USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > Atlas and plat book of Lenawee County Michigan and history of the World War > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22
THE COMING OF WAR TO AMERICA-On February 26, President Wilson went before Congress and asked for authority to arm merchant ships and to take other measures needed for the protection of American citizens and property on the high seas when attacked by submarines. A bill for this purpose was imme- diately introduced and passed by the House of Representatives, but was defeated in the Senate through the filibustering of eleven senators. On March 12 the presi- dent announced that he would exercise his authority to arm merchant ships by executive act. Guns, manned by naval gunners, were accordingly placed on all American vessels sailing through the danger zone. There was still hope that war might be averted. On March 19, the sinking of three American ships and the loss
GENERAL HUNTER LIGGETT Commander of American First Army.
of fifteen sailors shattered this hope. The following day, March 20, war prepara- tions were begun by the United States. The special session of Congress, originally set for April 16, was advanced to April 2. On the evening of April 2, President Wilson delivered to the two houses of Congress, in joint session, an address in which he recommended that Congress declare "the recent course of the Imperial German government to be in fact nothing less than war against the government and people of the United States," and that Congress "formally accept the status of belligerent which has thus been thrust upon it." The president defined the issues to be those of democracy against autocracy. "The world," he asserted, "must be made safe for democracy." Resolutions embodying the president's recommendations were at once introduced in both houses of Congress. The
Page Eight
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR
Senate passed them on the night of April 4 by a vote of 82 to 6. The House adopted them on the morning of April 6 by a vote of 373 to 50. On Friday after- noon, April 6, President Wilson signed the joint resolution. By this act the United States and Germany were officially at war.
The first hostile act on the part of the United States was the seizure, on April 6, of all German ships in American ports. These had an aggregate tonnage of 600,000. Wireless stations were also seized or ordered to be dismantled, so as to shut off communication with Germany. Recruiting for the army, navy and marines was speeded up. Certain national guard regiments were called into the federal service. The work of mobilizing and training a great army to send over- seas began without delay. Recruiting for the navy and marines was satisfactory. Recruiting for the army was slow. The president asked Congress to pass a con- scription act. After some opposition a bill empowering the president to raise an army by selective draft was passed on May 18. All male residents who were 21, but not yet 31 years of age, were called upon to register June 5, for classification and conscription into the army. The registration of over 9,500,000 young men took place on that date, and the drawing to decide the first 687,000 men to be called to the colors occurred on July 20.
AMERICAN TROOPS SENT TO FRANCE-The first intimation that the United States meant to fight on the battlefields of Europe was the announcement that a division of the regular army was to proceed without delay to the French front. The position of commander-in-chief was given to Major General John J. Pershing. With his staff, General Pershing arrived in England on June 8. Five days later the party landed in France. The first contingent of United States troops to fight in Europe arrived in France on June 26. Toward the end of July trenches began
MAJOR GEN'L. ROBERT L., BULLARD Commander of American Second Army.
to be dug in and near the American camps established in France, and a start was made toward training the new American army in the new methods of fighting. After Generl Pershing had inspected these camps, on August 1 and 2, he announced that the United States was making good progress and would shortly be in the fighting.
In the meantime, the first ships of the United States navy had anchored off the French coast, June 6. Immediately they began to do their share in convoying troop ships and keeping the English channel and North Sea clear of submarines and sweeping mines which the Germans had laid.
FINANCING THE WAR-The United States now set about raising the neces- sary money for the war. On May 18 the government offered to the people bonds amounting to $2,000,000,000. This was the first Liberty Loan, followed by three others before peace was finally secured. The United States was raising money not only for its own war needs, but to loan to its allies. On August 27, Chairman Kitchin of the House ways and means committee, estimated the war expenses of the United States to June 30, 1918, at $19,300,000,000. This included actual expenses of $10,000,000,000, and loans to the allied governments amounting to $7,000,000,000. Congress set about to raise this amount through increased taxes and bond issu- ances.
