OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 625 had voted with the minority in favor of a different series of resolutions and that he now rose to speak in behalf of that minority report. He then delivered an able and forceful address, not only in favor of recognizing immediately the independence of the people of Cuba, but also the independence of the republic of Cuba. His address showed familiarity with every phase of the Cuban situation, and the logic and law in favor of the recognition of the organized republic of Cuba. In conclusion he made a telling reference to the destruction of the Maine and appealed for the immediate end of intolerable conditions in Cuba. "It is not morality, it is not Christianity, it is not religion, it is not common decency, it is not common sense, but only a maudlin sentimentality," said he, "to talk, in the presence of such circumstances and facts, about the horrors of war." In conclusion, he predicted that if war must come, victory must follow : "A victory, Mr. President, for civilization over barbarism ; a victory for the right and capacity of man to govern himself ; a victory for freedom, and liberty, and independence ; a victory worthy of the descendants of the heroic men who achieved our own independence, and worthy of the successors of those heroic men who have since preserved and perpetuated our priceless heritage." This speech at once placed Senator Foraker in the front rank of members of the upper house of Congress. He did not stop with his speech, however. He pressed consideration of the minority report until it was substituted by a decisive vote for the majority report and passed the Senate by a vote of 67 to 21. As adopted, the resolutions, following the preamble, were as follows : "First. That the people of the island of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free and independent, and that the government of the United States hereby recognizes the republic of Cuba as the true and lawful government of the island. "Second. That it is the duty of the United States to demand, and the government of the United States does hereby demand, that the government of Spain at once relinquish its authority and government in the island of Cuba, and withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters. "Third. That the President of the United States be, and he hereby is, directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval forces of the United States, and to call into the actual service of the United States the militia of the several states, to such extent as may be necessary to carry these resolutions into effect. "Fourth. That the United States hereby disclaims any disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over said island, except for the pacification thereof, and asserts its determination, when that is accomplished, to leave the government and control of the island to its people." These are the resolutions submitted by a minority of the committee of the Senate and championed by Senator Foraker, who led the fight for their adoption. It is understood that they were virtually as he himself had originally written them. Resolutions were adopted by the House of Representatives embracing more nearly the request and suggestions of the President in his message of April 11. Conference committees on the part of the Senate and the House finally agreed upon the Senate resolutions except that the first was so changed as to avoid a formal recognition of the republic of Cuba. The first resolution, as finally agreed upon, read as follows : "First. The people of the island of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free and independent." These resolutions were the basis upon which war was declared and fought to a triumphant conclusion. They are a succinct statement of the purposes with which the United States entered upon the war, and 626 - HISTORY OF OHIO will stand for all time as the justification before the civilized world of the American appeal to arms. These resolutions were adopted April 18. On the day following the Seventeenth Regiment of United States Infantry, which had been stationed at the Columbus army post, started for the front, attended by an outpouring of the people and magnificent demonstrations of the capital city to do them honor. No person who witnessed the demonstration that extended from the barracks past the capitol and down High Street can ever forget it. Along the way from beginning to end, great masses of the people shouted their enthusiastic approval and waved their final farewell. Windows and housetops were thronged to witness the impressive passing pageant. The State House grounds were thronged to their capacity. The American flag was everywhere, and' from one of the windows of the State House waved for the first time in the air of Columbus the Cuban flag, which had been prepared for such an occasion by members of the American Cuban League, an organization which for more than a year had actively favored intervention in Cuba. Colonel John S. Poland, commander of the Seventeenth, was not a native of Ohio, but during a somewhat extended stay at the Columbus post had made many friends. He was a high grade type of officer in the regular American army service. Rather quiet in his manner and with no opinions to express on public affairs, his social qualities were still of a high order, and prominent citizens of Columbus had formed for him a genuine attachment. As he passed down the street on his way to the battlefields of Cuba, the demonstration was such as no one had ever before witnessed in the capital city. The regiment was escorted by the local battalion of the Fourteenth Ohio National Guard, a large detachment of the Grand Army of the Republic in uniform, and the Ohio State University battalion. At the Panhandle depot on the corner of Third and Naghten streets, where the troops entrained, a great crowd had assembled. The Fourth Street viaduct was literally black with people. As the train pulled out the cheering was renewed in volume so vast that it seemed to echo over the entire city. Handkerchiefs and umbrellas waved the final farewell! which was answered by the waving of hundreds of gray felt hats from the windows of the cars. And thus the gallant Seventeenth left on its way to the front in a distant land,. and the people of Ohio realized that they were again at war. Enthusiasm ran high and offers of volunteer companies and regiments poured into the office of Governor Bushnell and his adjutant general, Henry A. Axline. Only a small part of the thousands who offered their services could be accepted. Camp Bushnell east of Columbus was promptly selected for the assembling of the Ohio troops, and soon the various organizations of the Ohio National Guard were stationed here, where the officers and men went into intensive training and were inducted into the service of the United States. Reference is made elsewhere to the War with Spain as a feature of the Bushnell administration, including the number of volunteers under the two calls and the official personnel of the Ohio regiments. Unlike every other war since statehood, in this Ohio's soldiers had a mere taste of campaigning and fighting. Only three of the Ohio regiments saw service in a foreign land—the Fourth, Sixth and Eighth regiments. The Fourth, commanded by Colonel A. B. Coit, participated in the Porto Rican campaign, receiving its baptism of fire at the Barrio Las Palmas near Guayama, where five Ohioans were wounded. Then followed the advance upon the Spanish position at Cayey. But just as a battery under the command of Captain R. H. Anderson of Ohio opened fire, a dispatch was brought announcing the peace protocol. The Sixth Regiment arrived in the Santa Clara district of Cuba after the OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 627 declaration of peace. The Eighth Regiment reached Santiago just too late to take part in the siege, but while on duty as part of the army of occupation in eastern Cuba, suffered severely from the disease, which was the greatest foe of the Americans during this brief war. Governor Bushnell in his message of 1900, reported the total number of deaths in the Ohio volunteer organizations as seven officers and 223 enlisted men. Roosevelt called it "the War of America the Unready." The navy was a great fighting unit. Dewey, anticipating war, while with his squadron in the Orient, had drilled his gunners constantly, and this disciplined efficiency gave him the victory of Manila Bay at the cost of only seven Americans slightly wounded and none killed. When the Atlantic fleet destroyed Cervera's squadron in the naval battle of Santiago, with an American loss of one killed and one seriously wounded, again a part of the credit was due to preparedness. In the matter of preparedness Ohio's record is conspicuous. Ohio was the first state in the Union to put a volunteer regiment in the field. On May 14, nineteen days after Governor Bushnell ordered mobilization, the First Ohio Cavalry and the Fourth Ohio Infantry entrained for Chickamauga Park. Much praise was given Governor Bushnell and his adjutant general, Henry A. Axline, not only for getting the troops promptly Into service, but for the excellent business management exercised in the purchase of supplies and equipment. When the authorities at Washington audited the accounts of Ohio's military expenditures, the low prices of many articles were .noted. It was explained that, anticipating the possible clash with Spain, Governor Bushnell, some months before the declaration of war, had personally .secured, without legislative authority and on his own responsibility, options on materials and equipment at peacetime prices, thus assuring a substantial saving to the government. It is said that Governor Bushnell, while in office, gave practically all his salary to private charities, of which the public heard nothing. Appeals in behalf of the stricken soldiers in the camps and their dependents at home had his generous consideration. A superintendent from one of the state institutions, who still holds that position, relates how, in war time, he called at the governor's office for a personal contribution to a fund for the relief of former inmates of the institution. While waiting his turn to see the governor, a widow whose only son and chief support had gone to war made a plea to have him 'brought back. He had been a member of the Ohio National Guard and felt when war came that it would be unpatriotic 'for him to ask exemption from military service. His mother had heard that he was ill and she was much distressed. "My dear woman," said the governor, "your son has been transf erred to the service of the United States, and I no longer have authority over him, nor can I bring him back. I' trust that we may find that he is not seriously ill. The government is now taking the best of care of the boys in the hospitals. The war will soon be over and I