Eisenhower. Site of the United States WWI Centennial Commission, and the Doughboy Foundation, building the National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C. [5]:2 To the next control point, the convoy travelled 166 miles (267 km) instead of the planned 88 and used extra camps at Echo, Utah (17/18), and Ogden, Utah (18/19); arriving at Salt Lake City on the 19th (vice the 14th). The objectives were: Lt. The convoy was to test the mobility of the military during wartime conditions. The 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy was a "Truck Train" of the US Army Motor Transport Corps that drove over 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from Washington, D.C. (departing July 7 and arriving September 6), to Oakland, California, and ferried to San Francisco. The convoy's daily stopping points will be many of the same locations as the 1919 81-vehicle convoy, which averaged 6 mph and 59 miles a day. Lt. Col. Charles W. McClure and Capt. The convoy remained 7 days behind schedule through Oakland, California, where it arrived 5 September at 4 pm (v. the 29th). Public Domain. Lt. Jackson reported that the assignment of a dedicated mess officer in Nebraska greatly improved the food for the second half of the journey. should pay more attention to disciplinary drills for officers and men, and that all should be intelligent, snappy soldiers before giving them the responsibility of operating trucks." of sending a military convoy over the en- tire length of the Lincoln Highway and discussed the matter with military offi- cials. [DDE's Records as President, President's Personal File, Box 967, 1075 Greany Maj. William C.; NAID #1055071], Report, "Principal Facts Concerning the First Transcontinental Army Motor Transport Expedition, Washington to San Francisco, July 7 to September 6, 1919." [5][14] The 81 total vehicles and trailers included "34 heavy cargo trucks, 4 light delivery trucks", 2 mobile machine shops, 1 blacksmith shop, and 1 wrecking truck,[15] actually a Millitor "Artillery Wheeled Tractor"[16] that once towed 9 trucks at once and was equipped with a power winch. The Denison Review, 2 July 1919, p. 1. Colonel Eisenhower went on note that the variety of vehicles made it difficult to keep the convoy together and none of the vehicles had been properly tested or adjusted before starting out, which along with the raw nature of the troops caused a lot of unnecessary stops and breakdowns. Bernard H. McMahon were the respective expedition and train commanders[2] and civilian Henry C. Ostermann of the Lincoln Highway Association was the pilot[3] (guide). [5]:11 The 5th Engineers' Company E[5]:7 of 2 officers and 20 men headed the main body with the artillery's 51⁄2 ton Mack truck carrying a 5-ton Maxwell tractor (22,450 lbs total) in the lead followed by the machine shop and blacksmith shop trucks, and the Quartermaster Corps' Service Park Unit 595 of 1 officer and 43 men brought up the rear ("often separated from the main body" while servicing disabled vehicles). As an observer for the War Department, Lt. Col. Eisenhower learned first-hand of the difficulties faced in traveling great distances on roads that were impassable, and that resulted in frequent breakdowns of the military vehicles. The Military Vehicle Preservation Association will conduct a 90th-anniversary convoy across the United States to retrace the 1919 Army’s Transcontinental Motor Route, and Greensburg will be among its first stops. More than 50 historical military vehicles will travel the entire route from Washington to … Marilyn Boots reported on her travels with Dennis… One of … [22] The actual average for the 3,250 mi (5,230 km) covered in 573.5 hours[23] was 5.65 mph (9.09 km/h) over the 56 travel days for an average of 10.24 hours per travel day. Of the transport trucks, the FWD proved the most satisfactory and the Garford the least, the former due to its mechanical reliability and all wheel drive and the latter due to a fragile cooling system, though the Standard B "Liberty" trucks were actually the most towed trucks in the convoy. 