Walter Pruitt

Private Walter Pruitt was killed in action on October 18, 1918 near Mazinghien, France during World War I.  He was 19 years old.

Walter Pruitt was born in Vance County in 1898,  the son of William Pruitt and Addie Wate Woodlief Pruitt. Beginning at an early age, he worked in the local cotton mills.

Pvt Pruitt served in Company C, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division which was based in Henderson as a National Guard unit prior to activation into the U.S. Army during World War I. 

In May 1918 the 30th Division, which included the 120th Regiment, traveled to New York and soon left for Europe. After a two-week voyage, the division landed in England and then departed for France.

On July 2, 1918, the 30th Division was sent to the British 2nd Army in Belgium. On August 16,  the division replaced British troops on the front in the trenches near Ypres. While there the division attacked and captured German positions with a loss of 37 dead and 128 wounded.

On September 3, the division withdrew from the front and transferred to the British 4th Army. By September 25, the 30th Division held its position opposite the German Hindenberg Line near Bellicourt, France. The Hindenburg Line was an important segment of the German defensive network on the Western Front in Europe during WWI.  At 5:50 AM on the morning of September 29, 1918, the North Carolinians of the 30th Division emerged from the safety of their trenches and formed up in a single line, each man standing shoulder to shoulder, roughly four to six feet apart. In front of them, a slowly creeping Allied artillery barrage pounded the German lines, softening them for the infantry. Then, right down the line, the order to advance came. Their objective was to break the Hindenburg Line.

As they moved across the field under a cacophony of machine gun and artillery fire, the men did their best to stay abreast and maintain unit cohesion. Due to the poor visibility, the difficult nature of the terrain, and battlefield obstacles, however, the lines began to waver almost immediately. Enemy artillery fire punched at the Allied lines as a thick cloud of fog and smoke enveloped the field. The coordinated attack quickly descended into an assault of fragmented groups.  Despite the chaos, the men continued their advance towards the enemy. The men of the 120th pushed the Germans from their trenches around 7:30, becoming the first Allied troops to break the Hindenburg Line. Just two hours later, the 120th marched triumphantly into the French town of Bellicourt.

The 120th continued its advance against the Germans in October.   At 5:30 A. M. on the morning of the 18th, the Regiment attacked successfully, capturing the town of Mazinghien advancing to heights west of Catillon-sur-Sambre and overlooking the Sambre Canal by October 19, 1918. Private Pruitt was killed in action on October 18, 1918.

Private Walter Pruitt’s name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing in the Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, Bony, Picardie, France. 

Last edited: 8 June 2026