On October 27 it was officially announced that the American troops in France had begun to finish their intensive training in the trenches "in a quiet sector on the French front." A few days later, just as the Germans were completing their retreat across the Ailette river, they announced the capture of some American patrols on the Marne canal. From that day onward casualty lists told of Ameri- cans killed or wounded in action or by German shell fire. The Americans had entered the war and from then on were destined to play a large and important part.
Meantime, at home, the government was busily engaged in preparing an army and navy, which should turn the tide to the Allies and bring the war to a conclu- sion much more quickly than any one hoped or believed possible. The progress made by November 7 was shown by the figures made public by the Secretary of War on that date. The army was then distributed as follows: National (draft) army, 616,820; national guard called into federal service, 469,000; regular army, 370,000; special branches, 200,000; reserves, 80,000; officers, 80,000; total, 1,815,- 820. The growth of the navy was no less satisfactory. At the end of November the personnel had increased since the beginning of the year from 4,500 officers and 68,000 men, to 15,000 officers and 254,000 men; the number of ships in com- mission from a little more than 300 to 1,000.
On the assembling of Congress, on December 4, President Wilson read a message in which he recommended a declaration of war against Austria-Hungary, chief ally of Germany. Congress took this important step three days later, on December 7.
The year closed with the United States having an army of 2,000,000 men and having declared war against both Germany and Austria-Hungary, making every effort to take an active part in the fighting in France with the opening up of a new campaign in the spring of 1918.
The Germans were reported as not believing the United States would actively attack them; and the vigor and amazing speed with which a vast army was raised and started overseas was unquestionably a great surprise to the Central Powers. They had believed their submarines would render perilous and slow transfer of troops over the Atlantic, but within twelve months of our entering the war they were going across at the rate of nearly 300,000 each month.
FIGHTING ON THE SOMME- In January, 1917, fighting was resumed along the River Somme, in France, where the "big push" had occurred the year before. The British ' (who now had over 1,500,000 men in France) began advancing on both sides of the Ancre river, in the direction of Bapaume. In the last four days of February they occupied Serre, Miraumont, Ligny and numerous other towns. The Germans began to fall back to new defensive positions behind the Bapaume- Peronne highway, in a retreat which was to establish them on the "Hindenburg Line," a previously prepared series of fortifications and entrenchments which was
considered impregnable (see maps of western France in this atlas). The British advanced warily. The important towns of Bapaume and Peronne were taken, in addition to sixty villages. On the line between the towns of Roye and Noyon, adjoining the Somme front, the Germans abandoned considerable territory to the French. North of the Ancre the Germans fell back as far as Arras. In their retirement they destroyed the countryside systematically, chopping down forests, poisoning wells and razing every building. With a belt of twenty miles of devas- tated territory between them and the allied position, the Germans, early in April, entrenched themselves on the Hindenburg line. The British, on April 9, and the French, on April 16, initiated their forward movements by attacking the terminal positions of the Hindenburg line: Vimy Ridge, north of Arras, and the Craonne Plateau, east of Soissons. The British offensive was on a front of forty-five miles between Lens and St. Quentin, including Vimy Ridge, which dominated the plain of Douai, the coal fields of Lens, and the German positions around Arras.
BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE-The most important episode in the opening of this offensive was the taking of Vimy Ridge by the Canadians. Along a twelve- mile front the Canadians penetrated the German positions to a depth of from two to three miles, capturing many important fortified positions. The number of Ger- man prisoners at the end of the first five days reached 13,000. The British com- mander announced that his men were astride the vaunted Hindenburg line.
The French opened their offensive on April 16 on an eleven-mile front east of Rheims, between that city and Soissons. They sought to capture the southern pivot of the Hindenburg line, the principal attacks being against the heights of the Aisne river. They were successful, capturing many thousands of Germans, and occupying Craonne. At this point the Germans brought up large numbers of fresh troops. By the end of May the Franco-British offensive had been stopped and vigorous counter attacks were being launched by the Germans.
