Kansas in The Great War

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This page is part of The Great War 1914-1918 Project.

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Kansas in The Great War

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About 80,000 Kansans enlisted, most of them in the 35th, the 42nd, the 89th, and the 92nd infantry divisions.

Camp Funston

Major General Frederick N. Funston

Camp Funston was a U.S. Army World War I National Army Mobilization and Training Camp first established in 1917 on the Fort Riley reservation, Riley County, Kansas. Named Camp Funston in G.O. 95, 18 Jul 1917, after Brigadier General Frederick L. Funston, a Medal of Honor recipient, a legendary figure in the Philippine insurrection and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

One of sixteen U.S. Army National Army Mobilization and Training Camps established in 1917 to train and integrate National Army units for service in a U.S. Army division. Camp Funston was established in July 1917 under the supervision of construction quartermaster Captain Fred J. Herman on a site of about 2,000 acres. The camp was to have a capacity of about 54,000 officers and enlisted men that would become the 89th U.S. Infantry Division.

Mennonite conscientious objectors at the Detention Camp at Camp Funston

During World War I, Camp Funston also served as a detention camp for conscientious objectors (COs) many of which were Mennonite in faith. Since it was compulsory, Hutterites sent their young men to military camps, but they did not allow them to obey any military commands or wear a uniform.

In March 1918, some of the first recorded American cases of what came to be the worldwide influenza epidemic, also known as "Spanish Flu", were reported at Camp Funston.

Brigadier General Leonard Wood

The first commander of the camp was Major General Leonard Wood who formed the 89th U.S. Infantry Division and initiated troop training. The 89th was formed in August 1917 and departed for France in June 1918 The Division distinguish itself in combat operations and suffered 7,291 casualties. The 89th returned to the U.S. in May-June 1919 and was demobilized.

At the end of the war the camp became a demobilization center until it was abandoned in 1919. Camp Funston was torn down in the 1920s and the lumber sold at auction. Camp Funston became a maneuver area.

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Most American troops arrived in France in the spring of 1918, just in time to serve as reserves in the St. Mihiel offensive. Their first major action, however, came in the bloody Meuse-Argonne campaign, which broke the German resistance. The 89th or "Middle West" Division was composed of troops from Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado.

George Seanor Robb

Erwin R. Bleckley

Salina native George Robb was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism displayed during the Meuse-Argonne action of September 1918. One other Kansan, Erwin R. Bleckley of Wichita, was posthumously awarded this high honor.

General James Guthrie Harbord

James Harbord of Manhattan rose to the rank of major general during the First World War. He served as chief of staff for the American Expeditionary Forces, commanded the Second Division in the field during the summer offensive of 1918, and finished the war as commander of service and supply. In the latter capacity, the general accomplished a vital and difficult assignment—getting adequate supplies to the thousands of soldiers fighting at the front. General Harbord's outstanding wartime service led to many decorations and honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal.

On the home front, people contributed to the war effort in many different ways. Citizens began purchasing war bonds and growing victory gardens. Kansas farm production was vital to the war effort. With thousands of men leaving the farm to serve in the armed forces, farm labor often came from non-traditional sources. Women began stepping into men’s working roles as the men went off to fight. Women become employed in factories, began running farms, and even delivering the mail. These positions had been closed to women prior to the start of the war.

Resources

• Kansas Military Index
• World War I Casualties
• Kansas, World War I Veteran Collection, 1917-1919 Ancestry.com
• Kansas, Enrollment of WWI Veterans, 1930 Ancestry.com
• Kansas, Camp Funston Military Records, 1914-1919 Ancestry.com
• Kansas, Registration Affidavits of Alien Enemies, 1917-1918 Ancestry.com
• Kansas Casualties in the World War, 1917-1919
• Kansas World War One Alien Registrations