Marietta College Ambulance Corps

     There is a monument at the corner of Gilman and Virginia Streets in Harmar. It sits near busy traffic lanes, yet offers a serene view of the Ohio River. It was a gift of France, donated as part of the Northwest Territory Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1937-38 in appreciation for the service of the World War I Marietta College Ambulance Unit. On October 17, 1920, French military attaché General Collardet decorated the Corps members for their “noble service.” The solemn ceremony took place in Muskingum Park in the presence of college faculty and community members.

Twenty young men, primarily students from Marietta College and Miami University, had volunteered in 1917 to serve in the Ambulance Corps. Beman G. Dawes, Jr. organized the group with help from his father and others. The group received a rousing send-off by thousands of Mariettans on May 22. 

Photo of Ambulance Corps Ceremony in Marietta College Yearbook, from Marietta College Legacy Library Special Collections. CLICK TO ENLARGE

They landed in France at Bordeaux bearing the first American flag carried by a military organization in WW I. The Corps were actually assigned to “camion service,” not ambulance service, driving large Pierce Arrow trucks to move supplies because that was the most pressing need when they arrived. Yet the “Ambulance Corps” moniker stuck. It was strenuous, dangerous duty, often conducted at night. 

Photo of Ambulance Corps in France with last names written at bottom. From Marietta College Legacy Library Special Collections. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

Several letters from corps members gave fascinating views of their experience. 

Donley Parr from Dayton OH reported in a letter to his brother that the liner Rochambeau which transported the men was followed by German U-Boats. In the U-Boat zone of the Atlantic, “passengers slept on deck in chairs.” Luckily for them, they saw no submarines, but U-Boats sank the Mississippi which followed their boat. The cruise ship menu - offering “French bills of fare” - were not to the group’s liking; they missed their typical American food from home.

On landing at Bordeaux, no one greeted them; they had to fend for themselves at first. Parr described the country as “very attractive and beautiful…It’s wonderful to see the great (patriotic) enthusiasm for their cause. We in America do not appreciate what it means to be fighting for existence.”

 H. Ellis Sibley wrote in a letter that they saw other Americans there. “A fellow named Hall knew friends” of the group. He went out yesterday and failed to come back…So it goes….It is a pretty grim business…..Today we (saw) part of the Aisne battlefield. There were barb-wire entanglements and trenches by the hundreds…We have heard big guns often.”

“The weather here is most peculiar to us…we roast during the day and nearly freeze during the night under three blankets…it rains frequently and our barracks leak!”  

Sibley learned about the war first hand from men on the front. A Canadian soldier was on leave after 32 months. Physically he was ok, but “his nerves were shot.” “Sherman was right,” Sibley astutely observed, referring to General William Tecumseh Sherman’s quote admonishing those who glamorize war. “War is hell,” Sherman bluntly stated. 

A newspaper article reported on Rutherford M. DeArmon’s experience with “the famous Marietta College Ambulance Corps.”  He said the corps members were treated well, including a seven day leave after three months during which they toured Nice. His photos and the reporter’s narrative document the destruction wrought by German artillery. Orchards were “laid waste,…houses shown in ruins, churches were not spared….” Other photos show “stacks of shells ricked up like wood” in public parks and captured German planes on exhibit, plainly showing the German cross. 

The “Ambulance Corps” turned truck drivers worked until mid-November of 1917 when their enlistment ended. Many transferred to other American military units after that. The French recognized not only their dedication but their excellent work doing a difficult task - as civilian volunteers.

Sidebar notes: 

I was surprised to read that the president of Marietta College at the time, George W. Hinman, criticized the Ambulance Corps group. The Marietta Times reported that he called them “cowards,” saying that they recruited their parents to pull strings for them to avoid the draft. I saw no other indication of draft dodging as a motivation for their service.

Your author was curious how the idea for the Ambulance Corps came about. Before researching, I had thought it was a purely grass roots student idea which became an altruistic reality. But I noticed the names of some prominent business people, including parents, who provided financial and other help. So, did the students recruit the parents to help or did the parents recruit the students? It’s not clear; perhaps it was a team effort

Notice of Beman G. Dawes, Jr.’s engagement to Miss Janet Newton appeared in the Washington D. C. Times Herald on July 9, 1917 while Dawes was in France.

H. Ellis Sibley’s father, W. G. Sibley was in New York to see off his son to France. He was editor of the Gallipolis (OH) Tribune and quite a renowned angler. The Idaho Statesman newspaper reported on Sibley’s advice given at New York for successful fishing. He extolled the value of “spitting on the bait” to improve fishing success. “Many fishermen scoff at the idea,” he explained, “but the practice is one of the best aids to anglers.” Why would an Idaho newspaper publish fishing advice given by a man from Ohio offered while he was visiting New York City? Who knows, but it’s entertaining.

