Original Items: Only One Set Available: Private First Class Sylvester Brown saw more combat with the 52nd Artillery, Coastal Artillery Corps than most other soldiers in the American Expeditionary Force. Trained to defend the coastal cities of the United States, these units were shipped to France to put their training to use against the Imperial German menace.

This is the uniform grouping of Private First Class Sylvester Brown, Battery E, 52nd Artillery, CAC. The grouping includes his uniform jacket and breeches. The jacket is double patched, with a 1st Army patch above an extremely rare CAC unit patch, featuring a red rooster in front of a black circle. Each combat CAC unit had their own distinctive insignia, but it is very rare to find them on uniforms like this. The uniform is in great condition with little to no mothing, two overseas chevrons, and a discharge chevron. Also included is his enlisted visor cap with an EM cap badge, with his name written and stenciled on the interior a staggering seven times. Also included are his two overseas caps, a pair of puttees, and his waist belt.

Sylvester Brown enlisted in the regular army on May 1st, 1917, and was assigned to Battery I, 52nd Artillery, CAC. Brown traveled overseas with the CAC on August 17th, 1917, making his one of the earliest American units to arrive in France. The 52nd Artillery, CAC saw its first combat in the Lorraine Defensive Sector on March 5th, 1918. The regiment would see further combat in the Champagne defensive sector, the Champagne-Marne Offensive, the St. Mihiel Offensive, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The CAC were one of the first units to return stateside, with Brown returning on January 3rd, 1919. He was discharged on January 24th, 1919.

Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 24.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 14.5”
Chest width: 19"
Waist width: 18.5"
Hip width: 23.4"
Front length: 30.5"

Pants:
Waist: 34"
Inseam: 27"

The Coastal Artillery Corps
As with the rest of the US Armed Forces, the Coast Artillery was undermanned and poorly equipped except for coastal artillery weapons when war broke out in Europe in 1914. The War Department formed a Board of Review that recommended an increase in strength, which resulted in 105 new CA companies in 1916–17, although these were initially undermanned. After the American entry into World War I, the Coast Artillery as a whole was ordered brought up to strength, and 71 new companies were organized by July 1917.

In response to the rapid improvements in dreadnought battleships, approximately 14 two-gun batteries of 12-inch guns on a new M1917 long-range barbette carriage began construction in 1917, but none were completed until 1920.

The Coast Artillery was designated to provide the personnel for all US-manned heavy artillery (155 mm gun and larger), almost all railway artillery, and later anti-aircraft artillery units. As with most US Army World War I equipment, these units were primarily equipped with French- and British-made weapons, with few American-made heavy weapons arriving in France before the Armistice. As with other American World War I units, the CAC units operated alongside French forces for the most part. The CAC units sent to France and Britain with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) were organized into a total of 11 brigades comprising 33 regiments of 24 guns each, plus a replacement regiment, nine trench mortar battalions and thirteen anti-aircraft battalions (a.k.a. sectors). Many Coast Artillery companies were withdrawn from stateside coast defenses to provide cadre for the new artillery regiments. However, only 13 regiments saw action, while the remaining 20 regiments did not complete training before the Armistice, and up to 6 of these never received guns. A total of 61 regiments were organized; however, at least 23 of these were organized in the US shortly before the Armistice and were soon disbanded. The coast defense commands retained a company-based organization. Only one regiment saw action equipped with US-made guns, the 58th Coast Artillery armed with the 8-inch howitzer M1917, based on the British BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI.

Ninety-five 6-inch guns were withdrawn from coast defenses, with an additional 46 weapons supplied by the Navy and 30 ex-Navy weapons from arms dealer Francis Bannerman. Seventy-two of the Army 6-inch guns (possibly with a few additional Navy weapons) and 26 5-inch guns also removed from coast defenses were mounted on M1917 field carriages and equipped four artillery regiments in France, but none of these completed training before the Armistice. After the war, some of the 6-inch guns were returned to coast defenses, but the 5-inch guns were withdrawn from coast defense service. Most of the 6-inch guns were stored and were eventually deployed in World War II.