USA > Indiana > Public men of Indiana : a political history, 1890-1920, v. 2 > Part 9
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"God helping her she can do no other."
The freedom of the oppressed, so powerfully urged in the messages of these great men, had its animating and inspiring force in awaking the patriotic fervor that immediately dispelled partisan rancor, as it did in the later stages of the Civil War when the freedom of slaves became both a necessity and a duty.
When President Wilson made his call for volun- teers the young men immediately and irrespective of party rushed to the colors from all classes and professions, and loyal women enlisted in the war
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. service as nurses, and in other capacities in the naval service, and submitted to military discipline, giving their lives and their health as freely as the men did.
The promptness of the people in response to the Government's call for financial aid was most gen- erous and a rivalry of communities followed in dif- ferent parts of the State to become the first to fill their allotments.
The credit for being the first city of the State to report the oversubseription of the amount of its quota is claimed by East Chicago, a community of cosmopolitan inhabitants.
Its liberty loan organization was headed by Col. WalterJ. Riley, a banker and man of great affairs and activities.
Congressman Will R. Wood, of the 10th Indiana District, verified this fact in a letter to Colonel Riley in these words :
"I am sending you under separate cover a copy of the Congressional Record of Saturday in which you will find the record of your telegram. Yours was not only the first report received by any member of the House, but it was also the first received by the Liberty Loan Publicity Committee of the Treasury Depart- ment. I called up the head of this department im- mediately after having the same introduced in the House and informed him of the fact; he thought I must be mistaken and had me repeat your message the second time over the phone. I told him that was a small matter in your section and that it was the second time you had made this performance and would continue to do it as long as Liberty Bonds were sold. You not only have reason to feel proud,
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but every citizen who contributed to this grand result likewise has reason to feel proud of what Indiana Harbor and East Chicago have done. It affords me great pride in being the Representative in Congress of such a community."
The chairman of the Democratic and Republican State Central Committees of Indiana laid aside their respective plans for the organization of their political campaigns early in 1918 to engage to- gether in carrying on the work of soliciting loan subscriptions and purchases of the Government's bonds in every voting precinct of the State, and they did not revive their party activities until the last quota had been filled.
They called their respective district and county chairmen to meet in joint session at Indianapolis to devise plans whereby every voting precinct in the State would be as effectively canvassed for bond subscriptions as it would usually in getting voters to the polls.
Governor Goodrich presided at the large meeting that was held and said:
"So far as I know this is the first time in the history of the State that representatives of the two great political parties have assembled with an object of such vital importance to our common country. While you have met as partisans partisanship ended with the call and you are now patriots met as men whose love of country surpasses party loyalty." They proceeded with their work with the result that quotas were quickly oversubscribed and paid.
Every species of organized societies in In-
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diana, including labor unions, churches and lodges, adopted resolutions urging their members to pur- chase the bonds that the Government put out, to raise the funds required to carry on the war, and millions upon millions in amounts were purchased. A full account of these activities and the results are set forth in interesting detail in Volume VIII of Indiana Historical Collections, entitled "War Purse of Indiana," by Walter Greenough.
There were undercurrents of opposition to the war in many parts of the State, and not a few out- spoken agitators of peace on a cowardly basis, nor was the State free from profiteers whose patriotism was based on personal gains.
The war legislation enacted by Congress was vigorously enforced in the United States District Court at Indianapolis, presided over by Judge Albert B. Anderson, and as a result of his fearless stand in enforcing it the State suffered much less than many others because of profiteering. He also revoked naturalization papers in some instances upon evidence that their holders were failing to co-operate unconditionally with the United States Government in the prosecution of the war.
The United Mine Workers of America and the officers thereof, and local unions, called a strike during the war. The Government filed a bill ask- ing for an injunction upon the ground that the strike would restriet the distribution of necessities and would limit the supply of bituminous coal, a necessity as defined by Act of Congress. The case attracted national attention as the decision would
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affect many States of the Union. It came up for hearing on some preliminary motions and from some intimations of the judge the officers of the unions decided to rescind the order calling the strike. His rugged Americanism and fearless judicial positions in regard to congressional legis- lation and questions of loyalty went far in building up the State's enviable record during the war.
