While conducting research for the library’s World War I soldier photograph collection, I came across a treasure from our shelves that was deserving of its own moment in the spotlight. Titled A short history & photographic record of the 102nd U.S. Field Artillery, 1917, this book contains the history of the 102nd F.A as well as the photographs, names, and hometowns of the soldiers who served in the regiment’s different batteries.
The regiment, which was part of the 26th Yankee Division, was mobilized on July 30th, 1917 at Camp Curtis Guild in Boxford, Massachusetts, and “was formally drafted as part of the national forces on August 5, 1917.” The majority of the soldiers were from Massachusetts, but other states are represented as well—such as Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maine, New York, and Illinois. There were even a couple soldiers from Nova Scotia, Canada!
After finding that this book was not available online, there was only one thing I could possibly do: digitize it in its entirety so others could benefit from the wonderful information it provides. The book is available to download in our DSpace digital documents repository; however, if downloading is not your style, you may also browse the title on our Flickr page.
Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Librarian
