The 13th Engineers didn’t stay in England long, but their visit marked the first time US troops had landed there since the Revolution. Their parade passed before the King and Queen, Prime Minister and members of Parliament. Sunday, August 12, 1917 Pulling up the Mersey when I woke up. Beautiful place, streets so even and…
On April 24, 1917, shortly after the US declared war on Germany, former French Prime Minister René Viviani arrived in the US as head of a commission to solicit US support for the war. He was accompanied by the famous Marshal of France, Joseph Joffre. The mission was initially met by Admiral Henry Mayo, commander-in-chief…
During the first two years of the war in Europe, President Wilson had carefully avoided making any commitments on behalf of the United States. He was careful, even, to avoid assessing blame, insisting that the war was a European matter that didn’t concern the United States, that our national security was not in danger. The…
The War That Was Never Supposed to Happen In early August 1914, the world stumbled into the most catastrophic conflict it had ever seen — not through careful planning, but through a cascade of half-measures, fragile alliances, and stubborn pride. The great powers of Europe had spent decades constructing an elaborate web of mutual defense…