Tennesseans in the Spanish-American

Regimental Officers of the 117th Infantry
Regimental Officers of the 55th Field Artillery Brigade
President Wilson was finally forced to declare war on Germany
which was done in a message to Congress on April 14, 1917,
after two years of vainly trying to keep us out of the World
War.

The National Guard of the United States was immediately
called out. At that time in Tennessee there was one regiment
of artillery, three of infantry and four troops of cavalry.
The latter and the 3rd Regiment of Infantry had seen
valuable field service and training in the previous year
in Texas on the Mexican Border under General Pershing
in his reconnaissances along the Rio Grande

When mustered out of the Tennessee National Guard into the
United Stated Army, their old State designations were
changed. The 1st Tennessee Artillery(National Guard)was
numbered the 114th Field Artillery,United States Army,
Colonel Luke Lea commanding. The 1st Tennessee Infantry
was converted into the 115th Field Artillery, United States
Army, Colonel H.S. Berry, Commander. The 2nd Tennessee
Infantry were first transferred into a Depot Brigade at
Camp Sevier where our Tennessee National Guard were trained
A number were sent under their acting commander, Lieutenant
Colonel James A. Gleason, to the 114th Field Artillery of
which Gleason became Lieutenant Colonel. But the bulk of the
2nd, keeping their company organization intact, were mustered
119th and 120th North Carolina National Guard serving under
Brigadier General Faison as the 60th Brigade of the 30th
Division(National Guard), United States Army. The 3rd
Tennessee Infantry under Colonel Cary F. Spence became the
117th National Guard and with the 118th South Carolina under
Colonel P. K. McCully, serving under Brigadier General
L. D. Tyson as the 59th Brigade, 30th Division(National Guard
United States Army. Three troops of cavalry, A, B, and C,
were made into machine gun battalions, the 113th, 114th,and
115th, under Major Perry Phyfe. Troop D was made a "Sucide
Club", the 105th Trench Mortar Battery under Captain Ambrose
Gaines. The 59th and 60th Brigades of Infantry, the 113th
114th, 115th Machine Gun Battalions, and the 105th Engineers
under Colonel J. H. Pratt, composed the "Old Hickory", 30th
Division, commanded by Major General E. M. Lewis, and on the
British Front in Flanders served in the Ypres sector and the
Somme offensive. The two Field Artillery Regiments, the 114th
and 115th Tennessee, with the 113th North Carolina Field
Artillery, together with the 105th Trench Mortar, were
transferred to the 55th Field Artillery Brigade under General
Gatley and General Kilbreth, and served in the St. Mihiel
drive and Argonne offensive.