At the legislative session of 1915, upon the recom- mendation of Governor Ralston, an act was passed creating a Historical Commission, the duties of which were to provide for the editing and publish- ing of historical material, and for a historical and educational celebration of the Indiana Centennial in 1916.
The entrance of the United States into the World War supplied a new source from which the most important and sacred historieal material could be gathered to commemorate Indiana's part in it.
From a report of that commission, appearing in the State's Year Book of 1920, the following ac- count of its activities appears under the heading
INDIANA WAR HISTORY
"The Historical Commission has been devoting practically its entire time during the last year to the work of collecting, compiling, and preparing for pub- lication, a series of volumes relating to Indiana's part in the World War. Believing that it is of the utmost importance to the history of our State, that these records be collected now, before they are lost; and that the story of Indiana's part in the great world conflict should never be allowed to be forgotten, the Historical Commission has undertaken the task of
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gathering up these records and reports, with the view of preparing several volumes for immediate publica- tion.
"With the co-operation of a local war history com- mittee in each of the ninety-two counties of the State, a thorough survey is being made of the numerous war activities engaged in by each community. In many counties the survey is being made township by township, but in most cases the war record of the county is considered as a whole. Reports covering the work of the County Councils of Defense; the Liberty Loan Committees; the work of the Red Cross; the war work of the County Fuel Adminis- trator; the Food Administrator; and other organ- izations that were engaged in war work, comprise the material that is being collected for the entire "State."
The members and officers of this historical com- mission from 1917 to 1920 were Governor James P. Goodrich, president; Frank B. Wynn, vice-presi- dent; Harlow Lindley, secretary ; James A. Wood- burn, Charles W. Moores, Samuel M. Foster, Matthew Walsh, Charity Dye, Lew M. O'Bannon, John W. Oliver, director, and Lucy M. Elliott, assistant director.
It was probably not within the scope of the work of that commission to assemble specific military data giving detailed and statistical information as to the number of men from Indiana who entered the war service, either forming part of the Expedi- tionary Forces that were sent to France, or that entered on other lines of duty in readiness to go when called, and other information as to their as- signments and service which is deserving of careful
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collection and preservation. But the subject of civilian war work of Indiana was the one to which it gave more attention, and it has been highly praised from all sources.
The individual undertaking of the author of this work has not been an effort to supply omissions in the work of others, and it is far from his purpose to excel it either in the compilation of facts from official sources or otherwise, but he submits the statements of his work in the pages preceding and following.
Of the noble dead the first American to sacrifice his life in battle was Corporal James Bethel Gres- ham, of Evansville, Indiana.
The highest naval officer to give up his life was Commodore Charles Grimes Bowman, of Delphi, Indiana, who had retired from the serv- ice, but in spite of his advanced age offered his services.
Of the Army the highest ranking officer to give his life to his country's service was the brilliant young Colonel Albert Leas Hall, of Peru, Indiana. These are but noble representatives of three thou- sand, three hundred and fifty-four sons and fifteen daughters of the Hoosier State who now rest in the cemeteries of Indiana, at Arlington or in Flanders fields. Besides the dead many of the youths of Indiana go about in blindness, the light of day forever shut from their eyes, or with mutilated bodies and broken health, doomed to early death. Many languish in hospitals, some to be restored to health by the tender eare of a gen-
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erous government, others to go through life, the war forever present to their beclouded minds. This Roll of Honor of the dead so beautifully repre- sented by the gold stars is mute evidence of the noble sacrifices made to preserve the liberty of the world.
The American Legion headquarters is at In- dianapolis, and is the headquarters of more than eleven thousand posts, including a million mem- bers. The State of Indiana will erect a magnificent memorial building. Whole blocks have been pur- chased for it and the city, the county and the State will co-operate in the great project. The best talent the country has produced will design it and it will be one of the most beautiful memorials in the world. In 1921 Marshall Foch, surrounded by a noble com- pany of ex-service men and women and in the pres- ence of a vast concourse of citizens, dedicated the ground to the sacred purpose intended by the com- monwealth of Indiana.
