Archives West Finding Aid
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Ulysses Grant McAlexander Collection, 1883-1964
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- McAlexander, Ulysses Grant, 1864-1936
- Title
- Ulysses Grant McAlexander Collection
- Dates
- 1883-1964 (inclusive)18831964
1883-1940 (bulk)18831940 - Quantity
- 3 cubic feet
- Collection Number
- Consult repository.
- Summary
- The Ulysses Grant McAlexander Collection documents McAlexander's military activities, particularly his involvement in the Second Battle of the Marne in France in July 1918, his training at West Point and his years as commandant of cadets at Oregon Agricultural College.
- Repository
-
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu - Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Military hero known as the Rock of the Marne, McAlexander served as Commandant of Cadets at Oregon Agricultural College from 1907 to 1911 and again from 1915 to 1916.
Major-General Ulysses Grant McAlexander was born 30 August 1864 at Dundas, Minnesota and graduated from West Point in 1887. He served at Fort Meade in the Dakota Territory and Fort Custer and Fort Missoula, Montana. McAlexander fought in Cuba during the Spanish American War and served in the Phillipines from 1900 to 1907.
In 1907, he was appointed Commandant of Cadets and Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Oregon Agricultural College. He was greatly admired by the students and the 1912 Orange was dedicated to him. The armory, built in 1911, was also dedicated to him and in 1971 was renamed the McAlexander Fieldhouse.
In July 1918, Colonel McAlexander commanded the greatly outnumbered 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment against German forces at the second Battle of the Marne, for which he was promoted to Brigadier General, awarded many military honors, and became known as the "Rock of the Marne".
McAlexander retired from the Army in 1924 and chose Newport, Oregon as his home. Oregon State Agricultural College conferred an honorary doctorate upon him in 1930. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1934 Republican gubernatorial primary election. McAlexander died at his home in Portland, Oregon, on 18 September 1936 and was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Series 1 includes items from McAlexander's student days at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Series 2 pertains to World War I and the history of the 38th regiment and includes of a typed manuscript by McAlexander about the Battle of the Marne. Series 3 contains correspondence and other materials pertaining to McAlexander's service at Oregon Agricultural College and various gifts to the college. Series 4 contains several published military histories, including McAlexander's 1905 History of the Thirteenth Regiment.
Series 5 is a scrapbook that contains photographs of McAlexander, clippings, his military identification and passports, and other memorabilia. Series 6 consists of commissions, citations, certificates and awards received by McAlexander, primarily for his military service. Series 7 consists of two charcoal drawings of McAlexander, one of them made in Paris. Series 8 consists of McAlexander's military medals. Series 9 includes newspapers and magazines collected by or about McAlexander, including 16 months of The Stars and Stripes (Feb. 1918- June 1919) and a 1919 VFW newspaper titled Rock of the Marne.
Series 10 consists of military maps pertaining to the Battle of the Marne. Series 11 includes photographs of Fort Missoula, Montana (1889), the presentation of the Distinguished Service Cross to McAlexander, portraits of McAlexander, and the 38th Infantry boxing team (1942).
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Ulysses Grant McAlexander Collection, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Organized into eleven series.
Custodial History
Part of the collection was transferred to the University Archives from the former Horner Museum in July 1996. Included was a drawing and several maps of the Battle of the Marne, several published military histories, various citations and certificates, and McAlexander's West Point account ledger folio. Many artifacts donated by McAlexander or his family remain a part of the Horner Collection.
Related Materials
The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Records (RG 58) include records from McAlexander's years as Commandant of Cadets at Oregon Agricultural College. The Memorabilia Collection file on McAlexander (MC - McAlexander, Ulysses Grant) contains biographical information, a list of his commissions and citations, clippings and other articles, and a map showing the location of his grave site in the Arlington National Cemetery. Harriet's Collection #908 (U. G. McAlexander) includes photographs of a troop transport ship in Tampa, June 1898; the bronze bust of McAlexander; a Memorial Union display case with McAlexander artifacts (1939); and a painting made of McAlexander in 1918 in Paris. Photographs of McAlexander in the Military Photographic Collection (P 2) include portraits, on horseback, and with his wife.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: West Point Records, 1883-1887Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Appointment to the U.S.
