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The Patriotism of Hardin County, Tennessee

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The Patriotism of Hardin County, Tennessee McKinnon 1 Lauren McKinnon HIST 499 Research Paper December 5, 2017 The Patriotism of Hardin County, Tennessee McKinnon 2 The United States entered into the first World War on April 6, 1917, and the country found itself being asked to give in ways that it had not given since the Civil War. The citizens of many towns and cities in the United States were angry or confused as to the reasons why they should be dragged into a world war. A county located on the Tennessee River, bordering the Alabama and Mississippi state lines, however, embraced the war campaign. Hardin County and its people quickly began preparing for, and participating in, the war effort. Many of the activities which occurred in Hardin County during the United States’ involvement in World War I were recorded in the local newspaper, the Courier. The Courier had been the main source of news for Hardin County since 1884 and the various communities in Hardin County depended on it to inform them of both local and universal events. Between April 1917 and November 1918, the Courier captured the patriotism of Hardin Countians in articles about the war efforts on the homefront (the Red Cross, War Savings Stamps, Liberty Loans and Bonds, and the YMCA), how the community responded (schools and churches), and reports from the soldiers during their time in the military. In March of 1918, the book Over the Top began to be published in the Courier.1 It was written by Arthur Guy Empey who “convinced the British Army to let him enlist, shipped out for France, saw… action in the trenches, and was badly wounded at the Somme” which led to his “[eventual discharge] and [shipment] back home, where he got to work on a book about his experiences.”2 In preparation for it, short advertisements were placed in the local and personal section. Many of these segments contained statements such as “Tell your neighbor about it, so you can talk over the real incidents of the war together” and “You want to know what our boys 1 Courier, “Local and Personal,” February 22, 1918. 2 Richard Rubin, The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013), 30. McKinnon 3 will do in the trenches? Read the story by one that has been there and can tell it interestingly”3 To assist the readers, the Courier published a dictionary of terms on the front page of its paper so that they could understand the language used in Over the Top.4 As America entered the Great War, patriotic citizens sought a way to support their troops through established organizations such as the Red Cross. A Red Cross Society was founded in Hardin County by Mrs. J. K. Barlow in June of 1917.5 One of the main functions of the Red Cross was to raise money to send overseas and Hardin Countians readily began to raise money for support of their new Society. The community of Cross Roads hosted an event at their school and donated the money they raised.6 In September, a Red Cross Auxiliary was created with the purpose “to do their bit in taking care of and making efficient the boys in camp and on the battle front.”7 The Auxiliary immediately set to work and performed many tasks to help with the war effort by creating medical bandages and planning to create “hospital garments and [surgical] dressings [knitting] etc.”8 At a single meeting of the Auxiliary, “114 bandages were made and the red cross placed on 44 comfort bags.”9 Hardin County organized a Red Cross chapter in February of 1918 and encouraged people to join the organization by saying that “next to the United States army the greatest organization in the world today is the American Red Cross.”10 The chapter was led by E. W. Ross as chairman with Mrs. F. C. Williams, Mrs. D. J. Hughes, and Mrs. W. O. Mangum acting as vice chairman, secretary, and treasurer.11 At the beginning of May, the Red Cross of Hardin County had created an “organization for the Red Cross Drive for 3 Courier, “Local and Personal,” February 22, 1918. 4 Courier, “Local and Personal,” March 1, 1918. 5 Courier, “Red Cross Organized,” June 15, 1917. 6 Courier, “Cross Roads,” August 10, 1917. 7 Courier, “Red Cross Auxilliary,” September 28, 1917. 8 Courier, “Red Cross Auxiliary,” October 5, 1917. 9 Courier, “Red Cross Auxiliary,” October 12, 1917. 10 Courier, “Red Cross Mass Meeting,” February 8, 1918. 