University of Maryland School of Pharmacy - Terra Mariae Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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Col. Hanna, to cover the evacuation of the wounded of the division from the area forward of the Field Hospitals. There had been serious diffi- culties in this connection in the earlier engagements of the division. Dr. Pincoffs ' plan was accepted and he was assigned to organize manoeuvres for the training of the ambulance companies. A few weeks later, he was given command of the stretcher-bearer detachments of the four ambu- lance companies, who were from that time on to cover the gap between Battalion aide posts and the head of ambulance transportation. He was also made Commanding Officer of Ambulance Company No. 1. The new plan of evacuation worked successfully for the first time in the St. Mihiel Offensive on September 12th, when the Second Division was on the right arm of the salient and captured Thiaucourt, thei-eby wiping out the salient. At the end of the St. Mihiel Offensive, this Division was sent into the Champagne as a part of Gourond ' s 4th French Army, and in the offensive there, the Division captured Blanc Mont, which had resisted attack by two French Division. The evacuation of the wounded of the Second Division during this advance was reported as the most efficient and rapid of any American unit dui-ing the war. By ten o ' clock on the night of the first day ' s offensive, all wounded men had been removed from the field, and in many instances, wounded men were back in the Evacua- tion Hospital in three or four hours after the receipt of the wound. After this, the Division went to the Argonne and jumped off, November 1st, and continued in the advance until the Armistice, November 11th. They reached the Meuse, bridged it, and some of the troops were across when hostilities ceased. After the Armistice, the Division was sent into Ger- many and the night the Division reached the Rhine Dr. Pincoffs was ordered back to Bazoilles, where he joined Base 18, and returned home with this unit in February, 1919. Dr. Pincoffs served as Lieutenant until near the end of the war, when he was made a Captain. He was cited a number of times, and received the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre with a palm and two stars. These decorations are not given for executive work behind the front lines. In March of that year, he was married to Miss Katharine Randall, daughter of Mr. Blanchard Randall. He returned to his old association with Dr. Barker, and taught in the Medical Dispensary at Hopkins. In July, 1921, the University of Maryland and State College were merged under a President and Board of Trustees, and President Woods offered the Professorship of Medicine and Head of the Department to Dr. Pincoffs, who accepted the Chair and began his connection with the Uni- versity in September, 1921. From then until now, his painstaking atten- tion to detail, his steadfastness, and his willingness to spend hour after hour in routine teaching promise well for the future of the Medical De- partment. Nine . e TY OF M

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of Internal Medicine with Dr. Lewellys F. Barker, and spent about one- hahf of this time in research work in pharmacology under the supervision of Dr. Abel. When war was declared between the United States and Germany in April, 1917, Dr. Pincoffs was in the Reserve Medical Corps and was called for recruiting duty. He volunteered for immediate service abroad and was sent across in May, 1917, for duty with the British. He was attached to the 7th Field Ambulance of the Third British Division and had charge of the stretcher bearers in the evacuation of the wounded from the battalion aide posts to the head of the motor transport. This, of course, was front line work. He continued in this work until November, 1917. He saw the end of the battle of Arras, was through the Third Ypres, and on the edge of the battle of Cambrai. He was then detached from the British, assigned to the American Red Cross, and put in charge of a hospital for civilians at Neufchateau. This hospital afterwards be- came Headquarters of the Medical Consultants of the American E.xpedi- tionary Forces. It was built, organized and equipped by Dr. Pincoffs with the help of Mr. Pleasants Pennington. He remained there until the middle of April, 1918, when he was sent to the Second Division and be- came Battalion M. 0. for the Third Battalion, 9th Infantry. From this time to the end of the war he was continuously with this Division, and as the Second Division saw a very active service and was only rivalled by the First Division in guns captured, number of casualties, and ground gained, it can be seen that, in the words of O ' Henry, Dr. Pincoffs saw the elephant and heard the owl. Soon after he joined the Second Di- vision it went into a comparatively quiet sector between Verdun and the St. Mihiel. They were pulled out from here and were on their way to Cantigney to relieve the First Division when the Germans started their advance on Paris, May 28th, 1918. This was ' the famous Second Division that went forward from Meaux along the Paris road and took up line of battle on the edge of Belleau wood early in June. The Division re- mained in the front line for nearly a month until early in July, they were taken out and had about two weeks ' rest. They then went in again along with the First Division just south of Soissons, July 18th, and pulled off the famous flanking movement that turned the tide against the Germans and robbed them of the offensive. This is spoken of in history as the Aisne-Marne Offensive or the Second Battle of the Marne. There were eleven officers and eight hundred and fifty men in Dr. Pincoft ' s Battalion at the beginning of the attack. At the end of two days, there were left two officers and three hundred men. The Division advanced about six miles and cut the main Soissons road. They went ba ck for replacements and new equipment, and were sent to the neighborhood of Nancy, in which sector the First American Army was being organized. At this time, Dr. Pincoffs was detached from the 9th Infantry and was attached to Ambu- lance Company No. 15. He submitted a new plan to the Division Surgeon, • ■- • ■ . ■ ... Ekjht ■■,-v

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N attempting this, the 1923 publication of the Terra Mariae, the editors had one object in view, To accom- plish the impossible rather than to silence objectors. Those who know most will understand best and be inter- ested as well as sympathetic, and surely our sympathies should rather be with those who seek to make doubtful things certain, than with those others who labor to make certain things doubtful. So in presenting this edition the editors have en- deavored in the limited space allotted to each department to include such little items of interest as will remind one that college life may have a few bright spots that provoke a smile and pleasant memories, as well as the racking grind that is ever the price the seeker after knowledge pays as a penalty to the shrine of his chosen profession. In compiling it has been necessary to select carefully from, a large quantity of material submitted, not only that which represents the best of its kind, but only that which would further our early reso- lution not to tread too heavily on anyone ' s toes, or to offend even the most sensitive. It is with a hope that when we turn back the pages of memory in after years this book will help recall many amusing incidents and fond recollections of our college days, and when in a reminiscent mood may the turning of its pages soften the lines at the corners of the mouth and provoke a mirthful sparkle to the eye. Perhaps not everything is portrayed exactly as it occurred, but remember, dear reader, that the routine must be broken and the monotony relieved else interest would lax, wane and die. So let those who peruse these pages regard them only as the faint rays of a lamp of inquiry, which may guide others, stronger and more capable, to come forward and work for the revival of our year book. And now it is in your hands and it remains for you to judge or not as you best see fit, though if censored, we trust not too harshly. Alfred H. Sheppe. Eitor-in-Chipf. Ten