Camp Wadsworth Summer 1918
“The best thing about the South is a train going north.”
The United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917. Thirteen months later, Elmore began his active military service. His cadet training at Cornell prepared him for boot camp in a way that most drafted men had not been prepared. On Monday, May 27, 1918, Elmore joined 509 other new recruits to travel by train to South Carolina.
The ride to Spartanburg, South Carolina, introduced Elmore to the deep south for the first time. He boarded the train in Little Falls, New York, a few miles west of Dolgeville. A large crowd gathered at the station to bid their sons farewell. His parents, uncle and aunt, and other relatives joined the throng. His mother bravely bid her son farewell and waved good-bye. The train whistle blew for loved ones to part, late-comers to board, and everyone else to step away from the edge of the platform. The heavy wheels began to turn as black billows of smoke exited the smokestack. Elmore and the other men stuck their heads out the windows and waved.
The train followed portions of the Erie Canal and Mohawk River as it passed through or by Fonda, Amsterdam, West Point Military Academy rifle range, Newburgh, and Weehawken. Fonda was the hometown of a Cornell female student who Elmore liked. The relationship took on a serious nature that fostered rumors that they were engaged, but it never became official. A huge crowd assembled at Amsterdam to cheer the soldiers. His brother Albert opened a jewelry store in Amsterdam that failed. My father told me the closing occurred because all the young men were going to war and not buying engagement rings for their ladies.
Elmore’s comments about the sights and sounds along the route show how he correlated them to the war. Hearing the West Point cadets shooting at the rifle range made him think, “By the noise, one might have thought the Germans were around.” Traveling through the four thousand foot long tunnel in Weehawken, caused the men to gasp for air when they exited. The tunnel nearly suffocated them, and they “decided we had had our first lesson on gas attacks.” The tunnel connected the east-west railroad tracks to the passenger and freight terminals on the western shore of the Hudson River.
The new recruits transferred to sleeper cars at the Weehawken station after a one-and-a- half to two hour layover. The sleepers had carried soldiers from Kansas and Missouri. Riding in a sleeper car was a first for Elmore. Meals times were erratic on the trip. For example, they ate supper at 1:00 a.m. after leaving Weehawken and breakfast arrived about noon. The meals were served in the dining cars and the soldiers stood up to eat them. The food also left much to be desired some times. Elmore complained, “For supper, we had meat that would have made better sole leather. It was awful.”
They arrived in Washington, D. C. at 6 in the morning the second day. Awakening in the nation’s capital, the men thought about visiting President Wilson, but his “office hours didn’t start until sometime later.” The tracks carried the men by beautifully cultivated fields of tobacco, cotton, corn, grain, as well as over rivers, up and down green hills, and by towns and cities.
Camp Wadsworth, located three miles as a crow flies, outside of Spartanburg, was one of sixteen National Guard training camps built across the country in 1917-1918. When its construction began in 1917, the area consisted of woods and cotton fields. The Snake Road, later named Vanderbilt Road, linked the camp to the city, and was nearly impossible to travel on in bad weather. The train arrived at Camp Wadsworth depot about 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29. The men disembarked, hopped on large army trucks, and rode to their first military installation.
Elmore soon found out how valuable his Cadet Corps training at Cornell would be for him. The many aspects of military history, strategy, and drill exercises prepared him for unexpected advancement. He had never expressed an interest in a military career, let alone serving in the war. Once at Camp Wadsworth, his superiors inquired about his training and made use of him based on his collegiate experience. They tapped into this training to use him in leadership and administrative tasks, removing him from many days of the blazing sunlight and sweltering heat and humidity. Still he endured indoor heat while being grateful for shade.
The men checked in at the camp and received company and tent assignments. They hoped to bed down in a tent with their hometown buddies. Many were disappointed when it didn’t happen. After receiving the assignments, they marched to their quarters. Elmore became a member of Company B and lived in tent 24. The beige-colored tents had four sides with pyramid tops and erected on wooden platforms. An opening at the top allowed smoke to escape from a small Sibley stove located in the center of the tent. Tent flaps could be furled to air out the cots and allow the breeze to give some relief.
Two of Elmore’s chief occupations became wiping sweat off his face and swatting flies. He didn’t need anyone to talk again about the sunny, humid south. The first two days were enough for him. The south had its beauties, wonders, and attractions but not for him at the beginning of June. Along with the sweat, flies pestered the life right out of the men. They sat and waved handkerchiefs at them much of the time. The black critters didn’t allow the men to relax. And boy, could they bite. Elmore was glad the flies slept at night too. Since the camp was clean, he didn’t understand why so many flies hounded them.
The Army issued brand new equipment to the men upon arrival at their tents. The equipment included three blankets, a tick bag for a straw bed, and a mess kit that consisted of a cup, covered pan, knife, fork, and spoon. The men were responsible for making their straw beds. While the men got settled, Corporal William Riley, the squad leader, inquired about Elmore’s Cornell training.
All of Elmore’s tent buddies were strangers to him. The men represented different ethnic groups: Jew, Italian, German, Swede, two Americans, and an unlabeled man. The religious affiliations consisted of Jewish, Presbyterian, Catholic, Episcopalian, and Lutherans. Six of the men camefrom Buffalo and one from Waverly, New York. The Swede was a peach with his droll speech, and rather quiet. The fellow Elmore thought he would like proved to be a braggard and bag of hot air. He and the rest of the men became disgusted with his attempts at impressing everyone with his superior knowledge. The Jew, on the other hand, was a funny specimen. He constantly reminded Elmore of a hobo. The motley crew made him think of a quote about the German Kaiser, “Tis said that when the Kaiser sees this new bunch, the multitude will dazzle his eyes or he will die in his tracks with a fit of laughter.”
After showering, Elmore went to the mess hall for breakfast, the first meal at the camp. As he left the hall after eating, Lieutenant Thomas Meaney stopped him and asked, “Are you Stone?” Apparently, Corporal Riley informed Lt. Meaney about his conversation with Elmore. The lieutenant asked more questions, and then put him in charge of his tent as the new squad leader. Although only a private, Elmore thought he could be in line for promotion to corporal. He imagined watching the other men doing most of the hard labor. Elmore’s first assessment of the squad and officers was positive: “They are a pretty good bunch—some better than others… The officers are civil. I think I am going to like them very much.”
The men received two examinations. The doctor’s physical examination disappointed Elmore. “I sort of wish something had been the matter with me so that I would be sent north again. No such good luck.” Three weeks later, Elmore declared, “The best thing about the South is a train going north.” He never returned to the South after leaving Camp Wadsworth.
The second exam, a psychological test, failed to impress Elmore. The main purpose would reveal to see how fast he could think and figure out puzzling sentences and problems. Instead of listening to the explanations by the provost, Elmore went ahead and figured out the answers mentally. He wrote down his answers as soon as the test started. The 51st Pioneer Infantry Regiment spent seven weeks training at Camp Wadsworth. A train transported the unit to Camp Merritt in New Jersey on the western side of the Hudson River. Several days later, they boarded the USS Kroonland and sailed to Brest, France, arriving August 6 about 3 p.m. They started disembarking about noon the next day. The first boat from the Kroonland carried Elmore to the dock. Thus began his war experience
New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad, Weehawken Tunnel. Philadelphia, PA: Historic American Engineering Board, National Park Service, ND, p. 3.
Elmore specifically mentions Kansas. See Division History – 35th Division Association. Accessed April 29, 2026.
June 2, 1918 letter to his parents.