By Major William Carraway
Historian,
Georgia National Guard
Reorganization
Following the Spanish American War
Upon
leaving federal service for the Spanish American War as Company F, 1st
Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment in November 1898, the Macon Volunteers
returned to state service as Company B, 2nd Georgia Infantry
Regiment. For Georgia Soldiers returning from the mobilization, the transition
was not easy. The decision to generate new volunteer units rather than mobilize
existing regiments of the Georgia Volunteers disrupted existing chains of
command and unit cohesion.[1] Because the uniforms of the Georgia
Volunteers were privately purchased, those troops federalized in 1898 mobilized
with their own uniforms. As a result, by 1899, few uniforms remained in
service. To ameliorate this condition, the state allocated funds for the
purchase of uniforms in 1899 with company commanders responsible for the
uniforms assigned to their units.
While the Military
Department of Georgia had made progress securing state-level funding and
reforms, efforts at the federal level, culminating in the Militia Act of 1903,
would have farther reaching impact. This seminal legislation, the first major
overhaul of militia policy since 1792, designated the militia as the National
Guard and provided funding for equipment and pay. The Guard would benefit from
inspection and training from regular Army officers and be subject to federal
mobilization.[2]
 |
| The Macon Volunteers assemble in front of their armory in 1903. Photo courtesy of Maj. Steve Haynes. |
In June and July of
1903, units of the Georgia National Guard conducted annual training at Camp
Northen.[3] By September, the
antiquated .45 Springfield Rifles of the former Georgia State Troops were being
replaced with modern .30 magazine-fed rifles.[4] By the end of the year,
the 4,107 troops of the Georgia National Guard had received new uniforms and
field equipment such as shelter halves, tents, and blankets.[5]
By 1905, the strength
of the Georgia National Guard had fallen to 2,874.[6] In 1906 the 2nd
Georgia Infantry Regiment, commanded by former Macon Volunteer Col. Walter
Harris, reported the loss of commanding officers for eight of ten companies.[7] The reduction in strength
among junior officers and enlisted personnel was so great that Harris believed
it impossible for the regiment to maintain the efficiency required of the
Military Department of Georgia.[8]
 |
| The Macon Volunteers Armory in the 1900s. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
By 1909, in addition
to persistent personnel problems, the Georgia National Guard confronted
questions involving the proper care of military equipment issued by the federal
government. Unlike the Macon Volunteers, who maintained a magnificent armory,
the majority of the National Guard units in the state did not have a dedicated
armory or the ability to secure property. The Military Department of Georgia
relied on the State Arsenal in the basement of the capitol for storage of arms
and equipment. This arrangement provided inadequate space for the holding and
issue of equipment. Moreover, the environmental conditions imposed by steam
pipes and boilers in the basement facility let to rapid degradation of
equipment.[9] More than 40 years would
pass before the state of Georgia would mount an aggressive armory construction
campaign as part of the post-World War II reorganization of the Georgia
National Guard.
Georgia
National Guard in 1916
The Georgia National Guard
of 1916 was organized into three infantry regiments, one infantry battalion, a
squadron of cavalry, a field artillery battalion, and a coast artillery
battalion. The first, second and fifth regiments of infantry were based in
Savannah, Macon and Atlanta with the 3rd Infantry Battalion in Augusta.
Savannah was also home to the field and coast artillery units while the 2nd
Squadron of Cavalry operated out of Atlanta. Georgia National Guard units were
present in 24 cities and towns across Georgia.
The
Macon Volunteers in 1916
 |
| 1914 By-laws of the Macon Volunteers. Private collection. |
Assisting Conner was 1st Lt. Algernon Brown, a Macon
architect. Like Conner, Brown enlisted in the Macon Volunteers in 1910, working
his way through the enlisted ranks and was commissioned a first lieutenant May
27, 1916.[11]
Rounding out the officer
ranks of the Macon Volunteers was 2nd Lt. Eugene Slappey who worked as a
salesman in Macon. Slappey earned his commission June 30, 1916, after four
years of enlisted service in the Macon Volunteers.[12]
Mobilization
On
June 18, 1916, Newton D. Baker, the Secretary of War, advised governors and
state adjutants general of President Woodrow Wilson’s intention to call the
National Guard to active service on the Mexican border in response to
increasing instability and cross-border raids by the bandit Pancho Villa. The
Macon Volunteers would soon be a part of the largest activation of National
Guard units in history. More than 110,000 Guardsmen would head to
the border in the coming months including the Georgia Brigade which consisted
of the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Infantry Regiments
with cavalry and artillery companies and a field hospital.[13] Brigadier General Walter A. Harris,
formerly of the Macon Volunteers would command the brigade during its
mobilization.
