On April 6, 1917 the United States declared war upon Germany, thus becoming an active participant in the Great War. The war that today most recognize as World War I would ultimately cost the lives of millions, both civilian and military, before it would finally end in 1918.
Arkansas provided over 70,000 men for service in the United States military forces, of those over 2,000 did not survive the war. The purpose of the Arkansas Great War Letter Project is to provide an easily accessible source to learn about the first hand experiences of those Arkansas soldiers. This site brings to light the little known letters written by Arkansas soldiers that were published in the many local newspapers during the war. Letters have been located in these newspapers, then transcribed exactly as they were printed. Nothing has been changed. The transcribed letters have been arranged by county and soldier name. Simply click on “browse letters” and a list of the state’s seventy-five counties will appear. Then click on the desired county and an alphabetical list of the soldiers’ names will appear. Click on the name and the letter or letters written by the soldier will appear. Here you can read the first hand experiences of the Arkansas soldier in the Great War. You can become a transcriber for the project. For information contact the project director at: [email protected] The Arkansas Great War Letter Project is a special program of The Museum of American History/Cabot Public Schools. Herman Davis Memorial State Park
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