hope that your son may soon be with you again. I am sorry that I cannot do more to help you. Possibly a little contribution may be acceptable." Thereupon the governor placed in the mother's hands, as nearly as the superintendend could observe, $50 in bills, promptly escorted her to the door with words of encouragement and returned to meet numerous other callers in waiting, while the woman lingered for a moment at the doorway with a look of inexpressible gratitude and then disappeared. In the dispensation of relief in instances like this the governor evidently took satisfaction in observing the scriptural injunction, "Let not thy left hand know what they right hand doeth." The chief executive of the nation during the war was an Ohioan, who during 1892-96 had been governor of the state. As in the Civil war period, one is impressed with the remarkable number of Ohio men who were military leaders, responsible figures in the inner councils of 628 - HISTORY OF OHIO the administration, diplomats and otherwise influential in formulating policies and executing plans in an era that proved a turning point in the history of America as an international power. This is further borne out by taking the national, instead of the Ohio viewpoint, as illustrated in Rhodes, "The McKinley and Roosevelt Administrations." "One of the embarrassing situations confronting McKinley after his election," we are told, "was the number of Ohio men of really eminent qualifications for the cabinet positions he had to fill. There was the venerable John Sherman for secretary of state, but the President also wanted Mark Hanna in the cabinet. Had he prevailed upon Hanna to take the Portfolio of State, he would," says Rhodes, "have appointed as secretary of state a man flatly opposed to a warlike intervention in favor of Cuba, as at that time McKinley was himself." A few weeks after becoming President, McKinley made William R. Day, another Ohio man, assistant secretary of state. Day was acting secretary during the year leading up to the war, and on April 26, 1898, a few days after the war started, succeeded Sherman. Day and McKinley had both practiced law in Canton, and had long been personal and political friends. Since McKinley inherited the Cuban question from the preceding administration, he was much concerned over the choice of a minister to represent this country in Spain. He offered the post to General J. D. Cox, who was then advanced in years and declined. Cox, as mentioned elsewhere, was an Ohio man who rose to the rank of major general in the Civil war and served one term as governor of Ohio at its conclusion. The minister to England during the war was John Hay, who for ten years had resided in Cleveland, where, to quote Rhodes, "He organized a dinner club, called the Vampire, of which he was the life." He left Cleveland to become assistant secretary of state in 1879. William R. Day negotiated the protocol with Spain and was the first of the five peace commissioners named by the President to arrange terms with the Spanish government. Another member of the peace commission was Whitelaw Reid, also a native and former citizen of Ohio. When Judge Day went to Paris, he was succeeded as secretary of state by John Hay, whose masterful diplomacy brought high distinction to the nation. Russell A. Alger was a native of Ohio, but a resident of Michigan. Roosevelt in his Autobiography said : "Alger happened to be secretary (of war) when war broke out, and all the responsibility for the shortcomings of the department was visited upon his devoted head. He was made the scapegoat for our national shortcomings. The fault was not his ; the fault and responsibility lay with us, the people." The adjutant general of the army, upon whom devolved the responsibility for organizing and equipping the regular and volunteer forces, was Henry C. Corbin, who was born in Clermont County, Ohio, in 1842, and died in 1909. He had become a brigadier general by brevet for meritorious service in the Civil war, and subsequently entered the regular army, becoming an assistant adjutant general in 1880, and was made adjutant general in February, 1898, and major general in June, 1900. Elsewhere reference is made to the resolution of the Ohio legislature commending the stand of Senator Foraker in favor of the freedom and independence of Cuba. Foraker continued a conspicuous figure in the debates in Congress on the issues of the war. He was regarded as the spokesman of the administration in defense of McKinley's Philippine policy. As chairman of the Senate committee on Porto Rico, he drafted the organic act which determined our relations with that island. This, the Foraker Act, as it has been known, became a law in 1900, and has remained in force with little change ever since. In addition to General Corbin, the following Ohioans served as major generals in the War with Spain : Henry W. Lawton, Adna R. Chaffee and Joseph Warren Keifer. Reference has already been made to the service of General Keifer in the Civil war. In the War with OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 629 Spain he commanded a division in the vicinity of Havana. He led the American troops into that city after the withdrawal of the Spanish forces, January 1, 1899. He served until May 12 of that year. The following Ohioans served as brigadier generals : Thomas McArthur Anderson, George A. Garretson, Oswald A. Ernst, William Sinclair, Michael V. Sheridan (brother of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan), Gilbert S. Carpenter, Jacob H. Smith, Harrison Gray Otis, Charles C. Hood, Andrew S. Burt, Henry B. Freeman, George M. Randall and Frederick Funston. Thomas M. Anderson commanded the first expedition to the Philippines, occupied Cavite June 30, 1898, directed the land attack on Manila, and commanded a division in three battles with the insurrectionists in 1899. Frederick Funston captured Aguinaldo. George A. Garretson and Oswald A. Ernst were brigade commanders in Cuba and Porto Rico. Maj-Gen. James F. Wade, son of Benjamin F. Wade, after being transferred to the Philippines attained to the chief military command. While it was only one chapter in a career of repeated distinctions, the service of William Howard Taft, as the first civil governor of the Philippines, 1901-04, was not least among important contributions made by Ohio men to this national epoch. The Seventeenth Regiment of regulars were followed closely through the news columns after their departure from Columbus. As in all our wars, the regulars were the first to reach the fiery battle front. Rapidly they moved southward and embarked for the island of Cuba. Very soon they were on the front near Santiago, and in contact with the enemy before that beleagured city. After hard service under tropical skies, at the close of the brief war they were ordered to the old post at Columbus. They were welcomed back, September 16, 1898, with demonstrations as generous and in some respects more impressive than those attending their departure to the seat of war. The Ohio State Journal of September 17, in its news columns said among other things : "As the throng that had stood on the streets a few months ago and had seen these same soldiers depart, saw them return with their number thinned and their ranks devastated by shot and shell, disease and famine, they shouted in one breath the praise of those who remained and let fall a silent tear for those who had fallen. * * * This same throng looked at the vacant place at the head of the line and remembered how, when the soldiers went away, the city's heart had warmed to the gallant soldier and true American, Colonel Poland, and then quietly the tears fell as they remembered the sad news of his deh. * * * They looked on the flag and they remembered that it was carried in the campaign before Santiago, where the prowess of American arms was vindicated. * * * They remembered that it had waved over El Caney." In the midst of universal rejoicing the people of Columbus were shocked at the announcement of the sudden death of Brig.-Gen. Joseph T. Haskell, who had gone out as lieutenant colonel of the Seventeenth, had been severely wounded at El Caney, had two weeks previously been promoted to brigadier general, and after participating in the excitement of the home coming, dropped dead in his home at the army post. On August 12 the peace protocol was signed in Washington and armistice was proclaimed. The blockade of Cuba was raised. Throughout August and September the public interest was largely centered in the suffering of the soldiers who were still detained in the fever-stricken camps of the South and North. The war had been brief. The actual losses in killed and wounded had been remarkably small. But the suffering of the soldiers in the camps had been very great. The preventive treatment and measures against typhoid fever, which proved so effective in the World war, were not known at this time. Yellow 630 - HISTORY OF OHIO fever still infested the West Indies and in spite of all precautions many became victims of this malady. Among the number was Capt. Joseph Benson Foraker, Jr., who early 'enlisted in the volunteer army and while stationed at Havana was afflicted with the fever. It Seemed at the time to yield readily to the best medical service that could be procured, but it really left his system in weakened condition and was the cause of his death some years later, to the great sorrow of his father. Captain Foraker was an Ohioan and a youth of bright promise. In the latter part of August a number of fever stricken soldiers from the, camps were brought to Columbus by order of Governor Bushnell. On September 8 the state's hospital train brought back to Columbus a still larger number of Ohio volunteers. There was no shouting or cheering to greet the arrival of this train, but the people felt and manifested deep sympathy. Everything possible was done to hasten the recovery of the afflicted volunteers. On December 10 the treaty of peace was signed at Paris and the War with Spain was at an end. If this war was not a "big war," judged by results it must rank as "a great war." Perhaps no one may be more appropriately quoted in this connection than Senator Foraker himself, who had manifested an early interest in the Cuban crisis, had laid, in the resolutions adopted by Congress, the basis on which the war was conducted, and had been vigilant friend of the Cubans at the conclusion of the conflict. In an address on the results of the war, he said : "Not only has there been this general advancement of our national name and power and prestige, but there has been wrought at home among ourselves, as a result of the war, an almost incalculable benefit. Sectional lines, and sectional feelings, have been largely, if not altogether effaced. Lee and Wheeler and Shafter and Lawton and their comrades, the sons of the South and the sons of the North, stood shoulder to shoulder and