“All Things in The Army Have to Be in The Right Form.” July-August 1917

by Captain William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment returned to Camp Harris, Macon, Ga. June 30, 1917 from their duty in Jacksonville, Fla. and began a rigorous schedule of training as recounted by Sgt. Robert Burton.

July 8, 1917 letter written by Sgt. Robert G. Burton

Camp Harris, Macon, Ga.

July 8, 1917

My dear mama,

My application for discharge was sent back for proper military form. You know, You know, all things in the Army have to be in the right form 
or they are sent back. I think that when it does go thru these headquarters it will go all right and I will get my discharge.

We are working nearly all day these days. Our day starts at 0530 and lasts til six in the afternoon, so I haven’t much time to get into any trouble. At night I am too tired to go to town and spend any money much. I am spending only what I have to have. Don’t you know it looks funny to see me get up at 5:00 o’clock and eat breakfast at 6:10.

Had a letter from my Jaxville girl this morning. I think that after I come home I will go to see her. She asked me when I was coming back to see her.

Write to me real soon and let me know what you think about my coming home.

As ever, your devoted son,

Gober

Burton’s discharge and hopes for leave were soon dashed.

Camp Harris

Saturday Morning (July 14, 1917)

My dear mama,

I can’t come this weekend. Lt. Dickinson took one of his crazy notions yesterday afternoon and would not let me come. He told me yesterday morning that I could come, and I had a grip packed ready to get in the car and he told me that I could not come.

He let Jack Felker go and he went home while we were in Fla. He let (Sgt) Tom Hensler go and he was absent without leave while we were in Fla. I have never been absent without leave.

I think that perhaps I can come next Friday and if I can I will stay over till about Wednesday. I hate the very air that Lt. Dickinson breathes. I am going to run him to the dogs when I get there.

I surely did want to come home and be with all the children.

I am getting along just as fine as can be.

There is no news today. Will write to you again this week.

Hoping to see you by this time next week. I am.

Your devoted son,

Gober

Burton did get leave the following Friday and spent a joyous weekend at home in Monroe. It was the last time Burton would be home before sailing for France.

Sgt. Robert G. Burton (Right) at home on leave in July, 1917.

Big changes awaited the regiment in the coming weeks as related by Burton.

Hotel Lanier, Macon Ga.

Wednesday Night (August 8, 1917)

My dear mama,

The regiment is being reorganized under the new law and so we have been pretty busy since the 5th of August. A machine gun battalion has been made out of one battalion of the Second. All of the best non-commissioned officers of the regiment have been transferred to it. Out of our company, Ed Williamson, Tom Hensler, C. J. Mears and myself have been transferred as privates so after tomorrow just address my letters as Mr. R. G. Burton. It is expected that we will be sent to Mass or somewhere near New York City. The general opinion is now that we will leave about Tuesday.

I suppose that by the papers you have seen about the Macon companies being reorganized into machine gun companies.

Capt. (Sidney L.) Conner of B Co has been assigned to Co H since the discharge of Capt. Aycock. We all like him fine so far.

I am getting along just as fine as possible I suppose. If I can’t come home will let you know by mail.

Your devoted son,

Gober

Sgt. Robert Burton wrote home from the Hotel Lanier August 8, 1917

The machine gun battalion Burton referenced was the 151st Machine Gun Battalion which was destined to serve in the 42nd Infantry Division. But for now, that information was unknown to Burton or his comrades.

Days later, Burton sent the following telegraph informing his parents of his impending reassignment.

Western Union Telegram Camp Harris, Macon, Ga. 1045 AM August 28, 1917

P.F. BURTON, MONROE, GA.

WE LEAVE TONIGHT OR IN THE MORNING WILL WRITE

GOBER

Next Chapter:  Camp Mills, New York

“250 Degrees In The Shade.” March-June 1917

by Captain William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Within days of their return from the Mexican Border, the Georgia Guardsmen of the 2nd Georgia Infantry were on the move. Across the nation, cities were taking precautions to protect water supplies from poisoning by German agents. On March 31, 1917, At the request of the Macon Water Commission, the Albany Guards of the 2nd Georgia were dispatched to guard a waterworks plant north of Macon. Additional Soldiers were detailed to a reservoir south of Macon. Other units were on the move to secure vital infrastructure sites and Burton wrote to his family of his expectation that they would soon be detailed to South Georgia.

