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Organization, and Service in World War I |
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In April 1917, because of the
continued loss of American shipping
and lives on the high seas at the
hands of the German Navy, the United
States declared war on Germany and
thus entered into the Great War in
Europe, which some two decades later
would be known retroactively as
World War I.
The following month Congress passed
the Selective Service Act that,
among other things, called for a
“draft” of the National Guard into
active federal service. Some
units began mobilizing earlier, but
on 5 August all National Guard units
across the country were collectively
drafted into federal service.
Units from the States of Indiana
(with the exception of one
regiment), Kentucky, and West Virginia were ordered to report to a military training camp that had
been established about 10 miles south-southeast of the small town of Hattiesburg in southeastern Mississippi. |
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The fact was, however, that it was
not much of a camp at all. For
the most part it was just a lot of uncleared
land covered with pine stumps. It was so new that
is had not yet been named. Kentucky
troops were the first to arrive, so for them the |
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camp was named in honor of their
state’s first governor, Isaac
Shelby. It was soon turned
into a military post of tents, some
wooden buildings, more tents, dirt
roads, and more tents with a
capacity of about 36,000 troops. |
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State militia/National Guard units
that fought in the Revolutionary
War, the Mexican War, the War
Between the States, and all other
wars up through 1916-17.
Mexican Border service had always
entered active federal service with,
and retained while on active duty,
their traditional independent state
designations (e.g., the 3d Indiana
Infantry). |
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But
that practice would now change. The Army for the first time was forming
standardized, structured divisions and adopting a standard numbering system for
all regular Army, National Guard, and National Army (draftee) divisions.
Division numbers 1-25 were reserved for the regular Army. National Guard
divisions started with the number 26, which was the first National Guard
division to be numbered (25+1=26th Division). The 13th
National Guard division in line to be numbered was the 38th
(25+13=38th Division). |
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On Saturday,
25 August 1917 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, the 38th Division was organized. It was formed
from the independent National Guard units mobilized from the three states. Indiana furnished most of the troops, Kentucky furnished a great part, and West Virginia the rest. Independent state
military designations were soon lost as all were redesignated and reorganized
according to standard Army regimental and other unit configurations. |
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Notwithstanding having to clear
ground and set up a camp from
scratch, the new division structure
began to take shape, not all at
once, but by the separate in-turn
organization of subordinate
brigades, regiments, and other
elements. It was October
before the 38th Division was fully organized and in place as
a division. |
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All Army divisions formed would in
time come to be known as “square”
divisions because their main combat
capability was built around four
newly designed infantry regiments.
Each regiment’s wartime strength was
set at some 3,800 men, and consisted
of a headquarters, support elements,
and three infantry battalions.
Major elements of the new 38th were organized from
state troops indicated below. Numerical designations were dictated by the
Army’s new standardized numbering system. |
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Headquarters, and Headquarters
Troops, 38th Division (Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia)
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Headquarters 75th Infantry Brigade (Kentucky) |
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149th
Infantry Regiment (Kentucky) |
150th
Infantry Regiment (West
Virginia) |
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138th
Machine Gun Battalion (Kentucky) |
Headquarters 76th Infantry Brigade (Indiana) |
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151st
Infantry Regiment (Indiana) |
152d Infantry Regiment (Indiana) |
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139th
Machine Gun Battalion (Indiana) |
Headquarters 63d Field Artillery
Brigade (Kentucky) |
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137th
field Artillery Regiment [75mm Field Gun] (Indiana) |
138th
Field Artillery Regiment [75mm Field Gun] (Kentucky) |
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139th
Field Artillery Regiment [75mm Field Gun, but eventually transitioned to 6-in
and 155mm Howitzers] (Indiana) |
113th
Trench Mortar Battery (Kentucky) |
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137th
Machine Gun Battalion (West
Virginia) |
113th
Engineers [Regiment] (Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia) |
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113th
field Signal Battalion (Indiana, Kentucky) |
Headquarters
and Military Police, 113th Divisional Trains (Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia)
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113th
Ammunition Train (Kentucky, West Virginia) |
113th
Supply Train (Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia) |
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113th
engineer Train (West
Virginia) |
113th
Sanitary Train (Indiana, Kentucky), including 149th,
150th, 151st, 152d Ambulance Companies, 149th,
150th, 151st, 152d Field Hospitals |
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