THE B&O RAILROAD GOES TO WAR

PART III: SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER 1917

The fall of 1917 was a time of difficulty for American railroads. Large traffic jams caused by troops and supply trains bound for eastern ports became a major problem. To make matters worse large snow storms hit the United States in the fall and winter. Daniel Willard, President of the B&O Railroad, estimated that more was spent by the company on snow removal that year than in any of the previous six winters.

In addition to problems with the national railroad system, and within the B&O itself, September brought about some additional challenging events for Daniel Willard. He and his wife had to say goodbye to their son Daniel Willard Jr., who was serving as a Lieutenant with the 102nd Field Artillery, 51st Brigade, 26th Division, U.S. Army. Willard Jr. and the rest of the 26th Division arrived in France on September 21, the second American Division to arrive in France since the declaration of war. On September 24, Charles W. Wright, who served as the personal cook for President Willard on his office car, was tragically killed at the Union Station yard in Baltimore. Wright and Willard had known each other for many years and became close friends.

Charles W. Wright began working for the B&O in 1884 as the head butler for President John W. Garrett. He worked in a similar capacity for other management officials over the years until Willard became President in 1910. For the next seven years he served as the head cook aboard B&O No. 99, Willard's personal office car.

"To subscribe to the Liberty Loan is to perform a service of patriotism." - President Woodrow Wilson

During the month of October, the B&O was focused on urging employees to participate in the second Liberty Loan of the war. A surge of employees left the company to enlist or were drafted into the military. An accounting of employees who had gone off to war in the first seven months was taken on October 31.

This table shows employees who left for the military, April 1-October 31, 1917.

Back in June the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) landed in France. But it would not be until November that the first American units would engage the enemy in battle. During the battle of Cambrai, three Engineer regiments, supporting the British Third Army, would transport tanks and supplies in and around the town of Fins. The 11th Engineers (Standard Gauge), 12th Engineers (Light Railway), and 14th Engineers (Light Railway) made up the supporting American force. During a German counterattack the 11th Engineers sustained a dozen casualties, with the 14th sustaining around five casualties. While only playing a minor role in the fighting, American railroaders showed their worth in the largest tank battle in history up to that point.

American railroad units at the Battle of Cambrai transported more than 400 British tanks. Image is from the collection of the Imperial War Museum.

Also that fall, the Employee Magazine illustrated a surge in propaganda for the B&O's "Safety First" campaign, which focused on safe working habits and conditions for all employees. A capitol dome logo for the campaign was painted or embossed on everything from signs to locomotives. The appearances of locomotives were altered to reflect not just the campaign, but American symbolism as well.

B&O No. 5107 featuring newly painted patriotic symbols and "Safety First" locomotive emblem, ca. October 1917.

Pictured is one of the special "Safety First" locomotive emblems that were produced and installed during the World War I era. Object is from the collection of the B&O Railroad Museum.

In November, Daniel Willard would be appointed Chairman of the War Industries Board by Woodrow Wilson. The WIB would aid in coordinating the purchasing and allotment of supplies to the Army and Navy during the war. Willard sits on the far left.

By Harrison Van Waes
Curator, B&O Railroad Museum

The B&O Railroad Goes to War is a multi-part blog series commemorating the centennial of American involvement in World War I. Follow along with this series through November 2018.

Sources:

B&O Railroad Museum Archives.

Baltimore & Ohio Employee Magazine: September - November 1917.

Barlow, Aaron. Doughboys on the Western Front: Memories of American Soldiers in the Great War. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2016.

Brosnan, Matt. "How the Battle of Cambrai Changed Fighting Tactics On The Western Front." Imperial War Museums. Accessed: November 10, 2017.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-the-battle-of-cambrai-changed-fighting-tactics-on-the-western-front

Hungerford, Edward. Daniel Willard Rides the Line. New York: Putnam, 1938.

Stover, John F. History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Indiana: Purdue University Press, 1987.