—Marine1
In a letter reflecting on the war and the contributions of St. George’s Church, one member told a story of two Marines from Fredericksburg who served overseas in France. Sadly, the two died in Paris; however, while they were in the hospital a nurse overheard the two talking about heaven. The nurse said, “I do not understand what you boys mean talking about what you did in heaven. Neither of you are delirious.” The Marines then told the nurse, “When we talk about heaven, we mean Fredericksburg.”2 Before giving their lives overseas, both of these Marines had actively participated in the homefront war effort in their version of heaven.
Countless other members of the Fredericksburg community served on the homefront, contributing greatly to the war effort through various means. For a small community of around 6,000 people, Fredericksburg was able to bolster the war effort once the United States entered the conflict in Europe. Prior to joining the war, many people in Fredericksburg were opposed to fighting what they saw as a European conflict and wanted America to remain neutral.3 However, they began making contributions to help the warring countries as early as 1914. After the German invasion of Belgium and the sinking of the Lusitania, many members of the community demanded that the United States declare war.4 Before and after American entry into the war, the people of Fredericksburg were devoted and loyal to the United States and sacrificed much of their personal time and resources—and sometimes their lives, like the two Marines—to contribute to the war effort.
Economically, Fredericksburg and the surrounding area made significant monetary and material contributions to the cause. Through four Liberty Loan campaigns they were able to secure $1,491,750 during the war with 3,547 subscribers.5 Various companies and local businesses also contributed by selling their products to the government and local organizations. The Hazel Hill Canning Company gave 480,000 cans of tomatoes directly to the government and donated 288,000 more through other means, making a total of 768,000 cans donated to the United States throughout the entirety of the war.6 The Washington Woolen Mills Company donated millions of manufactured goods to the government. They made over one million pairs of knitted spiral puttees (a bandage-like garment that covers the lower leg from the ankle to the knee) and also manufactured waterproof money belts, gun cases, knitted jersey sweaters, helmets, wristlets, and camp slippers, which were also sold to local volunteer organizations such as the Y.M.C.A and the Red Cross.7
Fredericksburg from the Hill
Though the Fredericksburg Chapter of the Red Cross was formed in 1914, they did not organize for the war until June 1, 1917. In December 1917 the organization had 321 members; in December 1918 they had 500, and by the end of their second year they had grown to a total of 1,237 members. The organization made approximately 2,000 knitted garments, 1,000 hospital garments, and 7,500 surgical dressings.8 However, the Red Cross was not the only volunteer organization that helped in Fredericksburg homefront campaign.
The Fredericksburg Y.M.C.A. also gave tremendous support to the war cause. They were able to secure and exceed their quota of $8,250 in donations with $9,350 from 800 subscribers.9 The American Library Association in Fredericksburg donated 500 books to Quantico for soldiers to read while they were training to serve their country.10 Additionally, the War Camp Community Service entertained soldiers weekly at the local armory.11 These organizations proved that the Fredericksburg community was very dedicated to aiding the war effort and supporting the troops.
Volunteer organizations were not the only groups supporting the troops and the country—many churches in Fredericksburg were dedicated to helping the war effort in any way that they could. Many of the churches had a significant number of their members serve in the armed forces, which further motivated their involvement in the cause. They sold war bonds, sponsored food and fuel conservation, and entertained soldiers from the area. Many members of the churches dedicated their time to volunteer organizations like the Red Cross. Members from the Trinity Episcopal Church were heavily involved with the Red Cross, when its Sunday school children donated their funds for an annual picnic to the organization.12 The churches worked together to provide supplies and entertainment for the soldiers before they were shipped off for duty. Members of the Fredericksburg Baptist Church travelled to the Marine Corps base at Quantico with the Red Cross to tend to those in the hospital.13 The churches of Fredericksburg remained active throughout the war and served their country until the end of the European conflict in the fall of 1918.
