Marines at Gettysburg, 1922

[Mike Serpa]

Annual Field Exercises of the Marine Corps East Coast Expeditionary Force, Commanded by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler, held June 19th to July 12th... A feature of the exercises was the splendid work of the Marine Aviation squadron which carried scores of passengers and several tons of freight, rendering it possible at all times to travel from the Force to its base at Quantico in less than an hour. In all, the aviation squadron put in 453 hours actual flying time and covered a distance of about 38,500 miles. Only one accident marked the exercises, the death of Captain George W. Hamilton, who was killed when his plane crashed on the Gettysburg battlefield about half a mile from the High-water Mark Monument...
https://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/1922/09/marines-gettysburg

Here are some aerial photos from the USMC Archives at flickr. (I remember seeing other photos of this event but not aerial photos. Sorry if they have been previously posted.)

Balloon with Observer, Gettysburg, 1922

Battle Maneuvers at Gettysburg, 1922

Camp at Gettysburg, 1922

Town of Gettysburg, ca. 1922

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Cool photos, thanks Mike! Any idea why someone chose Gettysburg? It's not as if PA ( if it had to be PA ) was without a huge choice when it came to this kind of location. By 1922 the battlefield was an established tourist spot for one thing, for another well, an historic battlefield regardless and heck, it may have been in the last century but hadn't Gettysburg done more than its share er, welcoming soldiers? Encampments there well before the battle, too.

 

[Mike Serpa]

Cool photos, thanks Mike! Any idea why someone chose Gettysburg? It's not as if PA ( if it had to be PA ) was without a huge choice when it came to this kind of location. By 1922 the battlefield was an established tourist spot for one thing, for another well, an historic battlefield regardless and heck, it may have been in the last century but hadn't Gettysburg done more than its share er, welcoming soldiers? Encampments there well before the battle, too.

Snooping around on the internet I didn't find a direct answer to why someone chose Gettysburg. I did find, "The exercises were held for the double purpose of training the troops of the East Coast Expeditionary Force in work in the field and attracting the attention of the public to the work of the Marine Corps and its value to the Nation."
https://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/1922/09/marines-gettysburg

 

[TomV71]

Cool photos, thanks Mike! Any idea why someone chose Gettysburg? It's not as if PA ( if it had to be PA ) was without a huge choice when it came to this kind of location. By 1922 the battlefield was an established tourist spot for one thing, for another well, an historic battlefield regardless and heck, it may have been in the last century but hadn't Gettysburg done more than its share er, welcoming soldiers? Encampments there well before the battle, too.

Maybe because the US Army had their Tank Corps recruits training grounds at Gettysburg? Camp Colt established in 1917 was the first place they trained tank crews for WWI. The main section of the camp was where Pickett's charge had taken place.
The camp was closed by 1922, but could still be a good place for maneuvers.

 

[redbob]

After both World Wars, the Marine Corps had to fight for their lives to keep from either being disbanded or absorbed by the Army. In 1922, the Marines marched from Quantico, Virginia to Gettysburg and carried their assets with them including supply, motor transport, armor and aircraft. When they arrived at Gettysburg, they set up camp (including a Presidential Compound where Warren G. Harding and his wife stayed) in front of where the Virginia Monument is now. Field exercises and maneuvers were held using all of the Marine's assets in the field where the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble assault took place. The exercises were observed by thousands of people and when they came to a close, the Marines marched back to Quantico. Two Marine aviators lost their lives during these exercises when their plane crashed. There is an excellent book on this subject titled The Last To Fall by Richard D.L. Fulton and James Rada Jr.

 

[Pollaco]

That general Smedley Butler, the name rings a bell. Is he the one that dug up Stone wall Jackson's buried arm?

 

[Mike Serpa]

That general Smedley Butler, the name rings a bell. Is he the one that dug up Stone wall Jackson's buried arm?

"A Maryland colonel, stationed on the Ellwood estate, made the following simple, yet intriguing, notation in his journal: "200 yard from here where S. Jackson dies. His arm dug up by some pioneers and re-buried." In 1921 the U.S. Marine Corps conducted training maneuvers on farms adjacent to Ellwood. The legendary and eccentric commander of this force was General Smedley Butler. According to the then owner of Ellwood, Butler dismissed the notion of Jackson's arm being buried there and ordered a squad of Marines to dig beneath the Smith marker to prove that nothing was there. Much to his astonishment, they unearthed the arm. Butler had it reburied and ordered a bronze plaque cemented to the top of the stone.