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked a special joint session of Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. Congress voted to approve the declaration April 6, 1917. Following the declaration, Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry was dispatched to Jacksonville, Fla. where it would guard the railroad bridge spanning the Saint Johns River. Company H went into camp on the south bank near the present location of the Baptist Medical Center while a detail of ten Soldiers led by 2nd Lt. Dennie Launius were sent to Homestead, Fla. near Miami.

Burton, writing home to his mother April 8, 1917 recalls the movement to 

Jacksonville. 

Jacksonville, Fla.

Sunday Afternoon (April 8th, 1917)

My dear mama,

We arrived here last night or this morning as you know by the cards I have written you.

We did not know when we got on the train exactly where we were going but as I wired you, we came to Jacksonville. We are down here guarding the Florida East Coast RR bridge. I like this place all OK. We crossed the St. Johns River and are now in South Jacksonville. The people here are mighty nice to us so far. We are on the river nearly and get the sea breeze all of the time. I think that fishing will be good. That is about all we will have to do. I hope that we will stay here for some time. I had rather be here than in Macon so far. Of course, we happen to be farther away from home but this is a nice place.

I think that this is about all the news that I know at this time. My address is Co. H. 2nd Ga. Inf., South Jacksonville, Fla.

Write to me soon.

As ever, your devoted son,

Gober

Robert Burton photo of the Florida East Coast Railroad Bridge

According to Burton’s recollections, the citizens of Jacksonville were very welcoming towards the Monroe Soldiers. Burton expressed relief to have been sent to Jacksonville, far away from Camp Harris and the discipline and rigor of camp life.

Nearly three weeks later Burton wrote of his recreational exploits.

So. Jax Fla. April 27, 1917

My dear mama,

Well! I have seen the ocean!! I think that it is the most wonderful thing I most ever saw.

One of the superintendents of a Sunday school here came down and took four of the boys down to Atlantic Beach and Pablo Beach. We had one grand time surf bathing and fishing. We saw all kinds of sea life. (Sgt.) Tom Hensler and I caught a sack full of crabs. Then we caught a string of fish. It was a grand day for us.

I am going out to a six o’clock dinner tonight. (Sgt. Augustus S.) Clay, (Pfc. Emory J.) E. J. Moore and myself. A Miss White is giving it. She is from Ga. and she has been more than nice to us since we have been here. Some class to your son eh?

The people here continue to be so nice to us. The ladies of the Presbyterian Church gave a little party at one of the club houses for us the other night. We met the nicest girls and had a big time generally. I talked to a girl from Maryland most of the time.

If I don’t forget it I am sending a picture of the bridge that we are guarding. It is 5/8ths of a mile long and has a draw bridge that turns around nearly in the center of it.

Tell all the children my address and tell them to write me sometime. I would like very much to hear from all of them.

The weather is hot as the mischief, but we get a breeze from the sea most of the time, so it is not so bad. The mosquitoes are as big as automobiles down here. They don’t worry us too much as we have mosquito nets. I had lots rather be down here under Maj. Beck than under Col. Thomas.

Well Mama, write me another letter soon. I surely did appreciate the money that papa sent.

Your devoted son

Gober

-I have been to church every Sunday that we have been here. -G

Western Union Telegraph Dated April 17, 1917 from Cpl. Burton to his father

Presently, camp life gave way to routine. With little to do other than daily guard mounts, the Soldiers made the best of their surroundings by visiting the beach and organizing a baseball team. Burton wrote home requesting his old baseball glove and shoes. Orders were passed down that Soldiers were not to leave camp in civilian clothes, but the Soldiers simply took civilian clothes with them and changed once outside the camp boundaries.

In the weeks of idle time, Burton’s parent suggested that he request a discharge from the Guard and resume his studies at the University of Georgia. Burton’s response was adamant.

May 15, 1917

Hotel Flagler, Jacksonville, Fla. (on Hotel Flagler Stationery)

My dear mama,

Your letter came today. Was indeed glad to hear from you.