Military Academy |
July 1883 |
| 1 | Account ledger
folio |
1883 |
| 1 | Civil Engineering Textbook
[partial] |
1886 |
| 1 | Map drawn while a
cadet |
1884 |
| 3 | Map drawn while a
cadet
apx 20x24 in.
|
undated |
Series II: World War I and 38th Infantry Regiment History, 1918-1939Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | "Rock of the Marne" by
Ulysses G. McAlexander typescript - 2 original copies,
1 photocopy
|
|
| 1 | List of
Casualties |
|
| 1 | Brief History of the 38th
Infantry |
|
| 1 | Historical Data on the "Rock
of the Marne" |
1918-1939 |
| 1 | Historical
Records 2 folders
|
1918-1939 |
| 3 | Copy of inscription, "Le
Rocher de la Marne," possibly used in Memorial Union exhibit
apx 20x24 in.
|
|
| 3 | "Remembering" rotogravure
section with photographs of McAlaxander. Oregon Sunday
Journal
apx 20x24 in.
|
Feb. 4, 1940 |
Series III: Correspondence, 1911-1964Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 2 | Clippings and
correspondence |
1911-1964 |
| 2 | Souvenir Program of the 146th
Anniversary of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps |
1921 |
| 2 | Correspondence Regarding
Bronze Bust and Other Gifts to Oregon State College |
1934-1937 |
Series IV: Published Volumes, 1905-1928Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 2 | Illustrated book, Zwischen
Maas und Mosel (Between the Maas and Moselle Rivers) |
ca. 1918 |
Published military
histories |
||
| Box | ||
| 2 | History of the Thirteenth
Regiment, United States Infantry, U.G. McAlexander |
1905 |
| 2 | The Story of the
Thirty-Eighth, C.E. Lovejoy |
1919 |
| 2 | History of the 18th U.S.
Infantry First Division, 1812-1919, Ben H. Chastaine |
1919 |
| 2 | "Rock of the Marne: A
Narration of the Military Exploits of Gen. Ulysses Grant McAlexander at the
Second Battle of the Marne", compiled and edited by Frank M.
Fretwell |
|
| 2 | A Guide to the Military
History of the World War, 1914-1918, Thomas G. Frothingham |
1921 |
| 2 | Rank and File: True
Stories of the Great War, Theodore Roosevelt |
1928 |
Series V: ScrapbookReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 7 | Scrapbook and loose items -
photographs, clippings, documents
apx 12x17 in.
|
ca. 1910-1940 |
Series VI: Commissions, honors, citations and certificates, 1887-1931Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 3 | Diploma, U.S. Military
Academy
apx 20x24 in.
|
11 June 1887 |
| 3 | Commission as 2nd Lieutenant,
25th Regiment of Infantry
apx 20x24 in.
|
23 January 1888 |
| 3 | Certificate admitting to
practice of law in Montana
apx 20x24 in.
|
2 June 1891 |
| 3 | Commission as 1st Lieutenant
of Infantry
apx 20x24 in.
|
23 August 1894 |
| 3 | Commission as Assistant
Quartermaster of Volunteers, with the rank of Captain
apx 20x24 in.
|
23 May 1898 |
| 3 | Commission as Captain of
Infantry
apx 20x24 in.
|
13 April 1899 |
| 3 | Commission as Captain of
Infantry
apx 20x24 in.
|
26 December 1899 |
| 3 | Companion of the First Class
of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
apx 20x24 in.
|
31 August 1904 |
| 3 | Certificate of completion,
U.S. Army War College
apx 20x24 in.
|
1906-1907 |
| 3 | Commission as Major of
Infantry
apx 20x24 in.
|
2 February 1911 |
| 3 | Commission as Lieutenant
Colonel of Infantry
apx 20x24 in.
|
27 July 1916 |
| 3 | Commission as Colonel of
Infantry
apx 20x24 in.
|
12 June 1917 |
| 3 | Citation, Distinguished
Service Cross, U.S. Army
apx 20x24 in.
|
7 December 1918 |
| 3 | Citation for distinguished
and exceptional gallantry, U.S. Army
apx 20x24 in.
|
27 March 1919 |
| 3 | La Croce al Merito di Guerra,
by the Italian government
apx 20x24 in.
|
14 April 1919 |
| 3 | Citation à l'Ordre de l'Armée
for exceptional courage at Jaulgonne, France (Battle of the Marne)
apx 20x24 in.
|
8 May 1919 |
| 3 | La Décoration d'Officer de
l'Ordre National de la Légion d'honneur, Republic of France
apx 20x24 in.