WE SHALL NOT FORGET
We shall not forget that poppies grow In Flanders Fields, And that beneath their crimson glow Sleep the silent dead, Who faltered not where duty led.
Sleep on, wake not, oh dead! In exalted fields, The cause for which your blood was shed, Thy deeds, thy plea, Shall not forgotten be.
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Your lives, like poppies, shall bloom anew, In fertile fields, Nurtured with tears-heaven's rarest dew, And as a beacon bright, Guide us ever in the flight.
-Ellsworth Wilson .*
It is not yet possible to give detailed facts or full eredit to each of the sons of Indiana who so nobly served their country. Only a few organizations- those belonging to the National Guard, entered the service of the country as separate units. Some of these organizations were so changed as to branch of service and membership as to almost lose identity.
The great combat and administrative unit of the Afmy was the division composed of approximately twenty-eight thousand men. Many Indiana troops served in the 38th Division, made up largely of National Guard units, and many others in the 84th Division of the National Army. But at that the number as compared to the whole number from this State was comparatively small. The truth is that Indiana troops were scattered throughout the en- tire Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
The division commanders were regular army officers of ability and experience and were chosen and promoted for that purpose. They could hardly be identified as belonging to any State, though of course each claimed some State as his home from which he had most likely been sent to West Point.
* Major Ellsworth Wilson's son, Lieut. Josephus B. Wilson, was killed near Cunel, France, October 12, 1918. The distinguished service cross was sent to his mother. The father also served in the army.
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For instance, Major General Edward M. Lewis, a native of Indiana, long in the regular Army, had been chosen by the governor of Indiana to com- mand Indiana troops on the border in 1916. He was pretty generally recognized as an Indiana officer, and stands high among the eminent soldiers - of the State in the World War. He commanded the 30th Division in France and is a notable example of the high class officers produced by the State of Indiana.
Major General Omar Bundy should be men- tioned as representative of the patriotic officers of Indiana. He was a native of Henry County, the son of Colonel Martin L. Bundy, and a brother of Judge Eugene Bundy, was appointed as a cadet to West Point in 1875, graduated from that mili- tary institution, passed all the grades in the line of promotion, and commanded the Second Division of the American Expeditionary Forces at Belleau Woods and Chateau Thiery. When a general order was issued requiring him to delay the ad- vance of the troops under his command, and the order was communicated to him he said to the corps commander that he could not give the command to stop as his soldiers, being Americans, could not understand it, and the corps commander gave him permission to advance, which he did, cutting through the enemy's line to a triumphant victory.
In commenting upon the facts an ingenious press reporter quoted him as saying that he "could not conceive of American soldiers not advancing under the flag of their country," and put him in the posi-
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tion of violating an order. The news of his advance and victory sent a thrill of delight to the people of Indiana and in all parts of the United States, but the reported incident that stated or implied that he had disobeyed orders was based on pure fiction.
He was a high minded, modest gentleman, honor- able and gallant soldier, admired by all his soldiers and associates in the Army and is now a retired officer of it.
The people of Indiana, on the occasion of his returning home on a visit soon after the close of the war, gave him grand ovations and the highest honors they could bestow.
.Major General William G. Haan, who com- manded the 32d Division in France, was an Indiana man, receiving his early education at Crown Point. For eighteen days without cessation his division was in the advance in some of the most terrific fight- ing of the war.
Brigadier General Hiram Bearss, a grandson of Daniel R. Bearss, a prominent pioneer citizen of Peru, Indiana, was for a long time an officer of the Marine Corps.
Admiral Niblack, who served for many years, was a son of William E. Niblack, of Vincennes. who served in Congress for many years, and for many years was a judge of the Supreme Court of Indiana.
He commanded the Mediterranean division of the navy during the war.
Brigadier General William Wallace Atterbury.
