Augustus Grunewald Papers

Augustus Grunewald Papers, 1914-1930

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Grunewald, Augustus H. (Augustus Henry), 1893-1956.
Title: Augustus Grunewald Papers
Dates: 1914-1930 (inclusive)
19141930
Quantity: 1.75 Linear feet of shelf space, (4 Boxes)
Collection Number: Cage 935 (collection)
Summary: Letters, photographs, and military documents from Augustus Grunewald, an artillery office who served in France and Germany during World War I.
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English; French; German

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Augustus Henry Grunewald Jr. lived from Feb. 27, 1893 to July 10, 1956. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1915, with a B.S. in Agriculture. He married Frances Alcetta Nichol (1892-1984) ca. 1920 or so.

After enlisting in the army, he was stationed at Fort Sheridan, in Illinois. He arrived in France in Sept. 1917, and received training at the Ecole d’Artillerie at Fontainebleau, France from September to November, and at the Saumur Artillery School through the month of December. In January of 1918 he was assigned to the 150th Field Artillery, 42nd Division.

From Feb. 21 to June 21, 1918, the 42nd division was at the Lorraine front. It was then moved to the Champagne front, notably fighting in General Gourard’s army July 14-18 as part of the Champagne-Marne battles. Over the remainder of the war it participated in the Aisne-Marne, the battle of Saint-Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne offensive. After the German surrender, the unit garrisoned German towns; Grunewald was assigned to act as a Civil Affairs office.

In early March of 1919 Grunewald was assigned to the American School Detachment in England, and arrived at Cambridge on March 18th, where he attended Sidney Sussex College. In June he traveled to Liverpool and apparently boarded the transport Louisville on June 24th to return to the United States. In July, traveling via Camp Dix, NJ and Camp Grant, Ill, he mustered out as a 1st Lieutenant.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of personal and military documents and photographs collected or created by Augustus Grunewald, primarily during his time as an artillery officer in France, Germany, and England during World War I. Some military material from his training and mustering out in the United States is included, as are a very few documents from before and after the war.

Notable in the collection is an extensive quantity of artillery training documents, a series of photographs from the front in France and Germany, and documents and newspapers from his participation in the American Soldier-Student program, wherein he attended courses during spring of 1919.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Augustus Grunewald Papers, 1914-1930 (Cage 935)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is broken up into several different series. Series one is Correspondence and Documents, which is broken into four subseries. Within each subseries, items are ordered primarily chronologically, though in some cases (noted as “with envelope”) the materials came as a set in an envelope, and those materials were placed in their own folder so as to retain Grunewald’s original ordering. Maintaining that system slightly disrupted the chronological order in some places.

The subseries within Correspondence and Documents are Financial documents; Military documents; and Personal correspondence. A small amount of Post-war materials make up a final subseries.

The second series is Maps, consisting of maps from Augustus’s time in Europe, organized alphabetically. Maps labeled as “Groupe de canevas de tir” are maps intended for use by military artillery officers.

The third series consists of approximately 475 photographs, and these are ordered primarily chronologically. The majority of the photographs are 2”x2.5”, though those in folder 43 (France) are 2.25”x3.5.” As not all photographs are labeled, the photos are retained in their original ordering (and labeling), and with the envelopes Grunewald had kept them in. One folder of untitled and unlabeled photographs is the final folder. Additionally, one oversized photograph is stored separately, in a folder placed atop the other materials.

Series four is Publications, consisting primarily of training documents issued to Grunewald in France. It should be noted that folder 10, in the Correspondence and Documents series, also includes a large quantity of smaller training documents. Also included at the end of series four is a small set of newspapers he brought home, some personal notebooks from his training, and his artillery protractor.

The collection includes a documents belt pouch carried by Grunewald at the front. In order to retain its full artifactual value, it and the individual items found in it are retained together as the final series in the collection.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Augustus Grunewald were transferred to the Washington State University Libraries’ Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections on December 16, 2019 by his grandson Richard Grunewald, a WSU employee. He transferred the papers to WSU History professor Raymond Sun a few months earlier, and Sun in turn transferred them to MASC, where they were accessioned as MS2019-22.

