Authentic Arkansas is a series written
by the staff of the Arkansas State Archives that explores the state’s cultural
heritage through unique documents and artifacts.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The conflict had a great impact on our nation as the first modern, global war. Approximately 65 million were mobilized, including over 70,000 soldiers from Arkansas. The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock currently offers an onsite exhibit about that “Great War.” “On the Fields and In the Trenches: Relics of the First World War,” showcases a number of World War I artifacts in commemoration of the war’s 100th anniversary.
The
Archives received much of its World War I collection through the efforts of
L.C. Gulley, an Arkansan who served in the American Expeditionary Forces’
Postal Service. Gulley collected over 1,000 pieces from battlefields and
military camps in France, including weaponry, helmets, artillery shells,
canteens, soldier-created trinkets, gas masks, mess kits and armor. Over the
period of his service, Gulley sent 50 separate mail-sacks to the States. When
he returned from France, Gulley donated the items to the state with the goal of
creating a “Great War museum” in Arkansas.
The
exhibit also includes medals awarded to Herman Davis for his heroic service
during the war. Davis, born in Mississippi County in 1888, was initially
rejected for military enlistment, being deemed too short and old for service,
but was later drafted into the Army. He trained at Camp Pike in Little Rock
before being sent to France, where he served as a scout in the 113th
Infantry Regiment. On multiple occasions, while scouting in advance of his
unit, Davis engaged enemy troops, and was credited with killing approximately
35 enemy soldiers. During his service, Davis was exposed to poisonous gas, and
for the rest of
his life, he suffered from the effects of that exposure and died in 1923 as a
result of it.
The
Archives has three of Davis’ military medals in its collection, including a Croix
de Guerre and a Medaille Militaire, both awarded by France (his Distinguished
Service Award is on loan and on display at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena).
General John J. Pershing listed him as one of the greatest heroes of World War
I. A statue of him stands in Herman Davis State Park in his hometown of Manila.