I think that I would drop that about getting me a discharge. There is no chance now. Would you have me desert the flag now when it is in the greatest danger when men are needed? Men who have had the experience? The flag is in danger. Do you think what the flag means to every American citizen?

Guard duty droned on. Rumors swept the camp that the Guardsmen would be sent to the Florida Keys. 1st Lt. Launius Dickinson, commanding Company H, was hopeful that the unit could be thus transferred but orders were not forthcoming.

In June Robert’s brother Frank visited the camp of Company H and found Gober Burton acting as company clerk, a duty he was not exceptionally pleased with.

Writing home June 2, 1917, Burton described the weather as “hot as blue blazes. It feels like 250 degrees in the shade.”

By June 8, Burton had been promoted to sergeant and his pay had been increased to $17.00 per month. His discharge papers had been approved and forwarded to 1st Lt. Dickinson for approval. 

The Soldiers of Company H visited Saint Augustine and surf bathed to pass the time. Local churches held socials for the visiting Georgia Soldiers and Burton began attending a local church. He kept his mother informed of his regular church attendance and advised her that he had been “out to see the preacher’s daughter several times.” In the months to come, Burton and the preacher’s daughter, Miss Mildred Richards, corresponded regularly. Burton reported to his mother after giving Mildred a picture of himself in uniform that Mildred exclaimed “Gober, I know you have a grand disposition. Your face tells me that.”  

At the end of June, Company H received orders recalling them to Camp Harris in Macon. Burton bade good bye to the Richards family and promised to write.

On June 30, 1917, Company H returned to Camp Harris carrying with them Burton’s budding romance and uncertain future in the Army. 

Next chapter: Reorganization

“We Are Having a Big Time Now.” January-March 1917

by Captain William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

American Military Novelty Company cartoon marks a new year on the border.
Georgia National Guard Archives

January 1, 1917 marked a new year for the Georgia Guardsmen stationed on the Texas / Mexico border. From his tent, not two hundred yards from Mexico, Corporal Robert Gober Burton of Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry, balanced a book over his knee and wrote a letter home to his mother in Monroe Ga. Rather than travel with the rest of the Georgia Brigade on a fifteen-mile march as he had earlier reported, Burton and his fellows from Monroe remained to guard Camp Cotton.

Georgia Guardsmen of Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry
Georgia National Guard Archives

Burton wrote that word was sweeping the camp that Brig. Gen. John Pershing would be recalled from Mexico soon and that the Guardsmen encamped in posts along the border would soon be sent home. Burton enclosed Kodak images with the letter and returned some clothing items that had been sent as gifts.

“I am thinking of sending the muffler and laundry bag home as everything here is so dirty that I am afraid that I will spoil them. The muffler is surely nice but I can’t wear it as it doesn’t suit very well with government clothes. Besides, we are furnished all the war clothes that we can wear. I have some under clothes much heavier than those I wore at home. We have a big overcoat that weighs about 15 pounds and a hood that goes over the head so I keep very warm and comfortable.”

In his letters home, Burton continued to comfort his mother and reassure her that the men were in no danger.

El Paso, Texas

Monday Night (envelope post marked January 6, 1917)

Mama Dear,

Mama, you need not be afraid that the Mexicans will get us as there are just 129,000 more Soldiers here besides us and I think that the Mexicans are not hankering to come over and see how straight we can shoot.

I don’t see why we are being kept down here. The border is sleeping like a top and we are not really needed down here. I fear that a petition has been gotten up in Ga. asking the War Department to recall us. If it gets to you, I know that both you and papa will sign it. The Macon Board of Trade has sent one to the War Dept, also the Savannah B of T.

I have already shaved off the moustache and am again my natural self. I hope that by this time the picture has reached you. Also the letter with the Kodak pictures that I sent you.

Miss Bessie is coming out here to see Capt. Aycock. She left Atlanta tonight. Lt. Launius is due to come with her, but I think that his leave of absence will be extended so that he can stay with his father.

Now Mama, don’t get the blues because if I can stand it, I think you should. If you write blue letters I get blue and it makes both of us unhappy.

The Company is on guard tonight and I haven’t very much longer so will close. Write soon.

