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Corporal John Edward Newman

Newman is in his uniform and looking directly at the camera. Around the black and white picture is an oval border, and underneath are the words, “John Edward Newman Corporal: Company L: 362d Infantry: 91st Division.
  • Unit: Company L, 91st Infantry Regiment, 362nd Infantry Division
  • Service Number: 2261515
  • Date of Birth: June 3, 1894
  • Entered the Military: June 17, 1917
  • Date of Death: September 29, 1918
  • Hometown: Carson City, Nevada
  • Place of Death: East of Éclisfontaine, France
  • Cemetery: Plot A, Row 34, Grave 8. Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France
Contributed by Mrs. Lisa Larson
Doral Academy of Northern Nevada (Reno, Nevada)
2024/2025

Early Life

On June 3, 1894, John Edward Newman was born in Dayton, Nevada, to Andrew and Mary “Mollie” Newman. He joined his older sister Alice to complete their small family. Andrew was originally from Indiana, and Mollie was from California. The two settled in farmlands near Dayton, where they lived for many years.

Andrew owned the family farm, but something drew him away from rural life and into town. When John was in elementary school, the family relocated to the state capital of Carson City, where Andrew began working as a janitor at the Capitol building. The children attended the local school.

A black and white photograph of a two-story brick building with a dome at the peak. In the front yard are snow-covered trees and an iron fence.
The Capitol Building in Carson City, Nevada, where John’s father, Andrew Newman, worked, 1890. The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection.

Homefront

Carson City was a typical Western town at the turn of the twentieth century. It had been home to a United States Mint that ceased coin production the year before Newman was born. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad continued to transport gold and silver from the nearby mines, though production declined as larger rail lines expanded. And the infamous Stewart Indian School assimilated Native American children from local tribes. 

Newman attended Carson High School and soon met his future wife, Georgia. They married on January 20, 1916, when Newman was 22. They settled into a tiny house near the Nevada State Capitol Building and Ormsby County Courthouse. Newman worked as a bartender around the corner from their home.

When war was declared in 1917, the residents of Carson City and the surrounding communities did their part to support the war effort. These small-town people worked together to contribute in big ways. To the north, the University of Nevada negotiated with farmers to increase food production. The Sagebrush, the University newspaper, asked community members to send cigarettes instead of knitted items. In Carson City, the YMCA War Fund collected money to send directly to the cause.

Although the Selective Service requested only 162 men, 1,447 Nevadans signed up for the draft by February 1918.  In Newman’s case, he joined 15 other men from Ormsby County to register on June 5, 1917. Fewer than 100 days later, he was called into service.

A black and white photograph of a train at a train station. There are mountains in the background and a few people standing around.
An image of Engine #11 of the V&T Railroad leaving Virginia City and heading down the hill into Carson City. The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection.
Both sides of a draft card are shown. Information such as date of birth, address, and physical features are shown.
Newman’s draft card naming his wife Georgia as his dependent, 1917. National Archives and Records Administration.

Military Experience

Most Nevada draftees were sent to the new, hastily-constructed Camp Lewis in Washington state, often traveling through San Francisco, California. Newman was assigned to the 91st “Wild West” Division. In September 1917, Newman was one of 20,000 stationed at this facility. 

With no prior military training, Newman might have found the first weeks difficult. Days began with a bugle call at 6:00 a.m., and daylight hours were spent on physical training, drills, weapons instruction, and inspections. Once routines were established, boredom became a problem for some soldiers. Some distracted themselves by playing football. Camp Lewis even had a rodeo and a band, providing some relief from the monotony. All of these activities would have helped Newman and others like him to build trust and camaraderie.

Newman entered the service as a private. One method for gaining rank was to take evening classes offered at the camp. Upon completion, promotion to corporal was the next step. 