145–150 and 205, 16 figs. [11] In addition to 230 road incidents[12] (stops for adjustments, extrications, breakdowns, & accidents) resulting in 9 vehicles retiring,[2] the convoy of "24 expeditionary officers, 15 War Department staff observation officers, and 258 enlisted men" had 21 injured en route who did not complete the trip. [4] Official observers included those from the Air Service, A.S.A.P.,[specify] Coast and Field Artillery, Medical Corps, Ordnance, Signal Corps and Tank Corps including the then Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. [8] The Publicity Officer (Lt William B Doron)[9] rode with Ostermann 2–10 days ahead of the main body,[10] while the Recruiting Officer (Capt Murphy) was 1–2 days ahead, and the Cook and Mess units were several hours ahead,[11] Two motorcycles scouted about 1⁄2 hour ahead to report conditions and place markers. In addition to transporting New York's Medal of Joan of Arc[27] for San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts,[28] the convoy had four objectives; and Ordnance Department[5] and Tank Corps observers[1] completed their reports in October. [EL MP16 235], 200 SE 4th Street [DDE's Records as President, President's Personal File, Box 967, 1075 Greany Maj. William C.; NAID #12005074], Report, from 1st Lt. E.R. The other motorcycles were used to carry messages up and down the length of the convoy. Sorbell, Secretary Chamber of Commerce Jos. The four "light delivery trucks" were 3/4 ton Dodges and the remainder were 3 ton Class B Standardized Military "Liberty" trucks. [5]:5 Eisenhower later said he joined the convoy partly for a lark, and partly to learn. 8 a.m. - 5:45 p.m., June - July, Memorandum from Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower to the Chief, "Daily Log of the First Transcontinental Motor Convoy, Washington, DC to San Francisco, Cal., July 7th to Sept. 6th, 1919". The Transcontinental Motor Truck Convoy entered the city on the Lincoln Highway during an evening thunderstorm. Inexperience caused a great deal of unnecessary delays and breakdowns in the early going. The officers and men of the Engineer, Medical and Ordinance (maintenance) detachments were described as more experienced and better trained. Open Daily The expedition consisted of 81 motorized Army vehicles that crossed the United States from Washington, DC, to San Francisco, a venture covering a distance of 3,251 miles in 62 days. The Engineer detachment led the main body with the 5-1/2 ton Mack that carried the Artillery detachment’s Maxwell crawler tractor. In western Wyoming Eisenhower and a companion convinced the convoy that an Indian attack was imminent. In the summer of 1919, a young Lieutenant Colonel named Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in the first Army transcontinental motor convoy. [5]:6,10, In addition to engineer and quartermaster units; the convoy had 2 truck companies of the 433rd Motor Supply Train;[5]:6 a medical unit with surgeon, medical, and dental officers; and a Field Artillery Detachment which provided the Maxwell crawler tractor[13] operated by a civilian. Carson, Chief of Policy [sic] Peter Kline, Fire Chief I.A. Sentinels were posted that night, but when Ike and friend exchanged warrior yelps outside the perimeter a young officer on guard discharged his weapon. [5]:4 An extra travel day on "mining roads"[25] was used between Ely and Austin, Nevada; where the convoy arrived on the 27th (v. 20th), 348 mi (560 km) short of the scheduled point for the 27th (Sacramento). Two junior officers scouted ahead of the main body on motorcycles, signaling the route to the rest of the convoy using a simple but effective system of blue paper triangles tacked to trees and fences. The Military Vehicle Preservation Association’s 100th anniversary recreation of the 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy will pass through Fremont Tuesday morning. The MVPA convoy will leave Washington, D.C., on June 13 and plans to … As the largest and most heavily laden vehicle it was most likely to get stuck and the crawler and the engineers would be readily at hand to extract it. The convoy travelled up to 32 mph (51 km/h),[11] and the schedule was for 18 mph (29 km/h)[21]:111 to average 15 mph (24 km/h). This is the association’s fifth convoy and the second one to retrace the 1919 military convoy route. The convoy traveled from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco in 62 days. “Army Truck is Try-Out For Equipment.” The South Bend News Times, 20 July 1919, p. 10. “In 1919 the US Army decided to plan and execute a motor convoy of various military vehicles across the country on the newly formed Lincoln Highway,” the MVPA says. For example, the log entry for 18 July reads (in part) "At 8:00 A. M. halted by request in Churubusco, Ind for 10 min., while refreshments were served by local Red Cross Canteen Service. 