As ever, your Devt Son

Gober

By January 14, 1917 the 2nd Georgia received orders to man guard posts along the Southern El Paso Railroad linking Columbus, N.M. with El Paso.

My Dearest Mama,

We find that we will have to go out on the outpost duty after all. We are going to go with the First Ga. Regiment. I do not know whether we will get any mail out there or not but I will try and write you from out there. I think that we can mail our mail from there. We are going down into New Mexico so by that I will add another state to my list of states that I have been in.

Mama, please don’t worry about me being out there. I will be OK. The whole 1st Georgia will be with us.

I hear mess call sounding so will go eat dinner, then come back and finish this letter.

A light snow fell last night but melted away this morning. The weather this morning was not cold enough to wear a sweater and much of the boys are in their shirt sleeves.

I hope that by the middle of Feb. or the finish of March we will be on our way to the red hills of Ga. The middle of Feb. seems to be the most likely time.

Things along the border are as peaceful as in Ga. Things go on just as anywhere else, only you see Soldiers everywhere, and at all times.

When you wrote me about the turkey, I though that I would have some of the town boys down to eat dinner with me. Capt. Aycock, Miss Bessie, James Matthews, Jack Felker, Charlie Mears and Ed Winslo. How do you think that would be?

This may be the last letter in 15 days so I am making a long one of it. I think that we will get to post letters out their tho.

Miss Bessie’s coming was certainly liked by the whole company. We are more than glad to see her.

What is worrying me most is what I am going to do when I do get back home. Tell the boys to keep looking for me a job.

Well, will write again as soon as I get a chance. Write again soon

Your devoted son,

Gober.

 

Noria New Mexico, station of Company H, 2nd Georgia
Infantry. Photo by Capt. William Carraway

On January 17, Burton and his comrades in Company H loaded into trucks and were driven 40 miles west along the border on a road that paralleled the El Paso Southwestern railroad. Reaching Noria, the troops unloaded and surveyed their newly assigned post. Save for an east-west railroad, a water tower and a depot building, there was nothing much to look at. Although the terrain was flat, the wind had shaped the sand into a series of undulating dunes topped with sage brush. The effect of these wind-formed terrain features was that a Soldier could stand on the flat ground in Noria and not be able to see the Mexican border just one mile south.

Over the next two weeks, Burton and the Soldiers of Company H found much to enjoy about their new post. Whereas at Camp Cotton, the troops were subject to camp rules and discipline, in Noria they were their own bosses. Burton established a canteen in the newly formed tent city of Noria and reported doing brisk business. Bessie Aycock, Capt. Aycock’s wife traveled with the company to Noria where she stayed at the depot office. By day she circulated about the camp bringing good cheer and encouragement to the Soldiers who welcomed the addition of a friendly face from home.

Bessie Aycock, wife of Capt. John Aycock with Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry
Georgia National Guard Archives

Days passed without incident. The Soldiers watched as trains passed east and west while clouds drifted lazily in the sky. While the Georgians marked time guarding the railroad, news reached them that as many as 25,000 Guardsmen had left the border. This again buoyed expectations of a swift return home, but Capt. Aycock cautioned the men to expect a duty extension.

By January 31, 1917, Burton appeared resigned to a long stay on the New Mexico border.

Jan 31, 1917

My dearest mama,

We will be stationed here indefinitely. You just send the coke and the candy to my old address. We get the mail every day.

I had lots rather be here where we are than at camp in El Paso. Here we are our own boss, get up any time of day that we choose and go to bed when we please.

I went down to Columbus, N.M. the other day. That is the place where Villa made his raid about a year ago. Nothing can be seen except at some places where a bullet spattered.

The El Paso (paper) says that several thousand more National Guard are to be ordered home. We believe that we will be stationed here until they are ready to send us home. I hope that this will be the way they do.

You just send the coke and things right on. I will enjoy them more out here than I would at El Paso.

Write me soon at El Paso

Your devoted son,

Gober.

Before Gober’s letter reached Monroe, the Georgians were recalled from Noria to Camp Cotton. Returning by truck February 1, 1917, the Georgians began preparing to return to their home state. Although they were no longer independent of camp regulations, Burton noted that they were glad to return to tents with wooden floors. He was happy also to receive a box of chocolates “from my girl in Winder” and Coca Cola from home.

