Cooper County, Missouri - Chapter 22: The World War, 1919

UNITED STATUS ENTERS THE GREAT WAR - COOPER COUNTY'S FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION - LOYALTY OF CITIZENS - COUNCIL OF DEFENSE - PROCLAMATION - ARMISTICE SICNED - LIST OF COOPER COUNTY SOLDIERS - COMPANY B, THIRD REGIMENT. CALLED - CASUALTY LIST - SUMMARY.

It is not in the province of the history of Cooper County, nor within the purview of this short chapter to attempt a history of the great World War that threatened the very foundation of civilization, and seriously affected every nation upon the face of the earth.

President Wilson, in his speech before Congress on April 6, 1918, used these eloquent and forceful words that found spontaneous response in the true patriotism of America:

"Let everything that we say, my fellow countrymen, everything that we henceforth plan and accomplish, ring true to this response till the majesty and might of our concerted power shall fill the thought and utterly defeat the force of those who flout and misprize what we honor and hold dear.

"Germany has once more said that force, and force alone, shall decide whether justice and peace shall reign in the affairs of men, whether right as America conceives it, and dominion, as she conceives, shall determine the destinies of mankind.

"There is therefore but one response for us; force, force to the utmost, force without stint or limit, the righteous and triumphant force which will make the law of the world, and cast every selfish dominion down in the dust."

Cooper County did generously and nobly her part in financing the great World War. According tp the best information at hand, the county subscribed $2,598,481 to the various war activities. Of this amount, almost $100,000, to be exact, $97,131 was actually given by citizens to take care of the boys who fought for freedom and for right.

The Red Cross received splendid support, receiving $54,756, as nearly as can be estimated. The Y. M. C, A., $9,375; Salvation Army Fund, $1,000; United War Work Fund, $32,000. This vast amount was given with no hope of return, other than patriotically aiding in the war. In the Liberty Loans, our people invested over two and one-half millions dollars in government securities, the amount being divided between the four drives as follows: First Liberty Loan, $100,000; Second Liberty Loan, $525,000; Third Liberty Loan, $616,350; Fourth Liberty Loan, $846,000. Added to this amount is $414,000 invested in War Savings Stamps.

The above statement does not take into consideration the various sums contributed to other causes connected with the war, such as the Tobacco Fund, Armenian Relief, French War Orphans, etc.

It may not be amiss to state here that Cooper County has no German citizens, but a goodly number of American citizens of German birth or parentage. As a class, they are frugal, saving, prosperous and honest, withall good livers.

Before our entrance to the great war, most of them were in sympathy with Germany, and such were not neutral. Germany's great propaganda, in which over $100,000,000 were spent, was insidious. The effect of many publications like "The Fatherland"- had little to say in favor of their government, or of their institutions, but in practically every line eulogized, praised and upheld the institutions and theories of the German Empire, in direct opposition to American principles and institutions. But with the unfurling of Old Glory from the housetops, their hearts beat true, and they at once sprang to action, and responded as a class to every call. If there were reservations in the minds of a few, the number was indeed small, and existed largely in the minds of the suspicious.

By reason of the peculiar situation of this class of our citizens, the editor feels called upon to pay this short tribute. We are Americans, regardless of the route each has traveled to become one. We are one in love of home and country. The names of our boys who toiled, suffered and bled in Flanders field are confined to no nationality. Each is a true American.

Upon whose bier in reverence today We lay these imortelles. His was a vital, virile, warrior soul ; If force were needed, he exalted force; Unswerving as the pole star to the pole, He held his righteous course. He smote at wrong, if he believed it wrong, As did the Knight, with stainless Accolade ;

We had no spies to watch in Cooper, yet following the precedent established throughout the country, A Board of Defense was appointed, consisting of the following gentlemen: Dr. A. W. Nelson, chairman; H. A. Jewett, A. H. Harriman, E. E. Amick, D. A. McArthur, A. A. Wallace, Homer Wear, Roy D. Williams and L. 0. Schaumburg, secretary. Their activities were tame, for there was no necessity for unusual vigilance.

