The 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy was a long distance convoy (described as a Motor Truck Trip with a "Truck Train") carried out by the US Army Motor Transport Corps that drove over 3000 mi (4,828 km) from Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, to Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

 and then by ferry over to end in San Francisco.

Lt Col Charles W. McClure and Capt Bernard H. McMahon were the respective expedition and train commanders and civilian Henry C. Ostermann of the Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway

The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...

 Association was the pilot (guide). Official observers included those from the Air Service

United States Army Air Service

The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...

, A.S.A.P., Coast

U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps

The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps was a Corps level organization responsible for coastal and harbor defense of the United States between 1901 and 1950.-History:...

 and Field Artillery, Medical Corps

Medical Corps

A medical corps is generally a military branch or officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians...

, Ordnance, Signal Corps

Signal Corps

The Signal Corps is a military branch, usually subordinate to a country's army, responsible for the military communications .Many countries have a Signal Corps, whose main function is usually communication .* Arma de Comunicaciones, signals branch of the Argentine Army* Arma delle...

 and Tank Corps

United States Tank Corps

The Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Force was the mechanized unit that conducted American tank combat in World War I. An initial plan for 2,000 light Renault FT-17 tanks and 200 heavy British Mark VI tanks was changed to 20 battalions of 77 light tanks each and 10 battalions of 45 heavy...

 including the then Brevet

Brevet

Brevet may refer to:* Brevet , a temporary authorization for a person to hold a higher rank* Brevet , a long-distance bicycle ride with check-point controls* Aircrew brevet, a Royal Air Force and British Army badge...

 Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

.

Organization

The Signal Corps filmed convoy events; and the civilians of the Goodyear band was transported from Chicago in one of the trucks. The Publicity Officer (Lt William B Doron) rode with Ostermann 2-10 days ahead of the main body, while the Recruiting Officer (Capt Murphy) was 1-2 days ahead, and the Cook and Mess units were several hours ahead, Two motorcycles scouted about ½ hour ahead to report conditions and place markers. The 5th Engineers' Company E of 2 officers and 20 men headed the main body with the artillery's 5½ ton Mack truck carrying a 5 ton Maxwell tractor (22,450 lbs total) in the lead followed by the machine shop and blacksmith shop trucks, and the Quartermaster Corps' Service Park Unit 595 of 1 officer and 43 men brought up the rear ("often separated from the main body" while servicing disabled vehicles). In addition to 230 road incidents (stops for adjustments, extrications, breakdowns, & accidents) resulting in 9 vehicles retiring, the convoy of "24 expeditionary officers, 15 War Department staff observation officers, and 258 enlisted men" had 21 injured en route who did not complete the trip. Although some "were really competent drivers" by the end, the majority of soldiers were "raw recruits with little or no military training"; and except for the Motor Supply Company E commander (1st Lt Daniel H. Martin), troop officers had "meager knowledge" of "handling men in the field".

Equipment

In addition to engineer and quartermaster units; the convoy had 2 truck companies of the 433rd Motor Supply Train; a medical unit with surgeon, medical, and dental officers; and a Field Artillery Detachment which provided the Maxwell

Indianapolis Foundry

Indianapolis Foundry was a Chrysler automobile foundry in Indianapolis, Indiana. The factory opened in 1890 as the "American Foundry Company" and was purchased later in 1925 by Chrysler and operated as a subsidiary. It became part of Chrysler property in 1946 and expanded in 1964, 1978, 1988, and...

 crawler tractor  operated by a civilian. The 81 total vehicles and trailers included "34 heavy cargo trucks, 4 light delivery trucks", 2 mobile machine shops, 1 blacksmith shop, 1 wrecking truck,an "Artillery Wheeled Tractor" that towed 9 trucks at once and was equipped with a power winch. There were "2 spare parts stores, 2 water tanks, 1 gasoline tank, 1 searchlightwith electrical power plant truck, 4 kitchen trailers, 8 touring cars, 1 reconnaissance car, 2 staff observation cars, 5 sidecar motorcycles, and 4 solo motorcycles"; as well as five GMC ambulances with two ambulance trailers, a 4 ton pontoon trailer (left in Omaha) and a Renault

Renault

Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

 "Whippet" FT-17

Renault FT-17 (EST)

The Renault FT-17 was a French light tank produced from 1917. FT-17 was the first tank with an armament in a fully rotating turret, and its configuration with the turret on top, engine in the back and the driver in front became the classic one, repeated in most tanks until today; indeed so familiar...

tank lashed to a flatbed trailer. Additional vehicle manufacturers included Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

, Dodge

Dodge

Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....

, F.W.D.

Four Wheel Drive

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...

, Garford

Superior Coach Company

Superior Coach was once a school bus body and professional car manufacturer, but today it focuses on building hearses and is located in Lima in Allen County, Ohio.-History:-Garford Motor Truck Company:...

, Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...

 & Indian

Indian (motorcycle)

Indian is an American brand of motorcycles. Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the...

 (motorcycles), Liberty

Liberty truck

-History:The liberty truck was designed by the Motor Transport section of the Quartermaster Corps in cooperation with the members of the Society of Automotive Engineers....

 (trucks & a 2-wheel kitchen cart), Mack, Packard

Packard

Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...

, Riker

Andrew L. Riker

Andrew Lawrence Riker was an early automobile designer. He began experimenting with electric vehicles in 1884. He formed the Riker Electric Motor Company in 1888 to make electric motors, and a year later formed the Riker Motor Vehicle Company in Elizabeth, New Jersey...

, Standardized, Trailmobile (two 4-wheel kitchen trailers), and White

White Motor Company

White Motor Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Before World War II, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio.-History:...