contributed equally and alike to the glorious results on land, while Hobson and Dewey and Schley and Sampson have in the same manner represented the two great sections, with like results, on the water. If there had been no other consequence than the enhancement of national prestige and this effacement of sectional divisions, we would have been amply compensated. But they were not the purpose of the war. They were only its incidentals. It was not for them we fought. It was our aim to put a stop to the inhumanity that caused the war, and that we have done. There will be no more Spanish tyranny in Cuba. There will be no more Weylerism, no more starvation, no more of the heartless grinding of the tax-gatherers in that beautiful island. There will be no further denials of human and personal liberty. Cuba is free." Continuing, he spoke of the responsibilities that came with victory. These responsibilities, he declared, were the problems of the future. "The great questions of the hour," said he, "are : What shall we do with Cuba ? What shall we do with Porto Rico ? And particularly what with the Philippines ? So far as Cuba is concerned there should be no question whatever. The Cubans have earned their independence. We have solemnly declared not only that they are free and independent, but that they shall have, a government of their own choosing. We must keep our promise, and we will." To the glory of our Republic, that promise has been kept to this day. More than a quarter of a century ago Congress declared that the United States was big enough to go to war for the protection of suffering and perishing humanity at her doors. In the flush of victory and the sudden expansion of our government into a world power, there were those who by spoken word and secret act would have kept the .island of Cuba and denied her people the independence that had been pledged them. These interests, powerful, persistent and eager to develop the resources of Cuba, strove in vain to accomplish their purposes. OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 631 There was a strong appeal in behalf of "the flag." "Where the American flag is raised it will never be hauled down ;" "the flag of our Republic waves over Havana and Moro Castle and there it will remain forever." Such were the appeals to a thoughtless patriotic pride, but they, too, were in vain. Gradually it dawned upon the people of the United States that, in the altruistic policy adopted with reference to Cuba, our nation had established a record that appealed powerfully to other nations. There would have been, perhaps, no protest from any of them if the United States had annexed Cuba. Pretexts could easily have been, found .for such a course. The fact that our government sacredly kept her pledge gave us a new moral standing among the nations of the earth. No American will ever have occasion to blush for his country's attitude toward Cuba. The Stars and Stripes went down in the island but they went down in honor. A new and luminous chapter was written in the nation's history. The policy of our government thus established in her War with Spain has given the nation a position peculiarly its own among the powers of the earth. It was this altruistic spirit that led to the declaration, at our entrance into the World war, that the United States would, if necessary, pour forth her treasure and blood for the restitution of invaded rights, and the rescue of menaced civilization ; but that not an arm would be uplifted, and not a dollar spent for conquest or tribute wrung from a fallen foe. A lecturer recently declared that the United States was generally unpopular throughout Europe after the close of the World war. "And yet," said he, "while this feeling of unfriendliness exists, the United States is the most highly respected of the world powers. It is respected because no selfish motive can be ascribed to the United States in entering the war." And someone else has said that in this last great conflict America demonstrated that she was big enough to take an empire and too big to keep it. Senator Warren G. Harding, in a Memorial day address after the President had declared war against Germany and the Central Powers. referred to our altruistic national policy and said among other things : "At the time I thought we were making a mistake by granting independence to the island of Cuba. I doubted the ability of the people of that island to govern themselves, and I thought we should save ourselves time and trouble by annexing the island. But when, on the very day following the declaration of war against Germany, brave little Cuba stepped forward by the side of her big brother with a like declaration, I knew that I had been mistaken. The gratitude due to our Republic has been paid in full measure by Cuba." Senator Foraker, of course, never claimed credit for the liberation of Cuba. Other members of Congress had preceded him in bringing to the attention of the people the intolerable conditions in the island. Senator Redfield Proctor of Vermont, one of the conservative members of Congress, and Senator John M. Thurston, of Nebraska, whose eloquence is still recalled, had visited the island and were eyewitnesses to the sufferings in the reconcentrate camps. In one of the most poignant addresses ever delivered in the Senate, Senator McPherson, at an earlier request of his wife who had died a few days before, drew a picture of these camps where the pacific population of Cuba was doomed to slow but certain extinction. Many others had joined in protest against the continued rule of Spain in the island. It was left to Senator Foraker, however, to lead in the movement to force Spain at once from the island, to liberate the Cubans and to give them the independence for which, through long years, they had prayed and struggled and died. When the visitor to Cuba, that is now enjoying, under a government 632 - HISTORY OF OHIO of its own choice, administered by its own people, a degree of prosperity unknown and impossible under Spanish dominion, views with pride and satisfaction the flag of the single star floating from the government building in Havana, he will not forget that among those responsible for this happy change, who helped to raise and keep that banner under the sunny southern skies, no one person did more than Joseph Benson Foraker of Ohio. The American visitor to Cuba today must view with pride and satisfaction the island republic, under a government of its own choosing, administered by its own people, and enjoying a degree of prosperity and happiness unknown and impossible under Spanish dominion. If that visitor he an Ohioan, as he sees the flag of the single star floating from the government building in Havana, he will not forget that among those responsible for this happy change, who helped to raise and keep that flag under the sunny southern skies, no one person did more than Joseph Benson Foraker of Ohio. In his highly honorable course with reference to Cuba, he probably builded better than he knew. The altruistic policy of the United States with reference to that island has become a fundamental pninciple of our national diplomacy. Our striving shall never be for conquest and tribute and spoils. CHAPTER V OHIO IN THE WORLD WAR The predilections of Ohioans are pacific. In other words, we are inclined to be peaceful, notwithstanding the fact that our orators are prone to boast at times of the achievements of our warriors. The origin of this peaceful tendency is a little obscure. In the early years of our statehood, and even ante-dating, the admission of Ohio into the Union, there was a somewhat generous migration of Quakers to the region northwest of the River Ohio. This migration was chiefly to the southwestern portion of the state and to the counties on the eastern border, especially Columbiana, Jefferson and Belmont. The number of Quakers in the state has not increased with the passing of the years, but the descendants of these early settlers have carried into other religious denominations and into the population with no specific church affiliation much of the early Quaker spirit. Along with opposition to war the Quaker brought his opposition, as we have seen, to the institution of slavery. When it became apparent that slavery must perish by war, he not infrequently became a "fighting Quaker"—something of a paradox, but illustrated by many instances in Civil war times. Whether this Quaker devotion to peace was at the foundation of Ohio's apprehension of and opposition to war in the eventful year of 1916, we are not prepared positively to say. It is doubtless true that whatever of the Quaker spirit survived in Ohio had its tendency in that direction. Small sections of the state had been settled by the Amish and Mennonites, but their opposition to war did not extend beyond the narrow limits of their comparatively small population. In this respect it differed fundamentally from the Quaker influence. But whatever the real source of this tendency in Ohio, there can be no doubt of its existence in 1916. In that year, as we have seen, Charles E. Hughes was nominated for the presidency by the republicans, and Woodrow Wilson was re-nominated by the democrats. In Ohio a governor's first term is apt to be disappointing to his followers. The number of offices at his disposal is never sufficient to reward all the "faithful," and the average governor is apt to make in his first term some mistakes that he would not repeat in a second term. It has been generally thought that in a presidential year a republican governor's candidacy for reelection in Ohio would be strengthened by uniting the state and national tickets under the eagle. This arrangement was believed to be in the interest of the candidate for governor, for it would make him the beneficiary of the "straight" votes, which usually included those cast by electors who had uppermost in mind the success of the national ticket. In view of this tendency, the republican General Assembly in 1915 voted to combine national and state tickets under one party emblem. It was thought that this arrangement would assure the reelection of Governor Willis, who was perhaps not quite so strong on a state ticket with state issues as the republican candidate for President on a national ticket with national issues. Some weeks before election, however, there were intimations that Statesman Charles E. Hughes would run behind Governor Willis. Straw votes indicated this so clearly that there was little room to doubt that Willis would receive many thousand more votes than Hughes. Whether this loss of votes to Hughes would be sufficient to defeat him and carry - 633 - 634 - HISTORY OF OHIO clown with him the state ticket, of course, could not be known to a certainty until the November election ; but republican leaders were apprehensive of the result. On election day, as we have seen, Woodrow Wilson carried the state by 89,408 votes, while