Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2016 America's Progressive Army: How the National Guard grew out of Progressive Era Reforms Matthew aM rgis Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Military History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Margis, Matthew, "America's Progressive Army: How the National Guard grew out of Progressive Era Reforms" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 15764. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/15764 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. America’s progressive army: How the National Guard grew out of progressive era reforms by Matthew J. Margis A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Rural, Agricultural, Technological, Environmental History Program of Study Committee: Timothy Wolters, Major Professor Julie Courtwright Jeffrey Bremer Amy Bix John Monroe Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2016 Copyright © Matthew J. Margis, 2016. All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION This is dedicated to my parents, and the loving memory of Anna Pattarozzi, Eligio Pattarozzi, and George Margis. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... iv NOMENCLATURE .................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT………………………………. .............................................................. viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 THE MILITIA’S DECLINE .......................................................... 29 CHAPTER 3 THE NATIONAL GUARD’S RISE ............................................... 81 CHAPTER 4 THE GUARD’S FIRST TEST: THE BORDER ............................ 133 CHAPTER 5 THE GUARD IN THE TRENCHES .............................................. 192 CHAPTER 6 THE GUARD AFTER THE WAR ……………………………… 249 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION ………………………………………………….. 294 FIGURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ......................................................................... 308 ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS ............................................... 312 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................. 317 iv LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 Charles Dick............................................................................................... 308 Figure 2 Enoch Crowder ......................................................................................... 308 Figure 3 Border Political Cartoon ........................................................................... 309 Figure 4 Francis Webster ........................................................................................ 310 Figure 5 Mathew Tinley .......................................................................................... 310 Figure 6 Camp Dodge Flu Ward …………………………………………………. 311 v NOMENCLATURE AEF American Expeditionary Force ALPLM Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum BDE Brigade CAV Cavalry CO Commanding Officer DIV Division INF Infantry INGA Iowa National Guard Archives, Gold Star Military Museum INGMMA Illinois National Guard Military Museum and Archives NACP National Archives at College Park NCO Non-Commissioned Officer NDA National Defense Act of 1916 NGA National Guard Association REGT Regiment UMT Universal Military Training vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Timothy Wolters, for his continued support and guidance throughout the dissertation process. I would be remiss if I did not also thank my dissertation committee members, Dr. Amy Bix, Dr. Jeff Bremer, Dr. Julie Courtwright, and Dr. John Monroe. Their support through both the dissertation process and comprehensive fields process has been invaluable to my growth as a student and historian. I would also like to thank Dr. Charles Dobbs and Dr. Richard Mansbach, who served on my M.A. thesis committee. I would also like to extend my eternal gratitude to Jennifer Rivera, without whom I could not have survived the graduate process intact. I would also like to thank all of my family and friends for their support and encouragement over the last six years. Thank you to Mom, Dad, Tim, Grandma Alma, Grandpa Ron, and Grandma Irene. I would also like to thank my brother’s wife, Brandi, and my two wonderful nieces, Alli and Lily. I must also offer my sincerest thanks to my National Guard brothers from G BTRY 202 ADA: John, Scott, T-Bone, Justin, Jeremy, Mike, Sean, Stokes, Jack, Gio, JT, Lou, Swartz, and the countless others who I served with in Iraq and at home. We may be scattered around the country now, but we will always be eternally united. And to those who are no longer with us, Kevin Sheehy and Chris Abeyta, thank you. Thanks must also be extended to my great friends and colleagues here at Iowa State who I have shared laughs, complaints, and many adult beverages with over the years. Thanks to Kelly Wenig who was with me from the start, Lindsay Bell, my fellow concert club members (Maria Howe (uno mas), Nick Waldrop, and Mark Howe), Maggie vii Weber, Sara Egge, Rachel Kleinschmidt, Mike Severs, Mike Craft (the founder of Pint Night), Hope Mitchell, Nick Sherman, Mark Barlett (Barle), Brandon Duxbury, Colton Duxbury (over in Vet Med), Jack Seitz, and my grader, Aaron Benson. Too bad we never won softball, but took home the prize in intramural bowling every year. I must also thank Mark Hobelhenrich, Micah Kleinschmidt, Joe Rivera, Macy McMakin Barlett, Anne Herlach, and Anjeline Ramirez, who all shared in our enjoyment and frustrations. Every one of you helped me through good times and bad and made graduate school a truly enjoyable experience. I should also thank all my friends back home who have stood by me through the years. Joel, Brent, Lauren, Focci, Keith, Paul, Ron, and Joey. You guys have always encouraged me and supported my endeavors. Finally, I must thank the members of the King V. Hostick Scholarship Committee with the Illinois Historical Society, who awarded me their research grant for the 2015- 2016 academic year. I must also thank Marvin Bergman and the members of the State of Iowa Historical society for awarding me their annual research grant in 2015. Also, a special thanks to the Iowa State anonymous donor who saw fit to support my scholarship with two research grants over the last few years. I must thank Mike Vogt at the Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge for his unending support and aid through the research process, as well as the archivists at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, the archivists at the National Archives in College Park, the archivists at the State of Iowa Historical Society in Des Moines, and Adriana Schroeder and Bill Lear at the Illinois National Guard Archives and Museum at Camp Lincoln. Last but not least, I would like to thank Ray LaHood for his ongoing support through the years. viii ABSTRACT The National Guard has been an integral piece of the American military structure since its creation in 1903, and the Guard can trace its lineage to the colonial era. While the Guard had its origins in the old militia system, by the onset of the Spanish-American War, the militia proved to be unable to meet the twentieth century’s military challenges. Due to outdated laws and a poor public perception, the federal government instituted a series of legal actions designed to replace the militia with a more effective equivalent, beginning with the Militia Act of 1903 and ending with the National Defense Acts of 1916 and 1920. This dissertation argues that Progressive Era politicians created the National Guard within the context of Progressive reform efforts geared toward efficiency and centralization. The new National Guard’s first test as a unified military entity took place along the Mexican border in 1916, and the Guard had its chance to prove its mettle in the trenches of the First World War. Furthermore, the National Guard serves as a laboratory through which to better understand American society during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, and military attitudes closely mirrored civilian attitudes, and illustrated the emerging class consciousness among the new middle class. This middle- class mindset drove Progressive reform efforts and culminated in the National Guard’s coalescence into a functional and effective military force. 1 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION The modern National Guard describes itself as “a unique and essential element of the U.S. military. Founded in 1636 as a citizen force organized to protect families and towns from hostile attacks, today’s National Guard Soldiers hold civilian jobs or attend college while maintaining their military training part time, always ready to defend the American way of life in the event of an emergency.”1 The National Guard’s self- assessment includes many important elements of modern and historical Guard