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100 years ago: U.S. entered World War I
While the Civil War and World War II get a lot of attention, on April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and joined “the war to end all wars.”
On April 2, President Woodrow Wilson, who had been reelected the prior November on the slogan, “He kept us out of war,” appeared before a joint session of Congress and outlined a series of reasons for why war with Germany had become a necessity.
To mark this centennial, Nevada’s Bushwhacker Museum has a small special exhibit besides its permanent exhibit on the first world war.
Describing the special exhibit, Bushwhacker Museum director, Will Tollerton said, “Behind a case filled with helmets, weapons, trench art, medals and insignia, is a wall with six posters, most of which ask people to buy ‘Liberty Bonds’ – to help finance the war.”
The permanent display features McKinley Wooden, who was from Vernon County and the last surviving member of Captain Harry S. Truman’s Battery D, 129th Field Artillery.
Two other soldiers receiving special attention are Frank Buckles, who attended school in Walker for five years and died in 2011, at age 110 and was the last surviving U.S. soldier from the First World War.
The first American Legion Post in Missouri was established in St. Louis but the second one is the Leon M. Ogier Post, in Nevada. While there is some confusion about the date of his death — September or October 1918 — Ogier is said to be the first casualty from Vernon County.
Vernon County saw a total of 845 serve in World War I, including Eunice H. Sanders, who worked as a nurse in a field hospital, close behind the lines, during the American Meuse-Argonne offensive.
Referring to the World War I monument located on the Vernon County courthouse lawn, Tollerton said, “That monument has 43 names on it but just last month I was contacted from France and informed of another casualty. And sure enough, when I went out to the grave of John B. Yowell, here in Vernon County, his stone mentions his World War I service.”
Tollerton added, “Actually, this county’s largest monument to that war — which is also on the courthouse lawn — largely goes unnoticed.”
He was referring to the William Joel Stone memorial, the only Missourian to serve as Missouri Governor, as well as a U.S. Representative and Senator from this state. As a young man, Stone practiced law in Nevada and served two years as county prosecutor.
“In 1917, Stone was a powerful man,” said Tollerton. He was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was staunchly against entering the war.”
On the back side of the monument to Stone are these words, spoken during the debate on the war resolution. He is fiercely against entering the war yet knows the resolution will easily pass. His words blend idealism, hope, reality and patriotism.
On the Senate floor, on April 4, 1917, Stone said, “I shall vote against this monstrous mistake, this resolution for the declaration of war, to prevent which I would willingly lay down my life, but if the powers constitutionally authorized to speak for the people on this momentous issue shall decide for war, then my eyes will be blind to everything but the flag of my country borne by American boys through the storm of war and my ears deaf to everything save the call of my country in its hour of peril.”
By a vote of 82-6, the resolution was adopted. While eight senators did not vote, Stone was one of the six in opposition. On April 6, 1917, the House approved the resolution by a vote of 373-50.
Early on April 2, Jeanette Rankin of Montana, was sworn in as the first female member of the U.S House. Speaking on behalf of mothers, she said she could not vote for war. Rankin lost her seat due to that vote but was later reelected as people came to regret that war. As a member of Congress in 1941, Rankin voted against entering the second world war.
After having stayed out of that conflict which had been raging since Aug., 1914, and with America so staunchly isolationist, why did we enter that war? If there is a primary reason, it was what took place on March 18, 1917.
In early 1916, Germany threatened resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare. Such a practice sinks merchant vessels without first surfacing and allowing safe evacuation of those aboard. Wilson’s strong objections led Germany to avoid attacks of passenger ships with merchant vessels first being warned of attack and if no defense was made, those aboard would be given the opportunity to board lifeboats and make their escape prior to the sinking of the ship.
While acquiescing to such today might seem to be appeasement, back then, Americans wanted to have nothing to do with what seemed to be a war between anti-democratic European monarchs.
In late January of 1917, when Germany announced it would resume unrestricted submarine warfare as of Feb. 1, Wilson’s protests fell on deaf ears. This led the President to address Congress on Feb. 3 and announce the severing of diplomatic relations with Germany.
In his April 2 address to Congress, Wilson mentioned the Zimmerman Telegram. The British intercepted this offer from Germany to Mexico. If Germany won it would give Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to Mexico in exchange for an attack by Mexico on the U.S.
On March 18, 1917, three U.S. merchant ships were sunk by German submarines. These sinkings came after earlier sinkings of the American ships Housatonic, the Lyman Law and Algonquin.
The March 18 sinkings of the Vigilancia, City of Memphis and the Illinois were intentional and led Wilson and the cabinet to realize Germany was acting as if it was at war with the United States. The cabinet agreed, the President asked for a joint session of Congress, and the United States declared war against Germany 100 years ago.