The Clifford H. Scroggs collection contains 79 letters and postcards that Scroggs wrote to his family in Ohio while serving with the American Expeditionary Forces in the United States and France during World War I. Most items are manuscript or typed letters to Clifford's mother, Sarah A. Scroggs, and sister, Kate Boyd. One of Scroggs's letters to his sister includes letters to his niece and nephew, Kathryn and Paul (August 12, 1918). The collection also includes one letter from Clifford Scroggs to one of his brothers (December 7, 1917).
Clifford H. Scroggs wrote 78 letters and postcards between May 12, 1917, and May 12, 1919, describing aspects of military life. While at Camp Benjamin Harrison, Indiana; Camp Sherman, Ohio; and Camp Sheridan, Alabama, he discussed his daily training routine, which included classes, drills, and shooting practice. He commented on news from home and sent his regards to family members and friends. In January 1918, he wrote from New York while awaiting overseas deployment, and in February 1918 he began writing from Europe. He wrote one additional letter shortly before his discharge at Columbus, Ohio, on August 15, 1919.
While in France during the final months of the war, Scroggs wrote about his trip across the Atlantic Ocean, courses at the Saumur Artillery School, and service with the 12th Field Artillery Battalion. He often complained about poor sleeping conditions and reflected on his newfound ability to sleep during shelling or other suboptimal conditions. He sometimes commented on the progress of the war, mentioning Marines' capture of German prisoners, bombing raids, others' encounters with German troops or dugouts. Scroggs remained in Germany for around 6 months after the armistice. His postwar correspondence includes mentions of travel in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Italy. His letter of December 14, 1918, recounts his locations during combat. Some of the envelopes containing Scroggs's later letters are sealed with stickers containing the 2nd Division's "Indianhead" insignia.
Clifford Homer Scroggs was born in Rutland, Ohio, on August 18, 1893, the son of Paxton Scroggs and Sarah Almira Rayle. He had four brothers, including William Lawrence (1875-1941), Joseph Edmund (1881-1961), and Earl Leroy (1886-1941), and one sister, Kathyrn ("Kate"). Around 1917, Scroggs enlisted in the United States Army, and from May-August 1917 he attended officers' training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, where he became a second lieutenant. He joined the 322nd Field Artillery Battalion, Battery E, at Camp Sherman, Ohio (August 1917-September 1917), and then transferred to Camp Sheridan, Alabama, where he joined the 1st Ohio Field Artillery. By January 1918, he had arrived in Europe, and he attended the Saumur Artillery School in France during the spring.
In May 1918, Scroggs was a member of the 12th Field Artillery Battalion, serving at Verdun, Château-Thierry, Soissons, Saint-Mihiel, and the Argonne Forest. He returned to Columbus, Ohio, in August 1919 and received his discharge from the army shortly thereafter. During the war, Clifford's sister Kate lived in Middleport, Ohio, with her husband, Ole W. Boyd, and their children, Kathryn and Paul. In 1920, Clifford H. Scroggs lived in Columbus with his wife, Opal Ferguson, and worked as a telephone engineer. They later lived in Zanesville, Ohio, with their children, Martha and Clifford, Jr. Lieutenant Clifford H. Scroggs died on December 5, 1960.