Douglasville During World War I

From the Douglasville Patch: Douglasville During World War I

World War I is known as “the war to end all wars” for good reason. At one point more than 70 million people were wearing uniforms and involved in the war in some way. It was the first war to be fought on three continents, the first use of the word “trillion” in estimating war costs, and the first war where art was used for propaganda purposes.

World War I was also the first industrialized conflict with the use of airplanes, flame throwers, chlorine and mustard gases as well as the first tank battles.

If you peruse the Georgia teaching standards for history you see that they leave no war unturned. From the American Revolution to the most recent military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq each conflict is covered. Students learn about the causes of each war, the various events including battles, important people, dates, treaties, and one important standard includes an examination regarding how each war affected our county.

In other words–while our men were off fighting what was happening here at home?

Even though World War I began in 1914, the United States managed to stay out of the war until the last seven and half months. Don’t let the short time period fool you. During those few months our nation, our state and our little town of Douglasville was affected.

From 1914 on events of the war were reported here in the states, but for most people at first it was just static in the background. Daily life took precedence and those European names and places just didn't have much meaning to folks who walked behind a plow or worked at the cotton mill in Douglasville. As the conflict advanced ripples were felt here in the states. The British had blockaded many European ports meaning many American farmers and businessmen couldn't get their crops and products to many markets.

Once the United States declared war in 1917, the Selective Services Act was enacted and quotas went out to every state from the Federal government for the large numbers of men that would be needed.
Registration dates were set up and the word was sent out. The date for registration here in Douglasville was first set for July 5, 1917.

Every man between the ages of 21 and 31 had to register. It didn’t matter if they were married or what type of job they had. Names would be selected from those who registered.

Young ladies showed up wearing their Red Cross uniforms and pinned badges of honor on the chests of each man who stepped up and received the call of his country.

Douglas County had an issue or two meeting their quota as did other counties across our state and nation. In fact, there were three different registration dates set up before the process was over.

Please don’t read too much into this. The men from Douglasville were just as brave and willing to serve their county as any other location in the United States; however, our country had gone from a nation totally against the war to one that declared war on Germany and her allies in April, 1917. Daylight and dark would be an apt description regarding the reversal the United States took regarding their official stance.

Prior to World War I the United States had become a peace-loving nation. Very few folks wanted to enter a foreign war, and many had to be persuaded to accept the declaration of war against Germany since they had not invaded our borders. Many Georgians objected to the Selective Services Act including our elected representatives like Thomas Hardwick, Rebecca Latimer Felton, and Thomas E. Watson who challenged the legality of the Selective Services Act in court.

President Woodrow Wilson had been re-elected in 1916 on the promise he would keep the United States out of the war in Europe. But by 1917 things had changed.

The Lusitania, a British liner, was torpedoed and sunk on May 7, 1915 by a German U-boat. 128 innocent Americans were killed. President Wilson called for the Germans to stop attacking passenger ships, and for a time they did stop, but by January 1917, Germany began attacking any ships they had in their sights and had begun negotiating secretly with Mexico for an alliance. Germany wanted the United States to enter the conflict. If Mexico became their ally they would be awarded their lost territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona once the United States was defeated. President Wilson made the plan public and most people understood at that point war should be declared. The last straw was the sinking of seven additional merchant ships.

Overnight the media went from being against the war to embracing the conflict. Various slogans were used across the nation to gather support for the war such as “Make the world safe for democracy," “a
war for freedom," and “the war to end all wars."

The majority of the recruits from Douglas County were sent to Camp Gordon which was located in Chamblee on the spot where Peachtree-Dekalb Airport is now. The human war eagle posted here is from Camp Gordon. It makes sense that a few of the men in the photo were from Douglas County given the time it was taken. There are approximately 12, 500 men in the formation.

Here at home people did their part for the war in any way they could….mainly through participating in rationing. Food items such as flour, salt, and coffee were diverted to the military.

There were Fueless Days–five to be exact–where folks in Douglasville did nothing. The days were strictly observed by the largest employers –the cotton and hosiery mills. Nothing was sold on Fueless Days except food and drugs. At one point J.T. Duncan, the Douglas County Food Administrator asked citizens to cut back on their use of flour and recommended they prepare their biscuits with a combination of flour and cornmeal.

