CHAPTER 14

A war memorial stands on "A" Street across from City Hall, commemorating the young men of the community who served their country during World War II. A quarter century earlier we fought in a European war. The American Legion remembers the participants in all these 20th century wars.

The U. S. did not become involved until late 1916, and by 1917 we had sent our "doughboys" to France.

WW I was fought mainly from trenches; but airplanes became vital as fighting machines for the first time. However, battleships and submarines were also very vital to the war effort.

Brunswick's first two servicemen who were killed in foreign service were Alvey D. Keenan (September 29, 1918) and Harold W. W. Steadman (October 14, 1918). Brunswick's American Legion Post 96 is named Steadman-Keenan to honor these young men.

A World War I artillery piece was placed in Memorial Square on "A" Street approximately 1920 or 1921, but during the second year of World War II it was removed to be melted down for scrap in the war effort. Two machine guns had also been placed at Memorial Square at the time, but these also were removed and used for the war effort.

The Armistice ending the First World War was signed November 11, 1918.

The Rev. Luther Martin was a patriotic man. In his activities and writings as found in his own scrapbook that Rev. H. Austin Cooper contributed to the History Commission's files, he expressed

appreciation for the sacrifices of the armed forces of World War I. He wanted to help them and honor them.

Among his effects is a flier about 8 by 10 inches with the plea "$500 NEEDED" in large bold type. "For the Brunswick Boys' Club MEMORIAL TO A.E.F." (American Expeditionary Force).

The drive continued to November 17th,1919. A five dollar gold piece was to be awarded to the one collecting the largest amount of money. The expenses were itemized. All were invited to help make this club a practical, helpful Memorial to the boys who fell in the World War and those who did their bit in the service. The Board of Advisers included John W. Peyton, president, George A. Hood, Oscar M. Fogle, Clayton Orrison, and C. L. Crabill, Luther Martin, Superintendent and Secretary.

The Pearl Harbor bombing on December 7, 1941, brought the United States into the Second World War.

This country was so unprepared for this shocking attack that it brought on drastic rationing of sugar, meat, gasoline, shoes, butter, and all canned goods almost immediately. People stood in line for a few packs of cigarettes each week. There were great shortages of rubber for tires and other products. There were no automobiles manufactured from 1943 through 1945 because of metal shortages and the vital need of metal and rubber for the war effort.

Trains were very important for transporting servicemen, and the train-traveling public would stand in the aisles while on the train and they would forego an overnight sleeper because our servicemen's transportation came first.

We had volunteer civilian air-raid wardens, volunteer groups of women who put together "Bundles for Britain" and volunteer hospital aides.

However, many able-bodied women went to work in war plants and on the railroad. They took over teaching positions in the schools that had previously been held by men... Our manpower was being drafted.

The old unused streetcar tracks that ran the length of Potomac Street were also removed for arms in the war effort.

We had the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force and Merchant Marine, and we also had more sophisticated methods of warfare during the Second War. Our war dead was tremendous; however, it is doubtful if our losses compare to the devastation and horrible suffering inflicted by the Nazis on the Jews in those hideous death camps, nor the suffering and disfigurement endured by the Japanese when we dropped the Atomic Bomb.

A cessation of hostilities came about in 1945. The long list of area victims of this war follows:

Garfield Ambrose Charles Axline William Francis Beacht Charles S. Bowers Alex Clark Glenn Crim, Jr. Paul Cummings Wesley D. Dolan Thomas Dubel Eddie Frye Elmer Frye Donald Griffith Harry M. Hahn, Jr. William Hanvey Earl Harwood Paul E. Huffer Paul Huffer George D. Jenkins, Jr. Melvin Deray Lowery Tommy Mills Roland Moss W. L. Munday Harry M. Nuse Herbert Price Harry W. Rohrback, Jr. Orville Streight Gilmour Will

After the conflict, a World War II tank replaced the World War I artillery piece in Memorial Square, along with a book-type memorial with the names of all the World War II Veterans listed. Those who fell in battle are marked with an asterisk.

