Crabby Thanksgiving - 11/28/1917

Camp Sheridan, Ala.

Nov. 28, 1917

4:30 P.M.

My Dear Dad: - 

Well, the biggest part of the day is over. The Dinner was great. However it was not as elaborate an affair as it was a year ago on the Border. We had turkey, oyster dressing, pickles, bread, butter, jelly, peanut butter, mashed potatoes, gravy, celery, cookies, doughnuts, olives, apples, oranges, grape-juice, and coffee, followed by pumpkin pie. It sure was some feed.

I saw that each fellow got a cigar, after dinner. They each asked that I thank you for them. It was the only smoke that was given the boys and they all appreciated them. 

Last evening for supper we had oyster stew, and we had a light breakfast, so we were already for the big feed this moon. 

I had my breakfast at the Stockade, steak, smothered with onions. The prisoners had the same menu as had the other companies for dinner.

Rec. Mother's letter for Nov. 25th, also one from Uncle Billy. The box arrived O.K. but I could not find the pictures. Did you forget to put them in? I enjoyed the contents of the box very much, & thank all of you for same. All of the boxes from the Aux. arrived O.K. and contents enjoyed. On the whole our Thanksgiving was a complete success.

Some of us were sorry to hear that Scott won the game over Waite - 19-0 as the report came. It must have been a good game. 

Hope Thurlow Bachman gets better now that he is home. Everybody is well & happy in our company. 

I heard about Dorothy Engfer, several says ago. Went to town the other night, met lot of my old pals. 

As for my transfer, there is not much to tell, except that after trying vainly six or seven times to get it, I was just about ready to give up. I decided that there was one more way open. So I crabbed at everything I had to do, in fact I crabbed all the time, finally Maj. Wilson got so tired of hearing me grumble at everything, that he was glad to get rid of me, so he asked if I still wished to go back to the Co. I said "No" and he said I could go if I wished, so I said, "Well it doesn't make any difference to me anymore. However I would just as soon go." He then got me my transfer. So you see how I worked it. As for a promotion, I think I get one as soon as there is a vacancy again. Lt. Shaffer gave me a nice little talk and from that I rather surmise that I'll get something as soon as he can get an opportunity. 

Love to All

Howard

 

The above photo from the National Archives is from 1918 (not 1917), but it is Thanksgiving at Camp Sheridan. Good to know turkey and pumpkin pie is still going strong, although the plethora of oyster dishes apparently got lost from the family Thanksgiving traditions at some point. 

A little history about Waite and Scott high schools.  Waite opened for the 1914-15 school year, so if Howard was a graduate, he did not attend there all four years. Waite replaced Central High School. Howard's sister, Marion, was five years younger than he was, so she was likely a student or would attend Waite the following year. Scott High School opened in 1913, and a football rivalry quickly soon developed for the new schools after Waite opened. From 1914 to 1963, Waite and Scott played each other in football Thanksgiving morning.

Work in the Stockade - 11/23/1917

112th Sanitary Train

37th Division

Nov. 13, 17

My Dear Dad: -

Rec. your letter of 21st, also Mother's of same date. Will try to see that everyone gets an equal share of eats & sox, which the Aux. sent. 

Mother asked about donations sent from Blade Bounty Baskets, they were somewhat of a joke. I got a pkg. of Bull Durham, I gave it to one of the fellows who smoked "cigs". I was requested by the Blade to write about them so they could publish my letter, but when I saw what came I couldn't get the nerve to tell them what the fellows thought of them. However some of the other fellows in other outfits must have fared better.

I have a new job already. One other fellow, acting as asst., & myself have charge of the "Sick-Call" over to the "Stockade" (camp prison). We doctor all those needing medical attention. For cases too deep for us, a Med. Officer, from the Military Police, takes care of, or tells us what to do. We report at 7:00 in the morning & 4:15 at night. Have a regular dispensary over there. One of the guards lets us in & out, at will. Rather nice, so long as we are able to get out, but we'd be in a pickle if we got in and couldn't get out. I like that kind of work.

Love to All
Howard

So naive, I always just though Bull Durham was a baseball team and a movie starring Kevin Costner. Here's what I learned about Bull Durham tobacco:

A magazine ad for Bull Durham tobacco, for example, includes a photo of five Army officers deployed along the U.S.-Mexican border in 1916 relaxing and taking time to “roll their own.” The accompanying caption reads, “Wherever you find a group of U.S. soldiers you’ll always find the ‘Makings’.” It shouldn’t surprise, then, that Bull Durham, branded as “The Smoke of the Red, White and Blue,” sold all of its cigarette production to the War Department two years later to satisfy U.S. troops’ craving for tobacco “over there.” So great was the urge to smoke to relieve the boredom and tension of war in the trenches General Pershing himself was said to have remarked that cigarettes were more important to our Soldiers than bullets!

