Bennett Clark letter to Champ Clark - September 23, 1917
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Camp Doniphan, Fort Sill, [Oklahoma] [September] 23, 1917. Dear Daddy: The reorganization of which I wrote you the other day is certainly raising a great storm in Missouri and I presume that the same thing is true in Kansas. The boys up at Nevada [Missouri] are wild. General Clark, nineteen years a Brigadier, is shunted off to the Command of the Depot Brigade which at present has no troops in it. Col. Billy Raupp, eleven years colonel of the Second and senior colonel in the State, has his splendid regiment completely dismembered, and is assigned to the Depot Brigade. I am the only officer in the Sixth above the rank of Lieutenant to hold his place in the new organization and that due to the accident of the Third not having a Lieutenant – Colonel. Some forty eight hundred fighting Missourians placed under command of a Kansas Brigadier that they never heard of before, and thirty
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[page 2] four hundred Kansans placed under a Missouri Brigadier that they never heard of before. The famous old “20th Kansas, Funston’s old regiment (now called the 1st Kansas) broken up and merged with the 2d Kansas, and the 3d Kansas merged with the 4th Missouri, recruited from St. Joe to Hannibal, the part of Missouri where they think everyone from Kansas ought to be brung. I wish you would casually ask Col. Little of Kansas what he thinks of all this. You know he was Lt. Col. of the 20th Kansas in [1898]. It is certainly going to raise merry hell with the morale of the troops. I am particularly sorry about the officers of my own regiment to whom I have become attached. I would ask to be assigned to the Depot Brigade with them if I didn’t feel that I ought to stick with the enlisted men of my old regiment in the new organization to do all that I can to see that they get a fair deal in the matters of non-commissioned
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[page 3] officers etc. I’ll be the only one left to fight for them. Its all right to laud the drafted men as heroes but I don’t see why it is necessary to give the men who did not wait to be drafted a kick at every opportunity. Especially when they are depending on us to do the big end of the heavy lifting over on the other side. I wonder what Uncle Joe Russel thinks of things now Half my regiment is from his district and I understand that all the commercial clubs were meeting last night to protest against their companies being merged and their captains having their commands taken away from them. Uncle Joe is liable to hear from these boys and their friends on this matter. John Morton helped organize our company G from Richmond and they say put up $2000 or $2500 himself to buy them a truck and otherwise help them along. I wouldn’t wonder if judge Divelbiss, who is from Richmond and is running against
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[page 4] Alexander, would make some use of this unless Alexander protests loudly. Part of the Second, which is broken up, is from Dickinsons district and he is liable to been from that. The rest of it is from Pearl Dicker’s and Hamlins districts and they’ll likely have it called to their attention. Most of the officers of the Guard have some political influence at home and they are likely to use it when they get back home. The Republic, Globe and post, and Kansas City Star are trying desperately to work up a fight on Stone and Reed but they never seem to be able to get anywhere with it. They don’t seem to dare to include your name. Of course there is a lot of loose talk going on about Stone and Reed in Missouri but you know how that is. They will run like a lot of dogs when stone and Reed get home and take the stump. The soreheads in your district won’t amount to a damn. None of them that I have heard of have any sons in the Army. I enjoyed your letter very much
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[page 5] and herewith returns the clipping in which judge Harris pledges his sons to the cause of his country. The Judge was young enough to have been a good soldier in [1898] and didn’t crowd into the Army that I ever heard of. I am glad you are all well and comfortable and hope Little Hon will have a good trip to Kentucky. We are waiting for the troops to come down here. They will get in some time this week. Don’t forget to do anything that you can for Linxwiler but I don’t know whether you can do anything or not. I’m glad you are using the Encyclopedia. I bought it for you and hope you will get much pleasure and profit out of it. With lots of love to you all, I am your devoted Son, I think the War Department will find in the long run that this National Guard business is loaded. Four or five thousand men can do a lot of business in an election in this country [written in the right margin] and were most all voters who vote we’re not like the Regulars in that particular which is one reason they don’t like us,
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[newspaper clipping] Friday. Pike Co. Post. Benett Clark.
Details
Title | Bennett Clark letter to Champ Clark - September 23, 1917 |
Creator | Clark, Bennett Champ |
Source | Clark, Bennett Champ. Letter to Champ Clark. 23 September 1917. Clark, Champ (1850-1921) and Bennett Champ (1890-1954), Papers, 1853-1973. C0666. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
Description | In this September 23, 1917, letter to Champ Clark, Bennett Clark discussed the reorganization of the Missouri National Guard into the U.S. Army. Enclosed with the letter is a newspaper clipping about Bennett's service. Champ Clark, a long-time resident of Bowling Green, Missouri, was a politician in the Democratic Party. He served as a representative of Missouri from 1893 to 1895 and from 1897 to 1921. From 1911 to 1919 he served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Bennett Clark served as a colonel in the Army during World War I, and in 1932 was elected as a State Senator. |
Subject LCSH | Clark, Champ, 1850-1921; World War, 1914-1918--Political aspects--United States; Clark, Bennett Champ, 1890-1954; Missouri. National Guard; Fort Sill (Okla.); United States. Army. Camp Doniphan (Okla.); Fort Meyer (Va.) |
Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
Site Accession Number | C0666 |
Contributing Institution | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the State Historical Society of Missouri: 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, Missouri, 65201-7298. (573) 882-7083. |
Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
Date Original | September 23, 1917 |
Language | English |