Popular in Arts and Humanities

Arts and Humanities

Titus Quinctius Flamininus’ “Italian triumph”

McGill University Michael Fronda

Arts and Humanities

Lincoln and the Jews

Brandeis University Jonathan Sarna

Arts and Humanities

Amputations and Convalescence

University of Western Australia Emily Brink

Art

Drawing on the past: Palladio, his precursors and knowledge of ancient architecture

University of Birmingham David Hemsoll

Art

Language, Sound, and Image in Wallace Berman’s Aleph, 1956–1966

University of San Diego Chelsea Behle Fralick

Arts and Humanities

Early Modern Natural Law Theories

University of Copenhagen Knud Haakonssen

The Gas and Flame Men

View more insights in Arts and Humanities - Books - Literature

View more figures from Independent Scholar

View the page of Jim Leeke

Read the Study

Next in Arts and Humanities

Casualties of War? Refining the Civilian-Military Dichotomy in World War I

Eric Grube | Boston College

Not in My Backyard

Brian Balogh | University of Virginia

The Gas and Flame Men is the first full account of Major League ballplayers who served in the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I. Jim Leeke discusses

Image courtesy of interviewee. March 19, 2024

Log-in or Sign-up to Faculti
Currently viewing this subject insight as a guest. You have insight(s) remaining for this month. Login to view 8000+ figures on the platform.

Generating Workspace...

Export as PDF

The speaker discusses their motivation for writing a book that explores the connection between baseball players and their service in the U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Service during World War I. They note their past work on the intersection of sports and the military, particularly baseball, and highlight that many Hall of Famers served in the Chemical Warfare Service, although the U.S. Army was initially unprepared for chemical warfare.

The Chemical Warfare Service was established in May 1918, and its director, Major General William Seabert, had a background in engineering rather than chemistry. The first unit recruiting happened in late 1917 with the 30th engineers. The speaker conveys that while the Army was looking for diverse skills, baseball players were not specifically recruited, though some enlisted due to their other skills.

Key Hall of Famers, like Gabby Street and Christy Mathewson, served in various capacities, with Street seeing combat and being wounded. The narrative clarifies misconceptions about the impact of their military service, particularly regarding Mathewson’s death, which is commonly attributed to poison gas exposure but was due to tuberculosis.

The speaker wants readers to gain a realistic understanding of these athletes' service, the complexities surrounding Mathewson's death, and the lasting effects of military service on veterans. They emphasize the importance of public awareness regarding military service and its implications. The discussion reflects on how the realities of military service continue to resonate today, despite the historical context.

Language:

Export as PDF

Export as PDF
Here are some articles and topics that are similar to the video you , focusing on the intersection of sports history, military service, and the experiences of athletes during key historical events:

1. **"Baseball and the Civil War: The Game’s Role in Military Life"** - This article explores how baseball served as a pastime for soldiers during the Civil War, analyzing its impact on troop morale and entertainment.

2. **"Athletes in Uniform: The Stories of Sports Stars Who Served in WWII"** - This piece highlights famous athletes who served in the military during World War II, detailing their contributions and experiences while in service.

3. **"The Impact of Military Service on Professional Athletes: A Historical Perspective"** - This article delves into the historical relationships between athletes and military service, examining how the experiences affected their careers and lives post-service.

4. **"Sports and Combat: The Connection Between Athletic Training and Military Preparedness"** - An exploration of how the skills acquired in sports translate to military effectiveness, including examples from various sports and military branches.

5. **"Hall of Famers in Service: The Untold Stories of Baseball Greats During WWI"** - This article specifically looks at the life stories of major league baseball players who served in the military during World War I, emphasizing their dual roles as athletes and soldiers.

6. **"From the Diamond to the Battlefield: Baseball Players in the First World War"** - An in-depth examination of how baseball players were part of the military narrative during World War I, including their contributions and sacrifices.

7. **"The Legacy of Chemical Warfare and its Impact on Veterans"** - This article discusses the historical convideo of chemical warfare, its implications for servicemen, and how it has shaped veterans' issues in contemporary society.

8. **"Sporting Heroes or War Heroes? Exploring the Dual Identities of Athletes Who Served"** - This research paper investigates the dual identity of athletes who also served in the military, looking at societal perceptions and the impact of their service.

These articles share themes related to sports history, military service, and the experiences of athletes who have served their country, similar to the insights in the video you shared.

