100 years ago, North Dakota boys were now in the thick of the fighting in France. A decision of the Department of War to publish casualty lists without providing the hometowns of the soldiers created a great deal of anxiety for the families of soldiers with similar names.
The outcry prompted President Wilson to overrule that decision, and on this date in 1918, the names and hometowns of the killed, wounded or missing once again filled the columns of local newspapers. Letters with troop locations or battlefield engagements were still highly censored, so information from the front remained very limited and of a general nature.
Although the news was restricted, the people of North Dakota had their own war correspondent, affectionately known as Tosti. Earle Herbert Tostevin was the city editor of the Mandan Pioneer when he enlisted with the North Dakota National Guard on September 29th, 1917. Immediately upon his induction, Col. John Fraine, Commander of the Guard, authorized Tostevin to write stories of the North Dakota boys’ daily life, and those columns appeared regularly in a number of state newspapers. His perspective of the war was unique, as he moved with his unit from camp to camp and eventually to France. Unlike the Associated Press correspondents, his movements were restricted to the confines of his deployment.
Each column began with the same words, “Somewhere in France.” The first overseas column was written on January 16th, and appeared in North Dakota newspapers the second week of February. This provided the first news of the breakup of North Dakota’s 164th infantry regiment, and that the units had moved closer to the trenches. Tosti’s columns provided insight to help curb the anxiety of families back home.
After receiving a medical disability, Earle was shifted to duty as a correspondent with Stars and Stripes, the American military newspaper. He returned from duty overseas in February of 1919, resuming his career at the Mandan Pioneer. In 1933, friends and family were stunned when Earle suddenly died. He was only 43 years old.
Dakota Datebook by Jim Davis
Sources:
Grand Forks Herald, April 15, 1918
Bismarck Tribune, February 11, 1918
Jamestown Weekly Alert, September 27, 1917
Bismarck Tribune, May 3, 1918
Mandan Historical Society: http://www.mandanhistory.org/biographiessz/earletostevin.html
