The wives of the Old North State dearly missed their husbands that served in World War I. Mrs. W. R. Harmon from Kannapolis, North Carolina, wrote her husband's commanding officer, Colonel Cox, to request that her husband be released from duty to help her care for their children that suffered from "Whooping cough." Read the letter here.
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| Above: Telegram sent to Charlotte, N.C. Click on the image for larger view. |
Telegram carriers delivered the news of a soldier's death in World War I. Families received telegrams similar to the one on the right that informed the Statens that their son, Cpl. Jesse Staten, died only a few hours before the end of World War I. Friends of the deceased soldier often wrote letters to their fallen comrade's family that offered consolation and described how he died.
The overwhelming majority of North Carolinians supported the war effort, but some citizens adamantly opposed World War I and the draft. Rumors circulated about organizations that promoted draft resistance. On July 18, 1917, the Lexington Dispatch newspaper reported that a few men in Davidson County ordered "high powered rifles" to prevent the "repetition" of "pilfering" that occurred during the Civil War. Read the article here.
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On August 8, 1917, The Kinston Daily Free Press printed an alarming report on "Agitator (Bob) Maxwell" and his draft resistance organization. Read the article here. |
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