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:00.665 --> 00:01.665
I came to write this book

00:01.665 --> 00:06.385
because, in earlier works, I often came across,

00:06.685 --> 00:10.465
references to the US Army Chemical Warfare Service.

00:11.215 --> 00:15.705
I've written quite a bit on the intersection of sports,

00:15.705 --> 00:20.385
particularly baseball and the military during World War I,

00:21.165 --> 00:24.825
and, and I knew that a number of, members of the

00:25.865 --> 00:27.105
American National Baseball Hall

00:27.105 --> 00:29.625
of Fame served in the chemical warfare service,

00:30.325 --> 00:32.665
and I didn't really have a good sense

00:32.725 --> 00:33.945
of how that came about.

00:35.055 --> 00:37.595
The United States Army wasn't remotely prepared

00:37.615 --> 00:42.595
for chemical warfare, which had begun in 1915 with,

00:42.775 --> 00:46.035
the first large scale attack by the German army.

00:46.895 --> 00:50.355
Uh, England and France very quickly caught up.

00:51.345 --> 00:55.435
When the Americans joined the, the war in April, 1917.

00:56.215 --> 00:58.835
Uh, we weren't remotely ready.

01:02.065 --> 01:05.165
It it, it's interesting that the United States Army

01:06.525 --> 01:10.785
wasn't the, the lead in research in the chemical warfare,

01:11.405 --> 01:13.225
very early in the war and even

01:13.225 --> 01:17.105
before the war, it was the, United States,

01:17.105 --> 01:19.945
department of the Interior that was actually,

01:19.945 --> 01:20.985
leading the research.

01:21.485 --> 01:26.145
Uh, specifically the Bureau of Mines, a a Dr. Manning.

01:26.145 --> 01:29.705
There was very foresighted offered their services and,

01:29.705 --> 01:31.025
and the government accepted.

01:32.405 --> 01:36.825
So he, he accumulated hundreds of scientists to start the,

01:36.885 --> 01:39.665
initial research and preparations.

01:40.405 --> 01:44.265
Uh, the Chemical Warfare service was formed as part

01:44.265 --> 01:48.745
of the army, the United States Army in May, 1918,

01:50.145 --> 01:53.475
both for offensive and defensive operations.

01:54.575 --> 01:59.555
Um, the director of the Chemical Warfare Service was,

01:59.615 --> 02:02.355
major General William William Seabert.

02:02.935 --> 02:05.035
Uh, he was not a chemist.

02:05.495 --> 02:06.755
Uh, he was an engineer

02:07.175 --> 02:10.235
who earlier had worked on the Panama Canal

02:10.695 --> 02:13.195
and on construction, constructing various,

02:13.495 --> 02:15.195
American harbors.

02:15.775 --> 02:17.995
Uh, when the war began, he went overseas

02:18.095 --> 02:22.355
and was the commander of the, American First Division,

02:22.415 --> 02:24.875
the big red one, and then was called back

02:25.055 --> 02:27.395
and put in charge of the chemical warfare service.

02:28.795 --> 02:31.375
The first actual, unit

02:32.515 --> 02:37.295
was recruited in late 1917 as the 30th engineers.

02:37.435 --> 02:40.135
For the most part, chemical warfare,

02:40.355 --> 02:42.615
was under the engineers, at least in the, in the Army.

02:43.275 --> 02:48.105
Uh, the 30th engineers were very, active in recruiting.

02:48.105 --> 02:50.105
There was a huge newspaper campaign,

02:50.105 --> 02:53.705
something like 250 American newspapers carried articles,

02:53.885 --> 02:55.545
and, and were recruited.

02:56.015 --> 02:58.385
They went to France early in

02:58.625 --> 03:02.245
1918, and were the only American,

03:03.365 --> 03:04.815
what we called Gas

03:04.835 --> 03:09.115
and Flame, unit that operated in France.

03:09.335 --> 03:11.595
Uh, the others were training when the war ended.

03:11.735 --> 03:15.955
So there was the, the 30th engineers who later became,

03:16.295 --> 03:18.955
the first gas regiment once the chemical warfare

03:18.985 --> 03:20.555
service was, was formed.

03:20.895 --> 03:22.635
Uh, the research was very interesting.

03:22.715 --> 03:26.155
I had a lot of, of the research on the baseball side

03:26.155 --> 03:28.915
already, of course, because I'd done a, a number of books

03:28.935 --> 03:31.155
and journal articles and so forth.

