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Panoramas in World War I
Letters From Home
The United States’ involvement in World War I was short but it changed the nation.
Patriotism swept the country almost immediately. Men, including those too old to fight, offered their services. New military bases, training camps, and airfields were built in Texas to support the need for training. Even people opposed to the war volunteered as chaplains or supported humanitarian efforts.
By August 1917, state National Guard units were reorganized and men drafted into federal service. Texas and Oklahoma National Guard units formed the 36th Division. This division participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the final Allied campaign of World War I.
The Armistice halted the fighting on November 11, 1918. However, American soldiers remained and waited in Europe in case peace talks failed.
Exhibit Items
Photograph of Mabelle Martin, about 1917. Thomas P. Martin collection, 2012/131.
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Letter from H.W. Dunning, manager of transportation for the Young Men’s Christian Association of the United States’ National War Work Council, to Mabelle Martin, 25 June 1918. Thomas P. Martin collection, 2012/131.
In this letter, H.W. Dunning responds to Mabelle Martin’s desire to be closer to her husband, Thomas P. Martin, despite the uncertain circumstances in Russia. Thomas worked as an education secretary with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). At this time, the YMCA engaged in humanitarian efforts following the Russian Revolution. Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.
The Thirty-Sixth in the Great War: Texas & Oklahoma National Guard, about 1918. Thirty-Sixth Division Association papers, 2-22/819.
Many Texans and Oklahomans served in the 36th Division. One company of note was comprised of Choctaw men. After overhearing these men converse, Colonel A.W. Boor suggested that the Allies use the Choctaw language instead of regular military code to minimize the risk of the Axis intercepting Allied messages.
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Letter from Clark M. Mullian, of the Thirty-Sixth Division – 144th Infantry, to his mother, 1 December 1918. Pages 1 and 2. Pages 3 and 4. Page 5. Thirty-sixth Division Association papers, 2-22/813.
In this letter, Lieutenant Colonel Clark M. Mullian summarizes his unit’s activities and compares the French winter to that at Camp Bowie in Tarrant County. Click or tap on links for larger image.
“Letter from Robert D. Luttrell, Company D. - 315 Supply Train, to his sister, letter dated December 26, 1918, published February 7, 1919 in Lynn County News.” William Deming Hornaday Transcripts of World War I letters and personal accounts, 1975/010 (Vol. 3, page 253).
In this letter, Robert Luttrell, who had been in the hospital during Christmas 1918, describes the mood in Germany. Allied soldiers remained in France and Belgium through 1919 in case peace talks deteriorated.
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“Carte-Lettre of Cannes France,” 15 January 1919. Nellie Test collection, 1966/185-116.
This unsigned postcard depicts a view of Cannes, France with a notation that the coloring is true to life. Postcards provided a cheap form of communication as well as a way to show where soldiers had visited. Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.