9 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., August - May Bridges too small or weak for the Mack had to be bypassed. The 2019 Military Convoy will depart on August 10, from York, PA, the site of the 2019 MVPA Annual Convention and conduct an official Convoy launch from York, PA. The objectives were: The 1919 convoy started in Washington, D.C., and reached its destination at Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Trucks, jeeps and cars driven by members of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association follow Grant Line Road through Tracy on Saturday morning as they retrace the cross-country route of a historic convoy in 1919. The trucks generally carried full capacity loads as one of the goals of the expedition was testing their performance. The Ordnance Department notes "great interest in the, Procure "recruits for ... the Motor Transport Corps": enlistment through the convoy was sparse, Exhibit "to the public ... the motor vehicle for military purposes": In the course of the journey, the convoy "passed through 350 communities, and it was estimated that more than 3,000,000 people (perhaps 3,250,000), Study & observe "the terrain and standard army vehicles": . The Tank Corps Observer noted that "the light truck is so far superior to the heavy [which] should be confined to ... hard surfaced roads; and ... short hauls. One pedestrian was struck, non-fatally, in Valparaiso, Indiana. The original 1919 convoy was actually designed to test “new” military vehicles and “new” auto roads for the effectiveness of moving troops in America. Finally, the Maxwell and Militor tractors were praised for their overall reliability and mechanical superiority, as the trip could not have been completed without them. The expedition consisted of 81 motorized Army vehicles that crossed the United States from Washington, DC, to San Francisco, a venture covering a distance of 3,251 miles in 62 days. 3 ton Class B Standardized Military "Liberty" trucks, "Principal Facts Concerning the First Transcontinental Army Motor Transport Expedition", https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TdslAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZvwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6343,3546033&dq=1919+convoy+gettysburg&hl=en, (also published in Mechanical Eng., vol. The soldiers had spent 11 hours on the road that day, traveling from Kimball, Neb., to Cheyenne. The Cadillac and Dodge passenger cars and light trucks were found to be generally satisfactory, though the hood latches on the Dodge proved insufficiently durable. [18] Six vehicles were chosen to evaluate Dixon's Graphite Grease to see if it provided worthwhile benefits. “In general, the route began at the Ellipse, in Washington, DC and ended at Lincoln Park, in San Francisco, CA – some 3,250 miles and 62 days later.” The expedition consisted of 81 motorized Army vehicles that crossed the United States from Washington, DC, to San Francisco, a venture covering a distance of 3,251 miles in 62 days. Dealers en route supplied gasoline and tires to the convoy and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company provided 2 trucks (Packard & White, each 2-ton) fitted with "giant cord pneumatic" tires that carried spare standard tires. Their goal was 6000 recruits. Colonel Eisenhower described the Motor Transport Corps soldiers as raw and undisciplined though Jackson also reported that they were generally well behaved. The convoy was proceeded by a publicity officer travelling one day ahead by automobile to prepare for the arrival of the main body. The military officers carried orders not to deviate from the route Ostermann had established prior to the summer of 1919. [U.S. Army, Transport Corps, Transcontinental Convoy: Records, 1919, Box 1, Report on first transcontinental motor convoy] [U.S. Army, Transport Corps, Transcontinental Convoy: Records, 1919, Box 1, Report on first transcontinental motor convoy; NAID #12165976], "Daily Log of the First Transcontinental Motor Convoy, Washington, DC to San Francisco, Cal., July 7th to Sept. 6th, 1919" [U.S. Army, Transport Corps, Transcontinental Convoy: Records, 1919, Box 1, Daily log of the first transcontinental motor convoy (typewritten copy); NAID #12166042]. These early experiences influenced his later decisions concerning the building of the interstate highway system during his presidential administration. Lt. Jackson, the Ordnance Department Observer, submitted a detailed report on the performance of all of the convoy's vehicles. Photo Credit: Eisenhower Presidential Library The 1919 U.S. Army Convoy In 1919, the U.S. Army Convoy of 72 vehicles