|
29 May 1919 |
| 3 | Accolade of the New chivalry
of Humanity for service "with honor in the World War and was wounded in
action," United States
apx 20x24 in.
|
ca. 1919 |
| 3 | Certificate of completion,
General Staff College
apx 20x24 in.
|
1920 |
| 3 | Commission as Brigadier
General
apx 20x24 in.
|
16 July 1920 |
| 3 | Commission as Brigadier
General
apx 20x24 in.
|
27 April 1921 |
| 3 | Croix de Guerre, Republic of
France
apx 20x24 in.
|
12 April 1924 |
| 3 | Commission as Major
General
apx 20x24 in.
|
21 July 1924 |
| 3 | Distinguished Service Medal
for Exceptionally Meritorious and Distinguished Services
apx 20x24 in.
|
10 November 1925 |
| 3 | Distinguished Service Cross
for Extraordinary Heroism
apx 20x24 in.
|
14 November 1925 |
| 3 | Silver Star for gallantry in
action against Spanish forces at Santiago, Cuba in July 1898
apx 20x24 in.
|
12 April 1927 |
| 3 | Honorary Doctor of Laws
degree, Oregon State Agricultural College
apx 20x24 in.
|
2 June 1930 |
| 3 | Silver Beaver Award, Boy
Scouts of America
apx 20x24 in.
|
28 November 1931 |
Series VII: Drawings, 1919 and undatedReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 3 | Charcoal sketch of
McAlexander made in Paris
apx 20x24 in.
|
1919 |
| 4 | Charcoal drawing of
McAlexander
apx 23x31 in.
|
Series IX: Newspapers and Magazines, 1911-1919Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 3 | Bound volume of The Stars and
Stripes, printed in France
apx 20x24 in.
|
Feb. 8, 1918 to June 13, 1919 |
| Map Case | ||
| * | Telegram Magazine, with cover
article "Major U.G. McAlexander, USA, Commandant of the OAC Cadet Corps
|
8 April 1911 |
| * | Rock of the Marne newspaper
issued by VFW Post no. 138 |
17 May 1919, 31 May 1919 & 21 June 1919 |
Series X: Military Maps, 1918 and undatedReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 4 | Hand colored map of the
Second Battle of the Marne, by Robinson Murray [verified by McAlexander in 1920
and 1922]
apx 23x31 in.
|
ca. 1918 |
| 4 | Locations of U.S. forces at
the Second Battle of the Marne [5 photostatic copies]
apx 23x31 in.
|
|
| roll-box | ||
| 5 | Three aerial photos of the
Marne River region |
ca. 1918 |
| 5 | Photos of German battle maps
[2 maps] |
|
| 5 | French and American telephone
lines in the Marne area |
ca. June 1918 |
| 5 | French battle maps, June 1918
[2 maps] |
|
| 5 | Topographical markings near
the Marne River |
ca. 1918 |
| 5 | Troop movements? |
ca. 1918 |
| Map Case | ||
| * | Map showing boundaries of the
1st and 2nd armies |
29 Aug. - 11 Nov. 1918 |
Series XI: Photographs, 1889-1942Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | |||
| 8 | Fort Missoula, Montana,
Battalion, 25th Infantry |
ca. 1889 | |
| 8 | Officers quarters, Fort
Missoula, Montana, winter |
ca. 1889 | |
| 8 | Presentation of Distinguished
Service Cross to McAlexander 6 photos
|
||
| 8 | Portrait photo 2 originals and 2 copies of the
same
|
||
| Box | |||
| 8 | 9 | Map of the Battle of the
Marne [print and nitrate negative] |
|
| 8 | 38th Infantry Boxing
Team 2 photos
|
1942 | |
| 8 | Award presentation,
boxing |
||
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Marne, 2nd Battle of the, France, 1918.
- Military history, Modern--20th century.
- World War, 1914-1918--Campaigns--France.
- World War, 1914-1918--History.
Corporate Names
- Oregon Agricultural College. Cadet Corps.
- United States Military Academy.
- United States. Infantry. 38th Regiment--History.
Geographical Names
- Fort Missoula (Mont.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Awards.
- Military commissions.
- Military maps.
- Photographs.
- Scrapbooks.
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Chastaine, Ben-Hur. (creator)
- Fretwell, Frank M. (creator)
- Lovejoy, Clarence E. (Clarence Earle), 1894-1974. (creator)
- Roosevelt, Theodore, 1887-1944. (creator)