03:31.375 --> 03:34.155
So I came to it from the baseball side,

03:34.205 --> 03:37.195
which meant I had to learn all about the chemical warfare

03:37.195 --> 03:40.515
service and why it was needed, how it came about and,

03:40.535 --> 03:41.635
and that type of thing.

03:42.335 --> 03:47.305
Um, for the baseball side, the,

03:47.365 --> 03:49.425
the background material came almost,

03:49.745 --> 03:54.065
entirely from newspapers as, as baseball, books

03:54.065 --> 03:57.785
and articles about that period tend to be,

03:58.535 --> 04:03.505
from the military side, again, typically for,

04:03.605 --> 04:08.425
for, for that genre, unit histories,

04:09.245 --> 04:12.985
governmental histories, that type of thing.

04:13.525 --> 04:15.945
And so there was an inter interaction

04:16.005 --> 04:19.425
or the inter intersection of, of the two plus.

04:19.425 --> 04:22.105
Beyond that, there was quite a lot of material,

04:22.175 --> 04:25.145
here in the States, in the Library of Congress

04:25.805 --> 04:28.505
and in the National Archives and,

04:28.565 --> 04:30.825
and also on the baseball side from the,

04:31.285 --> 04:34.025
the National Baseball Hall of Fame in, in Cooperstown.

04:34.765 --> 04:39.585
So I, I actually, dug into the archives at the,

04:39.805 --> 04:42.305
the National Research, or the National Archives in

04:42.305 --> 04:43.425
College Park, Maryland.

04:44.125 --> 04:47.025
Uh, I did some research in, in Cooperstown as well.

04:47.665 --> 04:50.465
I, I had a researcher look up some material at the

04:50.665 --> 04:51.785
National Archives in St.

04:51.785 --> 04:53.905
Louis, where the personnel records tend to be.

04:54.725 --> 04:58.425
So it was really a, a, a strange, collection of,

04:58.445 --> 04:59.825
of background materials.

05:00.285 --> 05:03.945
Um, but this, this is an area where not a lot

05:03.945 --> 05:06.065
of people work, baseball or sport.

05:06.685 --> 05:09.505
And, and the, the crossover with the military.

05:10.165 --> 05:13.925
Uh, so, so, I,

05:14.045 --> 05:15.325
I think some academics

05:15.325 --> 05:18.685
or some professors, might look

05:18.685 --> 05:19.965
as scats at the, at the way.

05:20.025 --> 05:21.805
Uh, it has to be researched.

05:22.385 --> 05:26.245
But the Army didn't specifically recruit ballplayers at the

05:26.245 --> 05:30.165
start, with the 30th engineers.

05:30.265 --> 05:33.845
The, the Army was looking for a wide range of, of

05:34.405 --> 05:38.885
specific skills, from, they wanted machinists,

05:39.345 --> 05:44.045
needed gas workers, pipe fitters, blacksmiths,

05:44.785 --> 05:48.605
mechanics, all, all types of skills.

05:49.345 --> 05:51.935
And one of the early,

05:53.125 --> 05:55.575
enlistees was a ball player, but not

05:55.575 --> 05:56.615
because he was a ball player,

05:56.615 --> 05:59.205
because he was a railroad,

05:59.605 --> 06:01.085
railroad worker during the off season.

06:01.825 --> 06:06.245
And that was Charles, Gabby Street, who became a,

06:06.405 --> 06:09.605
a sergeant in the 30th engineer's first gas regiment and,

06:09.665 --> 06:12.005
and served and, and fought in France.

06:12.465 --> 06:16.245
Uh, another early ball player, who didn't enlist in the

06:17.285 --> 06:20.725
30th engineers, but enlisted in the Army, was,

06:20.805 --> 06:24.605
a future hall of famer named, epi Ricky, who was a,

06:25.005 --> 06:28.885
a pitcher for the, Philadelphia Phillies.

06:29.585 --> 06:32.125
Uh, that's sort of a, a long story,

06:32.225 --> 06:35.965
but he, he got mad at his team and enlisted in early 1918.

06:36.665 --> 06:39.445
Um, but he did have a chemical background,

06:39.545 --> 06:41.085
so he was very well suited,

06:41.185 --> 06:44.685
and he eventually did end up in, in France as well.

06:45.705 --> 06:48.605
Now, when the Hall of Famers, came in, that, that was

06:49.155 --> 06:53.845
late in the war, that was in the summer and fall of 1918.