"WHEREAS, a spontaneous sentiment from every quarter of the county, arising from the patriotic hearts of the citizenship of Cooper County, has appealed to the Cooper County Council of Defense to take action in the matter of suppressing the use of the German language in churches, schools, public meetings of every sort, including conversation over telephone lines, and also on the public streets and thoroughfares of the county;

THEREFORE, it is unanimously resolved by the Cooper County Council of Defense that the citizenship of this county be and is hereby urgently requested to refrain from communicating in the language of our enemy in all public places and on all public occasions as above enumerated during the period of the war.

An appeal is made to our patriotic citizenship to aid with every means within our power in carrying out the provisions of this proclamation."

Early Monday morning, Nov. 11, 1918, the news was flashed throughout the country that the armistice had been signed. Great demonstrations were held throughout the county and especially in Boonville. It was a gala day from early morning till late at night. Bands were playing and demonstrations of all characters were being carried on in jubilation of the end of the most stupendous tragedy in the history of the world.

A treaty of peace has been signed and our boys are returning to their homes. The material is not at hand to give more than the names of those who gave their services to their country. We are not able to give the pi-omotions or special deeds of valor of our boys, for any attempt so to do, with the meager information at hand would be unjust to many. The ladies of Boonville have also prepared a list, and upon comparing their list with ours, we find that they have apparently omitted a number of names which appear upon our list, and upon the other hand, we find that they have names that we have not secured. We therefore give first the list that we have secured, and after that, we give those that appear upon the list secured by the ladies, which do not appear upon ours. We do not vouch for the correctness of either.

The following names we give as those that appear upon the list that . was prepared by the ladies of Boonville that do not appear upon the above list prepared by us.

Company B, Third Regiment Infantry, N. G., Boonville, Mo., was called into Federal service March 25, 1917, and drafted into Federal service August 5, 1917 and consolidated with Co. B, 6th Mo. Infantry and designated Co. B, 140th Infantry.

Casualty List. - Through the kindness of Floyd C. Shoemaker, secretary of the State Historical Society of Missouri, we herein give the casualty list of the Cooper County boys. Mr. Shoemaker, at considerable trouble, has compiled this list and it is barely possible that it does not contain all the casualties, yet in the main it is correct:

Summary. - From "Statistical Summary of the War with Germany" prepared by Col. Leonard P. Ayres authorized by the War Department is extracted the following, which, of course, is of interest to our readers:

During the Civil War 10 out of every 100 inhabitants of the Northern States served as soldiers or sailors. In that struggle 2,400,000 men sei-ved in the Northern army and the navy.

Between April 6, 1917, and Nov. 11, 1918, when the armistice went into effect 4,800,000 men constituted our land and naval forces. Yet a force proportional to that put forth by the North during the Civil War would have produced nearly 10,000,000 American fighting men.

hand, it took England three years to reach a strength of 2,000,000 men in France, while the United States was able to place that number across the seas in one-half that time.

The organization of an immense army as that of the United States, its equipment and transportation across the ocean has never been equaled in the history of the world.

Two out of every three American soldiers who reached France took part in battle. The number that reached France was 2,084,000 and of these 1,300,000 were engaged at the front.

The American divisions held during the greater part of the time a front longer than that held by the British in October. The American divisions held 101 miles of line or 23 per cent of the entire western front.

The artillery fired more than 1,000,000 shells in four hours, which is the most intense concentration of artillery fire recorded in the history of the world.

During the period of hostilities two out of every 100 American soldiers were killed or died of disease. The total battle death of all nations in this war was greater than the total of all the deaths of all the wars in the previous 100 years.

The war cost of America was $21,850,000,000, or approximately $1,000,000 an hour. The greatest number of men sent over seas in a single month was 306,000 and the largest returned home in a single month at the time of the report was 333,000.

The registration of men for the draft was 24,234,021 and of these 2,810,296 were inducted into service. The largest number inducted into the service in a single month was 400,000.