Processing Note

This collection was processed by Mark O’English. Some duplicate military orders were discarded during processing, as were a dozen or so newspapers.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1: Correspondence and Documents.Return to Top

Container(s)		Description
		Subseries 1.1: Financial Documents.
Box	Folder
1	1	October 1917 - November 1917.
1	2	With envelope. Dec. 1917 - May 1918.
1	3	With envelope. March 1918 - June 1918.
1	4	With envelope. May 1918 - October 1918.
1	5	November 1918 - May 1919.
1	6	With envelope. January 1919 - April 1919.
1	7	With envelope. March 1919 - April 1919.
		Subseries 1.2: Military Documents.
Box	Folder
1	8	Fort Sheridan, Ill. June 1917 - August 1917.
1	9	Ecole d'Artillerie, Fontainebleau, France. Sept. 1917 - Nov. 1917.
1	10	Training documents. Ecole d'Artillerie, Fontainebleau, France. Sept. 1917 - Nov. 1917.
1	11	Saumur. Dec. 1917.
1	12	France and Germany. Jan. 1918 - March 1919.
1	13	England. March 1919 - June 1919.
1	14	Camp Dix, NJ. July 1919.
1	15	Forms, blank and undated.
1	16	Identity Card.
		Subseries 1.3: Personal Correspondence, from Augustus Grunewald to Family.
Box	Folder
1	17	With envelope. Sept. 1917.
1	18	Newspaper clipping of printed letters. Pasadena Star-News. March 2, 1918.
1	19	May 1918 - July 1918.
1	20	August 1918 - September 1918.
1	21	October 1918 - November 1918.
1	22	January 1919 - February 1919.
		Subseries 1.4: Post-War Materials.
Box	Folder
1	23	Travel brochure: Europe 1930, Wark European Tours.
1	24	Postcard, mother to Augustus Grunewald. 1928.
1	25	Tourist Map of Europe. The Cunard and Anchor Lines. 25"x28"

Series 2: Maps.Return to Top

Container(s)		Description
Box	Folder
1	26	42nd Divisional Area. Comprising Kreis Ahrweiler, Germany. Lithographed by the 117th Engineers. 21"x27"
1	27	Argonne. Groupe des canevas de tir. Printed at Base Printing Plant, 29th Engineers, U.S. Army. 1918. 30"x21"
1	28	Aufstellung des Abschnitts. M.G. Hand-drawn map. 16"x13"
1	29	Buzancy. 60. Groupe des canevas de tir. Tirage du 8 Avril 1918. 3eme Edition. 42"x30"
1	30	Chalons. No. 17. Carte de France et des frontieres. Printed at Base Printing Plant, 29th Engineers, U.S. Army. 1918. 20"x27"
1	31	Chambley. XXXIII-13. 5-6. Groupe des canevas de tir. Tirage du 12 Mars 1918. 25"x30"
1	32	Ewringen [Luxemburg]. Karte des Deutschen Reiches. 29"x35"
1	33	Europe. 11"x15"
1	34	Longwy. No. 11. Carte de France et des frontieres. Printed at Base Printing Plant, 29th Engineers, U.S. Army. 1918. 21"x28"
1	35	Nouvelle Carte de France. Belgique, Bords du Rhin, Suisse, etc. A Taride, editeur. Mounted on canvas. 34"x37"
1	36	Nouvelle Carte de France. Belgique, Bords du Rhin, Suisse, etc. A Taride, editeur. 34"x37"
1	37	The Rhineland, rich in castles and legends, now occupied by Americans. New York Times, Jan. 5, 1919. 17"x11"
1	38	Sketch map indicating wire. Region Landres et St. Georges and Cote de Chatillon. 17" x14"
1	39	Spalding's Map of Cambridge. 1918. 28"x22"
1	40	Spezialkarte der Mittleren Westfront. Felmmings Kriegskarte Nr. 29. 27"x34"
1	41	Vauqois (Verdun 5). 215. Groupe des canevas de tir. Tirage du 2 Decembre 1916. 2me Edition. 42"x29"