11 Courier, “Red Cross Chapter,” February 15, 1918. McKinnon 4 donations to the National Red Cross for war work relief.”12 At the end of May, the Courier published a list of men and women who had contributed to the Red Cross Fund and congratulated Harris Leeth for giving $536.15.13 In that same edition of the paper, the Red Cross announced that “the amount received was about double that [which had been] asked for” and declared that “the county is now awake to its duty in the war.”14 In addition to donating money, on some occasions, citizens would donate items to the Red Cross to be sold for contributions to the effort. Al Barnhill, who may have possibly been a farmer, donated “a pig which was sold at auction” for twelve dollars.15 Another example was when fifteen dollars was raised from a bouquet given by Eunice McDougal.16 By October 1918, the organization was lacking money and Lizzie Garner donated a handmade quilt which was sold and used to “[pay] all debts and left a small fund in the treasury.”17 Each of the three individuals’ gifts served a role in enabling the chapter to continue its patriotic duty. By June, the Red Cross Fund published another list containing names of donors and said that almost four thousand citizens gave their money toward the cause.18 Awareness of the Red Cross and its causes were often promoted through members of the Red Cross arranging for speakers to appear at rallies or special events to encourage giving to the cause. One such event occurred at the courthouse in September of 1918 with the American Red Cross’s General Field Secretary speaking on the Red Cross’s behalf.19 When Herbert Hoover called for aid to Belgium, Hardin County was tasked with collecting 557 pounds of clothing.20 12 Courier, “Red Cross Organization,” May 10, 1918. 13 Courier, “Red Cross Fund,” May 31, 1918. 14 Courier, “Red Cross,” May 31, 1918. 15 Courier, “Red Cross Pig,” February 8, 1918. 16 Courier, “Local and Personal,” June 7, 1918. 17 Courier, “Red Cross Column,” October 11, 1918. 18 Courier, “Red Cross Fund,” June 7, 1918. 19 Courier, “Great Red Cross Meeting,” September 6, 1918. 20 Courier, “Red Cross Column: Campaign for Clothing for Relief in Belgium,” September 20, 1918. McKinnon 5 Later, it was reported that Hardin Countians rallied together and sent 1,238 clothing items to Belgium, which weighed 755 pounds.21 The Red Cross Column in the newspaper kept the county up-to-date with the requests from the government with instructions of where to send the supplies. One such article ends with saying “the people should awaken to realization that all of these things are necessary or the Government would not demand them” and implored that “while their boys are fighting in France they should fight at home.”22 As the war ended, the members of the Red Cross posted in the Courier the wish “to obtain the name of each and every soldier who has gone from Hardin County to camp, or war and died or been killed.”23 By April of 1919, names had been gathered and “[had] been printed” with the goal to have them “framed and hung in the Courthouse” along with “service flags… made for both the white and colored people.”24 The statement regarding the names and flags ended with the encouraging words that the “soldiers of today have fought for the same principle that our Revolutionary heroes made into a living thing– The principle of Freedom–and they will be the heroes of the future as they are of the present.”25 Another patriotic effort that emerged during World War I was the selling of War Savings Stamps which were “sold over the counter in post offices and banks, [and] table to table in restaurants and cafés.”26 Hardin County participated in the selling of stamps for the war effort and citizens often published articles in the Courier encouraging other citizens to buy the stamps. One advertisement placed in the Courier educated readers that “one War-Savings Stamp [would] buy one hundred [cartridges] or a [cartridge] belt or a scabbard for a bayonet” and “four [would] 21 Courier, “Red Cross Column,” November 8, 1918. 22 Courier, “Red Cross Column,” October 4, 1918. 23 Courier, “Red Cross Notice,” November 22, 1918. 24 Courier, “Hardin County Service Flags,” April 4, 1919. 25 Ibid. 26 Meirion Harries and Susie Harries, The Last Days of Innocence: America at War, 1917-1918, 1st ed. (New York: Random House, 1997), 177. McKinnon 6 buy a rifle.”27 One Saturday in March of 1918 was declared War Savings Day which included “big parades, rallying, [a] patriotic program, and stamp buying.”28 The parade was made larger through a request printed in the Courier saying, “Everyone in the county having an auto is asked to come and join in the parade. If you have no auto, join in the foot parade arranged for editors, teachers, school boys and school girls.”29 In the Local and Personal section of the newspaper, people were reminded that “many Hardin [County] boys [were] now in France and dozens of others [were] on the way.
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