Madison
County Genealogical Society
Minutes of the Meeting - November 13, 2014
The November 2014 meeting of the
Madison County Genealogical Society was held at the Edwardsville Public Library
on Thursday, November 13, at 7:00 pm.
President, Robert Ridenour, called the
meeting to order.
GIFT
MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE
Do you have a family member that is
interested in (or even obsessed with) genealogy? A membership in the Madison
County Genealogical Society would be a very thoughtful gift. A gift card will
be sent to the recipient of any gift membership.
The following memberships are available:
Individual/Family Annual Membership $20.00
Patron Annual Membership $30.00
Life Membership $250.00
Contact our Secretary, Petie Hunter, at petie8135@att.net,
about a gift membership.
November
Meeting
On November 13, 2014, Tom Emery, a
free-lance author and prolific speaker from Carlinville, Illinois, presented a
program titled, Howard
Knotts: Ace of the Prairie, based on his booklet of the same name.
Mr. Emery discussed World War I as it affected the United States, Illinois, and
Howard Knotts.
Howard Knotts was born August 25, 1895, in Girard, Illinois. His father,
Edward, was state's attorney and mayor of Girard. President Woodrow Wilson
later appointed Edward Knotts U. S. District Attorney. He served in this
capacity from 1914 to 1922. Howard was following in his father's footsteps when
he enrolled in Harvard Law School in 1917.
The breakout of World War I came as no surprise to Europeans. Incidents and minor
wars had been occurring for about 50 years prior to the assassination of
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria by a Serbian dissident on June 28, 1914. The
assassination was only a flashpoint. Within a month, almost all the nations of
Europe were at war, fulfilling their previous alliances.
America maintained an isolationist policy. Woodrow Wilson won election to a
second term running on the slogan, He Kept Us Out Of War. However, the
isolationist policy started to crumble, especially after the sinking of the
Lusitania on May 7, 1915 1,201 passengers died, 120 of them Americans,
including Alfred Vanderbilt. This caused increased calls for American
involvement in the war. The Germans claimed that merchant ships were valid
targets and the Lusitania was, in fact, carrying some armaments. The Germans
also said that all Allied ships in the war zone were going to be attacked on
sight. Germany formally apologized for the sinking of the Lusitania; but the
German press was elated by the sinking. The German nation eventually issued a
medallion in honor of the Lusitania sinking.
One of the reasons there was an outcry for American involvement was a financial
issue. America had huge loans outstanding to the Allied powers; and, if they
were to lose the war in Europe, America would never be able to collect their
money. Another issue was Germany's Unrestricted Submarine Warfare. This policy
was suspended after the sinking of the Lusitania, but it was reinstated in
early 1917. There was also the offer by Germany to subsidize Mexico's entry
into the war against the United States. After victory, Mexico would be able to
regain the territory lost to the U.S. in the Mexican War of 1846-48. This was
the last straw! America charged into the war although badly unprepared.
Some American troops landed in England on June 7, 1917 the first American
troops in Europe in combat. It was almost a year before America could get
everything together and join the war effort in full. America ended up
mobilizing 4.3 million troops — a significant number for such a short time.
American casualties totaled 50,000 killed and 230,000 wounded. These losses
were almost insignificant when compared to European losses, Troops killed:
Russia 1.8 million, Germany 2 million, France 1.4 million, UK 900,000, Austria-Hungary
1 million. Civilian deaths: Russia 2 million, Turkey 2 million, Germany
700,000. It has been estimated that worldwide, between 8.5 and 10 million were
killed in combat and 20 million wounded.
Howard Knotts was very enthusiastic about joining the Army. His father told him
to go ahead. Howard wanted to fly — to join the Air Corps. He was initially
rejected for some minor physical problem. After three months treatment and
conditioning, he was finally admitted to the Aviation Section of the United States
Signal Corps on July 31, 1917. He seemed to enjoy camp life. He wrote his
mother: "There is a certain something you cannot explain that just makes
you like it."
He was sent to Toronto for training with the Royal Flying Corps in November
1917. In February 1918, he was promoted to second lieutenant and assigned to
the 182nd Aero Squadron. On May 2, 1918, Knotts was shipped to France. Howard
flew a Sopwith Camel, one of the legendary World War I fighter aircraft. The
plane weighed 1,524 pounds loaded, was powered by a 130 horsepower Clerget
rotary engine and could reach 113 miles per hour at 10,000 feet. Because of its
design, the Sopwith Camel was more maneuverable than anything flown by its
opponents. The pilot's feet touched the firewall and his back was against the
fuel tank; the plane was not designed for comfort or safety.
In the spring of 1917, patriotism was sweeping across the state and nation.
Most of the Illinoisans were well behind the war effort. In Illinois, over
319,000 immigrants were from Germany and over 163,000 were from Austria. There
were almost 400,000 first- and second-generation German immigrants in Chicago
at the time. This made Chicago the sixth largest German city in the world.
The German newspapers in Chicago were very vocal on the subject of the war. One
warned against the U.S. entry into the war because it would cause "a
European holocaust and a war of the races in the United States."
Twenty-four leading German-Americans from Chicago went to Washington to try to
talk President Wilson out of entering the war. One Illinois congressman spoke
out against the war, calling it a dollar war for money and territory. Fifty
congressmen voted against the declaration of war, five of whom were from
Illinois. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical labor union, was
against the war and many members were arrested in Rockford and Chicago for
anti-war subversive activities.
There was a fair amount of anti-war sentiment, but not only were most
Illinoisans adamant for the war, most German-Americans in Illinois were also.