World War I Soldiers
Two military companies from Fredericksburg served in the war: Company K, Second Virginia Infantry, and Third Company, Virginia Coast Artillery. Company K received orders for duty on March 30, 1917, and Third Company received its orders a few months later on July 25, 1917.14 Captain Gunyon M. Harrison, leader of Company K, was actually a faculty member at the Fredericksburg State Normal School and had sponsored and taught the Rifle Club for several years.15 Third Company was led by Captain Alward L. Johnson and First Lieutenant Aubrey R. Bailey. These two companies were not the only ones to serve overseas: many men were drafted and saw heavy action during their time of service. Several men from Fredericksburg actually received special distinguished medals for their heroic efforts: Dr. Urbane F. Bass (Distinguished Service Cross); Robert Elbert Biscoe (French Croix de Guerre); Captain R.E.M Goolrick (French Croix de Guerre); Rear-Admiral R.S. Griffen (Distinguished Service Medal-Navy); Major C.W. Sale (Brigade Commander Citation); Corporal Willie J. Selfe (Brigade Commander Citation); First Lieutenant A.H. Stone (Distinguished Service Cross); John S. Woodbridge (French Croix de Guerre).16
The members of the Fredericksburg community worked continuously throughout the war to help those who served overseas, whether or not the soldiers they aided were from Fredericksburg. The people of the community were so dedicated to the cause that many gave up what little they had to contribute in some form. A.M. Braxton, a prominent and consistent volunteer, reflected after the war about one woman who wanted to contribute what little she had to the war effort. Braxton recalled:
One day coming from the Bank I found a lady, not young, with no visible means of support waiting for me. She said, I have two old pieces of Sheffield Plate, coffee pot and sugar dish, will you come with me to my home and see them as you might sell them so I could by a Liberty Bond. I must buy one at least to answer the call, I laid awake last night and wondered what I could sell as this was the last day. I went with her and found these pieces most choice in design, brightly polished by finger that tingled with her Country’s love. Within a half hour we returned to the same bank and she had bought the bond.17
Fredericksburg, just like countless other American communities, proved their worth when it came to war contributions. They pulled together during a time of great conflict and built a stronger community around patriotism and aiding their country and its allies. Though the area lost many great men in the war, they proved that no conflict or task was too big for them to conquer.
Timeline of War
One member of the community, William F. Liebenow, wrote a daily diary in which he recorded various international events, including the war. He also wrote down events from his personal life. Liebenow wrote about wartime grocery prices, the German blockade, labor strikes going on in the country at the time, and many other events. His notes provide a unique look into the war and how it affected Fredericksburg, bringing the events to life once again.
Notes
1. St. George’s Church, St. George’s Church during the World War, ca. 1920, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 3, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
2. Ibid.
3. A.M. Braxton, Memorandum of Pre-War Conditions, ca. 1920, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 2, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
4. Ibid.
5. Arthur K. Davis, Virginia Communities in War Time (Richmond: The Library of Virginia, 1927), 65.
6. J.J. Fisher, Hazel Hill Canning Company Memorandum, ca. 1920, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 4, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
7. H.A. Whitbeck to A.M. Braxton, May 4, 1921, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 4, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
8. Davis, Virginia Communities in War Time, 66.
9. W.L. Brannan (Y.M.C.A.), World War I Questionnaire, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 5, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
10. American Library Association, World War I Questionnaire, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 5, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
11. W.L. Brannan (War Camp Community Services), World War I Questionnaire, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 5, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
12. Mrs. Franklin Stearn, Trinity Episcopal Church Memorandum, ca. 1920, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 3, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
13. E.L. Swift, Fredericksburg Baptist Church Memorandum, ca. 1920, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 3, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
14. Davis, Virginia Communities in War Time, 64.
15. See Fredericksburg State Normal School “Faculty and Staff”.
16. Davis, Virginia Communities in War Time, 64-65.
17. A.M. Braxton, Memorandum, ca. 1920, Virginia War History Commission, Series VII: City Source Material, 1919–1927, Box 62, Folder 7, Accession 37219, State Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond.
Image Citations
1. “View of Fredericksburg from the School,” State Summer School and School of Elementary Methods, June–July 1914, front matter, Special Collections and University Archives, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington.
2. “Fredericksburg from the Hill,” Viewbook, 1918, [9], Special Collections and University Archives, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington.
3. “World War I Soldiers,” ca. 1918, William T. Smith Collection, 2006-045-P-004-002, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
War Timeline Citations
1. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1912–1914, July 29, 1914, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
2. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1912–1914, August 30, 1914, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
3. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1912–1914, September 22, 1914, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
4. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1915, May 7, 1915, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
5. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1915, May 22, 1915, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
6. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1916, June 19, 1916, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
7. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1916, December 13, 1916, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
8. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, February 3, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
9. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, March 12, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
10. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, March 22, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
11. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, April 6, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
12. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, April 15, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
13. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, May 6, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
14. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, June 5, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
15. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, November 17, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
16. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, December 8, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
17. William F. Liebenow, Liebenow Diary 1917, December 1, 1917, W.F. Liebenow Collection, Central Rappahannock Heritage Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Voices of the Great War Citation
1. Josiah P. Rowe, Jr., Letters from a World War I Aviator (Boston: Sinclaire Press, 1986), 73.