The Korean Conflict (1950-53) took Sterling "Junior" Ambrose, George "Bunky" Ambrose, and Samuel Oliver Frye.

Once again our boys were called to military service in the Vietnam Conflict. After 1964, when the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong joined forces, United States forces were drawn into the Asian conflict. This was never a declared war. Fighting continued until 1973, but our forces were not home until 1975, when there were still many "missing in action." Charles Harbert lost his life as a result of this war. These lists are not complete. To those we owe so much, we owe one more gesture of appreciation: to check the records and make sure a complete list is available for generations to come to honor those to whom we owe so much.

S - A. L. "Reds" Phillips and his American Legion book on WW 11.

- Mayor Susan Fauntleroy— speech.

W - B L C -MMM

For a brief period during the Civil War the since-razed American Legion Home was the headquarters of Major General Alfred Pleasanton, Commander-in-Chief, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac.

Following the Battle of Gettysburg— July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, the Union forces pursued Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and crossed the Potomac here.

General Pleasanton required a portion of Mr. Shorts' residence as his headquarters selecting the lower front room on the right side. Mary Musgrove Collier Crabill remembered stories her mother told about the Army's taking over their house and relegating the family to some back rooms during the Civil War.

Confederate prisoners of war were brought to Pleasanton's headquarters for questioning. A little girl, Indiana Shorts, daughter of the owner of the property, feeling sorry for them, offered them food, but was admonished by the Union authorities not to do so.

The double track, wooden covered bridge completed across the river presumably in 1858, was carried by eight stone piers. This bridge was directly in line with Virginia Avenue, which was called First Street, then Bridge Street, and finally Virginia Avenue. The bridge fell victim to the strategic defense demands of the Confederate Army.

Attempting to prevent the invasion of the Confederacy, Gen. Robert E. Lee, on May 1, 1861, ordered the then Colonel Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, commander of the Virginia militia at Harpers Ferry, to burn the bridge spanning the Potomac at that point. On May 28,1861, Colonel R. S. Garnett reported that preparation had been made to break the bridges at Berlin and Point of Rocks.

Before dawn, Sunday June 9, 1861, Drake's cavalry saturated the bridge with kerosene and placed powder at various spots on it. The torch was applied, and flames leaped high, lighting the surrounding hills and village of Berlin. The bridge collapsed into the river, leaving nothing but blackened embers and the stone piers.

Military necessity made it imperative to construct a pontoon bridge at Berlin. On October 25, 1862, following the battle of Antietam, the Army of the Potomac under Major General McClellan constructed an 1100-foot pontoon bridge.

The Confederates used the pontoon bridge when the bridge there was burned. The Union forces also passed through the town, as after the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg, Generals McClellan and Meade each camped their armies here before advancing into Virginia.

Following the Battle of Gettysburg, General Meade's victorious Army of the Potomac pursued the Army of Northern Virginia in leisurely fashion. In late July a major portion of the Union forces crossed into Virginia via the pontoon bridge. The pontoons were removed in November 1862 for forwarding to Fredericksburg, Va., for use by Federal forces in spanning the Rappahannock.

The town was dependent principally for support upon the business of the C&O Canal, so during the war, it necessarily suffered much hardship from the interruption to navigation.

The bivouac of the Army of the Potomac in the vicinity of Berlin in 1862 first introduced the town's name to the country, but it fell again into partial oblivion.

The Civil War picket guards are among the unsung heroes of Berlin's past. The years when McClellan and Meade were sending telegraph messages headed "Berlin" to President Lincoln, when the armies of the north were encamped at the pontoon bridges at Berlin, and when the lonely but ever faithful picket guards kept watch against invasions from the south toward the strategic utilities of the C&O Canal and the B&O Railroad were highly important years of the Civil War.

