents.

Military Papers, 1919, 1927, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

Includes Tulchin's enlistment record and honorable discharge (1919). Also includes a photocopy of a certificate issued in lieu of a lost discharge certificate for a John Karalunas (1920 discharge, 1927 in-lieu certificate)

Identification Cards and Ribbon, 1937-1972, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

4 items: American Legion membership cards (1937, 1972); card certifying that Tulchin was a survivor of the Lost Battalion, signed by organization Secretary Walter J. Baldwin (undated); ribbon from 50th year reunion (1968).

Photographs, 1919, 1959, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

2 group photos: Company C, 308th Infantry at Chateau de Sable, France, April(?), 1919; 40th annual reunion dinner, 308th Infantry Post 308 American Legion, Grand Street Boys Clubhouse, Feb. 14, 1959.

Photograph (oversize), 1939 September 24

Folder: Oversize-Large (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

Group photograph taken at a reunion of the Lost Battalion Survivors, New York City. A stickie note attached to the photo when donated to N-YHS identified David Tulchin as in the front row, 4th from the left.

Stationery, circa 1960s, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

Several sheets of stationery for the Lost Battalion Survivors, with Tulchin's position as Secretary included in the letterhead.

Survivor Lists and Challenges to False Claims, 1967-1968, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

2 undated lists of survivors (other lists are included with the reunions and newsletters in folder 1); 2 letters concerning individuals improperly identified as survivors of the Lost Battalion (1966, 1967); and a note identifying Lost Battalion members in a photo (1968, photo not in collection).

American Legion Newsletters, 1962, 1969, 1972, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

Holds 3 newsletters from the 308th Infantry Post, No. 308. The 1962 newsletter has a photo of Company C at a 1943 dinner.

Clippings, 1918-1971, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

Originals and photocopies of newspaper clippings about the death of Colonel Whittelsey (1921), the battalion, and the survivors.

U.S. Army Field Message, 1918 October 2

Box: 1, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

Original order for Company C to advance. Enclosed in glass frame. Conservation case by N-YHS conservator Alan Balicki, January 2020.

New-York Historical Society
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New York, NY 10024