Series 3: Photographs.Return to Top

Container(s)		Description
Box	Folder
2	42	Augustus Grunewald Jr. 2 images.
2	43	France, 1917-1918. Identified locations and dates include Fontainebleu, Champagne (7-15-1918), Mourmelon (7-16), Chateau Thierry (7-24), Epieds (7-25), Beurardelle (7-28/29), Chiry (8-7), Bassoncourt, Meuvy, Haillainville, Baccarat, Brouville, and Reher
2	44	Saumur; Camp Coequidars. 37 images.
2	45	To Lorraine front, Feb. 1918; Lorraine front: B Battalion; Gelacourt. 14 images.
o.s.	46	Landres et St. Georges. Oct. 29, 1918 11:30AM. 302.3-287.7. 4500m.,50cm. USSAC-995q. G325. 1 aerial photograph depicting battlefield, including handwritten notes identifying trenches, barbed wire, a machine gun emplacement, and connected shell holes. 11"
2	47	Neuenhar; NAHR environs; Civil Affairs Court; Tractors Las Rr. 26 images.
2	48	Germans. 3 3.5"x5.5" postcards.
2	49	Untitled. Likely Feb.-Apr. 1919. 54 images.
2	50	Brest; Cap Finisterre. March 1919. 20 images, plus negatives.
2	51	To England; York; Liverpool. March 1919. 31 images.
2	52	London; Cambridge; Cambridge, Beckett; Oxford, Warwick, Albion Arms. March-June 1919. 52 images.
2	53	In Scotland; Edinburgh; Loch Ness; U.S. Naval base in Inverness. April 1919. 34 images.
2	54	Untitled. No dates or labels. Approx. 90 images.
		Series 4: Publications.
Box	Folder
2	55	Aerial Observation for Artillery. 1918.
2	56	Artillery Firing. No. 990. 1918.
2	57	Ballistics. 1917. (Field Artillery School of Instruction, Saumur)
2	58	Dispersion with Notes on the Rules of fire. 1917. (Ecole Militaire de 'Artillerie)
2	59	Field-fortification. Effects of gun projectiles. Protection of artillery. 1917. (Ecole Militaire de 'Artillerie)
3	60	Firing Tables. 155mm Schneider Howitzer. Model 1917. No. 69. 1918.
3	61	Goniometre boussole de batterie. Aiming Circle. No. 732. Undated.
3	62	Instructions for the Employment of Aerial Observation in Liaison with the Artillery. No. 80. 1917.
3	63	Laird & Lee's Vest-pocket Littre-Webster Dictionary. English-French and French-English. 1899.
3	64	Lecture on Aviation. 1917. (Field Artillery School of Instruction, Saumur)
3	65	Lecture on the Probability and Dispersion of Fire. 1917.
3	66	Manual for the Artillery Orientation Officer. No. 684. 1917.
3	67	Soldiers and Sailors Handbook. 1917.
3	68	Scrapbook of Mexican Trouble, 1914.
3	69	The Technique of Liaison in Battle. No. 639. 1917.
3	70	Topographical Instruments for Battery; Topographical Surveying. 1917. (Ecole Militaire de 'Artillerie)
3	71	Use of the Plan directeur; Preparation of fire; B.C. Data books. [1917]. (Ecole Militaire de 'Artillerie)
3	72	Vade-Mecum. For the Use of Officers and Interpreters in the Present Campaign. 1917.
3	73	Newspaper. L'Abeille de Fontainebleau. Vol. 83, no. 47. 1917-11-23.
3	74	Newspapers. The American Soldier-Student. Issues 1-6. 1919-05-14 to 1919-06-18.
3	75	Personal Notebook. Bilateral Observation; Telephony.
3	76	Personal Notebook. Lateral Observation; 75mm gun.
3	77	Personal Notebook. Elementary Gunnery.
3	78	Artillery protractor.

Series 5: Belt Pouch and contents.Return to Top

Container(s)		Description
Box	Folder
3	79	Belt pouch.
3	80	Signal book. United States Army. 1916.
3	81	Field Message Book, U.S. Army. Undated.
3	82	Artillery protractor (broken).
3	83	Map holder. Carte Taride, No. 6 bis. (no map).

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

World War, 1914-1918.

Personal Names

Grunewald, Augustus H. (Augustus Henry), 1893-1956 -- Records and correspondence.

Corporate Names

United States. Army. Field Artillery Regiment, 150th -- History.
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 42nd -- History.

Archives West Finding Aid

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