The Wenner farmhouse, now owned by the James Bells, is significant for its use as a field hospital during the War. The following is from a letter from Evelyn C. Wenner (Mrs. C. M. Wenner, Jr.) to Connie Koenig, September 26, 1974:

"Berlin was on two occasions, and for periods of a week or more, the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac, the first time after Antietam when General George B. McClellan was pursuing General Lee's forces back into Virginia and the second time after Gesttysburg when General Mead was leading his victorious soldiers into regions of the Confederacy. The records gave prominence to Berlin as an invasion frontier for both the North and the South.

"Berlin's economic usefulness in the War was paramount and its military involvement was significant and recurrent. These official records have citations of skirmishes in the town on September 18-29, 1861, and apparently more serious conflicts there on September 3-5,1862. Lieutenant Henry M. Binney, aide to the commander of the ill fated garrison at Harpers Ferry, has left a diary saying that the fighting in and around Berlin was severe, with many dead and wounded.... an elderly woman, once a resident of Berlin, on a nostalgic visit to the Wenner farmhouse told the present owners that she helped in the house when it was a hospital in the Civil War. Cannon balls have been found in the fields around the farmhouse. One of these is now in the Harper's Ferry Museum."

Gilbert Gude treats the role of the railroad during this conflict in his book Small Toum Destiny. Both the C&O Canal and the B&O RR made Berlin a military target. Commander of the Shenandoah Valley District in 1861 Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson sought to destroy the railroad and remove Union troops from his territory. By August 1863, in less than two months railroad workers again had the trains running, having overcome the destruction of 160 miles of the B&O line from east of Frederick to west of Cumberland. Such was Berlin's continual response. In order to achieve this degree of success, the railroad system even kept duplicate parts of all its bridges that were located in exposed territory.

Gude describes Henry Kyd Douglas' frustration in his assignment to burn ties, bend red hot rails, wreck bridges, culverts and water tanks, and miles of telegraph line . . . only to have Union troops quickly restore the system to working order. Douglas is quoted as saying "four times during the war I saw the futility of trying to stop them."

We can easily imagine the fear and excitement of the border state towns like Berlin, on the canal/ river corridor. Although, as throughout Maryland, loyalties were divided in Berlin, most of the town sided with the Union. John Garrett, president of the B&O, committed his company to the Union also.

***

The Brunswick Citizen of May 22, 1986, cites "Pvt. Leonard D. House . . . Burkittsville Veteran," by Timothy J. Reese. Brunswick has no list of Civil War participants.

Preceding the Civil War, Berlin had about 500 inhabitants. The numbers dwindled to about 200 before the construction of the railroad yard. Employment was afforded by two grocery stores, a saloon, a flour mill and the railroad, whose section gang was located here.

- Gilbert Gude, Small Town Destiny - Brunswick's Nomination Form for Historic

District

- Connie Koenig - The late Mary Musgrove Collier Cralbill, tape

recording

W - M M M

Brunswick Memorial Post 10421 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars was chartered on December 12, 1983, with 53 members. This patriotic organization, which is comprised of armed service veterans who have served in combat areas, is dedicated to preserving allegiance to the United States and its Constitution, as well as furnishing support and benevolent services to the veterans and their families.

Community activities at present are assistance to the Brunswick Railroad Museum in a variety of projects, one of which was rebuilding the interior of the second floor to better display historic items. Another large project was installing new siding on the exterior of the Brunswick City Park Pavilion. Many other projects such as assistance to senior citizens, government food distribution to the needy and disabled, youth safety, keeping Brunswick City Park and Railroad View Park clean, and repairing the playground equipment, have been undertaken.

During Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the organization gathered several truckloads of clothing, furniture, bedding, and toys which were shipped to South Carolina.

Originally post meetings were held in the City Park Pavilion, but in 1987 the meeting place was changed to the American Legion. In 1989 the post rented two large rooms in the old West Brunswick Elementary School owned by the Masonic Lodge at 317 Brunswick Street.

The first commander was James W. Main,1983-4; Wendell M. Stewart, 1984-5; John W. McGolerick Jr., 1985-6; William G. Care, 1986-7; Leo P. Myers, 1987-8; Charles W. Rose, 1988-9; Leon A. Phillips 1989-90; John W. McGolerick, 1990-1. Current membership in 1990 is 126.

