Today’s post was written by Judy Luis-Watson, Manager of Volunteer & Education Programs at the National Archives at College Park
The series, Records of Divisions (NAID 301641) of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Record Group 120, document the service of each combat division during its participation in World War I (WWI). Of the 59 Divisions that were formed, with 28,000 personnel in each Division, only the 36th Division contains Personal War Experiences.
Written by the servicemen after their return from the frontline, 2,300 narratives document their experience of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The records can be difficult to read because of the aging and faded records. Most are handwritten on YMCA or Salvation Army note paper or scrap paper. Many are detailed and moving stories; some are peppered with humor, while others are evidence of men struggling to write.
The 36th Division, known as “The Lone Star Division,” was formed by men from the Texas and Oklahoma National Guard.
The servicemen were asked to write about their experiences presumably to keep them busy. But is it possible that the very act of writing helped them to process often horrific experiences, and their stories might have offered the leadership some insight into the final Allied offensive of WWI?
The 22 boxes of Personal War Experiences were discovered during a volunteer project to preserve these old and often fragile records housed at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. Included are the personal stories of the men who served in the 132nd Machine Gun Battalion, and the 141st, 142nd, 143rd, and 144th Infantry Regiments. These narratives were recently digitized and are now searchable in the National Archives Catalog.
Private Dave Faris, Co. I, 141st Inf., 36th Div. 1918, 236.33.61
Private Dave Faris, a runner, had 15 minutes to deliver a very important message about an attack. He ran a quarter of a mile through the “enemy’s bursting shells.” His journey back was even more harrowing as he searched for his unit which had started on the attack.
Corporal Harry S. Hovey Co. E, 142nd Inf., 36th Div. 1918, 236.33.61
Corporal Harry S. Hovey’s brief chronology of his unit’s activity gives his first impression of France and of war.
Corporal W. P. B. Otho, Co. L, 141st Inf., 36th Div. 1918, 236.33.61
Corporal W.P.B. Otho dressed the wounds of soldiers and was in the thick of trench warfare for 22 days. With no opportunity for a bath, he wore the same clothes for about 40 days and lived to write about his war experience.
Corporal Eugene S. McLain Co. D, 132nd M.G. Bn., 36th Div. 1918, 236.33.61
Corporal Eugene McLain found parts of the war “exciting.” He was glad he had the experience and was “also glad when it ended. Because honestly it is Hell.”
Captain Clark Owsley Co. B, 142nd Inf. 36th Div., 1918, 236.33.61
Captain Owsley describes his first experience of going over the top, and his different reactions to seeing dead American and enemy soldiers.
Corporal Joe R. Robinson 142nd Inf. Band 36th Div., 1918, 236.33.61
Corporal Joe Robinson, member of the 142nd Infantry Regiment Band, was part of the clean-up crew, picking up US government property left by soldiers. He only experienced the front when “he was detailed to go get us some pistols,” and then was hit by a “GI can” explosion.
In The Unwritten Record blog, the last post in a series by volunteer Jan Hodges featured the art of Harvey Dunn, one of the AEF’s official artists. Excerpts she selected from the Personal War Experiences provide context for the war art and the combination creates documentation of the Meuse-Argon Offensive that is even more powerful and memorable.
An earlier post related to The Lone Star Division can be found in The Text Message Blog – The Blue Arrowhead.
Many thanks to the team of dedicated volunteers and staff at the National Archives at College Park who worked to preserve and make these WWI records available online.
To aid in research on the Personal War Experiences:
To find more Personal War Experiences in the National Archives online, Catalog, go here
The page that opens describes:
- Series: Records of Divisions, 1917 – 1920;
- Record Group: Records of the American Expeditionary Forces (World War I)
- From RG: 120
In the left hand column in “Refine By: File Format”
Select either the “Image (JPG)” or “Portable Document File (PDF)”
In the NARA Search box at the top right, you can also type the name of an individual, Company, or Unit and the results will be displayed.
Thank your for making this available. It is of great use to us at the Texas Military Forces Museum, home of the 36th Infantry Division. One note it is not a “G2” can mentioned by Corp. Joe Robinson but a “G.I.” can a slang term used by the soldiers for gas shells.
We appreciate your letting us know the digitized records are useful to your museum. Thank you for clarifying the reference to the G.I. can; we are editing the post to make the change.
I have two original Arrow head newspapers, one of which is the first copy off the press that my grandpa sent back home from France. I would like to donate them to a Museum about WW1. For being over a hundred years old they are in great shape. If interested email me at donaldhorton5719@yahoo.com.