former Governor Cox carried it by only 6,616 votes, a difference between the pluralities for Cox and Wilson of 82,782 votes. Why this difference ? Republicans of Ohio had strongly favored the nomination of Hughes. There was no question as to his eminent fitness for the office. What gave Woodrow Wilson his special strength in Ohio in 1916 ? The answer is expressed in a brief sentence that passed from lip to lip among Ohioans in the presidential campaign : "He kept us BRIGADIER-GENERAL EDWARD SIGERFOOS OF GREENVILLE He was the highest ranking officer killed in the World War. Detailed to lead a brigade to the front, he was mortally wounded September 29, 1918, and died in the base hospital eight days afterward. out of war." The country had indeed been kept out of the great World war. While that conflict on the other side of the Atlantic had made a demand for American products, including munitions, and had given us a sort of hectic prosperity, there was a feeling prevalent among many classes that this condition might continue more certainly under President Wilson than his competitor in this campaign. This explains the big vote for Wilson in Ohio that swept the state from its traditional moorings in a presidential campaign, and landed it securely in the democratic column. This change in Ohio alone assured the defeat of Hughes and the reelection of Woodrow Wilson. As the time for the second inauguration of Wilson approached it became less certain that he would be able to continue to "keep us out of war." Great numbers, however, to the very last entertained the hope OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 635 that in some way our Nation might escape the red whirlwind that with every passing day assumed proportions more threatening. This conversation, overheard in the closing days of February, 1917, illustrates this difference of opinion : "Dad," said a young man on a visit to his father in the capital city, "we are going to get into this war." "I differ with you," said the father. "We have kept out of the war thus far, and some way will be found to keep out of it to the end." "I am fully convinced," answered the young man, "that we are going to be involved in this war, and when I was in Washington yesterday, I went to the War Department and offered my services." "That is all right," said the father, "if you feel that to be your duty. But you will find, I think, that you will never be called into the service. We will find a way to keep out of this war." As time passed, however, the number that regarded our entrance into the war as inevitable steadily grew. Finally April 6th arrived. Our progress to that fateful day is described in the following lines : Far, far away, beyond the sea there rose A threatening cloud, with gathered wrath in store ; The world from dreams of peace and sweet repose Was rudely wakened by the bolts of war. The cloud grew darker as it loomed more vast And cast its shadow o'er our tranquil sky ; But Statecraft sought to stem the rising blast, While Faith prayed that this cup might pass us by. Then burst the storm, and every day that dawned Saw Mars enthroned amid the martial din ; Throughout the world a mighty chasm yawned, And knights by millions rose to close it in. The land resounded with the sounds of preparation. Railway trains, with huge loads of lumber and other equipment, sped to designated points, and camps and cantonments as if by magic sprang into existence. The music of the saw and the hatchet was heard almost night and day, and the barracks were soon ready for occupancy. Munition factories redoubled their energies and great industrial plants turned from the production of the implements of peace to the creation of the enginery of war. Their smoke darkened the day and their livid fires burned fiercely through the night. Civilian organizations to aid in the "winning of the war" multiplied. Great meetings were held, and patriotic orators were cheered to the echo. The people gave of their means to the limit for the purchase of government bonds and government savings stamps, and responded with enthusiasm to the appeals of the food administration and the various auxiliary agencies that had volunteered their services in support of the government. The streets of the cities, in which a short time before the uniform of a soldier was seldom seen, now echoed to the measured tread of the khaki-clad legions, and the "olive drab" was a vestment of honor and a passport -to the best homes in the land. When war came there was no disposition, even among those who had voted for Wilson to keep us out of war, to blame him for failure. Citizens with one accord felt that he had done everything in his power to avoid the conflict. In the presence of the stern reality the spirit of America and the spirit of Ohio rose grandly to the occasion. For the time being politics were forgotten. President Wilson himself truthfully stated the situation, as the war progressed, in the well remembered words : "Politics is adjourned." Governors and congressmen, regardless of party, hailed this declaration, and America, united as never before in her history, prepared to do her part in bringing to a close the struggle 636 - HISTORY OF OHIO that was desolating Europe and menacing the world. With logic and well considered military strategy there was, as in all wars, though in lesser degree than in our own Civil war, perhaps, a mingling of sentiment that appealed with power to America's millions on their way to the camps and battlefields. Prior to our entrance into the war, Lieut.-Col. John McCrae, while on the western battle front, where he was face to face with the indecisive results of the terrible conflict, penned the following appeal that stirred mightily the American legions as they marshalled for the fray : "In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the Crosses, row on row, That mark our place ; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. "We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved ; and now we lie In Flanders fields. "Take up our quarrel with the foe ! To you, from failing hands, we throw The torch. Be yours to hold it high ! If ye break faith with us who die, We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields." This poignant appeal from the dead and perishing was the despairing cry from the Allied forces on the other side of the Atlantic, and it reached the hearts of the Americans on their way to support a wavering conflict, to turn the tide in favor of the Allies, and to make the world again, in the language of the President, "safe for democracy." To this sentimental appeal, that was soon on the lips of everyone, there were responses, among them one from an Ohioan which was widely published at the time and has found a permanent place in school readers and the literature of the war. As the words of McCrae were the appeal of the dying and dead, this answer was the voice of the living on their way to rescue the perishing: "In Flanders fields the cannon boom And fitful flashes light the gloom, While up above, like eagles, fly The fierce destroyers of the sky ; With stains the earth wherein you lie Is redder than the poppy bloom, In Flanders fields. "Sleep on, ye brave. The shrieking shell, The quaking trench, the startled yell, The fury of the battle hell Shall wake you not ; for all is well. Sleep peacefully ; for all is well. "Your flaming torch aloft we bear, With burning heart an oath we swear To keep the faith, to fight it through To crush the foe or sleep with you In Flanders fields." In this spirit the flower of the youth of America took up arms to join the Allied hosts and meet the foe at the Armageddon of history. OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 637 The Eighty-second General Assembly adjourned March 21, 1917. The Eighty-third Assembly convened in January, 1919. No session was held during the period of actual participation by America in the great war. Consequently there was no "war legislation." The administrative machinery of the state government functioned under war conditions without the necessity of a special session. Reference has been made to the appropriation of $250,000 approved by the General Assembly to be used in case of war. Also on the day of adjournment, the House by a vote of ninety-five to one concurred in a resolution urging the President and Congress to take some action to help France in the struggle to preserve her integrity and to uphold the cause of political freedom. In every phase of war activities Ohio measured up to the glorious traditions of the state. The secretary of war reported that the size of the American army increased from a strength of 190,000 men on April 6, 1917, to 3,665,000 men on November 11, 1918, of whom more than 2,000,000 were in France. Ohio was credited with 185,000 soldiers supplied through the draft and other sources. This was 5.4 per cent of the total from all states and foreign possessions. Ohio stood fourth, as it did in population, being outranked only by New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Between October 1 and November 1, 1917, the American Expeditionary Forces increased from 65,000 to 104,000. During that month most of the units of the Rainbow or Forty-second Division arrived in France, including Ohio's old Fourth Infantry, now the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment. Thus Ohio was represented by a distinctive unit, of between 3,000 and 4,000 men, in the first 100,000 American soldiers to reach France. Ohio men participated in every important engagement in France during the last year of the war. A brief summary of the American military operations in general is therefore an appropriate introduction to some account of Ohio's particular share. The following is taken from Secretary of War Baker's report for 1918: "The first units of the American Expeditionary Force reached France in June, 1917. As a necessary preparation for the arrival of a big American .army, under the direction of General Pershing, docks were built, miles of railroad laid, machine shops and storage depots constructed, training areas laid out. Before the end of the year, five divisions had reached France—the First and Second Divisions of regulars, the Twenty-sixth Division from New England, and the Forty-second and Forty-first, known as the Rainbow and Sunset Divisions. By the end of October American units had entered the line in quiet sectors in the Vosges, and in November engineers from the Twenty-sixth Division took part in the British engagement at Cambrai. "On March 21, 1918, the storm of the German offensive broke. Under the stress of the situation unity of command was effected and, by the direction of the President, General Pershing immediately placed his forces, numbering at that time about 343,000, at the disposal of Marshal Foch. "During the ensuing months American troops were on trial in the eyes of Europe. A huge army, hastily