.
Dealers en route supplied gasoline and tires to the convoy; and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company

Firestone Tire and Rubber Company

The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...

 provided 2 trucks (Packard & White, each 2-ton) fitted with "giant cord pneumatic" tires and that carried spare standard tires. One Firestone truck detoured to Reno, Nevada

Reno, Nevada

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

, to have a new giant tire mounted.

Operations

In the course of its journey, the convoy broke and repaired wooden bridges (14 in Wyoming), and "practically" all roadways were unpaved from Illinois through Nevada. The convoy travelled up to 32 mile per hour, and the schedule was for 18 mile per hour to average 15 mile per hour. The actual average for the 3250 mi (5,230.4 km) covered in 573.5 hours was 5.65 mile per hour over the 56 travel days for an average of 10.24 hours per travel day. Six rest days without convoy travel were at East Palestine, Ohio

East Palestine, Ohio

East Palestine is a city in Unity Township, Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, near the border with Pennsylvania. The population was 4,917 at the 2000 census....

; Chicago Heights, Illinois

Chicago Heights, Illinois

Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 31,373 at the 2005 census. Chicago Heights is nicknamed 'Crossroads of the Nation'.-History:...

; Denison, Iowa

Denison, Iowa

Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 7,339 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Denison is located at ....

; North Platte, Nebraska

North Platte, Nebraska

North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River...

; Laramie, Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....

; and Carson City, Nevada

Carson City, Nevada

The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has...

. The shortest driving periods between control points were from Council Bluffs, Iowa

Council Bluffs, Iowa

Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...

, to Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

 (2 hrs for 5 mi) and Delphos, Ohio

Delphos, Ohio

Delphos is a city in Allen and Van Wert Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It had a population of 6,944 at the 2000 census.The Allen County portion of Delphos is part of the Lima Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Van Wert County portion is part of the Van Wert Micropolitan Statistical...

, to Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...

 (6 hrs for 51 mi), while 4 days had average speeds over 9 mile per hour: E Palestine OH to Wooster OH (9 hr for 83 mi), South Bend IN to Chicago Heights Il (8¾ hr for 80 mi), Jefferson IA to Denison IA (7½ hr for 68 mi), and Anderson's Ranch NV to Ely NV (8 hr for 77 mi).

Delays

Convoy delays required extra encampments at Sewickley, Pennsylvania

Sewickley, Pennsylvania

Sewickley is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 at the 2010 census...

 (July 11/12); Gothenburg, Nebraska

Gothenburg, Nebraska

Gothenburg is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lexington, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,619 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 (August 2/3); and Ogallala, Nebraska

Ogallala, Nebraska

Ogallala is a city in Keith County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,737 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Keith County. In the days of the Nebraska Territory, the city was a stop on the Pony Express and later along the transcontinental railroad...

 (5/6); which delayed arrival at Evanston, Wyoming

Evanston, Wyoming

Evanston is a city in Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Uinta County.-Geography:Evanston is located at...

, to August 16 instead of the scheduled August 13. To the next control point, the convoy travelled 166 miles instead of the planned 88 and used extra camps at Echo, Utah

Echo, Utah

Echo is a census-designated place located in Summit County, Utah, United States. The population was 56 at the 2010 census. Although Echo has never had a sizable population, the town is historically significant.-History:...

 (17/18), and Ogden, Utah

Ogden, Utah

Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...

 (18/19); arriving at Salt Lake City on the 19th (vice the 14th). Despite travelling on the August 24 rest day, the convoy fell behind an additional day using 4 travel days instead of the 2 scheduled travel days from Orr's Ranch, Utah, through the Great Salt Lake Desert

Great Salt Lake Desert

The Great Salt Lake Desert is a large dry lake in northern Utah between the Great Salt Lake and the Nevada border which is noted for white sand from evaporite Lake Bonneville salt deposits...

 to Ely, Nevada

Ely, Nevada

Ely is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906...

; where the convoy arrived on the 24th (v. 18th). An extra travel day on "mining roads" was used between Ely and Austin, Nevada

Austin, Nevada

Austin is a small, unincorporated community located in Lander County, Nevada, in the United States. As of 2004, its population is approximately 340. It is located on the western slopes of the Toiyabe Range at an elevation of . U.S...

; where the convoy arrived on the 27th (v. 20th), 348 mi (560.1 km) short of the scheduled point for the 27th (Sacramento

Sacramento

Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...

). The convoy remained 7 days behind schedule through Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

, where it arrived September 5 at 4 pm (v. the 29th). Foregoing a rest day originally scheduled for the day after arriving in Oakland, the convoy instead ferried to San Francisco the next morning 6 days behind schedule and parked at the Presidio of San Francisco

Presidio of San Francisco

The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...

.

Results

In addition to transporting New York's Medal of Joan of Arc for San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts

Palace of Fine Arts

The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. One of only a few surviving structures from the Exposition, it is the only one still...

, the convoy had 4 objectives; and Ordnance Department and Tank Corps observers completed their reports in October.
The objectives were:

a) Encourage "construction of through-route and transcontinental highways". The Ordnance Department notes "great interest in the Good Roads Movement

Good Roads Movement

The Good Roads Movement occurred in the United States between the late 1870s and the 1920s. Advocates for improved roads led by bicyclists turned local agitation into a national political movement....

 was aroused by the passage of the Convoy".

b) Procure "recruits for … the Motor Transport Corps": enlistment through the convoy was sparse

c) Exhibit "to the public … the motor vehicle for military purposes": In the course of the journey, the convoy "passed through 350 communities, and it was estimated that more than 3,000,000 people witnessed it along the route."

d) Study & observe "the terrain and standard army vehicles": . The Tank Corps noted that "the light truck is so far superior to the heavy [which] should be confined to ... hard surfaced roads; and ... short hauls."

External links