The United
States
government considered boredom to be
one of the foremost enemies of soldiers in the training camps. It was feared that a soldier who was not
properly entertained and morally educated would succumb to temptations
of drink
and debauchery. In order to prevent
this, civilian and military officials sought to create a wholesome
environment
within each training camp that would keep the soldiers both mentally
and
physically healthy. The YMCA, YWCA,
Knights of Columbus, Jewish Welfare Board, and the Red Cross were the
key
agencies in this crusade for morality. All
of these organizations opened up facilities in
the training camps,
with the YMCA being by far the most important participant.
Government officials hoped that the soldiers
would patronize these organizations within the camp instead of visiting
the
town saloon or brothel. Alcohol was
completely band within a five mile radius of all training camps.
Camp Wadsworth's
entertainment
facilities were typical of World War I era army installations. Seven YMCA huts were eventually constructed
within the camp. These buildings
measured 40x113 feet and could each accommodate 5000 to 6000 soldiers. The Spartanburg
Herald newspaper reported that "Every facility at the command of
the
Association will be brought to bear on this great problem of serving
the men
through athletics, indoor games, writing rooms, entertainment of
various sorts,
religious meetings, Bible classes, etc." Letter
writing and group singing were among the most
common activities
promoted by the YMCA. The Knights of
Columbus built a large hall near the center of the camp, and the Jewish
Welfare
Board took over Friendship Baptist
Church. A YWCA Hostess House was eventually opened in
the southwest corner of Camp
Wadsworth. The Hostess House was intended to provide an
appropriate environment for soldiers to socialize women and relatives. All of these organizations were largely open
to any white soldier, regardless of religious beliefs.
The army was a strictly segregated force
during World War I. As a result,
entertainment options for African-American soldiers stationed at Camp
Wadsworth were
virtually non-existent. In 1918, however,
a black Soldiers Club was
established in Spartanburg.
Movies and
theatrical performances became especially popular at Camp
Wadsworth. Initially, motion pictures were shown in
under the cover of large tents. Eventually,
a centrally located Liberty Theater was
constructed at Camp Wadsworth. Since the 27th Division was from New
York, it might have received above average
shows and
performances. Still, quality
entertainment was difficult to find. A
humorous incident in August of 1918 resulted in shows at Camp
Wadsworth being
censored. That Spartanburg
Herald reported that "A vaudeville company, from New
York or New
Zealand,
or somewhere else, was billed for a performance, and the house was
tolerably
well filled… when a female actor appeared on the stage in a dancing
stunt
clad mainly in a smile and a pink complexion. She
seemed to enjoy the sensation she created, and,
to be frank, most of
the men did not object." The next
night, the Liberty Theater was well patronized, but, to the
disappointment of
many, authorities made sure that such a "vulgar" act was not
repeated. The Heralds article further
commented that "The shows sent to the Liberty Theatre by the Commission
on
Training Camp Activities have been disappointing, as a rule… Very few
entertainers of note have ever been to Camp
Wadsworth. Most of the shows that have been given at the
Liberty Theatre have been by the most mediocre talent… The theatre is
unusually
well patronized, however, as the men often have no other place to go…
Occasionally there is a good show, of course, but as a rule the
entertainments
are disappointing, and there has been a great deal of complaint and
dissatisfaction over them." While
at Camp Wadsworth,
the 27th Division actually produced their own theatrical show titled You Know Me Al!. It was a
big hit, and eventually went on to
play in New York City.
Organized
athletics was seen as a way of strengthening both body and mind. A wide variety of sports were organized at Camp
Wadsworth. These included soccer, football, baseball,
volley ball, clay pigeon shooting, track, cross country running,
boxing,
wrestling, polo, tennis, fencing, gymnastics, and push ball. Of all these activities, boxing was by far
the most popular. The professional prize
fighter Frank Moran was sent to Camp
Wadsworth
to instruct the men in the art of fisticuffs. The
camp Physical
Director, Dr. Joseph E. Raycroft, wrote about Moran's arrival in a
report dated December 11,
1917. He wrote "Moran arrived
last night and
this morning we called on a great many of the Officers.
He made a big hit with General O'Ryan who is
very strong for Boxing. He gave Moran a
free hand and told him to get started at once and if we were short on
Boxing
gloves, to have the men box without gloves, as a black eye would be
nothing,
some would get worse than tat on the other side." Moran
was famous for his "Mary Ann"
punch, and became a great favorite with the 27th Division.
