Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This diary of Corporal John H. Harris concerns his service with the United States Army's 145th Infantry Regiment in France and Belgium during World War I. The volume also contains lists of soldiers' equipment, battles in which Harris participated, and members in his first squad.

The 37-page diary of Corporal John H. Harris concerns his service with the United States Army's 145th Infantry Regiment in France and Belgium during World War I. The volume also contains lists of soldiers' equipment, the battles in which Harris participated, and members of his first squad.

Harris began his diary with a history of his service from his enlistment in the American Expeditionary Forces through his transfer to the 145th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Division. Between June 6 and June 15, 1918, he briefly commented on his travels in the United States, and he mentioned an extended training exercise for trench warfare on June 8, 1918 (p. 2). After sailing to France onboard the Leviathan in mid-June 1918, he described his experiences in active service in France and Belgium. As he traveled, Harris consistently recorded the names of towns and villages and noted that his unit continued to train throughout their time abroad.

Harris often fought in the trenches, and wrote about his experiences during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (September 25-31, 1918, pp. 9-12). The 145th Infantry traveled through France and Belgium after the armistice, and Harris occasionally commented on his accommodations and meals. In early March 1919, he recorded his distaste for camp life near Brest, France (March 5 and March 16, 1919, pp. 27-28). Harris embarked for the United States on the Great Northern on March 26, 1919, and recalled some incidents during the journey, which included a small fire and a strong storm. After his arrival, Harris was stationed near New York City and in Ohio. He wrote his final entry on April 23, 1919, after his discharge and arrival in Akron, Ohio.

• List of battles in with Corporal John H. Harris participated during World War I (1 page)
• Inventory of United States Army soldiers' clothing (1 page)
• List of items that John H. Harris carried in his pack during World War I (3 pages)
• Illustration showing the layout of soldier's pack during an inspection near Le Mans, France, ca. 1919 (1 page)
• List of men in Corporal John H. Harris's first squad (1 page)

This collection is made up of 77 postcards that Bernard Eckloff wrote to his family in Washington, D.C., while stationed at Camp Lee, Virginia, between September 1918 and March 1919, as well as 1 postcard addressed to George F. Harbin of Washington, D.C. Eckloff discussed his experiences in camp and his visits to nearby Petersburg.

This collection is made up of 77 postcards that Bernard Eckloff wrote to his family in Washington, D.C., while stationed at Camp Lee, Virginia, between September 3, 1918, and March 17, 1919, as well as 1 postcard addressed to George F. Harbin of Washington, D.C. Eckloff wrote to his mother Catherine and his siblings Genevieve, Thomas and Mary about his trip to Virginia and aspects of his life at Camp Lee. He discussed his participation in drill exercises, his work in the camp kitchen, and the influenza epidemic; he also mentioned his correspondence and listed the contents of the care packages he received. His postcard of September 13, 1918, contains a description of a new uniform, and his postcard of November 22, 1918, includes a satirical poem entitled "In Line." After the Armistice, Eckloff often wrote about his trips to Petersburg, Virginia, and his attempts to apply for a discharge. One item is a postcard to George F. Harbin of Washington, D.C., from Martin & Allardyce in Asbury Park, New Jersey, regarding a family engraving the firm recently acquired and wished to sell (January 25, 1919).