gathered, consisting largely of inexperienced troops, they upheld the finest traditions of the service. To a large extent at first, they relieved French and British divisions in quiet sectors, making these experienced divisions available for service at crucial points. Then as the American troops showed their fighting qualities and the emergency became more acute, they were thrown into the hottest of the battle. At Cantigny on May 28, 1918, troops of the First Division fought their first real engagement and carried it through successfully. On June 4th the Second Division of regulars and marines went into the line on the Marne, where the Germans were driving toward Paris. On June 15th they met the triumphantly advancing enemy in 638 - HISTORY OF OHIO the Belleau Woods, stopped his advance and in an impetuous charge drove his column back more than 900 yards. It was a brilliant demonstration of the quality of our troops, and among the weary French and British soldiers in the trenches the word flew from mouth to mouth that the Americans were first-class fighting men. "The attack on Paris had been definitely stayed by the fine strategy and desperate resistance of the French and American troops. But on July 15th the enemy resumed the attack from Chateau Thierry eastward to the Argonne. Six American divisions were thrown into the line at Chateau Thierry with several more in reserve. Three days later the drive had been stopped and Marshal Foch launched his offensive. "From that time the story is one of allied attack and German retreat. In blow after blow which the commander-in-chief of the Allied armies struck at the German line, American troops took a conspicuous part. On September 12th the First American Army, under the personal direction of General Pershing, launched an attack on St. Mihiel and within twenty-four hours had pinched off that heavily fortified salient which had withstood attack through four years of war. The elimination of this salient, which had menaced Eastern France, relieved the pressure on Verdun and made possible further advances north of that city. "Meanwhile the Twenty-seventh New York Division and the Thirtieth National Guard Division were operating with the British. The Three Hundred and Thirty-second Regiment of Infantry, together with aviation and ambulance units operating on the Italian front, had a share in the great Italian victory. Small expeditionary forces were also established at Archangel and Vladivostok. "From the point of view of military strategy, America's greatest contribution to the successful outcome of the war was the hotly contested Battle of the Meuse, which resulted in cutting the main artery of the German supply system. Up through the middle of September the Germans were able to operate unmolested the Sedan-Mezieres Railway, runrung parallel to the front and furnishing a base of supply for the whole line from Valenciennes to Metz. To cut this supply line at both ends and force withdrawal or capture on this entire front, the British attacked in the north, and on September 26th General Pershing drove in west of the Meuse with the First American Army. The first few days of fighting yielded considerable gains. Fully conscious of the gravity of the situation, the enemy threw in division after division of fresh troops ; and during the ensuing weeks occurred the bitterest fighting in which American troops took part. The second week of October practically all available units—about twenty-eight American. divisions—were in the line. Progress could be made only a few yards at a time, but the continued hammering finally wore out the resistance of the enemy forces, and November 1st the American troops broke through. Day by day steady gains were made up the west bank of the Meuse, until on November 7th the United States forces entered the outskirts of Sedan and definitely cut the German supply line. A day later the French forces came up on the left flank. "The meeting of French and American troops on this historic spot signalized the defeat of the German arms, a defeat as decisive and humiliating as that forced upon France forty-seven years before at the same spot. If there had been questions before as to the acceptance of the armistice terms, the allied advance culminating in this meeting at Sedan left no choice in the matter." A statistical summary issued by the War Department in 1919, and containing somewhat higher figures than the formal reports, states that about 4,000,000 men served in the army during the war, and that the total number of men serving in the armed forces of the country, including the army, the navy, the marine corps, and other services, amounted to 4,800,000. In this summary the number of soldiers, not including 640 - HISTORY OF OHIO officers, furnished by Ohio is put at 200,293. This was the equivalent of about six full divisions. There were also large enlistments in the naval forces and marines. Governor Cox in one of his messages spoke of 250,000 Ohioans who had joined the colors. From Ohio as from other states hundreds went into the war while this nation remained neutral, some taking service while abroad, others going with the Canadians. In 1915 several American ambulance field services were being operated. The 4,000,000 men for the army were raised through three general sources. More than 500,000 came in through the regular army. Almost 400,000, or nearly 10 per cent, entered through the National Guard. More than three-fourths of all came in through the selective service or National Army enlistments. Men raised through the selective service act did not reach training camps before September, and in the meantime a vigorous campaign Was inaugurated by the War Department to secure recruits for the United States Army and the National Guard. This recruiting of volunteers later was found to interfere with the selective service machinery, and was prohibited in part after December, 1917, and practically altogether after August, 1918. The selective service law approved May 18, 1917, applied to all men twenty-one to thirty years of age, both inclusive. What was known as the second draft act, approved August 31, 1918, applied the provisions of the selective service to all males eighteen to forty-five years old.. The first registration was held June 5, 1917, and two others, on June 5, 1918, and August 24, 1918, for those who had reached their twenty-first birthday in the meantime. On September 12, 1918, was held the registration under the second draft act. The total registration for the United States on these four dates was 23,908,576. Over 13,000,000 registered on September 12, 1918, but out of this total, on account of the early close of the war, only 120,157 men were inducted. From the earlier registrations the total inductions were 2,666,867. During the first months of the operation of the selective service, each .state filled its quota by calling for examination a number of reg istrants several times greater than the quota, and by process of sorting obtaining enough who were physically qualified. The revised selective service regulations went into effect December 15, 1917. Under these all discharges and exemptions previously granted were cancelled, and each registrant was required to fill out a questionnaire setting forth his qualifications and circumstances. On the basis of this information registrants were divided into five classes in the order of their availability for military service, those in class I being immediately available. Those having dependents or judged to be engaged in "necessary" occupations Were placed in classes II to IV.. Because of the needs of the enormous ship-building program, a special "emergency fleet classification list" contained some class I registrants. The famous "work or fight order" was promulgated May 17, 1918, to divert registrants in deferred classes from idleness or non-productive occupations to engagement in "necessary" industries. After the armistice no effort was made to classify the men of the ages thirty-seven to forty-five, inclusive, under the last registration. The results of the registration and classification in Ohio, as given in the final report of Provost Marshal General Crowder, are as follows : "Total registration in the. United States, 23,908,576 ; in Ohio, 1,389,474, being 5.81 per cent of the total. Class I, 403,600 ; 29.05 per cent. Classes II, III, IV, 408,340 ; 28.68 per cent. Class V, 191,724 ; 13.80 per cent. Not classified (practically all in the thirty-seven to forty-five age group), 385,810 ; 27.77 per cent." Since it was class I that furnished practically all the fighting men, the following analysis of that class is of interest. The total of the class in Ohio was 403,600. Those found physically qualified and available OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 641 for service numbered 138,604. Those acceptable if some defect was remedied-6,224. Those qualified for limited service-15,818. In the emergency fleet classification-3,363. Delinquents were 15,856 ; deserters, 10,771. Another group of figures from the provost marshal general's report is as follows : Total called, 146,435. Total inducted, 154,236. Total accepted, 146,304. Total rejected, 7,606. Total rejected by reason of cancellation of draft, 326. An order of the War Department, August 7, 1918, abolished distinctive appellations such as Regular Army, Reserve Corps, National Guard and National Army, and substituted the single term the United States Army. "It includes all the land forces in the service of the United States. These forces, however raised, lose their identity in the United States Army." Prior to that the army divisions 1-20 were classified as the regular army ; the divisions 26-42 and the 93d (colored) were National Guard divisions ; while the remaining divisions, formed of men drawn through the selective draft, were known as the National Army. The National Army Divisions organized before the armistice were the 76th-92d, while four others, 95, 96, 97 and 100 were in process of organization. All the organized divisions, except the regular divisions 9-20, reached France. Of the National Guard divisions four were made up from one state each, the 27th from New York, the 28th from Pennsylvania, the 33d from Illinois and the 37th from Ohio. But, partly as a matter of policy, no division was composed entirely of men from a single state. Before the armistice it is probable that every division contained some Ohio men. Even the typically Ohio unit, the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment of the Rainbow Division, included on its roster men from many other states. A bulletin of the War Department, December 31, 1918, provided that upon the disbanding of organizations which were originally National Guard or National Army organizations, their colors should be delivered into the custody of the states from which the majority of the men originally came at the time the organizations