Liberty Bonds were sold. They were war bonds issued by the United States. Purchasing the bonds were just one way for the folks on the home front to show their support of the war effort. For many
people in small town America it was the first time they were introduced to financial securities, and spurred by patriotic fever they snapped them up.

While I have no direct reports at this time regarding Douglasville per se across the state there were calls to be on the lookout for German spies once war was declared. The actions of others were often analyzed for their patriotism. Farmers draped their plows with the American flag and schools stopped teaching German history for fear it would seem sympathetic to the enemy.

Soldiers from Douglas County sent countless letters home to their families and friends. A few are published in The Heritage of Douglas County: 1870-2000 including a letter from Evan J. Whitley dated September 11,1918. Whitley wrote he had received his pay that day totaling $27.50 and he advised, “There are great differences in things here and in the states. There are houses of stone and cement and some of them are very old. The doors have two parts like those of our barns.”

Another soldier, Corporal Frank P. Dorris, wrote home on Feb. 20, 1918 upon his arrival in France. Dorris advised, “Have landed in France safely and am feeling fine. Hope you got my letter and card all right. Beautiful country; had a very nice trip and think we will like it fine. Don’t worry a bit for me….will be back someday. I hope not long off. May God bless you and father and take care of you all till we return. With your prayers I feel no harm.

Everything looks so different here! Will write you more when we have settled down. Good luck and God in heaven will take care. Your loving son, Frank P. Dorris.

By June Corporal Dorris would be dead–killed in action at Belleau Wood during the Battle of Chateau Thierry in France.

Some sources state he died on June 6, 1918 while others state he was killed sometime between June 6 and 8. I’m leaning more towards June 8. I’m going out on a limb here and assuming Dorris was in the Marines since a group of them served as an honor guard during a memorial service held at the First Methodist Church here in Douglasville in September, 1921 and because the historical facts bear witness that the Marines were heavily involved at Beleau Wood.

Beginning on June 6 Marines advanced into Belleau Wood having to walk through waist-high wheat and facing an onslaught of machine gun fire, sharp shooters and barbed wire. There are several
quotations taken from various Marines over the years that have become famous and this battle is no different. Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly spurred his men forward through the wheat field crying, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” Another famous quote by a Marine Captain during the heat of the battle said, “Retreat? Hell, we just got here.” At some point the fighting was hand-to-hand and the Marine casualties that day were great, but the Germans eventually were pushed back.

Dorris was the first soldier killed during World War I from Douglasville. Today our American Legion post–Number 145–is named in his honor.

A few of the pictures I have posted with this article are Corporal Dorris’ unusual tombstone that can be found in the City Cemetery at the corner of Rose Avenue and Church Street.

Today we know Nov. 11 to be Veterans Day, but in 1918 Nov. 11was Armistice Day–the day peace was agreed to and hostilities during World War I ceased. The Sentinel wrote, “Douglasville people were aroused from their morning slumber by the ringing of bells….”

Peace didn’t mean the war was forgotten by the citizens of Douglas County. Many soldiers especially those from South Georgia were sent to Douglas County to muster out of the army in 1918. They were sent to Camp Douglas, a tent garrison located in Lithia Springs. Actually, Camp Douglas was on the same grounds as Camp Hobson and was used during the Spanish American War in 1898. I wrote about the camp back in January at this link.

Just as it happened in 1898 sickness came to the camp. In fact, the sickness wasn't just confined to the camp here in Douglas County nor was it just confined to Georgia or even the United States. The sickness was a terrible flu epidemic and it swept over the world beginning around June, 1918 and continuing in various locations across the world until 1920 killing millions of people–many of them
at Camp Douglas and many right here in our country.

Fannie Mae Davis quotes someone who experienced the flu epidemic here and stated the soldiers at Camp Douglas “died like flies." She also states dozens of bodies were crated and sent home. Can you imagine? Your loved one survived the war, but then died from the flu.

The citizens of Douglas County numbered about 10,000 and at that time Fannie Mae Davis states over three-fourths of the population were affected with the flu. During the height of the sickness all public
functions stopped–no school and no church. She states it was a “life and death struggle” with the flu that would come on suddenly. One minute someone would seem fine and the next the entire family would be down with it. Davis states, “Town and country doctors were nothing short of heroic as they labored night and day with little rest.”

Cemeteries all over the county had fresh graves and many funerals were put on hold until after the sickness had passed.

While Douglas County citizens were glad the Great War was over, they didn’t really have time to celebrate as the flu hit and ravaged the county.