06:54.545 --> 06:58.365
And, and the first, major athletic figure

06:59.105 --> 07:03.925
to join the, the Chemical Service, was actually a,

07:04.125 --> 07:07.285
a, a football coach, an American football coach,

07:07.285 --> 07:10.605
at Harvard, named, Percy Houghton.

07:11.445 --> 07:16.025
And he had been in heavily involved in, pre-war

07:16.705 --> 07:18.865
military, preparedness movement

07:18.925 --> 07:19.985
in, in the United States.

07:20.445 --> 07:22.145
And so he was very well connected,

07:22.285 --> 07:24.865
and he, joined the,

07:25.065 --> 07:27.065
chemical warfare service as a major.

07:28.205 --> 07:32.025
And it was, Percy, I think that,

07:32.895 --> 07:34.065
brought in some of the others.

07:34.345 --> 07:39.225
I know he personally recruited, branch Rickey, who at

07:39.225 --> 07:40.945
that time was the president of the St.

07:40.945 --> 07:44.965
Louis Cardinals, and is known in the United States for,

07:46.325 --> 07:49.885
breaking the, the color barrier in Major League baseball in

07:50.045 --> 07:52.765
1947 when he brought Jackie Robinson up.

07:53.465 --> 07:57.485
So, branch Rickey also became a major,

07:57.485 --> 08:02.365
branch Rickey was, instrumental in recruiting,

08:02.725 --> 08:05.365
Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers, one of the, one of the great,

08:06.105 --> 08:09.085
sluggers and base Steelers in baseball.

08:09.585 --> 08:10.805
And, and, and there were others.

08:10.985 --> 08:13.565
Uh, Ricky was also involved in,

08:14.405 --> 08:17.125
bringing into the service, another player from,

08:17.155 --> 08:20.445
from the, the Browns, George Siler, who's,

08:20.445 --> 08:22.485
who's also in the Hall of Fame, who, who did,

08:23.025 --> 08:24.205
did not get overseas.

08:24.985 --> 08:26.845
Um, as I mentioned earlier,

08:26.935 --> 08:28.845
Gabby Street was already in combat.

08:29.905 --> 08:33.525
Uh, now Padden got overseas

08:33.585 --> 08:36.485
and was a gas officer with one of the New England divisions,

08:37.225 --> 08:41.125
branch Rickey, Ty Cobb, and,

08:41.305 --> 08:45.275
and, Christie Matthewson all got overseas.

08:45.385 --> 08:49.355
Christy Matthewson was one of the great pitchers in,

08:49.755 --> 08:51.555
American baseball history, and at the time

08:51.555 --> 08:54.315
of the war was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

08:54.945 --> 08:58.925
Uh, it, it appears that he enlisted on his own.

08:58.945 --> 09:01.725
He actually went into the chemical warfare service,

09:01.725 --> 09:04.205
recruiting office in New York City when the Reds were in

09:04.205 --> 09:06.685
town and enlisted, and was called up later.

09:07.585 --> 09:12.125
So, Ricky Cobb and, and Matthewson were all in France,

09:12.265 --> 09:16.325
and were all in training at a place called Hanlin Field,

09:16.465 --> 09:17.965
an experimental station in,

09:17.965 --> 09:19.885
in France, learning to be gas up.

09:20.105 --> 09:23.965
The, the war ended before they had much, effect, really.

09:24.305 --> 09:27.845
Uh, Matthewson got to his division

09:28.385 --> 09:29.645
on the day of the Armes.

09:29.975 --> 09:34.445
Ricky and, and Cobb, never did, at Cabby Street,

09:34.945 --> 09:36.125
was in very heavy combat.

09:36.865 --> 09:39.645
He was gassed and wounded and,

09:39.865 --> 09:44.125
and, was a, a convalescent for quite a while,

09:44.465 --> 09:45.605
of the Hall of Famers.

09:46.345 --> 09:48.605
The American baseball fans are most familiar

09:48.605 --> 09:52.245
with Christie Matthewson, Matt, he's, he's often called,

09:52.985 --> 09:56.165
and it's popularly believed in the United States,

09:56.435 --> 09:59.845
that Maddie died because of exposure to poison

09:59.845 --> 10:02.685
and gas, when he was in France.