By
June 20, 1916, the 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment, Macon Volunteers, and the
remaining units of the Georgia National Guard had been ordered to report to
their armories in preparation for assembly at training camps. The 2nd Georgia
assembled in Macon and went into training near Crumps Park which would come to
be known as Camp Harris. [14] The
site of Camp Harris is today marked by Freedom Park.
Of
Snakes, Pigs, Badgers, and Monkeys
On
the day they received the news of their pending mobilization, the Macon
Volunteers captured a water moccasin while training in the field. They resolved
to take the snake with them to the border as a company mascot.[15] Unfortunately, the reptile expired
prior to the unit’s departure.[16] In the ensuing
months, a pig and a badger would be pressed into service as the Volunteers’
mascot.[17] ,
the latter having been captured by Private Paul Bryants Minter. The pig did not
meet with Brig. Gen. Harris’s approval. He ordered the company to get rid of it
whereupon, Minters produced the badger drawing crowds to the Volunteer’s tents
to view the badger that could “whip any dog in the whole brigade.” The Badger wandered
away from camp one night and fell prey to a local farmer. When asked about a
replacement mascot, Sgt. Robert H. Sheridan observed that the company was
considering a red-faced monkey to fill the vacant mascot slot.[18]
 |
| Camp Harris. Photo by 2nd Lt. Vivian Roberts. |
Camp
Harris
The
Macon Battalion of the 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment, consisting of
the Macon Volunteers, Floyd Rifles, Macon Hussars, and Machine Gun Company, marched
to Camp Harris June 22, 1916.[19] As they were pitching their tents, word
reached Macon of the Battle of Carrizal in which 12 American were killed in
action with Mexican forces.[20]
The Soldiers at Camp Harris
settled into camp routine with companies rotating guard duty and packages of
food coming in daily from citizens across the state. Private Lewi Gordie of the Macon Volunteers
established himself as camp barber doing brisk business offering haircuts and
shaves.[21] In the coming weeks,
Gordie’s shop would be equipped with hot water and gas lights with mirrors
festooning the walls of his tent.[22]
Another Macon Volunteer,
Pvt. Robert Burnett, earned the nickname “Kitchen Cop,” for his frequent
assignment to duty there.[23] His efforts in the
kitchen were rivaled by Pvt. William Cobb who spent 75 of his first 90 days at
camp peeling potatoes with the kitchen police.[24]
Over the course of seven
hours On July 2, 1916, the 1,172 Soldiers of the 2nd Georgia
Regiment was mustered into federal service.[25] Two days later, Governor
Nathaniel Harris presented the regimental colors during a ceremony on Coleman’s
Hill overlooking Macon.[26]
In the ensuing months, the
units were provided with uniforms, equipment, horses and ammunition as well as
basic Soldier training. Soldiers conducted three hours of drill each morning,
beginning at 9:40 am along with 40 minutes of exercise.[27] Along with drill the
Soldiers executed marches of increasing distance. The Soldiers became familiar
with regulations which were enforced with frequent inspections. A September
inspection of all troops at Camp Harris by Col. T. Q. Donaldson ranked the Macon
Volunteers first among all the assembled units.[28]
 |
| Second Lieutenant Vivian Roberts of the Macon Hussars captured this image of the train preparing to depart Macon for the Mexican border. |
One week later, the 2nd
Georgia Infantry Regiment began movement to the Mexican border. On October 22,
1916, ten trainloads of Georgia Guardsmen departed Camp Harris bound for El
Paso, Texas and service along the Mexican border. The Macon Volunteers and
other units of “Macon’s Own” 1st Battalion, departed at 2:00 pm
aboard the first train.[29] Supervising the loading
of 1st Battalion troops was Sergeant Major Chauncey Dickerson,
formerly a sergeant in the Macon Volunteers.[30]
 |
| Private Clyde C. Weaver of the Macon Hussars displays a jackrabbit Soldiers captured at Pumpville, Texas while waiting for a burnt train trestle to be repaired. Photo by 2nd Lt. Vivian Roberts. |
The Soldiers of the Georgia Brigade made the tiresome trip to El Paso in five days. Along the route, the column of trains expanded and contracted, at times exceeding 150 miles in length. For many of the Georgians witnessing the passing landscape it was the first time they had been outside of their home state. Far different from the familiar green terrain and humidity was the gradual transition to brown, sandy vistas, sandy mountains, and dry air. During their frequent rest stops, the Soldiers entertained themselves by catching jack rabbits.