were formed. In accordance with this order, the Ohio adjutant general in his report for the year ending June 30, 1920, states : "Some seventy-one flags and colors of the World war organizations have been turned over to the State of Ohio for preservation and safekeeping, including the colors of all the well known regiments that saw service at the battle-front. Special attention is Called to the fact that one of these flags came from a foreign nation, the flag presented by the people of Genoa, Italy, to the Three Hundred and Thirty-second Infantry, Eighty-third Division, which saw service in that country." These colors in the statehouse therefore furnish an index to the army units which were predominantly Ohioan in their make-up. These units were : In the Sixteenth Division—The Sixty-seventh Infantry and Sixty-eighth Infantry. In the Thirty-seventh Division—The One Hundred and Forty-fifth Infantry, One Hundred and Forty-sixth Infantry, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Infantry, One Hundred and Forty-eighth Infantry, One Hundred and Twelfth Engineers, One Hundred and Twelfth Field Signal Battalion, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Machine Gun Battalion. In the Forty-second Division—The One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Infantry. In the Eighty-third Division—The Three Hundred and Twenty-ninth Infantry, Three Hundred and Thirtieth Infantry, Three Hundred and Thirty-first Infantry, Three Hundred and Thirty-second Infantry, Three Hundred and Eighth Engineers, Three Hundred and Eighth Field Signal Battalion, Three Hundred and Eighth 642 - HISTORY OF OHIO Ammunition Train, Three Hundred and Eighth Supply Train, Three Hundred and Eighth Trench Mortar Battery, Three Hundred and Eighth Motor Supply Train, Eighty-third Division Headquarters, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Infantry Brigade, One Hundred and Sixty-fifth Infantry Brigade, Three Hundred and Twenty-second Machine Gun Battalion, Three Hundred and Twenty-third Machine Gun Battalion, Three Hundred and Twenty-fourth Machine Gun Battalion, Three Hundred and Twenty-second Field Artillery, Three Hundred and Twenty-third Field Artillery, Three Hundred and Twenty-fourth Field Artillery. In the Ninety-fifth Division—The Three Hundred and Seventy-ninth Infantry, Three Hundred and Eightieth Infantry, Three Hundred and Twentieth Engineers, Six Hundred and Twentieth Field Signal Battalion, Ninety-fifth Division Headquarters, Ninety-fifth Headquarters Troop. Flags of units not attached to any division—Three Hundred and Seventy-second Infantry, Eight Hundred and Second Pioneer Infantry, Thirty-fourth Engineers, First Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalion, One Hundred and Fifty-eighth Depot Brigade, One Hundred and Sixtieth Infantry Brigade. At the beginning of the war the National Guard had been arranged in geographical divisions. The Sixteenth Division, in this scheme, was from Ohio, and later became the Thirty-seventh. After the return from the Mexican border the Ohio Guard was reorganized and recruiting was strenuously carried on until on June 30, 1917, its strength was 19,658, of whom 4,063 were already in Federal service, and 15,595 in state service. The organizations already in Federal service at that date were the Third Infantry, Sixth Infantry, First Separate Battalion Field Artillery, First Battalion Engineers, Separate Company D Engineers, and First Battalion Signal Corps. All remaining units of the Ohio National Guard were called into the Federal Service July 15, 1917, and were drafted into the Federal service August 5th. At that date the Ohio Guard comprised 821 officers and 24,321 men, and consisted of three brigades of infantry of three regiments each and a separate colored battalion of infantry ; three regiments of field artillery ; one regiment of engineers ; one battalion of signal corps ; four field hospitals ; four ambulance companies ; four military police ; division headquarters troop ; division engineer train ; ammunition supply train and quartermaster ordnance corps. In the meantime the Ohio Naval Militia, located at Toledo and Cleveland, was also increased to war strength, called into service of the National Naval Volunteers as of the date April 6, 1917, and assigned to the coast. These comprised the United States Steamship Essex Ship Company, 18 officers and 296 enlisted men, Anthony F. Nicklett of Toledo, commander ; and United States Steamship Dorothea Ship Company, 14 officers and 623 enlisted men, Edward J. Kelley of Cleveland, lieutenant-commander. The officers of the principal units of the National Guard on August 5, 1917, were : First Brigade, Brig. Gen. William V. McMaken ; Second Brigade, Brig. Gen. John C. Speaks ; Third Brigade, Brig. Gen. Charles X. Zimmerman ; First Infantry Regiment, Col. F. W. Galbraith, Jr. ; Second Infantry, Col. J. Guy Deming ; Third Infantry, Col. Robert L. Hubler ; Fourth Infantry, Col. Benson W. Hough; Fifth Infantry, Col. Albert W. Davis ; Sixth Infantry, Col. Lloyd W. Howard ; Seventh Infantry, Col. Tom O. Crossan ; Eighth Infantry, Col. Edward Vollrath ; Tenth Infantry, Col. Charles C. Weybrecht ; Ninth Separate Battalion (colored), Maj. John C. Fulton First Engineers, Col. John R. McQuigg ; First Field Artillery, Col. Harold M. Bush; Second Field Artillery, Col. Dudley J. Hard ; Third Field Artillery, Col. Paul L. Mitchell ; First Field Battalion, Signal Corps, Maj. Lewis W. Jaquith ; Medical Department, Chief Surgeon Lieut. Col. Joseph A. Hall. OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 643 With the exception of several units, the Ohio National Guard mobilized at Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, Alabama, and was there reorganized into the Thirty-seventh Division, under the command of Maj. Gen. Charles G. Treat. The units not assigned to the Thirty-seventh Division were the Fourth Ohio Infantry, which became the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Regiment in the Rainbow Division ; the Ninth Separate Battalion, colored, which was assigned to the Three Hundred and Seventy-second Infantry, Ninety-third Division ; the Seventh Infantry Band, which was assigned to Camp Grant, Illinois ; the Tenth Infantry Band, sent to Camp Sherman ; the First Infantry Band, assigned to the Three Hundred and Fourteenth Cavalry ; the Second Infantry Band, assigned to the Three Hundred and Thirteenth Cavalry ; the First Field Artillery Band, assigned to the Three Hundred and Fourteenth Cavalry ; and Second Field Artillery Band, assigned to the Three Hundred and Thirteenth Cavalry. In the following is given the designation of the former state unit, followed by the new designation in the Thirty-seventh Division : Division Headquarters Troop—Division Headquarters Troop. First Infantry Brigade Headquarters—Headquarters Seventy-fourth Infantry Brigade. Second Infantry Brigade Headquarters—Headquarters Seventy-third Infantry Brigade. First Infantry—Part of Machine Gun Company, Headquarters Seventy-third Infantry Brigade ; part Company G, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Machine Gun Battalion ; parts Companies K, L, M, One Hundred and Forty-sixth Infantry ; parts Companies A-K, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Infantry ; parts Companies G-M, One Hundred and Forty-eighth Infantry ; Headquarters Company and Supply Company, distributed throughout. Second Infantry—Parts Companies A-E and Headquarters Company, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Infantry ; parts Companies A-I, K, L, M, and Headquarters Company, One Hundred and Forty-sixth Infantry ; parts Companies A and B, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Infantry ; Machine Gun Company and Supply Company, distributed throughout. Third Infantry—One Hundred and Forty-eighth Infantry. Fifth Infantry—One Hundred and Forty-fifth Infantry. Sixth Infantry—One Hundred and Forty-seventh Infantry. Seventh Infantry—Parts Companies F, G, H, I, M, One Hundred and Forty-eighth Infantry ; part Company E, Seventy-third Infantry Brigade Headquarters ; Machine Gun Company, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Machine Gun Battalion ; parts Companies A.7 C, D, K, Headquarters Company and Supply Company, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Infantry ; parts Companies D, F; H, K, L, M, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Infantry ; parts Companies E and H, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Field Artillery ; parts Companies B, D, E, G, 1\'I, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Field Artillery ; parts Companies F, I, K, L, M, Headquarters Company, Supply Company, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Field Artillery ; parts Companies D, E, F, G, H, One Hundred and Twelfth Engineers ; part Company C, One Hundred and Twelfth Field Signal Battalion ; part Company B, One Hundred and Twelfth Ammunition Train. Eighth Infantry—One Hundred and Forty-sixth Infantry. Tenth Infantry—Companies I, K, L, M, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Machine Gun Battalion ; Companies A. B, part G, and Machine Gun Company, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Machine Gun Battalion ; Company C, part G, One Hundred and Twelfth Trench Mortar Battery ; Headquarters Company, Supply Company, Companies D, E, F, H, part G, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Machine Gun Battalion. First Field Artillery—One Hundred and Thirty -fourth Field Artillery. 