BLOWING UP MESSINES RIDGE-Early in June it became apparent that the British proposed to resume hostilities on the front near Ypres, where some of the earliest fighting of the war had occurred in 1914. One of the problems that de- manded solution was Messines Ridge, held by the Germans, from which their guns were able constantly to sweep the British positions in the low lands near the Ypres salient. Britain proposed to take this ridge. For more than a year engi- neers and sappers had been tunneling and mining below it, unknown to the Ger- mans above. At last nineteen mines, containing over 1,000,000 pounds of explosive, were ready for the blasting operations. The British proposed to blow off the whole top of Messines Ridge and with it all the Germans and their fortifications. The plan succeeded. The signal for exploding the mines was given on June 7, and in a moment the German positions on a ten-mile front were shattered to pieces. Ac- cording to witnesses the concussion was so great that the sound could be heard 100 miles away. "Woods were swept out of existence, hill slopes were stripped and laid bare and villages disappeared beneath piles of ruin and debris." The British soldiers swept forward. A brief struggle won them the village of Messines. By noon the whole ridge was in their possession and they swept down the further side and attacked the German rear defenses. The British took 7,000 German pris- oners and many guns, while many thousands of Huns were killed.
In the last days of July the third battle of Ypres began. The preliminary bombardment reached its height on the night of July .. 30, and the following day the offensive was launched along a front of fifteen miles between the Lys and the Yser rivers. The German positions were penetrated to a depth of two miles. The sec- ond phase of the battle opened August 16. Between then and August 22 the French consolidated their positions and swept on.
The French won several brilliant successes along the Aisne and Meuse rivers at this time. On August 20, after a three days' bombardment, they went forward along the Meuse on an eleven-mile front, taking almost all the fortifications and positions adjacent to Verdun for which the Germans had struggled the year before. By the time the drive came to an end, nearly 100 of the 120 square miles originally lost to the Germans had been recovered, thus setting at naught the whole of the operations of the German Crown Prince in which he had sacrificed nearly a million men.
THE TERRIFIC SMASHES AT YPRES-As a result of terrific attacks by the French and British, beginning September 20, on an eight-mile front in the region of Ypres and continuing until October 12, the Allies came within long-range gun- shot of Roulers and gained the principal heights commanding the plain of Flan- ders. In five terrific drives during this time the Allies advanced a distance of three miles in the neighborhood of Passchendaele, gained nearly a mile over the Ypres-Menin road and reconquered an area of about 23 square miles. As proof of the deadly fighting in this region, the British staff announced that in two months the Germans had used up and killed or retired almost 800,000 men in defending their lines, and in furious counter attacks. During the same period the British casualties numbered around 200,000.
The Flanders offensive, now at an end, was followed by one of the most bril- liant attacks of the whole war, the British drive on Cambrai, an important French railroad town. The operation was begun on November 20, on a front of thirty- two miles, and resulted in an advance of five miles, bringing the British advance guard within three miles of Cambrai. Two days later the Germans began to counter attack and regained some of their lost territory. On November 30 the Ger- mans attacked again and forced from the British much of the ground they had won. On December 5 the Germans had penetrated on an eight-mile front to a depth of three miles, almost wiping out the British salient. Further withdrawals by the British became necessary. On January 4, 1918, the Germans drove the British from their positions on the Hindenburg line east of Bellecourt. On January 8 the British recovered most of these positions, but the Cambrai drive, which had started so auspiciously for the British, was practically a failure, and the lives of over 1,000,- 000 English, Canadian and Australians had been paid in vain.
