Series III: Virginia Military Organizations, ca. 1917-1922, 1925

Scope and content:

The Virginia Military Organizations series is housed in 8 boxes with oversized material separated and is arranged into five (5) subseries. Subseries have been designated for 29th Division, 42nd Division, 80th Division, Miscellaneous Units and Miscellaneous and Correspondence. This series consists primarily of unit histories written by unit members. Many of these records are described in Virginia War History Commission, Supplement No. 3, Calendar of Military Histories, Narratives and Reports (July 1921 issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography) and Supplement No. 4, Lists and Calendars of Source Material (October 1921 issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. In addition many of these unit histories were published by Arthur Kyle Davis, editor, in Virginia Military Organizations in the World War (Source Volume 5) (Richmond: 1925).

The 29th Division subseries is housed in 3 boxes and one oversized folder. Records of the 29th Division include a "History of the 'Blue and Gray,' 29th Division" by Lt. Col. John A Cutchins, a description of operations of the 29th Division, East of the Meuse River, in October 1918, histories of the 116th Infantry (by company) and histories of the 111th Field Artillery (by company).

The 42nd Division subseries is housed in 1 box. The records of the 42nd Division include a brief history of the unit and a copy of the Journal of Private G.W. Reed, 117th Train Headquarters and Military Police, describing his activities between 1917 April 8 and 1919 April 5.

The 80th Division subseries is housed in 3 boxes. The records of the 80th Division includes histories of the 317th, 318th and 320th Infantry regiments, 314th Machine Gun Battalion, 315th Field Artillery, 305th Engineers and a copy of Captain Josiah C. Peck's book, History of the 319th Infantry. Notable documents include "My Service with the A.E.F. in France," by Captain Melville Oakham, 320th Infantry and copies of The Service Magazine, published by the Eightieth Division Veterans Association, from 1921-1927.

The Miscellaneous Units subseries is housed in 1 box. Miscellaneous Units include histories of the Virginia Coast Artillery, Medical Units (Base Hospital 41 and 45 and Sanitation Units 516, 517 and 534), and Engineer Units (28th Engineering Division and 510th and 511th Engineers' Service Battalions). The most significant item in this sub-series is the collection of photographs of the nursing staff of Base Hospital 45. Photographs of 104 of the 106 staff members are included.

The Miscellaneous and Correspondence subseries is housed in 1 box and one oversized folder. Noteworthy is the statement of Private John Leedy of the 116th Infantry in which Leedy describes a gas attack in the Meuse-Argonne Valley in October 1918. Also included are statements of service by Major John Izaard, 60th Artillery, Alexander W. Weddell, War Trade Board Delegate to Greece and A.B. Cooke of the American Consulate, Pantros, Greece. There are two groupings of correspondence. The first, spanning 1919 to 1922, documents attempts by Commission member Adjutant General Jo Lane Stern to obtain unit histories from soldiers. Correspondence is both incoming and outgoing and is arranged alphabetically by recipient. There is extensive correspondence from Captain Greenlee D. Letcher, 111th Field Artillery, 29th Division, describing his difficulty in obtaining records for his history of the 111th and Major Hierome L. Opie, commenting on his inability to find time to write a history of the 116th Infantry. The second group of correspondence, covering 1925, contains follow-up requests for unit information by Stern in preparation for Source Volume 5, Virginia Military Organizations in the World War.

Arrangement:

This series is divided into five subseries: 29th Division, 42nd Division, 80th Division, Miscellaneous Units and Miscellaneous and Correspondence.

Access and use

Contents