After nine months at Camp Lewis, Corporal John Newman departed on June 23, 1918, via train to New York. From there, he boarded a ship on July 6 headed for Le Havre, France. After additional training in Le Havre, his company received orders to head to the front on September 8, 1918.

Newman joined what later became known as the largest battle operation of World War I—the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Soldiers were fighting hard to cut off German rail communication and turn the tide of the war. Company L arrived to support the offensive on September 25.  Faced with intense retaliation from the Germans, Newman fought in the trenches for just four days before being killed in action on September 29, 1918. 

An aerial, panoramic view in black and white of Camp Lewis. There are many buildings in rows, stretched out as far as the eye can see from left to right.
Camp Lewis, c. 1917. Library of Congress (2007664269).
A black and white photograph of several soldiers in a makeshift trench testing out grenade guns. There are others looking on. They are shooting out over a field.
Unnamed American soldiers learning to use grenade guns in France, 1917. Library of Congress (ggbain.25714).
A black and white photograph of more than a dozen wooden crosses in the foreground. In the background is an open field sloping up to a hill with a few trees at the top.
Crosses mark the graves near the town of Éclisfontaine, France, 1919. Department of Defense/National Archives (210920-D-D0439-074C).

Commemoration

Newman was one of 26,000 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in this last battle of World War I. He was initially buried near the battle site on October 4, 1918, and then reinterred at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery on November 1, 1921, after the war had ended. 

After years of unsuccessful communication with the United States government to have his body brought back to the United States, Newman’s widow, Georgia, was finally able to visit his grave in 1930. She took part in the Gold Star pilgrimage, a program organized by the government for families of fallen soldiers to visit gravesites. 

In addition to his headstone in France, a metal flag with his name can be seen at the Battle Born Memorial, which was erected on the Capitol Grounds in Carson City, Nevada, in 2018.

Newman’s grave marker at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. American Battle Monuments Commission.
A color photograph of a modern steel building. The right third of the building doesn’t have a front wall and the slats in the roof are reflecting on the back wall. The words ‘Battle Born’ are cut out of the metal on the front of the building.
The Battle Born Memorial was erected on the Capitol Grounds to honor Nevada citizens who lost their lives in all wars, 2018. Punch Architecture.
The name ‘John E. Newman’ has been cut out of a metal rectangle in simple font.
Close-up of John Newman’s individual flag on the ceiling of the Battle Born Memorial, March 9, 2025. Courtesy of Lisa Larson.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

California. San Francisco County. 1880 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

California. Sonoma County. 1870 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Camp Lewis. Panoramic photograph. c.1917. Library of Congress (2007664269). https://www.loc.gov/item/2007664269/.

“Carson City Boys Leave for War and Townspeople Say Godspeed.” Reno Evening Gazette [Reno, NV], September 8, 1917. Newspapers.com (147170174).

“Closes Ahead of Time.” Carson City Daily Appeal [Carson City, NV], December 9, 1918. Newspapers.com (465279375).

“Dayton Doings.” Yerington Times [Yerington, NV], August 16, 1902. Newspapers.com (835778879).

Georgia Edith Sherman. Montana Certificate of Delayed Birth Registration. 1943. https://ancestryclasroom.com.

John Edward Newman. Burial Case File. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

John Edward Newman. Carson City, Nevada, U.S., Marriage Index, 1855-1985. https://ancestryclasroom.com.

John Edward Newman. Nevada Birth Notices, 1894. https://ancestryclasroom.com.

John Edward Newman. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

“Married.” The Eureka Sentinel [Eureka, NV], February 25, 1888. Newspapers.com (893757904).

Meldrum, Ben T. A History of the 362nd Infantry. The 362nd Infantry Association, 1920. https://archive.org/details/historyof362ndin00meldrich/page/n7/mode/2up. 

Mrs. Georgia Newman. U.S., World War I Mothers’ Pilgrimage, 1929. https://ancestryclasroom.com.