THE ENGLISH CAMPAIGN IN TURKEY IN ASIA-England declared war on Turkey (which had allied itself with Germany) in November, 1914. On the 15th of that month a British force of 5,000 from India (mostly native troops) captured the Turkish fort at Fao, a little town in Mesopotamia (a province of Turkey) at the head of the Persian gulf. The victorious troops proceeded to the important city of Basra, which was easily captured on November 23. Early in December the fortified town of Kurna, fifty miles above Basra, was captured, leaving the British in undisputed possession of a region from which a Turkish force, under German direction, might have threatened India, over which Britain exerts a guid- ing hand. On June 3, 1915, the British captured Amara, 75 miles above Kurna. What was left of the Turkish force retreated 150 miles up the Tigris river to Kut-el-Amara. General Townshend was sent up the Tigris in command of a small British army. He found 10,000 Turks a short distance below Kut-el-Amara and on September 24, 1915, the British decisively defeated the Turks. The next day the Turks were in full retreat toward Bagdad and the British were in Kut-el- Amara.
From Kut-el-Amara, General Townshend pushed up the Tigris to attack Bag- dad, 573 miles from the Persian gulf. The British forces numbered 15,000, of whom only one-third were Englishmen. The campaign was ill advised and dis- astrous. By November 24 the British casualties amounted to 4,500, one third of the force. The Turks received further reinforcements, and the British retreated to Kut-el-Amara. Here the Turks surrounded them and began a long siege. On April 29, 1916, General Townshend's troops could hold out no longer and although a relieving army was but 25 miles away the entire force at Kut-el-Amara sur- rendered, after a brave defense lasting 143 days. The Turks claimed to have captured 13,000 men. The British placed the number at 9,000, of which 6,000 were native Indians.
In January, 1915, both Turkey and Russia had armies in northern Persia, where on January 30 the Turks lost Tabriz. Meanwhile, a Russian army, number- ing 100,000 began an advance toward Erzerum, the strongly fortified Turkish base in Armenia. The Turkish commander made the mistake of separating his forces into small bodies, to attack the Russians in various places. One after the other the separated Turkish troops were defeated and by the middle of January the re- mains of the Turkish army were in full retreat upon Erzerum. This disaster de- nied to Austria a successful Turkish diversion against southeastern Russia.
A strong British force was organized, under Lieut .- Gen. F. S. Maude, to meet the anticipated attack of the Turks upon the Suez canal, connecting the Mediterran-
Continued on Page Nine
"THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS"
WARREN G. HARDING, United States
THE MILITARY ACADEMY, WEST POINT, N. Y. ARMY CADETS DRILLING
The United States Military Academy is a school for the practical and theoretical training of cadets for the military service of the United States. After a 4-year course, the cadet is eligible for promotion and commission as a second lieutenannt in any army or corps of the army. Each congressional district is entitled to have two cadets at the Academy. No candidate can be admitted under 17 or over 22 years of age. Must be 5.5 inches in height and unmarried. The pay of a cadet is $600 a year and one ration a day. No cadet is allowed to receive money or other supplies from his parents or any other person without the sanc- tion of the Superintendent.
GUSTAVE, King of Sweden
THE NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS, MD. NAVAL CADETS DRILLING
The United States Naval Academy is a school for the practical and theoretical training of young men for the naval service of the United States. The students are styled midshipmen. The course of study is six years. Four years at the Academy and two years at sea. Three midshipmen are allowed for each senator, representative and delegate in congress. All candidates must be between the ages of 16 and 20 years. Height must not be less than 5 ft. 3 inches. Minimum weight is 105 pounds. Candi- dates must be unmarried. The pay of a midshipman is $600 a year. They must supply themselves with clothes, books, etc., amounting to $280.00 per year.
YOSHIHITO, Japan
GEORGE V., Great Britain
PAUL DESCHANEL, President of France
VICTOR EMANUEL III, Italy
WORLD WAR CHANGES
Map OF : Europe
Province of Alsace and Lorraine ceded to France by Ger- many. Poland, formed out of German, Austria- Hungary and Rus- sian Polands. City of Fiume to be a free seaport. Province of Schles- wig, to determine by plebiscite whether to remain in Germany or go to Denmark. East Prussia which remains part of Ger- many, tho separated from her by Poland. Portion of East Prussia to decide by plebiscite whether it goes to Poland or Germany.