The
soldiers at Camp Wadsworth
did not rely entirely on professionally organized entertainment. Many regiments opened post exchanges (PXs)
that sold candy, soda, chocolate, and souvenirs. Money
spent at the PX was used for the
benefit of the regiment that administered it. The
amount of business done by the PXs was truly
staggering, with one
well located exchange doing $2000 worth of business in a single week. While at Camp
Wadsworth, the
27th Division
published the famous Gas Attack
magazine. This is considered the best
American unit produced publication of the war. A
total of 24 issues of the Gas
Attack were published while the 27th Division was at Camp
Wadsworth. The Gas
Attack benefited from the large number of reporters, writes and
artists
serving in the 27th Division. Every unit
in the camp was invited to print articles about their activities within
its
pages. Two of the most popular parts of
the magazine were "Dere Mable" and "The Ideas of Ethelburt
Jellyback, Private". "Dere
Mable" was a column that featured the fictitious letters written by
Private Bill to his girlfriend Mable in New York. Private Bill's letters were filled with
humorous jabs about training at Camp
Wadsworth. "The Ideas of Private Ethelburt
Jellyback" featured the complaints and struggles of a fictitious
aristocratic New Yorker stationed at Camp
Wadsworth. A section entitled World Brevities
dealt with major news stories from around the
world. The
107th Infantry Regiment also published several magazines, with The 7th Regiment Gazette being the best
done.
Mascots
were always popular at Camp Wadsworth. In one of his letters, Sergeant Gow could
report that the men of the 7th Regiment were building a reptile
collection. The 42nd New York Infantry
actually brought a live bear to Camp
Wadsworth. This animal later caused havoc when it
escaped and made a run for the regimental showers.
Coming to Spartanburg
exposed the urban New Yorkers to a variety of animals that they had
never
encountered before. One New Yorker
purchased an opossum from a local as a pet. Unfortunately,
the unwitting soldier sent the animal
into a panic by
placing his gold watch in the animal's pouch. The
opossum promptly clawed its way free and escaped camp
Wadsworth
with the valuable time
peace. Another famous animal was Private
Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr.'s raccoon. The
two became inseparable. Young Vanderbilt
even went so far as to take his raccoon back to New
York
with him while on leave. On October 2, 1917, the Spartanburg Herald reported that the
mascots of the 27th Division would participate in a great contest and
parade
through the camp. The paper stated that
"There are many mascots scattered throughout the division.
They consist of donkeys, monkeys, dogs, cats,
snakes, parrots, game chickens, etc., and it is said that one outfit
has
a
duck. Capt. Moore wants every brigade,
regimental and company mascot in the entire camp to be on exhibition. Four prizes will be offered.
The first prize goes to the homeliest mascot,
the second to the cleverest, the third to the most attractive, and the
fourth
to the handsomest… Following the awarding of prizes there will be a
grand
parade of the mascots through the main streets of the camp, led by a
band." A committee of ladies headed
by the wife of Camp Wadsworth's temporary commander, Brigadier General
Phillips, acted as judges.
The winter
of 1917-1918 was the most bitterly cold in recent memory, and placed a
great
damper on camp moral. Soldiers at Camp
Wadsworth never
tired of joking
about the fabled "Sunny South" as the temperature dropped below zero
and snow began to pile up. Most of the
water pipes in the camp burst as a result of the frigid weather. Dr. Charles E. Jefferson of New
York visited Spartanburg
and Camp Wadsworth
during 1917 and was shocked by the sheer coldness of the weather. He wrote "Spartanburg
is in South Carolina. You would not think it if you saw it in
December. In December it looks for all
the world like a town in Northern Maine. The snow is just like the New
England snow, and the wind has teeth which bite. There is no doubt that there is a Sunny South,
but I advise Northerners not to look for it in December… The South
Carolina coldness is a colder sort of coldness
for
its size than any coldness I have ever known." The
living conditions of the men in the eight man pyramidal tents were
miserable. Walls and floors had been
installed in most of
the tents, but the Sibley stoves supplied for heating proved to be
completely
inadequate. Supply problems resulted in
shortages of blankets and warm weather clothes. Firewood
was in short supply. Many soldiers were
arrested from stealing fuel from
reserved stockpiles. Conditions were even
more miserable for the
soldiers living near the Glassy
Mountain
artillery range. Oak
Grove Baptist
Church
and Oak Grove
School, both
located near the
range, were probably burned by soldiers trying to keep warm during the
winter
of 1917. Sentries in charge of horses
had to keep the animals moving, lest their feet become from freezing in
the
ground. Spirits were lifted by
Thanksgiving
and Christmas festivities. Soldiers at Camp
Wadsworth
consumed over 33,000
pounds of turkey during the Thanksgiving of 1917. They
were joined in the celebration by
Senator James W. Wadsworth of New York. The camp was named after the Senator's
father, Brigadier General James S. Wadsworth. Christmas
was lavishly celebrated. Many units
acquired trees and printed special
Christmas dinner menus for the occasion. Mess
shacks were well decorated, and many soldiers
observed the
religious significance of the day by attending a Christmas Mass.