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“Sherman Was Right” the Experience of Aef Soldiers in the Great War

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“Sherman Was Right” the Experience of Aef Soldiers in the Great War “SHERMAN WAS RIGHT” THE EXPERIENCE OF AEF SOLDIERS IN THE GREAT WAR DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Edward A. Gutiérrez, B.A., M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2008 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Geoffrey Parker, Adviser Professor John F. Guilmartin Jr. _______________________________ Professor Peter R. Mansoor Adviser History Graduate Program Copyright by Edward A. Gutiérrez 2008 ABSTRACT When the United States declared war in the spring of 1917, American men went to war with idyllic visions of warfare. This study explores the state of mind of the AEF soldier during the Great War, an issue that has challenged scholars in the field since the troops returned home. With the use of Military Service Records (MSRs or questionnaires) issued in 1919 from four states as its core source, this dissertation argues that the American cultural glorification of warfare created an impetuous doughboy, who believed war was a game and the path to manhood. Employing these neglected firsthand descriptions of the war in the uncensored words of veterans provides understanding of American military identity; it removes the uniform and studies the individual – whether it is an aristocratic New Englander who hungered to prove his masculinity or an African American blacksmith fighting for his equality. Cultural differences aside, the naïveté of the doughboy was overwhelming; he believed the war would be an enjoyable adventure, but learned General Sherman was right – war is hell. ii Dedicated to my mother and my adviser Professor Geoffrey Parker iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have engaged in this project for almost a decade and have incurred a number of debts to many amiable scholars, archivists and librarians. Any work, such as this one, is only possible with the knowledge, expertise and time of the following people to whom I owe many thanks. For their patience and understanding, thank you to Joby Abernathy of the Ohio State University History Department and Beth Russell of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. The research for this dissertation would not have been possible without the generous support of the George C. Marshall/Baruch Foundation and the Mershon Center for International Security Studies; a Retrieving the American Past Grant from the Ohio State University History Department and fellowships from the United States Army Center of Military History and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation enabled me to concentrate on the intensive writing phase of the project. While traveling throughout the country, a host of archivists and librarians provided me with a great deal of their time and insight into locating forgotten materials. I am grateful to the librarians and archivists at the following institutions: the Connecticut State Library, especially LeAnn Power, Mark Jones and Bruce Stark; the Library of Virginia, in particular Roger Christman; the Minnesota Historical Society, chiefly Steve Nielsen; the Utah State Archives, above all Tony Castro; the United States Army Military History Institute in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, mainly David A. Keough; and the National iv Archives, principally Mitchell A. Yockelson. Also thank you to the numerous other professionals I corresponded with who aided me in tracking down valuable materials. In the academic field, I am extremely grateful to Professors Howard A. Mayer, Borden W. Painter Jr., Eugene E. Leach, Allan R. Millett, all of whom read early drafts and large sections of the dissertation. Thank you to Professor Leonard V. Smith who served as an outside reader and provided a better perception of the soldiers’ experience in the Great War, and to the Graduate Faculty Representative on my dissertation committee, Professor Brian D. Joseph, whose expertise in linguistics further enriched the project. I am deeply thankful to Dr. John F. Guilmartin Jr. and Colonel Peter R. Mansoor who served on my dissertation committee, providing valuable insight, and in addition, whose personal knowledge on the experience of soldiers in combat strengthened this work. Most of all, however, I owe my greatest debt to my adviser Professor Geoffrey Parker, without whom, this project would still be just an idea and not a reality, and to my mother, who has never doubted me and always supported my endeavors. v VITA 2000............................................................B.A. History, University of Hartford 2004............................................................M.A. History, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 2005 – present............................................Graduate Teaching and Research Associate, The Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: History vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract............................................................................................................................ii Dedication........................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................iv Vita...................................................................................................................................vi List of Figures..................................................................................................................viii Introduction......................................................................................................................1 Chapters: 1. The Great Adventure.............................................................................................18 2. Gimme da Gun......................................................................................................42 3. Brooms instead of Rifles.......................................................................................66 4. Across the Pond ....................................................................................................94 5. Sherman was Right ...............................................................................................121 6. Damned Dull, Damned Dirty and Damned Dangerous ........................................155 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................186 Appendices A. Unpacking the Source ..........................................................................................214 B. Biographies...........................................................................................................246 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................264 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1: Page four of Samuel B. Yaffo’s MSR ......................................................................3 2: Page four of James P. Spencer’s MSR .....................................................................4 3: Photograph of Samuel B. Yaffo, France, 1918.........................................................5 4: Photograph of James P. Spencer, France 1918.........................................................5 5: Distribution of foreign-born in Connecticut’s five largest cities, 1920....................23 6: Photograph of Edward G. Poduba, 25 April 1919....................................................31 7: Growth of the United States Army according to source...........................................48 8: Photograph of Nicola Andreozzi, France, 1918 .......................................................51 9: A good view showing the well-constructed barracks of Camp Devens ...................76 10: Soldiers relax, read and play table tennis in the Army Red Cross building .............76 11: Origin of unit formations at Camp Devens...............................................................79 12: Photograph of Humbert F. Cofrancesco, December 1917........................................86 13: Soldiers on the Northern Pacific, near the English Channel, watch shells being fired at a U-Boat.........................................................................95 14: Map given to AEF soldiers stationed near Paris.......................................................98 15: Major General Clarence R. Edwards inspecting the 101st Infantry, Neufchâteau, France, 1918 .......................................................................................100 16: Photograph of Ernest C. Porter on horseback...........................................................131 viii Figure Page 17: Sergeant E. F. O’Leary and his artillerymen, 102nd Field Artillery, Battery A, 26th Division in Beaumont, France on 30 April 1918 .............................147 18: The 102nd Infantry march under the Civil War Memorial Arch with “Stubby” the 102nd Infantry’s mascot, during the Welcome Home Parade, Hartford, 1919....156 19: Casualties for states with MSRs ...............................................................................157 20: Type of records issued by states ...............................................................................217 21: Creation of Historical Committees and Service Records .........................................225 22: MSRs state return rates.............................................................................................228 23: Page one of Connecticut’s MSR...............................................................................234
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