City and territory of Danzig, perma- nently inter-nation- alized. The Republic of Finland formerly part of the Russian Empire.
The Republic of
Czecho-Slovakia. The Republic of Hungary.
The Republic of Jugoslavia. The Republic of Ukrane.
Map OF Africa
German Southwest Africa-area 322,450 square miles. Popu- lation 400,000.
German East Afri- ca - area 384,180 square miles. Popu- lation 7,000,000. German Kamerun -area 191,130 square miles. Population 4,- 000,000.
German Togo Land area 33,660 square miles.
All these German Colonies with an area of over 900,000 square miles and population of about 3,000,000 people ced- ed to Allied Powers.
Location with Population of Principal Cities of the World.
Pop.
Key
180000 Adelaide, Australia, N7
195183 Ahmadabad, India 335754 Alexandria, Egypt, G82
578985 Amsterdam, Nether- lands
305706 Antwerp, Belgium 188089 Baku, Russia 630000 Bankok, Siam H4 555000 Barcelona, Spain 364145 Belfast, IrelandD29
219797 Benares, India 2070695 Berlin, Germany D30 545706 Birmingham, Eng. 186900 Bolton, England
1200000 Constantinople, Turkey F32 525502 Copenhagen, Den- mark D31 236250 Damascus, Turkey in Asia F33 219003 Delhi, India G1 504690 Dresden, Germany D31 391828 Dublin, Ireland D29 353398 Edinburgh, Scotland D29
240733 Essen, Germany 215888 Florence, Italy 303429 Frankfort-on-Main, Germany D30
656250 Fuchau, China G5 245700 Genoa, Italy E30 171071 Ghent, Belgium 849500 Glasgow, Scotland D29
245700 Hague, D30
470400 Haidarabad, IndiaG1 932166 Hamburg, Ger. D30 185000 Hangchau, China F5 250125 Hanover, Germany 275200 Hayana, Cuba G21 270900 Hull, England D29 207275 Kharkof. Russia E33 409000 Kiota, Japan F7 262500 Kirin, China E6 300000 Kobe, Japan 525000 Lanchau, China
281110 Montreal, CanadaE22 168000 Mukden, China E6 479619 Leeds, England D29 1481200 Moscow, Russia D33 478926 Leipsic Germany D31 375800 Lisbon, PortugalF28 766700 Liverpool, Eng. D29 370150 Lodz, Russia 7252963 London, Eng. D29 278250 Lucknow, India 482053 Lyon, France
275100 Nuremberg, Ger. 472156 Odessa, Russia E33 182000 Oporto, Portugal E29
1226590 Osaka, Japan F7 325178 Palermo, Italy F31 2888110 Paris, France E30 1549008 Philadelphia, Pa. F22
1680000 Pekin, China E5 246625 Rangoon, India 297090 Riga, Russia D32 1000000 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil M25
485922 Rome, Italy E31 389909 Rotterdam, Nether- lands 1907708 St. Petersburg;
Russia C83
351254 Santiago, Chile N22 155730 Seville, Spain F29
683550 Shanghai, China
462435 Sheffield, Englanp. 892500 Siangtan, China 918750 Singanfu, China
215400 332862 Stockholm, Swed 150000 Abyssinia E31
533926 Sydney, Australi/520000 Africa 204000 Teheran, Persia
787500 Tientsin, China
187435 Trieste, Australi 1319247 Argentina 251300 Assiniboia- 2186079 Tokyo, Japan F1 000000 Asia & Palestine 185325 Tunis, Tunis F30-115903 Austria 352438 Turin, Italy
