Okay, so this story is just so good I can't pass up the opportunity to share it. Buckle up for the tale of how one crotchety dude from Ohio took 28000 New Englanders into WWI very much ahead of schedule.
So the first thing you gotta know is a lil bit about MG Clarence Ransom Edwards. Cleveland-born, he's an old army dude. Crusty af. Does not play well with others. Irascible as all hell. But the dude knew how to inspire his troops.
So in 1917, Edwards is commanding the New England district of the National Guard & gets orders to form it into a division: the 26th, which forms in August. 28k dudes from every New England state. Clarence is supposed to take his division down south for a train-up. But...
What you gotta know here is that Clarence missed the SpanAm War by, like, minutes. And he didn't like missing wars, Clarence. So he was pretty salty when the War Department told him to go down south & miss out on all the action - again.
Parts of the 1st Division were already in France. And the new pet project of the War Department - the 42d "Rainbow" Division (so-called bc it had troops from all over the US) - was supposed to head over next. But Clarence wasnt having any of that bullshit.
So he sends his aides to all the big ports: Boston, NY, even Halifax, Nova Scotia, & they're like, "yo, got any ships going to Europe?" And they're like, "yah but they're for the 42d Division" and the New England dudes are like, "uh, they here yet?"
"Nope"
Jackpot
"Nope"
Jackpot
So the aides come back to Edwards & are like "sir, wicked awesome news, we found some ships." So this is like, September, and in the middle of the night, Edwards simply moves TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND MEN from their camps in Massachusetts and they start loading up on transports
And of course everyone in New England knew what was up because you can't keep a secret in Boston because they're all too drunk, but they didn't let on what was going on. All these Regiments load up & the transports head up to rendezvous at Halifax before heading across.
Convoy assembled, the ships start off across the Atlantic. Once underway, ol Clarence sends a wire to the War Department: "26th Division on the way to France."
Pretty sure Pershing and SecWar Baker both had conniption fits & blew a couple blood vessels.
Pretty sure Pershing and SecWar Baker both had conniption fits & blew a couple blood vessels.
And that's how the 26th became the first full US division to get to France. And how Edwards earned the undying love of his men and the hatred of Pershing. That, and Edwards actually advocated for combined arms warfare vs Pershing's "bayonets & glory" approach.
Pershing would eventually reassign aka relieve Edwards in October of 1918, right before the Armistice.
Which is why Pershing was loathed in New England for decades.
That, and Pershing referred to the NG as "boy scouts." Weirdly enough, they didn't appreciate that.
Which is why Pershing was loathed in New England for decades.
That, and Pershing referred to the NG as "boy scouts." Weirdly enough, they didn't appreciate that.
Oh - this wasn't the first time Edwards kinda did his own thing. Assembling the 26th Division, he needed additional troops, so he pulled from the NG coast artillery units. The War Dept was like, "bad boy, Clarence" & he was like "my bad, I won't do it in the next war."
BAMF
BAMF