10:03.465 --> 10:07.085
The truth is, is I see it is much more complicated than

10:07.085 --> 10:11.325
that, and I, I don't believe poison gas,

10:11.725 --> 10:13.605
actually contributed to his death.

10:13.865 --> 10:17.675
It, it certainly didn't help,

10:17.935 --> 10:21.835
but he, he, he died of tuberculosis, and,

10:21.855 --> 10:26.755
and there's a, a, a story, a, that Ty Cobb

10:27.395 --> 10:29.035
produced that he and

10:29.135 --> 10:32.035
and Maddie were both gassed in a training accident.

10:32.895 --> 10:36.155
But that, that account, i i,

10:36.295 --> 10:38.955
is very, very questionable.

10:39.655 --> 10:43.915
And, and when Maddie died in 1925,

10:45.135 --> 10:47.795
the story began to emerge that he had died

10:47.795 --> 10:49.235
because of poison and gas.

10:49.295 --> 10:51.115
And then when D Cow came out

10:51.115 --> 10:52.635
with his book in the early 1960s,

10:52.815 --> 10:54.155
that's when it really took hold.

10:54.815 --> 10:58.715
But, the, the truth of that, the truth

10:58.715 --> 11:01.795
of Matthew's death is not quite that clearcut, as I

11:02.385 --> 11:03.515
explained in the book.

11:03.775 --> 11:07.755
And, and fans can make up,

11:07.865 --> 11:11.355
readers will take, several things from this book.

11:11.735 --> 11:14.595
One, I hope they'll take away a realistic look,

11:15.035 --> 11:19.195
a realistic understanding of the service of, these Hall

11:19.195 --> 11:20.875
of Famers and others during the war.

11:21.575 --> 11:26.235
Uh, I spoke once a couple years ago about the

11:26.845 --> 11:28.075
Gabby Street and others,

11:28.535 --> 11:31.715
and someone asked what I was most interested in

11:31.735 --> 11:33.915
by the newspaper coverage of the, of the day.

11:34.175 --> 11:35.435
And I said, the thing

11:35.435 --> 11:37.915
that I had mo noticed most was a great deal

11:37.915 --> 11:40.355
of hypocrisy from virtually every quarter.

11:40.855 --> 11:44.155
And the audience applauded, which surprised me quite a bit.

11:45.015 --> 11:49.315
And what I meant was that the ballplayers were,

11:49.415 --> 11:52.435
on one hand, heavily criticized for taking

11:52.545 --> 11:56.525
what some people saw as safe non-combat roles,

11:56.905 --> 11:58.765
and that wasn't strictly accurate.

11:59.225 --> 12:01.845
And on the other side, they were idolized as these,

12:01.935 --> 12:03.445
these great American heroes,

12:04.145 --> 12:06.445
and they certainly did their duty.

12:06.475 --> 12:08.165
They certainly went overseas and served,

12:09.065 --> 12:12.485
but, for the most part, Gabby Street

12:12.545 --> 12:14.885
and, some others aside,

12:14.885 --> 12:16.885
service wasn't particularly heroic.

12:16.905 --> 12:19.645
And in fact, some of them didn't even get into combat.

12:20.075 --> 12:24.325
Another thing I like readers to take is, I want them

12:24.325 --> 12:26.365
to take their own look at, at Maddie's death.

12:27.025 --> 12:30.125
Uh, there are quite a few, influences

12:30.325 --> 12:32.565
and factors that, that feed into that, and,

12:32.665 --> 12:34.685
and I, I, I tried to provide them all.

12:35.225 --> 12:38.925
So, readers, please, make up your own mind.

12:39.705 --> 12:42.925
And the final thing I wanted readers to take away is

12:44.405 --> 12:48.475
I want them to have a more complete understanding

12:49.655 --> 12:52.795
of the effect of military service on

12:53.575 --> 12:55.915
any service member, on any veteran.

12:56.935 --> 12:59.715
Uh, when you go into the military, your life changes

13:00.135 --> 13:01.315
and it stays changed.

13:02.335 --> 13:05.115
And, and most civilians have very little

13:05.295 --> 13:06.955
or no understanding of that.

13:07.855 --> 13:12.755
And I've tried to include that in all of my books and,

13:12.815 --> 13:16.115
and, and articles because I think it's dangerous

13:16.775 --> 13:18.595
if civilians don't know

13:18.595 --> 13:21.275
what they're sending their military members into.