and 297 men traveled across the United States to test roads and military mobility. The expedition was manned by 24 officers and 258 enlisted men. The route the convoy would take was mostly along the Lincoln Highway, the first major transcontinental motor route. [5] There were "2 spare parts stores, 2 water tanks, 1 gasoline tank, 1 searchlight[17] with electrical power plant truck, 4 kitchen trailers, 8 touring cars, 1 reconnaissance car, 2 staff observation cars, 5 sidecar motorcycles, and 4 solo motorcycles";[2] as well as five GMC ambulances with two ambulance trailers, and a Loder 4-ton pontoon trailer (left in Omaha). The 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy was a long distance convoy (described as a Motor Truck Trip with a "Truck Train"[1]) carried out by the U.S. Army Motor Transport Corps that drove over 3,000 mi (4,800 km) on the historic Lincoln Highway from Washington, D.C., to Oakland, California and then by ferry over to end in San Francisco. Met and escorted through South Bend by Major [sic] F.R. The 1919 Motor Transport Corps Convoy Promotes Good Roads In the summer of 1919, the United States Army Motor Transport Corps (MTC) deployed a convoy [5]:24, In the course of its journey, the convoy broke and repaired[19] dozens of wooden bridges[2]:10 (14 in Wyoming alone) [20] and "practically" all roadways were unpaved from Illinois through Nevada. Both Eisenhower and Jackson reported that organization and discipline improved over the course of the expedition. INDUSTRY -- In 1919, the U.S. Army drove a convoy of motorized vehicles across the country for the first time, traveling mainly along the fledgling Lincoln Highway from Washington, D.C., to … "Ike's Road Trip" by Kevin L. Cook, The Quarterly Journal of Military History, Spring 2001, pp 68-7. In the summer of 1919, a young Lieutenant Colonel named Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in the first Army transcontinental motor convoy. of prominent citizens, 3 Fire Companies and two bands, furnished by the Chamber of Commerce and the Goodrich Company." The 1919 convoy included 81 vehicles, 37 officers and 258 enlisted men. At many stops along the way the convoy was escorted into town by local dignitaries and feted with church bells, parades, concerts, picnics, dances and banquets. Included in this count were: motorcycles, ambulances, an officer’s work Military Convoy Retraces Historic Route through Cedar Rapids On Sunday, June 21, a convoy retracing the 1919 transit of military vehicles on the Lincoln Highway pulled into Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the night. The convoy was to test the mobility of the military during wartime conditions. He noted that the convoy commander was not given time to train his men and recommended that "...the M.T.C. The White, GMC, Riker, Packard and Mack trucks also proved satisfactory, though the latter's chain drive rendered them unsuitable for poor roads, and the larger motorcycles would have benefitted from more robust tires. For the price of a three-year military committment these recruits learned valuable skills that would serve them well in the upcoming automotive age. The expedition was manned by 24 officers and 258 enlisted men. [11] One Firestone truck detoured to Reno, Nevada, to have a new giant tire mounted. [5] The heavy trucks included three examples of each of three wartime commercial models in the 3 to 5-1/2 ton range being considered for continued service (FWD, Mack and Riker) along with eleven 1-1/2 ton trucks from Garford, GMC, Packard and White. These early experiences influenced his later decisions concerning the building of the interstate highway system during his presidential administration. It left Washington D.C. on July 7 and arrived in San Francisco on Sept. 6, 1919. Weak bridges were reinforced or repaired, sometimes after a truck fell through them. [24], Convoy delays required extra encampments at Sewickley, Pennsylvania ( 11/12 July); Gothenburg, Nebraska ( 2/3 August); and Ogallala, Nebraska (5/6); which delayed arrival at Evanston, Wyoming, to 16 August instead of the scheduled 13 August. Members of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association will drive vintage and modern trucks following the route of the old Lincoln Highway, now U.S. 30, to mark the pioneering trek’s 90th anniversary. The retracing of the 1919 military convoy route made headlines at it crossed the U.S. the past month. 