2031498 Vienna, Austria 315000 Nanchang, China
11373 Belgium
92000 Bakhara
567340 Bolivia 290829 Chile
296700 Borneo
42217 British Cen. Africa
1000000 British Africa 7562 British Honduras
31106 British N. Borneo 68000 British Somali
15000 Brunei 4035 Bukourina
14848 Denmark
950000 Egyptian Sudan
50867 England
37400 Cambodia
36653946 Canada
2808 Canary Isles 276775 Cape Colony 560 Caroline Isles (with Palaos)
71470 Celebes Isl. 181527 Central America
75 Channel Isles 375 Chatham Isles
109000 Guiana, British
46040 Guiana, Dutch
4218401 Chinese Empire 22000 Cochin China
6449 Hawaiian Islands
46250 Honduras 7562 Honduras, British
405 Honkong Colony 125039 Hungary 39756 Iceland
1000000 Italian Somaliland 110646 Italy
4200 Jamaica
162655 Japan Empire 50664 Java (& Madura) 191130 Kamerun 22320 Khiva
5300 New Hebrides Isls. $10700 New South Wales 104471 New Zealand 49200 Nicaragua 729000 North America 124445 Norway 20550 Nova Scotia 82000 Oman 312329 Papua 157000 Paraguay 628000 Persis
900000 Kongo Free State 450000 Kongo, French 82000 Korea
3460 Lagos Colony
30500 Guiana, French
185540 Guianas, The 10204 Haiti
35500 Malay States 73956 Manitoba
301000 PortugueseE Africa 7458 PortugueseE Indies
767005 Mexico
3630 Montenegro
219000 Morocco 54000 Nepal
12648 Netherlands 42200 Newfoundland
48307 Roumania 13700 Roumelia, Eastern 6564778 Russia in Asia 2095616 Russia in Europe 8660394 Russian Empire 471371 Russian Turkestan 1800000 Sahara 7225 Salvador 18045 Santo Domingo 50000 Sarawak 5787 Saxony 29785 Scotland 96000 Senegal
4000 Sierra LeoneColony 6950000 South America 197670 Spain
950000 Sudan (Egyptian) 300000 Sudan (French) 161612 Sumatra 172876 Sweden 15967 Switzerland 26385 Tasmania 651500 Tibet
33700 Togoland
374 Tonga Islands
46400 Tonkin
119139 Transvaal Colony 398739 Tripoli & Benghazi 50840 Tunis 431800 Turkestan, Chinese 120979 United Kingdom 3025600 United States 72210 Uruguay 593943 Venzuela 87884 Victoria 7442 Wales 198300 Yukon 1020 Zanzibar 1045 Zululand
'19050 Servia 300000 Siam
4833496 Siberia
695733 Peru
52000 Liberia 998 Luxemburg
114326 Philippine Iel 3606 Perto Rizo
227750 Madagascar Island 36038 Portugal
28
29
30
31
32
33
40°
50
35
36
70º 1
2 903 1000
4 110º 5 1200 6 '30º
7
1400
8
150 9 1600 10 1700 11 1800 12 1700 13
140° 16
130° 17
10º 19
100º 20 90º
21 80º 22 700 23
506 25
26 30P 2-7
20º
28 100 29 00 30 10 31
20ª
32 30° 33 400
34
50º 35
59.36
WINST 8.
FRANZ JOSEF
(
ZAND
Petersşu Fjord
YSLAND
NURTHE TOUR
BAST
LAND
PITZBERGER
HAYES
FABRY
CEmy SSPENINSULA
CHOUEAN
CREAREVSKO
5 JFalutenhone Sound
BASILE
LINKOL ISLANDS
EEN
A
N D
N
JEGLINTON IF
DEVON ISLAND
KOTELNOU5
NEW-SIBERIA
Barkin
Papigaiskne
Uit Anaharkoe Olenek
LAND
SwereToy
6Bakalova
weust Kanske
Allaiks 9
Bulun744
Duginak"
Saktialho
Nijni
Takokagin @
Christianshash
Murs
JS Segunke
S
Fredai Kolyinsko
for An Peavy
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.