Lawson Holt
My great-grandfather Lawson Holt served in the Army during World War I. Like most, his were among the records destroyed during the infamous 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center.
This post shows how it is possible to still find out more information about your ancestor’s military service, even though those files are gone. There’s still more to learn. Although this example uses an African-American’s experience, the process works for any soldier.
Registration and Training
Lawson registered in the first of three drafts held for World War I. Born in Right, Tennessee, he was a single man and working as a porter in hotel when he was drafted:
Draft Card
Published military indexes provided a basic sketch of Lawson’s service. It’s fair to say I had no understanding of most of the terminology.
I began to read about African-American service in World War I. Black men were segregated into all black units, the 92nd and the 93rd division. It’s no surprise they were not well-treated. Racism and segregation was in full-swing.
Nevertheless, Lawson enlisted at Jefferson Barracks Military Post in Missouri on 14 Sept 1917 and trained at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. (In 1917, Fort Des Moines also trained the one and only class of African-American officers in World War I. Lawson, however, was not part of that group.)
From Iowa, Lawson went to Camp Funston, Kansas. There, he trained and joined the 92nd division, one of two all-black segregated divisions.
Service in the Sanitary Train
Lawson’s assignment with the 317th Sanitary Train, Field Hospital 368 yielded useful bits of information. But what in the world is a Sanitary Train? I needed to know that first.
The Army’s Center of Military History and other military websites provided background. The Sanitary train was essentially a part of the medical team.
The University of Kansas Medical Center’s website about Medicine in the First World War had the best descriptions and photographs to help me understand:
The sick and wounded after receiving emergency treatment from the medical corps personnel at the regimental, battalion or support unit level were evacuated to the next phase of physician directed care which was provided by the infantry division’s Sanitary Train.
This 950 man unit consisted of a:
• Train Headquarters
• Ambulance Section
• Field Hospital Section
• Camp Infirmaries
• Divisional Medical Supply Unit
The word ‘train’ identifies units assigned to support the entire infantry division. There were four trains: Ammunition, Supply, Engineer and Sanitary. All of these were mobile and relied on their horse drawn and motor vehicles to perform their supporting roles.
The role of the Sanitary Train was to provide medical care for the entire division through its ambulance and field hospital sections and Camp Infirmaries.
National Archives at College Park
Now that I had a good idea of what a sanitary train and a field hospital was, I headed to the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. One of their military specialists ordered the original records of the 368th field hospital for my review. As defined above, the 368th Field Hospital was a mobile unit.
The records were neat and organized:
However, I quickly discovered that military records are dry and boring, and certainly not written with genealogists in mind;)
Although I never found out his actual job, through the monthly reports I was also able to follow more closely Lawson’s movements:
–Before enlistment, he had been working as a postal clerk. This was no surprise, since his father, John W. Holt, back in Tennessee was a Postmaster.
–By Dec 1, 1917, while at Camp Funston, Lawson was promoted to Corporal.
–By June, 1918, Lawson was sent overseas in France when he reported to Base Section #5 in France.
–Lawson’s division was back in Camp Upton, New York by February 28, 1919.
–They disbanded on March 9 and Lawson went to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia where he was honorably discharged on March 15.
Interviews Online
One of my most delightful discoveries was finding transcribed and digitized interviews of two African-American men who had also served in the 317th Sanitary Train.
These interviews provided precious details about their experience. The soldiers sailed to France on two sister ships named the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific. The trip took 7 days.
They discussed how almost all of the soldiers were infected with cooties (lice) once they got to active duty.
At the signing of the Armistice, the French celebrated and poured wine all over everyone.
The French displayed no racism towards black soldiers:
“When the French people welcomed us with open arms, that is the only time that I ever realized what a real American soldier was.
The French people had no prejudice whatever. Negro soldiers fraternized with the French girls just like the white soldiers did.” – Robert Sweeney
Soldiers Heading to France, courtesy NYPL
African-Americans entered World War I with the same attitude they had in previous wars. They hoped that fighting for their country would prove their worth as Americans and as men.
With rampant racism and a segregated military that assigned blacks primarily to support organizations, black soldiers suffered greatly.
There were some successes, such as the 369th Infantry, known as the Harlem Hellfighters. Some black soldiers saw combat, mostly those attached to France’s Army.
However, when black soldiers returned home, they faced continued racism and violence. Massacres and lynchings broke out all over the country during the “Red Summer” of 1919.
Serving honorably to further democracy had not won black people anything on the political or social front at home.
Unknown Black Soldier
Closing Thoughts
I hope this post illustrates that even though the military personnel records for an ancestor may not exist, we can still learn quite a bit about their service.
Sadly, Lawson suffered from severe mental illness upon his return from the war. Now I understand what may have contributed to that.
As a part of the medical support team, he witnessed the horrible effects of the poison gas that the Germans used against the Allies.
He witnessed firsthand the explosion of the 1918 flu epidemic, which decimated soldiers and sailors. The flu killed more soldiers than the actual War did; more than 50 million people around the world.
All this, in addition to the racism he experienced must have been truly an awful experience. I suspect he had what we know today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Lawson died in the VA hospital in Alabama at the young age of 44. The cause of death was “General Paralysis of the Insane.” That doesn’t even sound like a real thing.
It saddens me that he lived in a time when he likely did not receive the care he needed.
Lawson Holt rests at the National Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama. Rest in peace, Lawson. And thank you for your service.
Headstone of Lawson Holt
I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. I have been a researcher, writer, lecturer and teacher for over twenty years. This blog is where I share family history methods, resources, tips and advice, with an emphasis on slave research, slavery and its aftermath. This lifelong quest has helped me to better know my family’s past. I’ve taken back– reclaimed– some of that lost memory, especially that of my enslaved ancestors. I hope you’ll sign up to receive my posts—if you do, you’ll get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! And please do share posts that interest you.