A square red banner flag with serrated cuts on the bottom edge and the text "Texans Take to the Trenches - WWI The Lone Star State and the Great War"

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Panoramas in World War I

 

The Texas Soldier's Experience

Nothing could have prepared the brave men and women for the horrors that they would experience in the war. Soldiers of The Great War were the first to experience many innovations which are now considered part of “modern” warfare. These include the widespread use of chemical weapons and the use of more advanced and deadly artillery such as machine guns, tanks, flamethrowers, airplanes, and submarines.
 

An aged photograph in brown, yellow, and white colors featuring five men in gas masks and holding rifles with bayonnets on them and standing on snow with a house in the background. 339th Bayonet squad, Camp Custer, Battle Creek, Michigan, 7 February 1918.

339th Bayonet squad, Camp Custer, Battle Creek, Michigan, 7 February 1918. Prints and Photographs collection, 1/142-L1197.
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Nothing could have prepared the brave men and women for the horrors that they would experience in the war. Soldiers of The Great War were the first to experience many innovations which are now considered part of “modern” warfare. These include the widespread use of chemical weapons and the use of more advanced and deadly artillery such as machine guns, tanks, flamethrowers, airplanes, and submarines.

Trench warfare also presented difficulties for soldiers while technological innovations during the late 19th and early 20th centuries made it uniquely horrifying. Trenches were cramped, dirty, and infested with rats and lice. Soldiers functioned on little sleep and experienced shortages of clean water and food. Due to the poor sanitary conditions, soldiers frequently suffered from illnesses such as dysentery, cholera, and trench foot.

In addition to the horrors faced abroad, a soldier’s experience at home could be as difficult as life in the trenches. At training camp, soldiers dealt with strenuous training routines, supply shortages, overcrowding, and improper sanitation. Outbreaks of influenza, measles, pneumonia, meningitis, and other diseases were common in military training camps in Texas. One third of Texan deaths during World War I was due to disease.

Disease outbreak struck Camp Bowie and Camp Travis particularly hard. Both camps had some of the highest percentages of soldiers diagnosed with measles, mumps, meningitis, typhoid fever, smallpox, and scarlet fever among training camps in the entire nation. Conditions were so bad at Camp Bowie that stories of the supply shortages and disease epidemics were reported in national newspapers. In November 1917, an average of 16 men per day died of disease at Camp Bowie. 

 

Items in this Exhibit

A photograph of a page from a scrapbook with a cut out newspaper article with the heading "Texans Receive a Baptism or Fire". Page from a scrapbook of Hulen's military career, 1918.Page from a scrapbook of Hulen's military career, 1918. Scrapbooks, General John A. Hulen papers, 2-7/1338.

Although the men of the 36th Division spent several weeks training in Texas and in Europe, many of the men had never fought in a battle much less a war like World War I. Despite this inexperience, the 36th Division helped make considerable advances during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which stretched along the entire Western Front making it one of the largest operations that the U.S. participated in during the war.
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A photograph of a type written letter with hand written notes going down the left side. Letter from Thomas P. Martin to Mabelle Martin, 1918.Letter from Thomas P. Martin to Mabelle Martin, 1918. Correspondence, Thomas P. Martin collection, 2012/131-3.

Soldiers’ letters, such as this one from Thomas Martin to his wife, were subject to inspection and censoring. Censorship of both military and civilian mail was a common practice during World War I to keep sensitive military information out of enemy hands. Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.

 

 

 

A photograph of soldiers standing on a field looking down at rocket launchers. “Texas National Guard. Just before the machine gun exploded, killing seven, Camp Bowie, Fort Worth,” 1917. “Texas National Guard. Just before the machine gun exploded, killing seven, Camp Bowie, Fort Worth,” 1917. World War I pre-Europe, 1916-1918, Photographs, General John A. Hulen papers, 1972/115-142 (digital facsimile).

Military training posed its own dangers for soldiers. Accidents caused by equipment malfunction or human error were common. Click or tap on thumbnail for larger image.