3, March 1910, pp. Forgoing a rest day originally scheduled for the day after arriving in Oakland, the convoy instead ferried to San Francisco[26] the next morning 6 days behind schedule and parked at the Presidio of San Francisco.[5]:4. The tour commemorated the 90th anniversary of the first transcontinental U.S. Army motor transport convoy, most of it along the Lincoln Highway. In addition to transporting New York's Medal of Joan of Arc for San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, the convoy had four objectives; and Ordnance Department and Tank Corps observers completed their reports in October. Archival footage from the 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy visit to the Firestone Homestead. The various trailers were also evaluated (most received failing grades) and the graphite grease was determined to provide significant benefits. 18th). In the summer of 1919, a young Lieutenant Colonel named Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in the first Army transcontinental motor convoy. 1919 U.S. Army Convoy. On Wednesday, August 28, 2019 the MVPA will travel through Kearney as they retrace the original 1919 US Army’s First Transcontinental Motor Convoy route, on the famed Lincoln Highway. "Ike and 'The Great Truck Train'--1919" by John E. Wickman, Kansas History, Volume 13, August 1990, Number 3, page 139. Eisenhower reported that the experience gained on the relatively good roads in the earlier, easier part of the trip proved invaluable in the heavier going further west. Six rest days without convoy travel were at East Palestine, Ohio; Chicago Heights, Illinois; Denison, Iowa; North Platte, Nebraska; Laramie, Wyoming; and Carson City, Nevada. ), "Newspaper Clippings re the 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy", https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UdslAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZvwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5272,3768233&dq=gettysburg+1919+convoy&hl=en, "Ike's Interstates at 50: Anniversary of the Highway System Recalls Eisenhower's Role as Catalyst", "The Mystery of the Maxwell Crawler Tractor", "HD Stock Video Footage - Soldiers with the 1919 U.S. Army Motor Transport convoy use Holt tractor to assist trucks mired down in Nebraska", "HD Stock Video Footage - Trucks of the 1919 U.S. Army Motor Transport convoy encounter difficulties negotiating dirt roads in Nebraska", https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XEkzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=te4HAAAAIBAJ&pg=4806,5289486&dq=1919+convoy+nevada&hl=en, "Dusty Doughboys on the Lincoln Highway: The 1919 Army Convoy in Iowa", "Army Motor Transport to Cross the Continent", "HD Stock Video Footage - U.S. Army motor transport convoy in Oakland and San Francisco after their trip across America in 1919", http://www.lincoln-highway-museum.org/NPS/03-NPS-100-75.jpg, Online documents available from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1919_Motor_Transport_Corps_convoy&oldid=985733701, 20th-century history of the United States Army, Articles needing more detailed references, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Encourage "construction of through-route and transcontinental highways". Army recruiters were actively trying to attract enlistments into the Quartermaster's Corps along the route of the 1919 Motor Transport Corps Transcontinental Convoy. F. Kelley, Reception Comm. Jackson (Ordnance Observer) to Col. L.B. Some of the participants also posted updates. When the generals and politicians fin- ished talking at Zero Milestone near the White House on July 7, 1919… On Aug. 8, 1919, young Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in Cheyenne with a long line of military cars, trucks and motorcycles. Abilene, KS 67410 Both Lt. Jackson and Lt. The Military Vehicle Preservation Association is retracing the route of the first U.S. Army Transcontinental Motor Convoy along the historical Lincoln Highway in … The Ordinance detachment brought up the rear, repairing or towing disabled vehicles as necessary. This article deals specifically with the U.S. Army's 1919 transcontinental Motor Transport Corps convoy. “First Transcontinental Military Convoy Over Lincoln Highway.” The Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, 5 July 1919… The centennial of a 1919 U.S. military convoy that traveled across the country on largely unpaved roads will be celebrated August 31-September 16 when the Lincoln Highway Association stages the 2019 Military Convoy Centennial Tour, which will retrace the so-called Eisenhower route. They had to stop a