Shortly after the Georgia Guardsmen returned to Camp Cotton, Brig. Gen. John Pershing was 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. Burton reported camp duties greatly slackened and the men enjoyed liberal leave to El Paso. There was so much revelry that Burton wrote for his mother to send him a suit to wear to town.

“Mama, get my heavy suit of clothes, about two shirts, half dozen collar, buy me a cap and necktie or two. Cap size 7 1/8 and make it a loud one. My pair of slippers, pack them up and send them to me. We want to dress up sometime on Sunday and it is no longer against the rules to wear civilian clothes. Don’t forget to send me a collar button or two. We are having a big time now.”

On March 8, 1917, four inches of snow fell but Burton and Sgt. Williamson, sharing six blankets between them, suffered no ill effects from the cold snap. The next day, the 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment received preliminary orders to prepare for a return to Georgia. The 1st Georgia Infantry Regiment was scheduled to return first, followed by the 5th and 2nd Georgia.

El Paso Herald Headline
Georgia National Guard Archives

Transportation of the units commenced March 22, 1917. 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, Ga., headquarters of the 2nd Georgia Infantry.

Medal presented to Soldiers
of the 2nd Georgia by the
City of Macon
Author's collection

Upon their return, Soldiers of the 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment were formed into ranks along Cherry Street in downtown Macon Georgia. There they were presented with medals custom ordered by the City of Macon in honor of the regiment’s service. Following the medal presentation, the Soldiers were treated to a barbecue in the city’s central park. 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.

Next Chapter: War Declaration and Mobilization

“Cactus and Sage Brush, Fleas and Ants” October-December 1916

by Captain William Carraway
Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Bound for the Border

On October 22, 1916, ten trainloads of Georgia Guardsmen departed Camp Harris bound for El Paso, Texas and service along the Mexican border. To the chagrin of Monroe’s Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry, Corporal Robert G. Burton recalled that no one from Monroe was present to see them off as the train steamed away from the Macon, Ga. train depot at 1:00 pm.

Burton, and the Soldiers of the Georgia Brigade made the tiresome trip to El Paso in five days. Along the route, the train column 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.

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

The tents of the 2nd Georgia Infantry at Camp Cotton, 1916.
Georgia National Guard Archives

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.

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, consisting of the 1st, 2nd and 5th Georgia Infantry Regiments established company streets running east from the rail spur. The first tent established on the street of Company H, 2nd Ga. was Captain Aycock’s followed by the kitchen tent. First Sgt. Aralton D. Whitney’s tent was next followed by the supply stores tent of Quartermaster Sgt. Augustus Williams. Squad tents followed with eight men assigned to each tent.

The site of camp cotton in 1917 and 2017
Left: Georgia National Guard Archives. Right: Captain William Carraway

Writing to his mother on October 27, 1916, Burton noted that he had enjoyed the travel west, particularly Louisiana and Texas and that he was settling in to his new environment.

“I like this country just fine and believe that the longer I stay, the better I will like it.”

Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment on the border,
October, 1916
Georgia National Guard Archives

Shortly thereafter, Burton sent a postcard of himself with six members of Company H. A handwritten note on the front of the postcard notes that the photo was taken within 100 yards of the Rio Grande and the border. Quartermaster Sgt. Augustus Williamson is the first Soldier visible. To his left is Corporal Robert G. Burton. Burton admonished his mother to put this card in his Kodak book. It was the first of many such images Burton would thus save.

As he got used to his new surroundings, Burton found that he liked the camp rather well. Despite the endless blowing dust and early hacking coughs that seemed to afflict everyone in camp, Burton found camp life to be pleasant enough. He reported that food was good but that the water tasted of rotten eggs. Second Lt. Albion Smith, an officer in the 5th Georgia Infantry Regiment reported that the water in Camp Cotton was piped in from town and that each company street was provided with a water tap, a convenience not present at Camp Harris in Macon.

Burton was pleased to discover Camp Cotton had a Young Men’s Christian Association. His letter of October 31, 1917 was the first of many to appear on YMCA stationery.