Commanders of the post and Quartermaster William A. Haines have earned a white hat for their outstanding work twice since the post organized, in years 1987-8, and 1989-90, for its patriotic and community activities, and increase in membership. This presentation is made by the State Commander at the State Convention in Ocean City, Md. It is an unusual honor for a post of this size in competing with more than 114 posts in Maryland, many of which are much larger.

W - Wendell Stewart

American Legion Post 96 was established January 26, 1929 with 16 charter members. The names Steadman and Keenan honor two young Brunswick men who were killed in the First World War.

Corporal Harold W. W. Steadman entered the Army on August 2,1917, and served with Company A,115th Infantry in the Center Defensive Sector and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He died of wounds received in action on October 14, 1918.

Corporal Alvey D. Keenan entered service September 16, 1917, and served with Company L, 313th Infantry in the Avocourt Defensive Section and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He was killed in action on September 29, 1918.

The first meetings of Post 96 were held in Elias Flynn's barber shop located about where the lower Legion driveway meets South Maple Avenue. An important project during the early years was gathering and fixing toys throughout the year for donation to children at Christmas.

In 1946 Post 96 purchased the Lutman property (earlier known as the Musgrove property) at 12 South Maple Avenue, and added a meeting room to the north side. In 1960, on the east side of the house, Memorial Hall was constructed, consisting of kitchen, bar, and large meeting room on the second floor, and bar, game and entertainment rooms on the first.

In 1977 the old house was razed and the present building was erected on the site.

The "Legion" is widely involved in many aspects of Brunswick's community life. The Post conducts funerals for Legionnaires, provides color and honor guards for numerous functions, and for years has visited cemeteries throughout the area to hold Memorial Day services. They have been a longtime Brunswick host to the Bloodmobile. Their facilities are made available to the public for various events such as dinners and reunions. They also hold bingo games and public dances, including the monthly Senior Citizen Dinner-Dance, which is very well received.

They sponsor a team in the American Legion Baseball League, send a group of deserving boys to Camp Westmar each year, and award scholarships to deserving high school graduates. Food baskets for the less fortunate are distributed at Christmas. They bring to our town the large and successful Annual Veterans Day Parade, one of Brunswick's highlights each year.

James F. Roby is Post Commander, and Leo P. Myers is 1st Vice Commander for 1990.

S - Jim Roby - Leo Myers

W -BRH

On November 2, 1932, Mary E. Barker, Vivian Darr, Grace M. Coffman, Edna C. Weedy, and Rose Rolnick applied to the national organization of the American Legion Auxiliary to charter an auxiliary in Brunswick in support of the local veterans. This organization is limited to the "mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters of members of the American Legion." The first officers were: Lacye Peyton Keenan Darr, president; Agnes M. Carey, secretary; and Mary G. Steadman, treasurer.

The auxiliary began fund raising by baby sitting and conducting bake sales. Now, activities include monthly visits to Newton D. Baker Veterans' Hospital taking magazines, playing bingo, taking gifts for birthdays and adopting certain patients for special attention. They sponsor outings— lunches at the Legion, and baseball games at Frederick— for the veterans.

Each month the Senior Citizens have their dinner-dance at the Legion, and the Ladies Auxiliary prepares the food for the affair, just as they do for the many social functions held at American Legion Post 96.

S - Norma Jean Frye W - W H H

In November 1990 Brunswick will witness the fifty-eighth annual parade commemorating Veterans Day. This day honors the millions of Americans who served the nation in time of war, whose sacrifices endear them to the nation's heart. The parade always takes place on the Sunday preceding Veterans' Day, a name that replaces the earlier "Armistice" Day.

The streets are alive with visitors who can always expect a stirring procession of color guards, marching bands, fire companies, scouts, pretty girls, antique cars, majorettes, drum corps, athletic teams, and endless other interesting groups.

S - Legion Parade Program W - M M M

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5/21/07