telegram being sent to the War Office reporting an encounter with hostile Indians. The 1919 convoy by the Army's young Motor Transport Corps took 62 days, from July 7 to September 6. Commemorative Program, "A California Dinner in Honor of the Officers and Men Who Made up the First Transcontinental Convoy of the Motor Transport Corps, U.S. Army over the Lincoln Highway, Washington to San Francisco, July 7 - September 7, 1919" [U.S. Army, Transport Corps, Transcontinental Convoy: Records, 1919, Box 1; NAID #12165975], Memorandum from Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower to the Chief, Motor Transport Corps, with attached report on the Trans-Continental Trip, November 3, 1919. [1]:4 Dust was a constant problem. As an observer for the War Department, Lt. Col. Eisenhower learned first-hand of the difficulties faced in traveling great distances on roads that were impassable and resulted in frequent breakdowns of the military vehicles. The engineers were responsible for inspecting each bridge as the convoy came to it. Despite travelling on 24 August rest day, the convoy fell behind an additional day using 4 travel days instead of the 2 scheduled travel days from Orr's Ranch, Utah, through the Great Salt Lake Desert to Ely, Nevada; where the convoy arrived on the 24th (v. ", This page was last edited on 27 October 2020, at 17:06. Lt. Jackson also noted "The maintenance work was considerably hampered by the necessity of carrying spare parts for so many different makes of trucks" and "better tools should be furnished to the mechanics". [2] Although some "were really competent drivers" by the end, the majority of soldiers were "raw recruits with little or no military training"; and except for the Motor Supply Company E commander (1st Lt Daniel H. Martin), troop officers had "meager knowledge" of "handling men in the field". Despite pressures from Des Moines, and furor over the paving question, McClure stayed on course and quieted the controversy over the location of the Lincoln Highway in Iowa. After a few weeks on the road the most skilled and responsible men were assigned as drivers or co-drivers of specific vehicles with full responsibility for their operations and maintenance and a preventative maintenance routine of evening servicing and morning inspections was instituted to reduce preventable breakdowns. [6], The Signal Corps filmed convoy events;[7] and the civilians of the Goodyear band were transported from Chicago in one of the trucks. In 1919, driving cross-country was a crazy idea - but an Army convoy set out to show it could be done Written By: Washington Post | Jul 7th 2019 - 7pm. With the end of World War I the United States Army was eager to par- ticipate. Moody (Ordnance Department, USA, Tank, Tractor & Trailer Division), "Report on First Transcontinental Motor Convoy," October 31, 1919. [5]:18,23 Additional vehicle manufacturers included Cadillac, Dodge, F.W.D., Garford, Harley-Davidson & Indian (motorcycles), Liberty (trucks & a 2-wheel kitchen cart), Mack, Packard, Riker, Standardized, Trailmobile (two 4-wheel kitchen trailers), and White. Eisenhower also dedicated much of his report to a detailed summary of road conditions in each of the states that the convoy traversed, followed by general observations on proper road construction and maintenance, observing that some of the good roads were too narrow and some formerly excellent roads had been allowed to deteriorate without maintenance, stating "In such cases it seems evident that a very small amount of money spent at the proper time would have kept the road in good condition."[31]. More than 50 historic military vehicles will be on display Aug. 20 at Cantigny Park as part of the Transcontinental Motor Convoy, sponsored by the Military Vehicle Preservation Association. “Billion Urged For National Road System.” Oakland Tribune, 7 September 1919, p. 4. September 6, 1919 The U.S. Army’s Cross-Country Motor Transport Train arrived in San Francisco, completing a transcontinental trip of 3,251 miles (5,232 kilometers) that began on July 7 in Washington, D.C. On the evening of September 6, convoy commander Lieutenant Charles W. McClure formally confirmed the end of this historic journey in a telegram that… Most of the failures that were not caused by operator error (primarily poor lubrication and over-revving on downgrades) were due to the effects of the constant dust, vibration and pounding on the carburetors, ignition systems, bushings, fasteners and bearings. 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