1924 Election: Marietta Native Charles G. Dawes Elected Vice President of the United States

Turned off by the spiteful rhetoric in today’s political discourse? Stressed by the twenty-four hour news cycle and social media rancor? Go back to the 1924 presidential campaign. A Marietta native, Charles Gates Dawes, was the running mate of Calvin Coolidge on the Republican ticket. Dawes is the serious-looking one on the right in the photo. He grew up on Fourth St. in Marietta, the son of General Rufus Dawes and Mary Gates Dawes, and a descendent of William Dawes who rode with Paul Revere to warn colonists that “the British are coming.”

1924 Campaign Poster viewed at fineartmerica.com. Coolidge is on the left; Dawes on the right.

1924: It was the roaring twenties. The economy was strong; there were no foreign policy crises. There were also no computers, cell phones, or television. Radio would soon become a boom industry. Locally, farming, brick making, furniture manufacturing, and the oil industry thrived. Trolleys ran regular routes up and down the valleys. Shoppers packed the downtown area on weekends. Life was good; but it always seems that way when we look back in time.

Talk about qualifications for high public office: Charles G. Dawes was a graduate of Marietta College (what other qualification would you need?) and Cincinnati Law School, an executive with utility companies in Chicago, started a bank in Chicago, appointed Comptroller of the Currency, served in the U. S. Army during World War I in leadership roles for logistics and attaining the rank of Brigadier General, and was budget director for President Warren G. Harding. All of this was intermingled with political activity, including an unsuccessful Senate run, mostly in campaign support for others. He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925 for his role in helping plan the financing of Germany’s World War I reparation debt.

A young Charles G. Dawes, around the time of his appointment at age 33 as Comptroller of the Currency in 1898. From OCC.gov.

Dawes and his wife endured the loss of their son Rufus at age 21 in a drowning accident. In his son’s memory, Dawes built homeless shelters in Boston and Chicago and financed a dormitory building at his son’s Alma mater Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ.

The 1924 campaign had little of today’s harsh rhetoric, though the Democratic Convention required over 100 ballots to finally select West Virginian John W. Davis for President and Charles W. Bryan for Vice President. Calvin Coolidge was a shoo-in for the Republicans, having been elevated to the Presidency in 1923 when Warren G. Harding died in office. The Coolidge-Dawes ticket won by a landslide.

Though Dawes seemed well qualified for office, his actual performance in office was an embarrassment. He was bluntly outspoken on many issues, often inviting negative publicity - not the desired profile of a Vice President. One writer observed: “Dawes was criticized by many of Coolidge’s opponents and was also resented by many of the President’s allies.” 

Caricature of Charles Dawes with his strange looking “underslung” pipe.

In March, 1925, he missed a critical tie-breaking vote on a cabinet confirmation in the Senate, causing defeat of a Coolidge cabinet nominee. Dawes had been told his presence would not be needed that day; Republicans were sure they enough votes for confirmation. So, instead of being at the Senate, he was napping at the Willard Hotel. 

Meanwhile, a political crisis was unfolding. The surplus of votes dissipated for the Attorney General nominee Charles Warren. It would be a close vote; the Vice President’s vote might be needed to break a tie. But he wasn’t there. Urgent calls went out to Dawes at the hotel. He sprang out of bed and bolted, not fully dressed, out on to the street with arms flailing to hail a cab - like an ordinary citizen. There were no limos or secret service protections then. The taxi (perhaps a 1924 Checker Model E) plodded to Capitol Hill. A disheveled Charles Dawes burst into the Senate chamber, panting and sweating. But it was too late. Warren’s nomination was defeated. President Coolidge was livid.

Republican leaders publicly blamed themselves for telling Dawes he didn’t need to be there. Dawes was nonetheless pilloried in the press for being asleep when duty called. He became a laughing stock of Washington. The Willard Hotel put up a sign: “Dawes slept here.” Writers even invoked Dawes’ ancestor William Dawes’ who rode with Paul Revere. Longfellow’s poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” was parodied as “The Midday Ride of Charles Dawes.” He was mocked and held in low regard by the press - despite his impressive public service record. 

Dawes was predictably passed over as Herbert Hoover’s running mate in 1928. Hoover appointed him as ambassador to Great Britain, a very prestigious assignment.

Charles G. Dawes was not only a successful businessman and dedicated public servant - he was also a talented musician.Dawes was a pianist, flutist, and composer. His composition Melody in A Major became well-known piano and violin piece in 1912. Later, lyrics were added, transforming it to the popular tune “It’s All in the Game,” which became a No. 1 Billboard hit.

The Dawes family left us with many remarkable people. Charles Gates Dawes was one of those.