 

 

A photograph of soldiers in a trench, with the back of a horse's head in the foreground. “Texas National Guard, 3rd Texas. Ho Ti guards Co., Entrenching at Camp Scurry, Corpus Christi,” 1917.“Texas National Guard, 3rd Texas. Ho Ti guards Co., Entrenching at Camp Scurry, Corpus Christi,” 1917. World War I pre-Europe, 1916-1918, Photographs, General John A. Hulen papers, 1972/115-141(digital facsimile).

Trenches, like the one dug by soldiers at Camp Scurry, were built in a zig-zag pattern. This method sectioned off parts of the trench which made it difficult for enemies to attack the entire length of a trench at once.
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1. A card on yellowed paper with the text: The Ship on Which I Sailed has Arrived Safely Overseas. Red Cross postcard, 1919, front. Red Cross postcard, 1919, back.Red Cross postcard, 1919, front. Red Cross postcard, 1919, back. Correspondence, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test papers, 1964/191-3. Click or tap on links for larger image.

 

 

2. A card on yellowed paper with fields that have hand writing filled in. American Expeditionary Forces postcard, 1919, front.American Expeditionary Forces postcard, 1919, front. American Expeditionary Forces postcard, 1919, back. Correspondence, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test papers, 1964/191-3.

During World War I, postcards became a popular method for sending news to loved ones back home. Nonprofits, such as the Red Cross, supplied free postcards to soldiers. Because of censorship restrictions during World War I, soldiers were only able to include limited information about themselves and their whereabouts. Click or tap on links for larger image.

 

A page from the Manual for Army Cooks that shows a diagram of how to put together an oven. Extracts from Manual for Army Cooks, 1917.Extracts from Manual for Army Cooks, 1917. U.S. Federal Documents Collection. W77.15:Ex8 (digital facsimile).

Army field cooks used field ranges, made up of boiling plates and an oven, to prepare meals for up to 150 soldiers. Field ranges, designed to be built in a trench or above ground, weighed about 264 pounds. When fresh meals could not be prepared due to lack of supplies or combat, soldiers depended on reserve and emergency rations which consisted of preserved meat, hard bread, sugar, salt, and coffee.
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A photo of a world war one gas mask with a face covering and a tube going to a cylinder.World War I gas mask, 1915. World War I gas mask, 1915, reverse. Artifacts collection, ATF0079a.

World War I was the first war in which chemical warfare was widely used.  Soldiers wore gas masks, like this one, to protect themselves from gas attacks. This type of attack was extremely dangerous and could kill thousands of soldiers in a matter of minutes. Click or tap on links for larger image.

 

 

A photograph of black binoculars alongside a black binocular case.Binoculars donated to the Eyes for the Navy program by Miss Charlcie Bewley,1915. Binoculars donated to the Eyes for the Navy program by Miss Charlcie Bewley,1915, reverse. Artifacts collection, 1965/095, ATF0024.

Binoculars, also called field glasses, were in short supply during World War I. The U.S. Navy, asked Americans to donate binoculars, telescopes, and spy glasses to be used on American warships through its “Eyes for the Navy” campaign. Charlcie Bewley donated these binoculars to the Navy as a part of the “Eyes for the Navy” campaign and returned to its owner at the end of the war. Click or tap on links for larger image.

 

A photograph of a group of men wearing different styles of gas masks. Various Types of Gas Masks.Various Types of Gas Masks. America’s Munitions, 1917-1918: Report of Benedict Crowell, the Assistant Secretary of War, Director of Munitions, U.S. Federal Documents Collection, W 1.2:CT (digital facsimile).
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A photograph of a man wearing a gas mask consisting of a face covering and a tube going down to a ruck sack like pouch positioned on his chest. American C.E. Type of Box Respirator.American C.E. Type of Box Respirator. America’s Munitions, 1917-1918: Report of Benedict Crowell, the Assistant Secretary of War, Director of Munitions, U.S. Federal Documents Collection, W 1.2:CT (digital facsimile).
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Page last modified: March 21, 2017