Riders on the Storm: American Exceptionalism, Masculinity, and Frontierism in the 28th Division “Over There,” 1917-18

In 1917-18, the Pennsylvania National Guard forged a unique service career that earned them the nickname, “Pershing’s Men of Iron.” National Guard units from across Pennsylvania were organized into the 28th Division and were sent to Camp Hancock, Georgia to train for fighting “over there.” Training was dismal due to a variety of inadequate equipment including wooden machine guns, small numbers of bayonets, and very few artillery pieces. Camp Hancock’s insufficiencies were by-products of American military doctrine of the time being dominated by General John Pershing’s ideas of open warfare, aspects of American exceptionalism, and tactics of rifleman adaptability that were seen on past frontiers. Upon arrival in France, the 28th was set to train under the British 34th Division for three months, but was moved to the front at Chateau-Thierry after only twenty-seven days. Despite facing these unique circumstances and not knowing what lay before them, the men of the 28th marched onto World War I’s battlefields with unbound eagerness. This thesis examines the American Expeditionary Force’s supposed inadequacy compared to the British or French armies of 1918, through the scope of the 28th Division’s service. Furthermore, the 28th Division’s training, masculinity, and cultural ideologies provides new information to previously unexplored aspects of the historiography of the United States National Guard in World War I. Likewise, exploring the 28th in WWI highlights a more personal, troop-level look at the doughboys that is contrary to the unprepared, Allied reliant, or overly arrogant beliefs that degrade the AEF in historical narratives.