644 - HISTORY OF OHIO Second Field Artillery—One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Field Artillery. Third Field Artillery—One Hundred and Thirty -sixth Field Artillery. First Regiment Engineers—One Hundred and Twelfth Engineers. First Battalion Signal Corps—One Hundred and Twelfth Field Signal Battalion. Headquarters Troop and Military Police—One Hundred and Twelfth Headquarters and Military Police. Ammunition Train—One Hundred and Twelfth Ammunition Train. Supply Train—One Hundred and Twelfth Supply Train. Engineer Train—Divided between One Hundred and Twelfth Engineers and One Hundred and Twelfth Engineer Train. Sanitary Train—One Hundred and Twelfth Sanitary Train. The first units departed for Camp Sheridan the last week in August, but the last did not leave for that camp until the first week in October. The combat record of the Thirty-seventh Division and its units was officially given as follows : Seventy-third Infantry Brigade, comprising One Hundred and Forty-fifth and One Hundred and Forty-sixth Infantry Regiments and One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Machine Gun Battalion-1, Baccarat sector, France, August 4 to September 16, 1918 ; 2, Meuse-Argonne offensive, France, September 26 to September 30, 1918 ; 3, Meuse-Argonne offensive, October 7 to October 16, 1918 ; 4, Ypres-Lys offensive, Belgium, October 31 to November 4, 1918; 5, Ypres-Lys offensive, Belgium, November 9 to November 11, 1918. Sixty-second Field Artillery Brigade—One Hundred and Thirty-fourth and One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiments : 1, Meuse-Argonne offensive, October 12 to October 23, 1918 ; 2, Meuse-Argonne offensive, October' 28 to November 11, 1918. One Hundred and. Thirty-sixth Field Artillery : 1, Meuse-Argonne offensive, October 12 to October 31, 1918 ; 2, Meuse-Argonne offensive, November 3 to November 1.1, 1918. One Hundred and Twelfth Engineers-1, Baccarat sector, France, August 4 to September 16, 1918 ; 2, Meuse-Argonne offensive, September 26 to September 30, 1918; 3, Meuse-Argonne offensive, October 7 to October 16, 1918 ; 4, Ypres-Lys offensive, Belgium, October 31 to November 4, 1918 ; 5, Ypres-Lys offensive, Belgium, November 9 to November 11, 1918. One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Machine Gun Battalion and One Hundred and Twelfth Field Signal Battalion—Same stations and dates as One Hundred and Twelfth Engineers. This brief story was written by Maj. Frank Fenker of Cincinnati by appointment of General Farnsworth. The title of the sketch is "The Thirty-seventh's Bit in the World War of 1914-1918." The Thirty-seventh Division is a National Guard Division, being composed of the former National Guard of Ohio. The First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Tenth Ohio Infantry Regiments and the Ninth Battalion Ohio National Guard (a battalion of colored troops), the First Ohio Field Artillery, First Ohio Cavalry, Ohio Signal Battalion and First Ohio Engineers were concentrated during the latter half of the month of July in response to the call of the President of the United States fixing July 15, 1917, as the day of mobilization. The Third and Sixth Ohio Regiments, First Ohio Field Artillery, Signal Battalion, First Ohio Engineers and First Ohio Cavalry were already mobilized, having returned from service on the Mexican border, and were then on duty throughout the state. Early in August a detachment of sixteen men from each company of each regiment of the Guard; was, on order of the adjutant-general, State of Ohio, Assembled at Camp Perry, where they became part of OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 645 the Forty-second, or Rainbow Division, destined for immediate service overseas. The first detachments of the Ohio Guard began to arrive at Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, Alabama, during the month of August, 1917, and when in October of that year all were finally assembled, the Thirty-seventh Division was formed. Maj. Gen. Charles G. Treat was assigned to the command of the division and under his direction the division went through a course of intensive training. For almost ten months the training continued, and on April 24, 1918, General Treat was relieved of command. Maj. Gen. Charles S. Farnsworth took over the division May 8, 1918. The day for which all the hard, tiresome training was spent hove in sight May 20, 1918, when Division Headquarters, Headquarters Troop, Machine Gun Battalions Infantry Regiments, Engineers, Engineer Train and Field Signal Battalion began to entrain for Camp Lee, Virginia. Two weeks were spent at Camp Lee in more intensive training and in filling to war strength that part of the division encamped there with drafted men from .Camp Meade, Camp Mills, Camp Upton, Camp Jackson, and Camp Lee. June 11, 1918, Division Headquarters, Headquarters Troop, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Machine Gun Battalion, and Seventy-third Infantry Brigade began to move by rail from Camp Lee to Hoboken, New Jersey. They sailed from this port June 15, 1918, on the Steamship Leviathan (formerly the Vaterland), and after a fast and safe passage, arrived June 22, 1918, at Brest, France. Here they debarked June 23d, and after a rest of three days at Pontanezen Barracks, Brest, again entrained. For three days the troops rattled, in box cars (labeled 40 Hommes, 8 Chevaux) across beautiful fertile France, and detrained June 29, 1918, in the Bourmont area. The Seventy-fourth Brigade and Engineers left Camp Lee, Virginia, June 21. They took their first water voyage, a trip of eight hours by river steamer down the scenic James River, to Newport News. Here they were loaded on the Steamships Pocahontas, Susquehanna, and Caserta, which having been joined by four freight steamers, formed a convoy, protected by United States submarine chasers with a battle. cruiser in the lead. Traveling in convoy was slow work and it was not until July 5th that the troops debarked at Brest, France. From here a like journey, in box cars, similar to those used by the first units to arrive in France, united them to Division Headquarters and the Seventy-third Brigade, in the Bourmont (Haute-Marne) area on July 12, 1918. The Field Artillery Brigade, Trench Mortar Battery, Sanitary Train, Military Police, and One Hundred and Fourteenth Mobile Veterinary Section began to entrain at Camp Sheridan, Alabama, June 14, 1917, for Camp Upton, New York. They arrived there on June 16th, •and after a ten-day period of training, embarked about June 27th at Brooklyn, New York, on the Steamships Nestor, Plassy, Saxon, Titan, Hororatia, Phesus, and one tanker for overseas. The One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Field Artillery, less Batteries E and F, were sent to Montreal, Quebec, from which port they sailed on June 28th, on the Steamship Victoria. The ships assigned to these units all became part of a convoy of thirteen vessels, which on nearing the coast of England were separated ; those bearing the Trench Mortar Battery and Sanitary Train proceeded to Glasgow, Scotland, and the remainder to Liverpool, England. The Steamship Victoria, carrying the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Field Artillery, less Batteries E and F, was the envied ship, it having had the good fortune to ram a German submarine. The alarm was quickly sounded. Busy little destroyers came like phantoms, darting hither and thither. They dropped their depth bombs, and patches of oil rising to the surface indicated that the career of another sea scavenger was ended. 646 - HISTORY OF OHIO After sundry railway journeys and a trip across the English Channel the One Hundred and Fourteenth Mobile Veterinary Unit, Sanitary Train, Military Police, and Supply Train joined the other units of this division in the Bourmont area July 15 to 18, 1918. The Field Artillery Brigade and Ammunition Train were separated from the other units of the division and sent to Camp de Souge, France, for a course of training. Only the small arms ammunition section of the Ammunition Train which joined the division September 25th was destined to participate in the engagements of the division. The Artillery Brigade completed a seven weeks' course of training at Camp de Souge and received one of the highest averages ever earned at that school, where accurate knowledge was acquired in the use of the famous French 75 and 155 mm. cannon. Equipped with these guns, the brigade was assigned to the First American Army September 26th, the opening clay of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. They served successively with the Fourth American Corps, Second American Army, Second Colonial Army Corps (French), and Seventeenth French Army Corps. At one time the brigade was further split, the three different regiments serving with as many different divisions, the Twenty-eighth, Thirty-third, and Ninety-second American. The infantry continued intensive training in the Bourmont area until the end of July, 1917, when it was ordered to Baccarat, and on August 4th took over the trenches in that sector. The Baccarat sector, in the Vosges Mountains, taken over by the troops of this division, extended for a distance of fifteen kilometers from the Forest des Elieux, north of the Village of Badonviller, through the Bois Communal de la Woevre, Bois des Haies, the Villages of Merviller and Ancerviller, along the edge of Bois Banal to the southern edge of the Bois des Pretres. While this sector, in the beautiful wooded hills and mountains of the Vosges, was considered inactive, it was a position of responsibility and just as much effort and hard work were expended in its preservation as if it were the most vital part of the great battle line extending from the North Sea to the border of Switzerland. Truly every foot of that long line had to be securely held. Here the men of the division had their initial training under fire, and although under continual observation, interrupted by enemy artillery and airplanes, training continued. During the period of six weeks that the division held this sector, each night when the weather permitted, enemy airplanes would raid Baccarat and vicinity. Two of these raids were particularly heavy. From our side the score was more than evened by successfully carrying out one large gas projector attack against the enemy andairplanetroying with airpane bombs his dumps at Cirey and Blamont. The first patrols, composed of men of the Thirty-seventh Division, to enter contested territory, were sent out during the first week of occupation in this sector, and every night thereafter they stalked the enemy in No Man's Land. Each patrol added boldness to the next and so aggressive did they become that soon absolute control was maintained over No Man's Land. Two large raids during the last week of stay in the Baccarat sector penetrated the enemy lines for over a kilometer, returned with prisoners and without the loss of a single man. While in this sector, the division was supported by French artillery and operated directly under the Sixth French Corps, commanded by General Duport. Upon relief, September 16, 1918, the following commendatory special order was issued : "September 14, 1918. "Sixth Army Corps, General Staff, "First Section, No. 823-1. "SPECIAL ORDER No. 66. "The Thirty-seventh United States Infantry Division is leaving the zone of Luneville at a time when the American army has achieved great OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 647 victory and has added new laurels to those already gathered by the first American divisions on the Somme, on the Marne, and on the Vesle. "I am pleased at having had the honor of commanding for several weeks the young troops of Ohio, having seen them each day become more soldier-like and conscious of their power. I know now that they will come up to standard in the hardest and noblest tasks which they will be called upon to perform when they are engaged upon a new battle front. "The method, the spirit, the discipline which they have shown all the time, when, hardly landed on the shores of France, they were called upon to hold a sector, are the best guarantees of future success. "I wish to express my thanks to General Farnsworth, whose high sense of duty and good military qualities make him worthy of the highest confidence, and to his devoted