Since General Butler confirmed the presence of the arm, it has remained undisturbed. Each year thousands of people visit Ellwood. Most come specifically to see the cemetery and to pay their respects to the general whose severed limb now lies beneath Ellwood's soil."
http://www.historynet.com/visiting-stonewall-jacksons-left-arm-at-chancellorsville.htm

 

[redbob]

"A Maryland colonel, stationed on the Ellwood estate, made the following simple, yet intriguing, notation in his journal: "200 yard from here where S. Jackson dies. His arm dug up by some pioneers and re-buried." In 1921 the U.S. Marine Corps conducted training maneuvers on farms adjacent to Ellwood. The legendary and eccentric commander of this force was General Smedley Butler. According to the then owner of Ellwood, Butler dismissed the notion of Jackson's arm being buried there and ordered a squad of Marines to dig beneath the Smith marker to prove that nothing was there. Much to his astonishment, they unearthed the arm. Butler had it reburied and ordered a bronze plaque cemented to the top of the stone.

Since General Butler confirmed the presence of the arm, it has remained undisturbed. Each year thousands of people visit Ellwood. Most come specifically to see the cemetery and to pay their respects to the general whose severed limb now lies beneath Ellwood's soil."
http://www.historynet.com/visiting-stonewall-jacksons-left-arm-at-chancellorsville.htm

Smedley Darlington Butler also received two Medals of Honor and at the time of his death (1940) he was one of the most decorated men in Marine Corps history.

 

[TomV71]

Smedley Darlington Butler was also received two Medals of Honor and at the time of his death (1940) he was one of the most decorated men in Marine Corps history.

The Marine Corps Main Base at Okinawa is also named after him.

 

[redbob]

The Marine Corps still makes their presence known on the battlefield, several years ago I watched as several Sea Knight Helicopters landed in front of the Virginia Monument and a number of Marines from Quantico got off. They were on a Staff Ride and the West Pointer that I was with just sniffed and said that they always had to use buses, being the person that I am, I told him that he had joined the wrong outfit.

 

[UCVRelics]

Now I know why I would find all the WW1 items relic hunting at Gburg.

 

[redbob]

Now I know why I would find all the WW1 items relic hunting at Gburg.

Between the Army's Tank training School (Camp Colt) being located there and the maneuvers in 1922, no doubt that a great many WWI era objects were left behind all over the area.

 

[UCVRelics]

WWI era objects were left behind all over the area.

There was, but you had to dig it all as a WW1 button sounds just like a CW button.

 

[TomV71]

@ucvrelics.com you didnt find any WWII German buttons or buckles too?

 

[UCVRelics]

@ucvrelics.com you didnt find any WWII German buttons or buckles too?

No but I did find a bunch Edited when I was stationed at Camp Shelby Ms. There was a huge Germany pow camp there complete with an amphitheater.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

Smedley Darlington Butler also received two Medals of Honor and at the time of his death (1940) he was one of the most decorated men in Marine Corps history.

His book entitled "War is a Racket" is a spot-on assessment of war!

Bill

 

[redbob]

No but I did find a bunch Edited when I was stationed at Camp Shelby Ms. There was a huge Germany pow camp there complete with an amphitheater.

There were also large camps at Fort McClellan, Camp Rucker and Alliceville.

 

[TomV71]

No but I did find a bunch Edited when I was stationed at Camp Shelby Ms. There was a huge Germany pow camp there complete with an amphitheater.

Most of the POW's in Camp Shelby and other camps in Mississippi was from the Afrika Korps captured in 1943, so maybe you found some rare DAK items. Many of them burned their uniforms when they where shown films from liberated concentrations camps.
Ops, sorry for going a little off topic.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Please keep going off topic ( with apologies to our moderators ), crazy interesting stuff, thank you to everyone discussing it.

Did not know our Marines were threatened- seems typical to have marched all the way to Gettysburg. Mom's brother, who we lost 2 years ago, was a career Marine. Wish so much now I'd asked him more- Korea, Vietnam, he was one of those childhood heroes kids fasten on to. Remember him showing us his ID- he had the Scots baby blue eyes, said nope, in the Marines they were steel gray. And yep, Marine ID said ' steel gray '. Anyway, wish I'd asked a lot more.

Same man, as a boy, and my mother- 2 small children sat in a field in upstate NY, the Finger Lakes. A train carrying German POW's chugged slowly by. Mom remembers first one hand waved, then another, then the train windows were filled with those waving hands. Kids waved back, and never forgot those men. Awfully glad Mom told us that story.

 

[redbob]

With all of the activities that have occurred on the field where the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble assault took place, you have to question how original is the topography of the land to the way it was on July 3rd 1863?