Showing his equipment when prepared to go over the top, consisting of rifle, bayonet, web cartridge belt and suspenders, gas respirator, AM PREFACE AND DEDICATION MERICA, peaceful, isolated and serene in the midst of international intrigues yet not embroiled in them, suddenly found itself in August, 1914, an international power. Although it did not enter the World War until April 6, 1917, its destiny was fixed when Gavrilo Prinzep on June 28, 1914, shot and killed the heir to the throne of AustriaHungary and Sophia Chotek, his morganatic wife. At first the web of circumstance binding the United States to the rest of the world as the consequence of that deed was gossamer fine. With German rapine in Belgium, the sinking of the unarmed Lusitania, the destruction of American lives and property through German plots and the growth of Teutonic militarism into a cloud that shadowed and menaced civilization, the filaments of the web grew into ropes and cables of steel drawing us irresistibly into the world conflict. This book tells the story of that web and how America acquitted itself therein. Deeds are more eloquent than words. America's entrance tipped the scales against Germany; but the decision came after England and her great colonies, heroic France, Belgium, Italy and Russia had held the Teutonic coalition to a stalemate on the bloodsoaked fields of Europe. America's share in the triumph of an idealistic civilization over a militaristic autocracy is told in these pages in narrative form. Every deed that is recited, every sacrifice that is set forth finds its warrant in the official records of the Great War. The reading of this book is urged by the head of the American Expeditionary Forces, General Pershing, as a patriotic privilege and duty upon every American. The examples of those glorious dead whose blood hallows the wheat fields at Château-Thierry, the dark depths of Belleau Wood and the forest of the Argonne must create in generations of Americans yet to be born ideals of democracy and of sacrifice that will continue the United States of America in the van of civilization. Authoritative documents and maps aid the reader in following the tremendous world changes achieved through America's magnificent adventure in the cause of international liberty. Official photographs illuminate the text and carry the reader into the scenes where men's souls were tried in the fiery crucible of war. DEDICATION It is fitting that this history should be dedicated. Of all those who made possible the defeat of Germany, one stands above all others, and to him, I dedicate this book. To the bravest of the brave; to one who took hardships gallantly; who left peace, prosperity and a happy home, ready to endure vermin, disease and privation on a foreign soil; to the man who bore wounds with a smile and who met death face to face serene and unafraid. To the Yankee fighting man of every creed and color this history of "America's Part in the World War" is a tribute and a memorial. CONTENTS. A Sword Unsheathed for Democracy's Sake-Autocracies Crumble-Old Nations Disappear-New States Take Their Place-The Map of the World Torn Apart and Reshaped-America Strikes the Deciding Blow-Tribute of Marshal Foch- The Return of General Pershing and the Famous First Division . Americans Caught in the Whirlpool of the World War-List of War Declarations and Severance of Diplomatic Relations-Attempts to Keep America Out of the War Unavailing Torpedoing of American Vessels-The Diabolical Destruction of the Lusitania-Nation-wide Rage Aroused by Germany's Ruthless Act Germany Renews Submarine Warfare-Von Bernstorff Sent Home-The German- Mexican Plot-Germany's Offenses Against the United States-President Wilson Calls the Nation to War-America United in Patriotism-Scenes Surrounding the PAGD IV. CONSCRIPTION OF A PEACEFUL NATION The Die Cast for Selective Service-How the Drafts were Made-The Greatest V. TRANSFORMING CITIZENS INTO SOLDIERS A Modern Miracle that was Enacted Almost Over Night-The Story of the Canton- ments-The Lessons Learned in the Great War Applied in American Camps . 66 |