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When General Pershing went to France in May, 1917, with a small staff he soon realized the prob- lems that would confront an American expedi- tionary force in connection with the movement of troops and materials and cabled to Secretary of War Baker to send him the ablest railroad operat- ing man in America. The choice fell upon William Wallace Atterbury, operating vice-president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, who as president of the American Railway Association in 1916 had ren- dered invaluable service to the United States in connection with transportation of troops and war supplies to the American border and later to the Atlantic seaboard.
Mr. Atterbury patriotically accepted the call to duty and sailed to Europe in August, 1917, and was given the rank of a brigadier general of the United States Army and the title of director gen- eral of transportation of the American Expedi- tionary Forces. One of the important tasks that came to him was the prompt unloading of vessels and their turn about in shortest possible time in order to get greatest service out of transports at a time when Germany was hitting hardest.
His work in France won the admiration of both soldiers and railroad officials and appreciation of his services was demonstrated by the following decorations which he received: United States. Dis- tinguished Service Medal; France, Legion of Honor, rank of Commander; Great Britain, Com- panion of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath; Belgium, Commander of the Order of the Crown.
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If decorations were in order for meritorious service in civil life, General Atterbury would be covered with them as testimonials of his useful and power- ful work in the service of the great Pennsylvania Railroad, where he now supervises a force of 220,000 workers in its operating departments, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors in addition to performing his executive duties as vice- president in charge of operation.
He entered the railroad service in October, 1886, at the age of twenty and worked his way up from an apprenticeship in the Altoona shops through the successive grades of advancement, in which were included assistant road foreman of engines, master mechanic, general superintendent of motive power and general manager. He stepped from the latter position to a vice-presidency. It was his aim in boyhood to become a railroad man and he carried out his ambitions. His industry in anything he undertook served him quite as well, as did his edu- cation with which he was equipped by a liberal preparatory course that enabled him to enter Yale University from which he was graduated in 1886 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy and im- mediately went to work in the Altoona shops.
General Atterbury was born at New Albany, Indiana, January 31, 1866, the son of a lawyer whose strong religious convictions led him into the ministry. His grandfather was Lewis Atterbury and his grandmother Catharine Boudinot, niece of Elias Boudinot at one time president of the Conti- nental Congress. Aside from having a birthright
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in Indiana as one of his distinguished honors he was given the honorary degree of Master of Arts by Yale University in 1911 and Doctor of Laws by the University of Pennsylvania in 1919.
If the electorate of the United States may turn from the ranks of politicians to look for a chief executive of this great country, among the leading figures in the industrial world who have accom- plished something worth mentioning, this distin- guished son of Indiana would rank first in the eligible list, but it is not known that he has any political ambitions or tastes. If not he differs from most prominent men of his native State.
Brigadier General Harry B. Smith, the veteran adjutant general of Indiana, during the World War gave to the State and to his country the most efficient service. Rich in military experience and ability he assumed the burden of preparing the National Guard troops for active service, and throughout the war performed his duties in con- nection with the Selective Service Law in a manner which met the approval of the people of the State and the National Government at Washington.
Doubtless other officers of the regular Army as brave and efficient as those mentioned, but serving less conspicuously, claim Indiana as their homes. Time will make their records known and posterity will give them the credit so richly deserved.
The National Guard drafted into the Federal service August 5, 1917, numbered 10.496 officers and men, composed of four regiments, to-wit: the 1st, 2d, 3d and 4th Regiments of Infantry, the
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1st Battalion of Engineers, Troops A, B, C, D. 1st Cavalry, Field Hospitals Nos. 1 and 2, Ambu- lance Companies Nos. 1, 2, 3, 1st Bn. Signal Corps, Cos. L, MI and Mach. Gun, 4th Infantry. These organizations were later designated as the 151st, 152d Infantry, 137th, 139th Regiments of Field Artillery, 113th Engineers, Headquarters Company 151st Infantry, Battery F 139th Field Artillery, Company L 152d Infantry, Company M 152d Infantry, 149th and 150th Field Hospital. 150th, 152d, and 149th Ambulance Companies. 113th Field Signal Battalion and 139th Machine Gun Battalion, respectively, and served as such through the war. Manifestly it would not be proper to emphasize these units nor to mention especially the ever changing roster of their officers over the thousands of Indiana officers who served in the National Army, but whose names cannot be given at this time nor until the United States Gov- ernment can do so.