Nevada. Lyon County. 1900 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Nevada. Ormsby County. 1910 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Nevada State Capitol Building. Photograph. 1890. Carson City: The Early Years, The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection. http://wnhpc.com/details/tey0038.

Nevada. Washoe County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Carson City, Carson City County, Nevada. Map. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4354cm.g052791941/?sp=10. 

“Serg. John Newman Dies at the Front.” The Yerington Times [Yerington, NV], November 16, 1918. Newspapers.com (381488268).

“Sgt. John Newman Makes the Supreme Sacrifice.” The Fallon Standard [Fallon, NV], November 13, 1918. Newspapers.com (895229762).

“Students Told How to Aid War.” The U. of N. Sagebrush [Reno, NV], October 23, 1917. https://unr.dgicloud.com/52107. 

“The University of Nevada is on a War Footing and Can Boast Of.” The U. of N. Sagebrush [Reno, NV], April 26, 1918. https://unr.dgicloud.com/52130. 

U.S. Troops in trench in France. Photograph. 1917. Library of Congress (2014705883). https://www.loc.gov/item/2014705883.

V&T #11 Reno at Virginia City. Photograph, Kent Kristiansson Collection, The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection. https://wnhpc.com/details/vt0007.

“Women Advised to Not Knit for Soldiers.” The U. of N. Sagebrush [Reno, NV], October 23, 1917. https://unr.dgicloud.com/52107.

“Y.M.C.A War Fund.” Carson City Daily Appeal [Carson City, NV], November 20, 1917. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn86076241/1917-11-20/ed-1/?sp=4&st=image&r=0.072,0.028,0.761,0.634,0. 

Secondary Sources

“Battle Born: Memorial to Nevada’s Fallen Warriors.” Punch Architecture. Accessed March 9, 2025. https://www.puncharc.com/battleborn-memorial-to-nevadas-fallen-warriors.

Birkeland, Jeffery A. A Brilliant Operation: The 362nd Infantry Regiment in France and Belgium 1917-1919.  South Prairie Publishing, 2019.

“Brief History of Carson City, Heart of Nevada.” Carson City Chamber of Commerce. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://carsoncitychamber.com/images/uploads/Brief_History_of_Carson_City.pdf. 

“Camp Lewis, 1917-1919.” Lewis Army Museum. Accessed February 5, 2025. https://lewisarmymuseum.com/history-of-the-army-at-camp-lewis-fort-lewis-and-joint-base-lewis-mcchord/camp-lewis-1917-1919/. 

“Carson City.” Britannica. Accessed January 20, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/place/Carson-City. 

“Carson City, Nevada.” Nevada Digital Newspaper Project. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://nvdnp.wordpress.com/nevada-history/carson-city/. 

“Cpl. John Edward Newman.” Find a Grave. Accessed December 8, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55958280/john-edward-newman.  

“How Carson City Became Nevada’s Capital.” Visit Carson City. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://visitcarsoncity.com/nevadas-historic-capital/nevada-history/how-carson-city-became-nevadas-capital/. 

“John E. Newman.” American Battle Monuments Commission. Accessed December 8, 2024. https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/newman%3Djohn.

Loeffler, Karen. “World War I and the Nevada Homefront Pre-war Rhetoric vs. War-time Reality,” Psi Sigma Siren: Vol. 4(1). https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=psi_sigma_siren. 

“Medal of Honor Monday: Army 1st Lt. Deming Bronson.” U.S. Department of Defense. Accessed March 25, 2025. https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2783138/medal-of-honor-monday-army-1st-lt-deming-bronson/.

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“The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, a World War I Online Interactive, Released.” American Battle Monuments Commission. Accessed March 1, 2025. https://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/meuse-argonne-offensive-world-war-i-online-interactive-released. 

“The United States Mint.” Carson City Nevada. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://visitcarsoncity.com/nevadas-historic-capital/nevada-history/how-carson-city-became-nevadas-capital/. 

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