The first of the Georgia
trains pulled into the El Paso train depot on the morning of October 27, 1916.
After multiple track changes, the Georgians clacked their way south crossing
Paisano Drive to the flat parade ground of Camp Cotton which would be their
home for the next several months.
Camp
Cotton
Camp Cotton was located
along the Texas/Mexico border with the intersection of Paisano Drive and Cotton
Avenue forming the northwest intersection of the camp boundary. The camp
extended south to the banks of the Rio Grande River. The eastern border of Camp
Cotton was formed by Cordova Island which marked the former location of the Rio
Grande before the river’s course changed. Due to the presence of Cordova
Island, and its attendant territorial disputes, the south and east borders of
Camp Cotton looked out over Mexican territory.
 |
| Camp Cotton. Photo by 2nd Lt. Vivian Roberts. |
After surveying the
landscape of Camp Cotton, the Georgia regiments unloaded the trains and began
setting up camp, displacing Guardsmen from Massachusetts who were returning
home. The Georgia Brigade established company streets running east from the
rail spur. The first tent established on the street occupied by the Macon
Volunteers was Capt. Conner’s, followed by the
kitchen tent, First Sergeant Willard Murphey’s tent and quartermaster tents and
finally the squad tents with eight men assigned. Each company street was
provided with a water tap, a convenience not present at Camp Harris. Creature
comforts, while spartan, were also better than the lodging experienced at Camp
Harris. The Soldiers’ tents had electric lights, wooden floors, and frames. The
tents were planked halfway up on each side to help alleviate the effects of
wind and blowing sand. Camp Cotton also had a YMCA building which supplied
Soldiers with pens, ink, and paper and showed movies at least four times a
week.
Just two days after
arriving, the Georgian’s were startled by the sound of artillery fire which
started a rumor of enemy action. It was subsequently discovered that the sound
came from an American battery.[31]
Danger
and Drudgery
After settling into camp, The
Macon Volunteers and other units began posting guard duty watching the border
for activity. Companies rotated squads through 24-hour patrol and outpost duty.
While on outpost duty, the Soldiers pitched pup tents for shade during the day
and warmth at night when temperatures plunged. Soldiers would stand at outpost
or patrol in pairs for two hours before being relieved by the next watch. Each
Soldier took his turn taking one step across the border in order to say that he
had been to Mexico.[32]
 |
| The Macon Volunteers and Macon Hussars leaving Camp Cotton for outpost duty on the Mexican Border. Photo by 2nd Lt. Vivian Roberts. |
Frequent dust storms blew
tents over, filled the air with an alkaline taste and caked everything with a
fine grit that had to be removed before daily inspections. Private Henry “Red”
Plunkett observed that he could withstand the boredom of outpost duty and
privation of camp.
“Uncle Sam pays me by the
day, anyhow, and it makes no difference to me where he makes me work,” he said.[33]
Thanksgiving
on the Border
The weather became
noticeably cooler in November as the Soldiers settled into the routine of
border duty. The Macon Volunteers enjoyed support from home receiving packages
of food and clothing which increased with the approach of Thanksgiving. For
most of the Soldiers, Thanksgiving on the border was the first such holiday
spent away from home. The Macon Volunteers dined on traditional Thanksgiving
fare supplemented by cakes and treats sent by citizens of Macon. Army trucks
marked “Turkey Special” delivered turkey and game meat to Soldiers from New
Mexico to the Georgians at Camp Cotton.[34] Governor Harris visited
the camp of the Georgia Brigade and called on the Macon Volunteers as they
feasted on Thanksgiving turkey. The governor addressed the Macon Volunteers
followed by Brig. Gen. Walter Harris who recounted his memories as a private in
the company.
 |
| The "Turkey Special." Photo by 2nd Lt. Vivian Roberts. |
Christmas
and a New Year
As November passed into
December, camp life remained unremarkable. The Georgians marched to rifle
ranges for target practice where they camped overnight. While temperatures
continue to drop, they were not uncomfortable for the Soldiers spending the
nights encamped on ranges or on outpost duty. As Christmas approached, the
Georgians wrapped and sent gifts home to loved ones and wrote letters thanking
family and friends for gifts received.