13:21.935 --> 13:25.075
So, I know this story is from more than a hundred years ago,

13:26.415 --> 13:29.275
but the, the, the facts and the effects

13:30.215 --> 13:34.995
and the the cost of military service haven't changed.

13:35.455 --> 13:36.595
So that's the,

13:37.285 --> 13:39.435
maybe even the most important thing I would like readers

13:39.435 --> 13:39.835
to take away.

Baseball and the Chemical Warfare Service

00:00:00 - I came to write this book because, in earlier works, I often came across, references to the US Army Chemical Warfare Service. I've written quite a bit on the intersection of sports, particularly baseball and the military during World War I, and, and I knew that a number of, members of the American National Baseball Hall of Fame served in the chemical warfare service, and I didn't really have a good sense
00:00:35 - The United States Army wasn't remotely prepared for chemical warfare, which had begun in 1915 with, the first large scale attack by the German army. England and France very quickly caught up. When the Americans joined the, the war in April, 1917. we weren't remotely ready. It it, it's interesting that the United States Army
00:01:11 - very early in the war and even before the war, it was the, United States, department of the Interior that was actually, leading the research. specifically the Bureau of Mines, a a Dr. Manning. There was very foresighted offered their services and, and the government accepted. So he, he accumulated hundreds of scientists to start the,
00:01:40 - the Chemical Warfare service was formed as part of the army, the United States Army in May, 1918, both for offensive and defensive operations. the director of the Chemical Warfare Service was, major General William William Seabert. he was not a chemist. he was an engineer
00:02:10 - and on construction, constructing various, American harbors. when the war began, he went overseas and was the commander of the, American First Division, the big red one, and then was called back and put in charge of the chemical warfare service. The first actual, unit was recruited in late 1917 as the 30th engineers.
00:02:40 - was under the engineers, at least in the, in the Army. the 30th engineers were very, active in recruiting. There was a huge newspaper campaign, something like 250 American newspapers carried articles, and, and were recruited. They went to France early in 1918, and were the only American, what we called Gas and Flame, unit that operated in France.

Baseball's Intersection with Chemical Warfare

00:03:11 - So there was the, the 30th engineers who later became, the first gas regiment once the chemical warfare service was, was formed. the research was very interesting. I had a lot of, of the research on the baseball side already, of course, because I'd done a, a number of books and journal articles and so forth. So I came to it from the baseball side, which meant I had to learn all about the chemical warfare service and why it was needed, how it came about and,
00:03:42 - for the baseball side, the, the background material came almost, entirely from newspapers as, as baseball, books and articles about that period tend to be, from the military side, again, typically for, for, for that genre, unit histories, governmental histories, that type of thing.
00:04:16 - or the inter intersection of, of the two plus. Beyond that, there was quite a lot of material, here in the States, in the Library of Congress and in the National Archives and, and also on the baseball side from the, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in, in Cooperstown. So I, I actually, dug into the archives at the, the National Research, or the National Archives in College Park, Maryland.
00:04:47 - I, I had a researcher look up some material at the National Archives in St. Louis, where the personnel records tend to be. So it was really a, a, a strange, collection of, of background materials. but this, this is an area where not a lot of people work, baseball or sport. And, and the, the crossover with the military. so, so, I, I think some academics
00:05:18 - as scats at the, at the way. it has to be researched. But the Army didn't specifically recruit ballplayers at the start, with the 30th engineers. The, the Army was looking for a wide range of, of specific skills, from, they wanted machinists, needed gas workers, pipe fitters, blacksmiths, mechanics, all, all types of skills.
00:05:53 - enlistees was a ball player, but not because he was a ball player, because he was a railroad, railroad worker during the off season. And that was Charles, Gabby Street, who became a, a sergeant in the 30th engineer's first gas regiment and, and served and, and fought in France. another early ball player, who didn't enlist in the 30th engineers, but enlisted in the Army, was,

