LEWISTON — The Battle of Belleau Woods, fought during June 1918, was the first major engagement for American forces in World War I.

Before it was over, it would claim of the lives of three men from Lewiston, all killed in action on the same day.

Believing the American troops were raw and untrained, the Germans were eager to engage their fresh opponents, figuring it would be months before the Americans were combat ready.

At one point in the early days of the battle, the French urged the Americans to fall back against a major German attack. Marine Capt. Lloyd Williams famously said, “Retreat? Hell, we just got here,” and they repelled the German advance.

Following weeks of attacks and counter attacks, the Allies, including French and British troops, fought off the German offensive and the enemy eventually retreated on June 26.

While victorious, the battle was costly for the Americans, who suffered 1,811 fatalities among 9,777 casualties.

June 6 was an especially deadly day for Lewiston. That was the day that three of the city’s sons died: Corp. Aime Gagne from Company K, 23rd Infantry, Capt. Frank Hulett of the 2nd Engineers, and Pvt. Joseph Michaud of Company H, 23rd Infantry.

All three are listed as being killed in action.

Hulett is considered the first Lewiston serviceman to die in World War I and is the highest-ranked officer from Maine to die in the war.

Born in Vermont in 1884, Hulett graduated from Yale in 1908 with a degree in civil engineering. He worked as a surveyor in Connecticut before getting married. Hulett moved to Lewiston in 1913 and worked for the Lewiston, Augusta and Waterville street trolley as an engineer.

Active in the community, the Nichols Street resident was a charter member of the Rotary and served as its secretary. He also belonged to the Kora Temple.

At age 33, Hulett enlisted in the Army in 1917. He was assigned to the 2nd Engineer Regiment and left for Europe on Dec. 31, 1917.

According to published reports in the Lewiston Evening Journal, Hulett wrote in a letter home that he kept trying to get reassigned from the back of the lines so he could get closer to the action. On the day he died, Hulett had volunteered for observation duty near the front.

Originally buried in France, Hulett was exhumed and brought back to Lewiston for a memorial service and burial in 1921. A procession began on Lisbon Street and marched to St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Auburn. After the service, his flag-draped casket was placed on a gun carriage, it was pulled by four horses to Riverside Cemetery in Lewiston.

In 1928, veterans formed a new Veterans of Foreign Wars post and named it for Hulett — Capt. Frank W. Hulett VFW Post 1603. During the dedication ceremony, a nameless veteran told a reporter that they were proud to name the post in Hulett’s honor.

“Frank Hulett typified all the best in American manhood, according to our way of thinking,” the veteran said. “He didn’t have to go. He was the only one in his immediate set that did go. He was true to his traditions as an American and a fellow citizen. He was no better nor worse than the rest of the soldiers and sailors, but his decision to go entailed a little greater sacrifice than some of us had to make. We’re glad the Post was named after him.”

Gagne and Michaud were members of the 27th Infantry Regiment, but serving in different companies.

Gagne was born in Quebec on May 1, 1891, and immigrated to Lewiston in 1906. He worked in various jobs while in Maine. According to the census, he lived on River Street, working as a laborer for the railroad. His obituary said he also lived on Park Street and worked as a mill operative.

At Belleau Woods, late on June 6, an attack was organized by the division’s other brigade to take pressure off the Marines. Sometime after 5 p.m., the 3rd Battalion launched an attack against a strong German position. The machine gun fire was terrible and relentless. Some 75 soldiers lost their lives in that attack, many in Company K.

Gagne, who was not married, was 27. He is still buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France.

Little is known of Michaud. He was also born in Quebec and moved to Lewiston. With at least three Joseph Michauds from Lewiston filling out draft registration cards in Lewiston in 1917 and with no middle initial listed in reports of his death, it is unclear which Joseph Michaud died in 1918 at Belleau Woods. He is also buried at Aisne-Marne.