I amazed that Howard didn't smoke - you'd think he's need a cigarette or two after working in the stockade every day. The stockade would have been quite the rowdy place to be stationed. Here are some excerpts from a memo from 1918, presumably correcting some issues that Howard may have experienced with his "patients" in the jail:

"It is believed that the confinement of old offenders with young soldiers is very injurious to the latter.... Men who are drunk should be promptly confined and held in close confinement until sober; otherwise the officers who duty it is to confine the soldier practically become responsible for actions of the soldier committed while the solider is mentally irresponsible. Drunken soldiers need not necessarily be placed in the Stockade and will not be sent there if there is any other suitable place in the regiment or detachment where they can be closely confined...It is believed that having a large number of prisoners in a regimental guardhouse is useless, and injurious to the disciple and morale of the command."

The Mystery Comes to a Close - 11/19/1917

Sameplace

Nov. 19, 1917

My Dear Dad: - 

Your letter, the magazines, and the Shriners booklet received. O.K. and will read marked articles after I finish this letter. It sure is dandy of you to treat the Bunch with "Smokes". I watch for their arrival.

It has rained about all day and will probably continue to drizzle all night. I think the mud is worse here than the sand was at the Border. About all they have here is red play, & believe me it can certainly stick to one's shoes.

You can tell Mother that Pvt. Hugh Navarre of the Amb. Co was discharged on account of physical disability. Mrs. Bachman is here to take Thurlow back to Toledo. I had quite a visit with her this afternoon when she was here, waiting to see Maj. Wilson. 

I rather think that Thurlow's discharge papers will be O.K.ed & returned tomorrow. However, if they do not approve of them, we will send thru his application for discharge, with the three affidavits which you sent. 

Got a letter this afternoon from Elizabeth Saal. I had begun to think she had forgotten me by this time. 

Must close for tonight.

Love to All
Howard

P.S. Marion's letter rec. Glad to hear she got such good grades. She is wrong about the picture. It is one of the fellows in our tent (in the A.Co.) who dared me to take it. Also tell her I saw "Bab's Burglar" last week up at the city.

There's wonderful news for Howard today. Not November 19, 1917...but November 19, 2018. He is reunited with his daughter, Carol, and his family is whole again. My Grams passed away on November 16, peacefully in her sleep. I know how much she loved and missed her parents, Howard and Leona, and it's a relief to know she's with them and my grandpa again.

As I was looking through Grams' things, I came across the above clipping from 1932. It looks like Howard likely joined the Shriners, probably thanks to his dad's prodding. There's little Carol and her sister Sue, right there in the middle, sporting their Shriners' fezzes.We'll all miss you Grams, but you're with Aunt Sue again now too.

Going back to 1917...I guess Aunt Marion must have been a movie fan. Bab's Burglar was a silent black-and-white film that was part of a series of Babs movies. It's crazy to think that there wouldn't be a "talkie" for another 10 years.

As far as Thurlow's future, his headstone application indicates he was discharged a few days later on November 21. When January of 1920 rolled around, he was living with his parents and uncle. His occupation was listed as brakeman on a railroad. The next month, he got married to Maude Barnes in Los Angeles. It's unlikely that he and Maude had children. In 1930 and 1940, there were no children in their household. Thurlow died in 1942.

The Mystery Unravels - 11/7/2017

Camp Sheridan

Montgomery, Ala.

Nov. 7, 1917

My Dear Dad: - 
Rec. Marion's letter this P.M. Have been so blamed busy the last few days that I have not had time to learn anything to talk about.

Those affidavits were sure fixed up dandy, and I feel sure that Bachman will get out very shortly.

Am enclosing a parody on "A Perfect Day". Nearly every regiment down here is trying to our do the others in composing such things as this. There is one in the paper nearly every night.

There seem to be quite a number of cases of measles in camp. I think we took seven cases to the Base Hospital today.

Will write Marion tomorrow.

Love to all
Howard

Here's some additional information about measles and the conditions of Camp Sheridan from the U.S. Army Medical Department Office of Medical History. By looking at the picture above, you can imagine how quickly a disease like measles could spread.

Cases of German measles were reported from the earliest period of the camp and reached the number of 156 for the month of December, 1917.¹⁷⁷ None was reported after March, 1918. Measles cases occurred in October, 1917, but the number of cases occurring in any calendar month did not reach the 100 mark until August, 1918, when there were 115, and 143 occurred in September. The incidence declined steadily during the remainder of the year.