It has been estimated by reliable authority that the number who enlisted voluntarily in the Army. Navy and Marine Corps from Indiana exceeded by 234 the total number taken in by the draft boards. If this be true the total service men and women from Indiana would reach the grand total of 156,886.
For the present these statistics must remain sub- ject to correction. Both Government and State authorities expressly reserve the right to correct all estimates.
The Navy Department at Washington has fur-
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nished the following authoritative statement in con- nection with "Naval Personnel Credited to the State of Indiana during the World War":
Commissioned officers credited:
U. S. Navy. 321
U. S. N. R. F. 653
Enlisted personnel credited to the State:
U. S. Navy, male
6,436
Female 4
U. S. N. R. F., male 5,768
Female 45
It is very doubtful whether these figures give all who entered the naval service from Indiana, but the statement is at least authoritative.
Major General M. W. Ireland, another son of Indiana, was chief surgeon of the Army and made a record of efficiency which challenges criticism and reflects honor upon his State as well as the service. Until the vast number of records can be collected and tabulated their names and specific units and organizations, as well as the sacrifices made by Indiana's noble men and women must in a large measure remain unknown. But to the adjutant · general of Indiana great credit has already been earned as a result of his great diligence.
He has already gathered nearly 6,500 records from the ex-service men and women themselves, and has obtained from the Federal War Department and filed in his office the records of the 3,318 men and 15 women nurses from Indiana who paid the supreme sacrifice.
His official report as it appears in the State's
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Year Book for 1919 is rich in information and illuminating accounts of the work he has done and of the location and activities of Indiana troops, and contains some comments and pertinent inquiries as to the cause of breaking up the 38th and 84th Divi- sions and the separation of officers from their regiments that could probably only be answered by General Pershing and the general staff of the United States Army. As they succeeded in the greatest war project of the ages, probably the achievement in itself affords an acceptable answer.
Brigadier General Fox Conner, chief G-3, G. H. Q., in "Notes on Operations in the Meuse- Argonne Drive," reveals this explanation :
(c) The number of replacements required never reached France.
"(d) It became essential to fill up certain divi- sions on account of tactical necessities, and since the shortage of replacements was at the time acute, sick and wounded returning to duty were sometimes necessarily sent to such divisions without regard to whether or not the soldier originally belonged to the division to be filled.
Our shortage of replacements became acute early in September and by mid October the situation was desperate. Only one recourse was possible-to utilize incoming divisions for replacements, holding the cadres to be reconstituted whenever replacements in adequate numbers should be received from home. Even this action did not suffice to bring our twenty- nine fighting divisions to full strength, but we were able by a judicious use of the soldiers thus obtained to maintain a reasonable strength in the divisions at the most critical points of attack. There is no
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doubt but that this decision to break up divisions contributed in a large degree to concluding the war · in 1918.
The following is a correct but condensed repro- duction from Adjutant General Smith's report, deemed as important in this volume to the end that its readers who may not have convenient access to official records may be supplied with the facts it sets forth:
During the year 1916 Congress passed an act which became effective June 3, 1916, which is known as the National Defense Act. This act provides for an appropriation for the organization, equipment and maintenance of State troops to be known as National Guard. . .. In order for a National Guard organization to participate in this federal appropriation it must be inspected by an officer of the United States Army. This inspection covers armory facilities-whether the armory has a drill hall of sufficient size to care for the organization in its preliminary training, the space available for the storage of government property and the security of the building from fire and theft. The inspection also covers the personnel of the or- ganization, the records, such as enlistment papers, physical examinations, etc., and the ability of the city to maintain an organization at the strength required in the Tables of Organization of May, 1917. If the organization reaches the required standard, it is granted federal recognition and becomes a part of the National Guard of the United States and the State of Indiana, and is armed and equipped by the gov- ernment and participates in the federal appropria- tion which provides for federal drill pay, as provided in the National Defense Act. Semi-annual inspec- tions are made by a federal inspecting officer-an
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