“The days are warm bordering on hot and the nights are cold or cool,” wrote Burton. “The air is dry and fresh. The camps are well located and all in all we are having a pretty good time.”

Burton recalled the YMCA supplied Soldiers with pens, ink and paper and showed movies at least four times a week.

Danger and Drudgery

Just days after arrival, Burton described his first experience on guard duty.

“Last night we went on guard on one side (our side) of the river. An American Soldier was walking, while just across the river, not more than a hundred yards away, a Mexican Soldier, or ‘Amigo’, was walking... Sometimes we hear a shot from across the river, but they have become so common that we do not pay attention to them.”

Writing to his aunt four days later, Burton reported that the sniping had all but stopped.

“Only sometimes a shot is fired across the river and when one is, it hardly ever does any damage.”

In his November 4, 1916 letter, Burton also made his first prediction about when the 2nd Georgia would return.

“We hope to be back home by Xmas,” wrote Burton. “I think that we will.”

As days passed, Burton’s descriptions of Camp Cotton remained warm.

“I like this camp very much better than the one we had in Macon,” wrote Burton November 6, 1916. “In this camp, we have electric lights and frames for our tents. They are planked half way up and have wooden floors in them.”

Cpl. Robert Gober Burton paints "Villa Georgia" on the side of his tent.
Georgia National Guard Archives

After a month, camp life had settled into a routine. The Georgians availed themselves of the YMCA writing material and wrote of experiences in town. Burton reported that El Paso was a town of 126 saloons but that he had not partaken of them and had instead remained a regular attendee of prayer meetings at the YMCA. During one of these prayer meetings, the chaplain of the 2nd Georgia remarked “God made this country and then forgot it.” Burton agreed with the sentiment finding El Paso to be:

“…the most God forsaken place in the world… There is not very much to this country. Out here it grows nothing but cactus and sage brush, fleas and ants.”

As November wore on, temperatures dropped. Burton’s letters revealed an increasing sense of homesickness, though he assured his mother that

“I am not homesick but just want to be at home with you and papa as I think that I am needed more there than on the border at present.”

Snow fell November 21, but Burton assured his family that he was warm.

Thanksgiving on the Border

The Monroe Guardsmen got a special treat from home four days before Thanksgiving when packages arrived from family and well-wishers. Williamson and Burton enjoyed a feast of Georgia butter, cakes and homemade wine which they poured over the cakes and allowed to sink in.

By Thanksgiving Day, Burton and Williamson were still enjoying the cake, but as Burton writes on December 1, 1916, Thanksgiving Day was memorable not for dinner, but for duty.

“We certainly had a Thanksgiving dinner today. We missed ours Thursday but made up for it Friday. We missed it because we were on outpost duty. We had all the things that go with a Thanksgiving dinner: chicken, dressing, cranberries and everything… The big horseraces took place in Juarez Thursday. Would surely liked to have seen them. They are the biggest events of the year over there.

We are still eating on the cake that you and EB sent. We surely do think it was great of both of you to send it to us.

The news of what we do must travel the rounds in Monroe now. I hope that they don’t hear anything on me. I don’t see where they will tho.

Your devoted son,

Gober

Thanksgiving Day, 1916 Left to Right:  Jack Felker,  Burton, E. J. Moore, Jim Mathews.
Georgia National Guard Archives

As November passed into December, camp life remained unremarkable. The Georgians marched to rifle ranges for target practice where they camped overnight. Burton recalled the temperatures were cold, but not so cold as to be unpleasant.

Christmas and a New Year

As Christmas approached, the Georgians wrapped and sent gifts home to loved ones and wrote letters thanking family and friends for gifts received. One gift from home was particularly well received as Burton wrote:

“The Coca Cola that Mr. Bell sent came yesterday and was fully enjoyed by the whole (company). The taps out here taste different from those in Georgia.”

Christmas morning dawned gusty with winds swirling thick clouds of dust. Braving the wind, Cpl. Burton trudged to the post office and received a money order from home. To his horror, as he was making his way back to his tent, the money flew from his grasp and was lost in the dust.

The other Monroe men of Company H fared better, enjoying a feast provided by Capt. Aycock. After the dinner, the men presented Aycock, Lt. Launius and Lt. Dickinson with custom-made rings with the phrase “from Co H., 2nd Ga.” engraved inside.