Baseball Players and Chemical Warfare Service

00:06:25 - a pitcher for the, Philadelphia Phillies. that's sort of a, a long story, but he, he got mad at his team and enlisted in early 1918. but he did have a chemical background, so he was very well suited, and he eventually did end up in, in France as well. Now, when the Hall of Famers, came in, that, that was late in the war, that was in the summer and fall of 1918.
00:06:59 - to join the, the Chemical Service, was actually a, a, a football coach, an American football coach, at Harvard, named, Percy Houghton. And he had been in heavily involved in, pre-war military, preparedness movement in, in the United States. And so he was very well connected, and he, joined the,
00:07:28 - And it was, Percy, I think that, brought in some of the others. I know he personally recruited, branch Rickey, who at that time was the president of the St. Louis Cardinals, and is known in the United States for, breaking the, the color barrier in Major League baseball in 1947 when he brought Jackie Robinson up. So, branch Rickey also became a major,
00:08:02 - Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers, one of the, one of the great, sluggers and base Steelers in baseball. And, and, and there were others. Ricky was also involved in, bringing into the service, another player from, from the, the Browns, George Siler, who's, who's also in the Hall of Fame, who, who did, did not get overseas. as I mentioned earlier, Gabby Street was already in combat.
00:08:33 - and was a gas officer with one of the New England divisions, branch Rickey, Ty Cobb, and, and, Christie Matthewson all got overseas. Christy Matthewson was one of the great pitchers in, American baseball history, and at the time of the war was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. it, it appears that he enlisted on his own. He actually went into the chemical warfare service,
00:09:04 - town and enlisted, and was called up later. So, Ricky Cobb and, and Matthewson were all in France, and were all in training at a place called Hanlin Field, an experimental station in, in France, learning to be gas up. The, the war ended before they had much, effect, really. Matthewson got to his division on the day of the Armes. Ricky and, and Cobb, never did, at Cabby Street,

Exploring Christie Matthewson's Complicated Legacy

00:09:36 - He was gassed and wounded and, and, was a, a convalescent for quite a while, of the Hall of Famers. The American baseball fans are most familiar with Christie Matthewson, Matt, he's, he's often called, and it's popularly believed in the United States, that Maddie died because of exposure to poison and gas, when he was in France. The truth is, is I see it is much more complicated than
00:10:11 - actually contributed to his death. It, it certainly didn't help, but he, he, he died of tuberculosis, and, and there's a, a, a story, a, that Ty Cobb produced that he and and Maddie were both gassed in a training accident. But that, that account, i i, is very, very questionable.
00:10:45 - the story began to emerge that he had died because of poison and gas. And then when D Cow came out with his book in the early 1960s, that's when it really took hold. But, the, the truth of that, the truth of Matthew's death is not quite that clearcut, as I explained in the book. And, and fans can make up, readers will take, several things from this book.
00:11:15 - a realistic understanding of the service of, these Hall of Famers and others during the war. I spoke once a couple years ago about the Gabby Street and others, and someone asked what I was most interested in by the newspaper coverage of the, of the day. And I said, the thing that I had mo noticed most was a great deal of hypocrisy from virtually every quarter. And the audience applauded, which surprised me quite a bit.
00:11:49 - on one hand, heavily criticized for taking what some people saw as safe non-combat roles, and that wasn't strictly accurate. And on the other side, they were idolized as these, these great American heroes, and they certainly did their duty. They certainly went overseas and served, but, for the most part, Gabby Street and, some others aside, service wasn't particularly heroic.
00:12:20 - Another thing I like readers to take is, I want them to take their own look at, at Maddie's death. there are quite a few, influences and factors that, that feed into that, and, and I, I, I tried to provide them all. So, readers, please, make up your own mind. And the final thing I wanted readers to take away is I want them to have a more complete understanding

Understanding the Impact of Military Service

00:12:53 - any service member, on any veteran. when you go into the military, your life changes and it stays changed. And, and most civilians have very little or no understanding of that. And I've tried to include that in all of my books and, and, and articles because I think it's dangerous if civilians don't know what they're sending their military members into.
00:13:39 - but the, the, the facts and the effects and the the cost of military service haven't changed. So that's the, maybe even the most important thing I would like readers to take away.

Faculti AI can make mistakes

Faculti

Popular in Arts and Humanities

Titus Quinctius Flamininus’ “Italian triumph”

Lincoln and the Jews

Post-Kantian perfectionism

Amputations and Convalescence

Drawing on the past: Palladio, his precursors and knowledge of ancient architecture

Language, Sound, and Image in Wallace Berman’s Aleph, 1956–1966

Early Modern Natural Law Theories

The Gas and Flame Men

Next in Arts and Humanities

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Page Structure

Popular in Arts and Humanities

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Accessibility Options

Contrast Adjustment

Text Size Adjustment

Text Spacing Adjustment

Line Height Adjustment

Cursor Size Adjustment

Page Structure Options

Page Structure