Historical Publications

There have been a number of books which have been written about the history of the regiment, or at least aspects of its history. Many are still in print, but others can only be acquired through purchases from businesses that deal in out of print books, such as the Antique Book Exchange, Amazon, etc. Listed below are most of the known publications. Not included here, but also out there are several books on the history of the 1st Infantry Division which provide details of the regiment’s story as well. If the books are still in print, the vendors through which they can be acquired are provided below.

  • Blood and Sacrifice
    A History of the 16th Infantry Regiment from the Civil War to the Gulf War
    Steven E. Clay
    Cantigny Military History Series
    Available from the First Division Museum at Cantigny

    A detailed, comprehensive history of the 16th Infantry Regiment from 1861 to 1991.

  • Dairy of a Dead Man, 1862-1864
    J. P. Ray, ed.
    Eastern Acorn Press, 1981
    Available through on-line book dealers such as Amazon and Abebooks

    The unedited dairy and letters of Private Ira S. Pettit, F Company, 11th US Infantry. Pettit, who died at Andersonville Prison in 1864, left a fascinating account of the private soldier’s life in the Regiment during the Civil War.

  • Hero of the Republic
    Bing G. Spitler
    Burd Street Press, 2001
    Available through on-line book dealers such as Amazon and Abebooks

    A biography of Captain James M. Cutts, Acting Field Officer of the 11th US Infantry, and third Regimental recipient of the Medal of Honor.

  • A Dose of Frontier Soldiering
    The Memoirs of Corporal E. A. Bode
    Thomas T. Smith, ed.
    University of Nebraska Press
    May be available from on-line used book dealers.

    A memoir based on the diary of a German immigrant who enlisted in the 16th Infantry in 1877 for a period of 5 years. It gives an interesting account of what it was like to be an infantry soldier serving in western posts during the latter stages of the Indian Wars.

  • The Fierce Lambs
    A.A. Hoehling
    Little, Brown and Company
    May be available from on-line used book dealers.

    An account of America going to war in the spring and fall of 1917. Hoehling provides a detailed description of the German trench raid against F Company, 16th Infantry near the French town of Bathelémont on 3 November 1917, which resulted in the first American ground casualties of World War I.

  • The Story of the Sixteenth Infantry in France
    1st Lt. Earl H. Weed, Regimental Chaplain
    Martin Flock Publishing
    May be available from on-line used book dealers.

    An excellent and comprehensive description of the regiment’s training and combat experiences in France during World War I.

  • 16th Infantry Regiment 1861-1946
    Featuring the 8 Campaigns of WWII
    Reprint printed by Cricket Press
    1st Lt. John Baumgartner, et al.
    Reprints available from
    Ronn Renne
    12 Hyacinth Lane
    Holbrook, NY 11741-1912

    A detailed and comprehensive description of the regiment’s training and combat experiences in during World War II.

  • No Mission Too Difficult!
    Old Buddies of the 1st Division Tell All About World War II
    Blythe Foot Finke, ed.
    Cantigny Military History Series
    May be available from on-line used book dealers.

    An anthology of stories and wartime experiences related by 14 World War II veterans of the 1st Infantry Division. Eight of the 14 were former 16th Infantrymen.

  • From Omaha Beach to Dawson’s Ridge
    The Combat Journal of Captain Joe Dawson
    Cole C. Kingseed, ed.
    Naval Institute Press
    Available from the Naval Institute Press

    Cole Kingseed has taken a large collection of Captain Joe Dawson’s letters and other documents to tell the story of Dawson and his men of G Company. The focus for the work is Dawson’s descriptions of his company’s experiences in North Africa, Sicily, D-Day and especially the brutal fighting around Aachen, Germany, in September and October 1944.

  • From Classrooms to Claymores:
    A Teacher at War in Vietnam
    Ches Schneider
    Ballentine Books 1999
    Available through on-line book dealers such as Amazon and Abebooks

    Schneider has written an interesting and very readable personal memoir of his life as a soldier in D Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, during the very late stages of the Vietnam War in 1969-70.

  • Drafted: Greetings, You Have Been Selected By Your Friends and Neighbors
    Ronald W. Mackendanz
    Lake Kasota Productions
    Available through
    Lake Kasota Productions
    PO Box 251, Kandiyohi, MN 56251.
    Price is $14.95 plus $4.00 S&H

    Drafted is Ron Mackendanz’s account of his experiences as a draftee during the Vietnam War. Drafted at the height of the war in 1968, Mankendanz vividly describes the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry’s fight at Binh Long in August 1969.

  • My Journey: And the Journey Continues
    Kenneth G. Cassels
    E. O. Painter Printing
    Available from the author at:
    PO Box 5579, Salt Springs, FL 32134-5579
    Price is $10.00 plus $4.00 S&H

    “Duty–Honor–Country” expresses high ideals to live by, but they’re vitally important to those on the front lines who are fighting for their lives and their country. Ken Cassels relates such ideals here from the standpoint of the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry’s combat operations in the latter stages of the Vietnam war.

  • Mud Soldiers: Life Inside the New American Army
    George C. Wilson
    Collier Books
    Available from on-line book dealers such as Amazon and Abebooks.

    Wilson followed the troops of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry through basic training and its initial reception, integration and training as a COHORT unit at Fort Riley in the early 1990s. Wilson records a great deal about the men as individuals, their training, and their handling by the officers and NCOs. He begins the book with a vivid account of the Vietnam era’s C Company at the Battle of Courtney Plantation in April 1966.

  • Content With My Wages
    Gregory H. Murry
    No End to Publishing, LLC
    Available through Amazon.com

    This is a fascinating account of Murry’s service with A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry during the Vietnam war. Murry takes the gloves off to tell his story about the way he saw the war during 1966-67, especially the Battle of Xom Bo II (LZ X-Ray) in June 1967. It is a well-written, very readable account of life as a grunt in the relatively early stages of the conflict.

  • The Good Soldiers
    David Finkel
    Sarah Cichton Books
    Available from on-line book dealers such as Amazon and Abebooks.

    Finkel followed the men of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry through much of its tour in southeast Baghdad in 2007-2008. From this experience Finkel describes the thoughts, fears, opinions, and experiences of these men as they attempt to stem the tide of sectarian violence during President Bush’s “Surge” during the Iraq War.