chief of staff, Colonel Merrill, and to the officers of his staff, and also to all the unit commanders, officers, and soldiers of the Thirty-seventh United States Infantry Division. "My best wishes accompany the Buckeye Division in its future battles in which it will distinguish itself to the honor of its flag and to the triumph of our righteous cause. DUPORT." Prisoners Captured—Officers, 1; enlisted men, 6 ; deserters, 7. Total, 14. Casualties—Killed, 16 ; wounded, 80 ; missing, 6. Total, 102. Upon the relief of the division in the Baccarat sector on September 16, 1918, movement was made by rail to the area around the little town of Robert-Espagne. After a rest of four days another move, this time by bus, landed it at Recicourt, France. Here headquarters were established in a dugout along the main road. Two days later the advanced echelon was moved to a dugout on Verrieres-on-Hesse farm, just a few kilometers from the ruined city of Avocourt and with historic Verdun within sight to the southeast. In fact the division was on the battlefield of Verdun, where thousands of brave soldiers had fallen, and which was soon to be made famous again as the chosen field for the great American drive along the Meuse River. This division indeed was honored in being one of the American Fifth Corps Divisions to start the Meuse-Argonne offensive, which pushed on and on along the left bank of the Meuse River to the battle-famed city of Sedan. So the Thirty-seventh Division was one of the American divisions that gave the initial impetus to that big offensive that contributed so great a part towards the final victory. During the cold and rainy nights of September 24th and 25th the division relieved the Seventy-ninth Division along a front of slightly over three kilometers. The ruins of the City of Avocourt were in the center of this front and just within the lines. At 11 o'clock on the night of September 25th the artillery preparation commenced and each hour added to its intensity until guns of all caliber were contributing their part to one of the mightiest artillery preparations ever attempted in this war. This preparation reached its maximum at 5 :30 a. m. September 26th, when it rolled off over the enemy trenches and strong points in a barrage, which enabled infantrymen, following closely and quickly, to overcome all resistance left by the enemy. The sun rose bright and clear September 26th and for that one day conditions were ideal, for the task of the infantrymen. The battle-maptraced road from Avocourt across No Man's Land was an outline only and immediately difficulty began to arise in bringing forward artillery. The ground, soft underneath the dry crust, and broken by shell holes, formed quagmires through which it was almost hopeless to try to pull heavy timbers. During that night showers (which continued for the next five days) added to the burden and the freshly constructed dirt roads soon became a knee-deep trail of mud. Next morning the infantry took up the attack and pushed on, over ground torn by shell holes and through forests tangled with shattered trees and barbed wire. The 648 - HISTORY OF OHIO Town of Ivoiry on the left was captured. A little later Montfaucon, off the division sector on the right, which had been entered by patrols the night before, was cleared of the enemy, forty-eight being taken prisoner. Thus, Montfaucon, previously considered impregnable, was seized by men of the Thirty-seventh Division. It was and had been for four long years a German stronghold. From a tower there, the crown prince of Germany had directed the monstrous attack on Verdun and now, on the second day of the great offensive, it had fallen and with its fall the Hindenburg line had again been broken. Lack of artillery support, due to road conditions, hourly added to the difficulties of the advance, and during the days of September 28-29 progress was made and contested for foot by foot through fields of mud, through the gas-filled Bois Emont, Bois de Beuge, and on to the Bois Communal de Cierges. The division was relieved October 1st, after having fought and advanced for four days against all weapons and instruments of warfare at the command of the enemy. The front line at that time ran along a ridge one and one-half kilometers west and slightly north to Cierges, to a few hundred meters south of that city, thence on to the Bois Communal de Cierges. Still under fire, remnants of companies started for the rear, hungry, tired, sleepy, and wet. Many had seen their comrades and officers fall wounded, some severely, some to pay the price supreme. So the part of the Thirty-seventh Division was played in that great offensive to which it gave the momentum that, carried on and on, until on November 11th, the day of the surrender of the enemy, it had reached the City of Sedan. The total number of prisoners captured by this division was 13 officers and 1,107 men, among which were represented the finest divisions of the German army, the Thirty-seventh German Division, One Hundred and Seventeenth, First and Fifth Guard Divisions, the latter two, the elite of the Prussian Guard. Large quantities of material of all kinds were taken, including 12 77 mm. cannon, 1 105 mm. cannon, 10 155 mm. cannon, 4 anti-aircraft guns, 5 Granatenwerfers, engineer material, ammunition of all kinds, 1 Daimler three-ton truck, railway material, rifles, and over 250 machine guns. Casualties—Killed, officers 17, enlisted men 410 ; wounded, officers 110; enlisted men 2,462 ; missing, enlisted men 137. Total, officers, 127 ; enlisted men, 3,009; grand total, 3,136. Total advance, 9.8 kilometers. Upon the completion of the relief in the Avocourt sector the division was assembled at Pagny-sur-Meuse, and after 'a four-day rest was again transported by bus, this time to the old St. Mihiel sector. Here headquarters were established at Euvezin, within easy range of the enemy guns. Less than one month previous this salient which had projected out of the line for years had been cut off by an American drive that had also brought Metz within range of big guns. In the St. Mihiel sector the division lines extended from the Bois de Jaulny de Hailbot along the northern edges of the Bois de la Montagne and Bois de Charey to the southern edge of Etang de la Chaussee. Across the way the villages of Rembercourt-sur-Mad,. Charey, Dommartin, Dampvitoux, and La Chaussee 'formed the front of the enemy line. The Village of Haumont was in No Man's Land. Here there was plenty of activity, although no offensive was under way at that time. The enemy heavily shelled all parts of the sector. Airplanes paid nightly visits and dropped their terrorizing bombs in large numbers. The thick woods and deep valleys gave particular advantage to gas, and the division was subjected to one of the heaviest bombardments of this barbarous method of warfare that the enemy had ever attempted. Day and night, from both sides of the line, the clatter of machine guns, artillery, and airplanes kept all ever vigilant. Even OHIO IN THE WARS OF THE NATION - 649 here training was resumed, and every available man that could be spared at the front was further drilled in some branch of warfare. By a tantalizing twist of fate, the artillery brigade of the division was serving at the same time in the adjoining sector on its right. Every effort was made to unite it with its brother in arms, but without success. The whirl of activity did not permit, and eight days having passed with a rush, on the ninth day the infantry was withdrawn and retraced its steps to Pagny-sur-Meuse. Casualties—Killed, 11 ; wounded, 180 ; missing, 6. Total, 197. Two bustling days were spent at Pagny-sur-Meuse in gathering together and preparing for shipment quantities of provisions and supplies of all kinds. October 18th, French box cars, each crowded with forty men, slipped away and rattled north through an air of whispered secrecy and surmise. Little by little as towns and villages rose out of obscurity the mystery cleared and after three days, the trains came to a stop at St. Jean and Wietje, Belgium. The ruins of Ypres were within easy view and stood a monument, proclaiming from each shattered wall the bravery of the British troops who had so nobly fought and held there. Hesitatingly the men crawled out and gazed in awe upon the desolation that spread as far as the eye could see over a flat waste of shell-torn fields, forests, and roads. Signboards alone marked the site where villages had stood. So heavy and so often had been the shelling that even the shattered stones and brick that once formed habited houses had been blown into dust. On foot the troops marched for twenty kilometers across this waste to the nearest semblance of shelter. Division headquarters were opened October 22d in the ruined village of Hooglede, Belgium, and from there the division moved in short stages to Lichtervelde to Meulebeke to Denterghem. On October 22, 1918, the division was attached to the French army in Belgium and placed at the disposition of the king of Belgium. This was an honor and confidence that later events proved not to have been misplaced. During the nights of October 29th and 30th the division took over three kilometers of the front lines, extending along the Courtrai-Ghent Railroad just across the Lys River, with Olsene approximately in front of the center. At 5:30 a. m., October 31, 1918, after an artillery preparation of five minutes, the infantry again went over the top. The enemy answered with gas and vigorous artillery and machine gun fire. So sharp and quick was the attack that all attempts of the enemy to resist were quickly overcome and, fighting a rear guard action, he withdrew. to the Cruyshautem Ridge. Here on a slight rise, midway between the Lys and Escaut Rivers, he reorganized and prepared to stop the advancing khaki line. The French artillery (attached to the division for the operation) worked like Trojans. Scarcely had the panting horses been pulled away when the guns would begin to spit their whirring shells. In the meantime, other batteries were being rushed forward, each in turn keeping up the tune while others advanced. All calibers were finally firing on the Cruyshautem Ridge and concentrating there for a few moments, lifted in time to make way for the onrushing infantry. The Boche were routed and the American troops gaining momentum scarcely paused on the ridge, but drove on to the Escaut River, across which the enemy had retreated. All roads leading forward and all villages were heavily shelled by German batteries, and the Town of Olsene was completely destroyed. Advanced division headquarters moved up to Cruyshautem on November 1st and plans were immediately prepared for forcing the crossing of the Escaut River. Early in the morning of November 2d soldiers of the Thirty-seventh Division swam the river, and working from both banks under a continual hail of machine gun bullets and high explosive shrap-