Writing his mother, Burton related his Christmas experiences and told her that he would be away on a fifteen-day hike for the first part of January. Burton was optimistic about what the hike portended.

“Do not be worried about me. I will be OK. This is the last thing that the National Guard do before they leave the border so I think that we will be home before long.”

The company would soon leave El Paso, but not for Georgia as Burton imagined.

Next Chapter: Service in New Mexico.

"Loaded Down With Glory": Robert Gober Burton and the 151st Machine Gun Battalion

by Captain William Carraway
Historian, Georgia Army National Guard 

Introducing the WWI Series

This is the first in a series of research articles the Georgia Guard history office will present on the Georgia Guard’s role in World War I as witnessed by the 151st Machine Gun Battalion particularly through the eyes of Robert Gober Burton. Burton was a 17-year-old student at the University of Georgia when he enlisted in the Walton Guards, Company H, 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment in 1916. He wrote prolifically of his experiences on the Mexican Border and in the training camps of Macon as a Soldier in the 2nd Georgia and later of his combat service in France with the 151st Machine Gun Battalion. He wrote of his friends, fellow Soldiers and comrades, some of whom would not survive the war. His words, preserved for 100 years, reveal to us not only the nature of combat service in World War I, but the timeless themes of sacrifice and valor.

The 151st Machine Gun Battalion was a Georgia Guard unit organized for service during World War I. The battalion was originally composed of three companies of the Georgia National Guard’s 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment. This regiment was designated the 121st Infantry Regiment in 1917 and serves in the Georgia Guard to this day as part of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. 

The members of the 151st came from more than 150 towns across Georgia. It was the only Georgia Guard unit to deploy and remain as a unit throughout the war.In nearly 18 months, as part of the Allied Expeditionary Force, the 151st participated in ten engagements, was in contact with the enemy for nearly 170 days and established headquarters in nearly 80 locations. With an original strength of 581, the battalion suffered 443 casualties including 57 killed, mortally wounded or missing in action.

Prologue: Tales of Past Glory

In 1915, The United States marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War. As the Great War raged in Europe, the American Civil War was still fresh in the consciousness of southern society. Septuagenarian Confederate veterans and former slaves were present in Georgia’s hometowns serving as living reminders of that conflict. Whereas the Civil War exists to us now as some distant memory, those reaching military age at the dawn of World War I heard tales of valor at Gettysburg, Chickamauga and the battles for Atlanta from the lips of participants in those struggles. Additionally, the Spanish American War, just a generation removed, provided even more proximate echoes of glory and triumph.

The Georgia Guard in 1916

The Georgia 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.

In 1916, Georgia Guard units were present in 24 cities and towns across Georgia. Many of these local units such as Augusta’s Clinch Rifles, The Gate City Guards of Atlanta The Floyd Rifles of Macon and the Walton Guards of Monroe had served in the American Civil War. Following the Civil War and through the years of reconstruction, these units had been disbanded. But beginning in 1872, Georgia’s old Militia companies began to reform. 

Monroe and the Walton Guards

In 1874, The Walton Guards reformed in Monroe, Ga. This unit remained on drilling status until 1899 when it disbanded for three years. Reforming in September 1902, the Walton Guards became Company D of the 3rd Georgia Infantry. The unit disbanded again in 1905 and reformed again in 1907 as Company D. On December 2, 1907, the Walton Guards became Company H of the 2nd Georgia Infantry.

Captain John Aycock.
Photo courtesy of the Georgia Guard History Office.

Commanding the Walton Guards in 1916 was Captain John Aycock, a 32-year-old merchant and

graduate of what is now the University of North Georgia. Aycock enlisted in the Walton Guards as a private in 1902. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in 1907 and promoted to 1st lieutenant in 1910. He had commanded the company since 1913 and by all accounts was a popular commander.

Assisting Aycock was 1st Lt. Prince Albert Dickinson, a 33-year-old rural mail carrier. Dickinson had also enlisted in 1902.

