Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-20
Only Few Links Missing in
Chain of Perfected Story En-
acted on Foreign Fields.
RICHMOND HAS EXCELLENT
REPRESENTATION IN FILES
Other Cities and Counties oil
Old Dominion Have Shown
Prompt Response.

{ p'VHieHt puOlISlcu III tRc January is
sue of the Virginia Magazine bf His
tory and Biography. So
This thir;y-,wo page pGnphiet will
soon be followed hy tie second re
Port. listing abou; rs many items o
VA, history mntc1tai collected from
.. -t''se Virginia c:ti(s.
). rho third sgc;iou of the report viii
be siH'il1r pamphlet giving titles
authors sHd brief outlines OF saccls
hftoairF OF Virginia military organ
iTati9Hs ana of diaries ami con,ribu
tiGIrs of major Importance
/~Thesc three pamphlets. containin
(,ab"ut leo pages of tides. Will prac
!. iicaliy cover the War History source
nfnterlsi ncw in the central archives
!. in. Richmond
J. II is probable that during this yea
: the local branrhestand the contribu
tors VIII senI i:,sa steady stream o
material as many cities ana coun
ties have not yet"scnt 10 the centra
!, office copies CT reports and data now
in their possession. This Will mean
vast Increase in the archival mat
ter and in the material for the us
OF the section editors
As the first fruits u. the coming
harvest, however. the reports now
heirg issued have n special interest
and value. and show both the scope
and the admirable results OF the plan
OF the commission and of the work
Of the local members and special
writer's.
Service Records OF Soldiers.
Over G.0oo service records of Vir
IL. n In in,
Virginia war archives OF these, tn
counties havcascnt in more than 400
and the citicsn less than 1000. Nor
folk. alone has sent In l,l29 records
Richmonds 40. Petersburg l5i, Roa
: Vile ~. Stounton 40 and Clifton
Forge 3d. No other city in the Stat
mas sent In more than n score
these service records
Richmond has recently distributed
through the cooperation OF tic 20
lice and the colorcd citizens. abou
5000 military Questionnaires ana tn
local office is receiving many .cturn
from this drive AS THIS pla
seems TO promise success in Rich
mond. il is hoped that other cities
or the State will begin simila ,
drives" enlistinG the aid OF the
American Legion Posts. OF the polio
force. OF the Woman's Clubs. of tn
schools and churches or OF the fra
ternai or community organizations.
THIS is the most difficult and tn
nokc, c., Lynchburg So. Charlottes
most Important: task OF the commits
sion. No other War History mate
rial can compare in value with tn
records OF the soldiers themselves
The apathy or indifference or modesty
Oh the eS-scrvicc men will not be
suthcien: excuse for failure in thi
matter
In any city or county an active
and determined campaign maintained
Tor thirty days will bring in hundreds
OF these records. The central Office
VIII work with the local branches in
sending literaturc-i3nd SPEAKERS when
requested -
1t is folly to discuss the need or
value of this work The skeptics and
quietists should have change OF
heart and Join the patriotic band of
-b!oodcd men and women that are
bent on achieving this service for
Sirginias soldiers and for virgina's
fame.
lTcnsurcrs ar the Archives.
Among the contributions Of special
value tina, are being calendared for
the third supplement OF source ma
tcrial IN the Virginia war archives
several have a ncwS interest as schol-
ar!y and stirring narratives in addi-
s ton TO their permanent value as
archiyal material!
The war work report q, the FRS,
Christian Church, Disciples. OF Nor
folk, covers siN,y-ciGht pages and is
a, model tina, may well he followed
! by other churches throughout the
State.
San army chaplain. Rev James II.
Laughton, OF the Three Hundred ard
Nineteenth Infantry. now of Laurel
street Methodist Church, contributes
: his personal war experiences, some
dozen pages o: intense human inter
est, under the title THE Cross in the
Tempest" His experiences range
from Camp Lee 10 Dead Mans Hill"
and his topics range from bombing
raids 10 religion IN action. conclud-
ing with The soldiers H. one o.
s the hest bits of verse in the archives.
story OF personal cxper!-
3ences is the forty seven page coutr!-
( button OF Captain Melville T. Oakham.
OF the Three Hundred and Twentieth
Z Infantry. giving interesting side
lights on the battles OF tho Mouse
,#of Cunel and OF the ArGonnc- lie. Mans.
with battle orders. CONNIE ndations
Insignia. etc.
The diary OF Captain Luclen X.
s Cooke. Jr.. OF Roanoke, covering about
125 pages ia the most valuable get
& received from a Virginia soldier /,
covers the period from April. 1916.
TO June. 1919. and may really BIZ call
ON one page he sends his pay for
work at Pepper Tunnel to the Nc
sGonneIl memorial fund Of the Uni.
fyersity OF Virginia and on another
sie tells OF fis rotten shooting on
4 She sleeve with all the details OF
ffainlng and of photograph. liason,
6nd combat lights that show the
HSily life OF a tighter in the most ro-
mantle service of war time.
g captain frank r. Narney gives
pages vi The History of the
f1af1r q Hundred and S.yenteenfh