Each Soldier of the 1st
Battalion received a Christmas gift box from the citizens of Macon containing
candy, tobacco, reading material and handkerchiefs.[35] The handkerchiefs were
particularly well received as Christmas morning dawned gusty with winds
swirling thick clouds of dust.
The holidays brought
mounting homesickness and frustration among the Georgia Troops who expressed
the desire to either be sent into Mexico or sent home. Instead, the Georgians
continued rotating through 14 outposts along the Rio Grande for long hours of wary
border watching.
A New Year Begins
On
the first day of 1917, The Macon Volunteers participated in a fifteen-mile
march with the Georgia Brigade. Five days later, companies of the 2nd
Georgia were dispatched from Camp Cotton to towns along the border. The
regimental headquarters was established at Fabens approximately 13 miles
southeast of Camp Cotton along with the Georgia National Guard’s Troop F, 2nd
Squadron of Cavalry which patrolled between outposts manned by the companies of
the 2nd Georgia in Yselta, Beian, Collinsworth, and others.[36]
The Macon Volunteers patrolled out of Socorro, which George Sparks,
correspondent with the Macon Telegraph, described as the “worst post on the
border.”[37]
By contrast, the Monroe Soldiers of Company H were stationed along the railroad
in Noria, New Mexico where they found their distance from headquarters a
welcome change of pace.
 |
| "Downtown" Soccoro, Texas where the Macon Volunteers performed outpost duty in February 1917. Photo by 2nd Lt. Vivian Roberts. |
The
Macon Volunteers and other companies of the 2nd Georgia were
relieved by the 1st Georgia Regiment January 21, 1917, and returned
to Camp Cotton. The Volunteers brought with them a new mascot, a Mexican
bulldog.[38]
 |
| Striking tents at Camp Cotton. Photo by 2nd Lt. Vivian Roberts. |
On
February 1, 1917, the Monroe Guardsmen of Company H, 2nd Georgia
returned to Camp Cotton from New Mexico. Shortly thereafter Brig. Gen. John
Pershing’s troops were recalled to Fort Bliss ending the punitive expedition.
The return of the regulars was greeted with a wave of celebration and rumors of
the Guard units returning home. By February 10, preparations for the return to
Georgia had begun in earnest with Soldiers ordered to settle all local debts
before they would be allowed to entrain for the journey home.[39]
Just when it seemed that the departure was imminent Camp Cotton was placed
under quarantine due to an outbreak of meningitis which halted all movements
out of camp.
The
Long Ride Home
 |
| Officers of the Macon Volunteers at Camp Cotton: 2nd Lt. Eugene N. Slappey, Capt. Sidney L. Conner, 1st Lt. Algernon S. Brown. Photo by 2nd Lt. Vivian Roberts. |
to Georgia March 9, 1917. The 1st Georgia Infantry Regiment was scheduled to return first, followed by the 5th and 2nd Georgia.
Transportation
of the units commenced March 18, 1917, with the 2nd Georgia
departing four days later. The Georgians packed their tents and baggage and
began a long spine-jarring ride home by rail through Dallas, Memphis, and
Birmingham on the way to Atlanta and, ultimately Macon.
On March 29, 1917,
Soldiers of the Macon Volunteers stood in ranks along Cherry Street in downtown
Macon, Georgia. Those ranks were somewhat thinner than when the company left
for the border the previous October. Sergeant Chauncey Dickerson had been
promoted, first to battalion and later regimental sergeant major. Several other
Soldiers had been promoted to positions in the field and staff of other units
of the 2nd Georgia who formed up beside the Macon Volunteers on
Cherry Street. There they were presented with medals custom ordered by the City
of Macon in honor of the regiment’s service. Their medals glistening in the
spring sunlight, the Soldiers of the 2nd Georgia had completed their Mexican
border mobilization. But war clouds loomed, and a second mobilization was less
than one week away.
[1] Military
Department, State of Georgia, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of
Georgia from January 1, 1899 to October 17, 1900, (Atlanta: Franklin
Printing and Publishing Company, 1900), 6.
[2] Michael
Doubler, I Am The Guard, (Washington, D.C: GPO: 2001), 144.