Rounding out the officer ranks of the Walton Guards was 2nd Lt. Dennie B. Launius, a warehouseman. Launius had enlisted as a private in 1913 and had reached the rank of sergeant before accepting a commission in June 1916.

Not counting civil war service, the Walton Guards had been an established part of the Monroe community for two generations.

Robert Gober Burton

Robert Gober Burton was born June 29, 1898 in Monroe, Ga. to Phillip Franklin Burton and Ida T. Gober. He was the youngest of seven children, and by 1916, was the only one still living at home. Brothers John and Frank were businessmen. Frank worked for A. H. Edwards, a peanut buyer, and traveled extensively. Sister Ida lived in Atlanta with her husband Toombs Roberts.

Gober grew up at 208 Boulevard, just a few doors down from 1st. Lt. Dickinson. Many of the boys Gober knew growing up would serve in the ranks with him. Boys like Tom Hensler, John Felker and Augustus Williamson. It is likely that Gober’s many friends and acquaintances in the Walton Guards influenced his decision to join the local Georgia Guard unit in the spring of 1916. Economics and boredom also may have played a role. In a June 14, 1916 letter, brother Frank counseled Gober to be patient.

“I would not get discouraged over not having anything to do. This is summer time and everything is dull. You pick up enough around there to keep you in smoking material and drinks. I will send you a little money along. You have your clothes for the summer.

Do not get disheartened.  Keep a stiff upper lip.  Everything will come out right. Write me whenever you feel like it. 

I am, 

Your Bro, Frank”

The Ga. Guard mobilizes for Mexican border service.
Photo courtesy of the Georgia Guard History Office. 

Four days later, Gober’s boredom would be relieved. On June 18, 1916, Newton D. Baker, the Secretary of War, advised the governors and adjutants general of President Woodrow Wilson’s intention to call the National Guard to active service on the Mexican border. Gober would soon find himself 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 in response to cross-border raids by Pancho Villa.

By June 20, 1916, Gober Burton, the Walton Guards, the 2nd Georgia 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. The site of Camp Harris is today marked by Freedom Park.

Writing home, Gober expressed his sense of adventure.

June 29, 1916

Mobilization Camp

Macon, Ga.

My Dearest Mama,

We had the physical examination this morning. I have just come back from the field hospital.  I stood the examination perfectly and was vaccinated and took the typhoid inoculation. Most of the boys in our company came through O.K. All the town boys did.

I am having the biggest time of my life.  I always did like this kind of life and I am not disappointed in the real part.

With lots of love and a kiss I am,

Your Devoted Son

Gober

PS: Did you know today was my birthday?

Burton's promotion orders.
Photo courtesy of the Georgia Guard History Office. 

Burton was promoted to corporal August 4, 1916 as his regiment continued training at Camp Harris.

In the ensuing months, the units were provided with uniforms, equipment, horses and ammunition as well as basic Soldier training. Burton’s letters reflect uncertainty. Rumors flew about possible mobilization dates and of the possibility that they would be sent home without mobilizing to the border.

In the meantime, Gober enjoyed the life of a Soldier, rising early for drill and having the opportunity to take in the sites of Macon by night.

Learning of Gober’s impending departure, Frank Burton wrote a brotherly letter of advice.

Oct 15th 1916

Dear Gober,

I note from the papers that you will go to Mexico next week.  Now Gober, I have a request to make which is that you leave whiskey and bad company alone and always be square in your business dealing and truthful with everybody and be careful with yourself. Write to Mama regular and write me often and let us know if anything should happen to you at once.

I trust you will have a good trip and that your conduct will be such as to command the respect of everybody. 

I send my best wishes and trust you will be returning soon loaded down with glory.  Be sure to let us know your address at all times.  Wishing you the best of good luck and God speed. I am,

Your Bro

Frank

Remember at all times that you are a gentleman and of fine stock.

One week later the 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment began movement to the Mexican border. At 1:00 pm, Gober Burton and his fellow Soldiers were crammed into rail cars for the beginning of a five-day journey to El Paso, Texas.

Next Chapter: The Mexican Border.

Post card from Pvt. Robert G. Burton to his mother written
from Camp Harris near Crumps Park, Macon, Ga. August 1, 1916.
Photo courtesy of the Georgia Guard History Office.