In the October 4, 1917, Crawfordsville Daily Journal, there is a front-page article about twenty-two men from our county who were about to be sent overseas to fight in the Great War. They were members of the Indiana and Illinois artillery units that had been training at Camp Mills, Garden City, Long Island, New York. These soldiers were part of the “Rainbow Division,” the first National Guard unit to be sent for active service overseas.
From this list, the only one that did not survive the war was Melvin Cook of Darlington. He died from tuberculosis, a not uncommon occurrence during wartime.
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Gold star honor roll. A record of Indiana men and women who died in the service of the United States and the allied nations in the world war. 1914. from the Indiana Historical Commission, 1921.
From a collection of World War I letters written home and then published in the local paper is one from Albert “Abe” Goltra, who is listed above. Here is an excerpt:
Somewhere in France, May 18, 1918. “My Dear Ones;--It has been so very long since I have been able to drop you all a line. I received a nice letter from you, Pop and Elba about a week ago. I am now separated from my regiment but hope to rejoin it soon. I am now living with a first lieutenant up in the front line infantry. The place I am now in has been shelled to pieces. I have a fairly nice cot, made of boards and chicken wire. I also have my horse with me and expect to go back to regimental headquarters tomorrow to visit over Sunday. Just think, I am the only one in the whole regiment to get to go to the front line.”
Upstairs in the Reference/Local History Department is a display about local involvement in the war. A book of collected letters from local soldiers is available for your perusal.
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