[3] Military Department,
State of Georgia, General Orders No. 7, Atlanta, June 8, 1903.
[4] Military Department,
State of Georgia, General Orders No. 15, Atlanta, September 19, 1903.
[5] Military
Department, State of Georgia, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of
Georgia from January 1st 1905 to December 31, 1905, (Atlanta:
The Franklin Printing and Publishing Company, 1906), 9.
[6] Military
Department, State of Georgia, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of
Georgia from January 1st 1905 to December 31, 1905, (Atlanta:
The Franklin Printing and Publishing Company 1906), 8.
[7] Military
Department, State of Georgia, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of
Georgia from January 1st 1906 to December 31, 1906, (Atlanta:
The Franklin Printing and Publishing Company, 1907), 102.
[8] Military
Department, State of Georgia, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of
Georgia from January 1st 1906 to December 31, 1906, (Atlanta:
The Franklin Printing and Publishing Company, 1907), 103.
[10] Military Department, State of Georgia, Official
Register of the National Guard of Georgia for 1917, (Atlanta: The
Adjutant General, State of Georgia 1917), 43.
[11] Military Department, State of Georgia, Official
Register of the National Guard of Georgia for 1917, (Atlanta: The
Adjutant General, State of Georgia 1917), 84 and 86. 45.
[12] Military Department, State of Georgia, Official
Register of the National Guard of Georgia for 1917, (Atlanta: The
Adjutant General, State of Georgia 1917), 49.
[13]
Military Department, State of Georgia. General Orders No. 9, Atlanta,
June 18, 1916.
[15] “Macon Camp Will Soon Be Ready For
Troopers,” Atlanta Constitution, June 19, 1916, 1.
[16]
“Billy Goat Mascot for Macon Hussars,” Macon Telegraph, June 21, 1916,
11.
[17] “Camp
Gossip,” Macon Telegraph, August 23, 1916, 9.
[18] “Volunteers
in Mourning Badger Mascot Is Dead,” Macon Telegraph, August 24, 1916, 7.
[19]
“Macon Soldiers Are Now In Camp; Fully Equipped,” Macon News, June 22,
1916, 1.
[20]
“Twelve Troopers Lost Lives in Battle with Mexicans Wednesday.” Macon News,
June 22, 1916, 1.
[21]
“Camp Gossip,” Macon News, July 4, 1916, 8.
[22]
“Mobilization Camp Gossip,” Macon Telegraph, October 13, 1916, 9.
[23]
“Bob Burnett, Lieutenant,” Macon News, July 5, 1916, 9.
[24]
“Mobilization Camp Gossip,” Macon Telegraph, September 22, 1916, 3.
[25]
“Second Regiment is Now in Service,” Macon News, July 3, 1916, 12.
[26]
“Governor Harris Presents Colors to Second Regiment,” Macon News, July
4, 1916, 5.
[27]
“Three Hours Daily Drill for Each Company,” Macon Telegraph, September
11, 1916, 7.
[28]
“Mobilization Camp Gossip,” Macon Telegraph, September 6, 1916, 7.
[29]
“Thousands Cheer Second Regiment When It Leaves For Mexican Border,” Macon
News, October 23, 1916, 9.
[30]
“Mobilization Camp Gossip, Macon Telegraph, October 11, 1916, 7.
[31]
George Sparks, “Another Border Rumor Starts When Heavy Gun Fire is Heard, but
it’s Only Artillery at Practice,” Macon Telegraph, October 30, 1916, 1.
[32]
George M. Sparks, “Second Regiment on Outpost Duty,” Macon Telegraph, November
16, 1916, 1.
[33]
George Sparks, “Guards on Border Travel in Pairs,” Macon Telegraph, November
22, 1916, 6.
[34]
“Turkey Special Sent Into Mexico,” Macon Telegraph, December 1, 1916, 1.
[35]
“Macon’s Own Sends Thanks, Macon News, December 25, 1916, 3.
[36]
George M. Sparks, “Life Along Border Reads Like History,” Macon Telegraph,
January 10, 1917, 1.
[37]
George M. Sparks, “Life Along Border Reads Like History,” Macon Telegraph,
January 10, 1917, 15.
[38]
George M. Sparks, Troops Find Camp Surrounded, Macon Telegraph, January
22, 1916, 1.
[39]
George Sparks, “Guardsmen Must Settle All Bills,” Macon Telegraph, February
11, 1917, 3.
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