The sanitary conditions in Montgomery and its environs were not good.¹⁸¹ Though local and State health authorities at first seemed to be anxious to cooperate with the Army and the United States Public Health Service,¹⁸¹ opposition from residents of Montgomery and apathy of the local board of health soon developed, making it practically impossible to maintain sanitary standards.¹⁸³

The team to conduct the physical examinations made prior to discharge consisted of 16 officers.¹⁹⁵ It examined 8,265 men prior to March 15, 1919, and found 1,129 of these with disabilities. Of this latter number, 915 were found in the first 1,616 men examined.


Fun fact: I got the photo above from a web post about F. Scott Fitzgerald being stationed at Camp Sheridan. Howard was likely in Europe by the time Fitzgerald was assigned there, but it's still pretty interesting

Now, on to the mystery of Shaffer. If you remember, a month earlier on October 9, Bachman was found with his throat cut after being what Howard described as "despondent". Then, we had the letter about Lt. Shaffer, presumably Bachman's superior, being in danger of losing his command on October 12 and  October 15.

So, I found out the problem with reading these letters one-at-a-time while I blog about each one.  Once Howard mentioned the name "Bachman," I was hoping to find a giant article, spilling all the details. I didn't quite get there, but I had a little more to go on.  After a little research, I found an Alva W. Bachman who was in the 148th Field Hospital, 37th Division at Camp Sheridan. I figured that just HAD to be the Bachman in the letters. I did a ton of research and found that Alva did well after the war. He was mayor of Bowling Green, on the Board of Trustees at Bowling Green State University and was also named Outstanding Citizen of 1974 from Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce.

The only problem? The next letter in the series reveals that "Bachman" is actually Thurlow Bachman. I thought that maybe he and Alva were brothers, but their census records don't match up. Check out the next letter to see more...

The Mystery Continues - 11/6/2017

Camp Sheridan

Montgomery, Ala.

Nov. 6, 1917

My Dear Mother; - 

You letter of three affidavits rec. this P.M. I shall probably start them through the wheels of the Army tomorrow. I feel that there is no doubt as to chances of his being discharged. Shaffer said he would not recommend it, but Wilson said he would, & that it made no difference whether Shaffer did or not.

We were paid today. Guess I'll send home some army towels in a few days for you to keep for me.

Rec. a letter from Jim yesterday. Also one from you & one from Dad.

I suppose you rec. the films. I had them insured so as to be sure you would get them. 

Everything is O.K. here. Guess that the staff will move over to our new home at Hdq. last of the week, if we have time of fix our text up as we want it.

The three affidavits seem to be just as we wanted them to be. 

Must write a couple more so will close.

Love to all - 

Howard


Sigh. I looked again to see what the big to-do was with Shaffer and the discharge, but I still had no luck. I thought maybe "Wilson" was President Wilson, but then I was reminded that October 12th's letter mentioned Major Wilson.

I also couldn't figure out what the deal was with the towels. Guess I struck out this time around! I hope something juicier comes up in the next letter.

Smart businessman: Liberty Loan Bonds

Camp Sheridan

Montgomery, Ala.

Nov. 1, 1917

My Dear Mother; 

Dad's letter of 28th rec. I shall take out a 10 thousand dollar policy in the Gov Ins. plan. I almost think I shall be able to carry my 2 Liberty Loan Bonds and my Ins. with my pay. If I run short of cash, I will take advantage of Dad's kind offer by having him send me what I might happen to need.

Frank Cullen is broken in to Army life now and is getting along O.K. He is in the same Co with Earl McBride & Harry Van Hoesen. Their Co. is about as far from ours, as 721 Walbridge is from the German church. 

I saw Lamont McGinnis & the old Hi. School bunch the other day when I was once to their camp.

I rec. a letter from Burleigh & one from Aunt Mayme this a.m.

I got a letter from Miriam Good yesterday. She is at Ohio Wesleyan University. Says Malcolm is trying to get a commission in the Army.

Feeling fine as silk.

Love to All
Howard

There you go again, Howard...being all responsible and financially prudent and showing up all the other 19 year-olds. Here's a quick summary of what I learned from Wikipedia on Liberty Bonds in 1917:

Basically, the government first issued the bonds in April 1917 as a means to raise funds for the war effort. Although the bonds sold out, it pretty much failed. Bond-sellers who didn't meet their quota were actually investigated for being pro-German and unpatriotic for not doing their duty. The government upped their efforts again in October with a higher interest rate on the bonds, but they were still a dud. It wasn't until April 1918 that, with the help of movie stars and patriotic advertising, they had some success.

So, Howard was ahead of his time again. He bought the bonds as a prudent financial investment, before it was the popular thing to do, just because Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford told you to do it.

The picture of (assumingly) Howard above was in the letter that I opened. I'm not sure if it belonged with it, or if someone else just shoved it in there since Howard didn't reference it in the letter. However, the back of the picture says "Lollar's, B'ham, Ala", so it's likely from his time at Camp Sheridan.