When Illinois mobilized in the spring of 1917, a total of 314,504 men from
Illinois served; 46.6% of them were volunteers. Only two states, New York and
Pennsylvania, had more enlistments. One out of every twelve men in the Army was
an Illinois man. Seventy-eight men from Illinois earned the Medal of Honor; 350
received the Distinguished Service Cross.
The entry into the war occurred at a time of great labor unrest in Illinois.
The governor of Illinois at the time, Frank Lowden, said, "This war can be
won by neither labor or capital alone. Gentlemen, you've got to work
together." The war effort in Illinois has been called "uninterrupted
industrial peace." People actually joined forces for the war effort.
Washington said, "Food will win the war." Illinois farmers responded ‑
they cranked up the production of wheat, barley, and rye. In 1917, it was
estimated that Illinois grew the largest crop ever grown by any state; in 1918,
they grew the most valuable crop grown by any state.
But not everything was perfect. Germans were harassed during the war, e.g.,
Germans were fired based on their last name. Many Germans began distancing
themselves from their heritage. Few would claim their nationality on various
records. Music by the German masters Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and
Wagner was banned from being played in public. It was urged that the teaching
of the German language in public schools be banned. German Shepherds became
Alsatians; wieners and sauerkraut became liberty sausages and liberty cabbage.
Howard Knotts dived right in. On August 14, 1918, he was assigned to the 17th
Aero Squadron, part of the 13th Wing of the Royal Air Force. He wrote his
mother, "I do mean to get me a nice, big fat Hun for my birthday." In
his first combat, on August 21, he is wounded by a shot through the nose. He
wrote his mother, "You know my old nose was crooked anyway."
Four days later, on August 25, his 23rd birthday, Howard shot down his first
plane. On September 13, he shot down another enemy aircraft. He shot down
planes on September 16, 17, 22, and 24. He had shot down six planes in the span
of a month. Only five were required to be called an ace; Knotts had one to
spare. There were 63 American aces in the war. Knotts was the second youngest.
Only five of the sixty-three were from Illinois and Knotts is the only one from
downstate.
On October 14, Knotts took off on patrol, but within minutes, machine gun fire
damaged the engine of his Sopwith Camel, and he was "forced to land in
Hunland." He chose to land in a zone of concentrated artillery fire so his
plane would be damaged beyond further use. Knotts was captured later that day
and marched deeper into German territory over 13 hours, barefoot. They had
taken his boots. His feet were damaged to the point he developed blood
poisoning. After an interrogation and a couple hours sleep, he was forced to
march another 10 or so hours, on almost no food. His feet were in a frightful
condition. Finally, he and some other prisoners were loaded onto flatcars,
along with crates carrying Fokker D. VII planes and parts. According to some
reports, seven of the Fokkers were destroyed by fire. Others say that Knotts
climbed into the cockpits of three of the Fokkers and broke a main strut brace
in each of the planes, making them unfit for service.
Knotts was taken to a prison camp in Belgium, escaped, was recaptured, and then
taken back to the prison camp. He was one of 1,500 prisoners moved to the
basement of an old tannery. This was a very unsanitary place and a great
majority of the prisoners became ill. Knotts' foot developed gangrene, leaving
him unable to walk. Knotts was released on November 15, 1918, four days after
the armistice was signed, 120 kilometers from the allied lines. He and five
British officers begged to stay in the barn of a chateau near where they were
released. He was nursed back to health by the chateau owner's wife. After three
weeks, the British officers were recovered sufficiently to rejoin the Allied
forces, now only 50 kilometers away. Knotts was still unable to walk any great
distance and had to remain at the chateau. The chateau's gardener was sent to
the American forces and a car was sent for Knotts, who reported to his army on
December 9.
Knotts spent six weeks in a hospital and was released to the United States on
January 26, 1919. He ended his eighteen months of service as one of the most
decorated American fliers. Twice cited by Commanding General Pershing for
gallantry and exceptional bravery, Knotts earned the Silver Star and
Distinguished Service Cross from the American government, as well as the
British Distinguished Flying Cross.
Knotts returned to Springfield on March 27, 1919, to a hero's welcome. On June
24, the city of Springfield held a homecoming celebration for Sangamon County's
returning fighters of World War I. Some 2,500 to 3,000 troops of the
"great war" marched in a parade. They were joined by veterans of the
Civil War and Spanish-American War, as well as the Mexican border conflicts. At
the head of this procession was Howard Knotts.
Knotts graduated from Harvard Law School and married the daughter of an
Illinois Congressman, John Sterling, from Bloomington. However, the mothers of
the bride and groom each thought their child was too good for the other and barely
spoke to one another.
Knotts became an aviation expert. He helped found the Illinois State Air
Association in 1921 to "convince the public that flying in its present
advanced state is as safe as motoring." Knotts co-wrote the Illinois
Aeronautics Act, one of the earliest pieces of Illinois air law. He was a top
staffer in the Federal Bureau of Air Commerce, which became the Federal
Aviation Administration. He also edited the Journal of Air Law, published by
Northwestern University law school. Knotts became friends with some of the top
early aviators, e.g., Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart.
By 1942, Knotts was struggling with heart problems brought on by health
concerns from the war. In mid November, he was confined to his home. On
November 23, he suffered a second attack and died shortly before noon. Burial
was in Oak Ridge Cemetery. Howard Knotts was inducted into the Illinois
Aviation Hall of Fame in 1993. A longtime Knotts researcher, Malden Jones,
stated that Howard Knotts, the ace of the central Illinois prairie, was
"100 percent hero."
This presentation, which was
cosponsored by the Edwardsville Public Library, was very well attended, very
well received, and produced several questions and comments from the audience.