Charles A. Pritchard World War I Papers
Scope and Content
This collection contains ten documents, two personal letters, a program from a show aboard a transport ship (the USAT America), and a photograph of Lt. Charles A. Pritchard in uniform. The items are arranged chronologically and most of the documents are typed on onionskin paper.
Pritchard typed the letters and these are his copies. He wrote the first letter to his father after the war had ended while he was still in France and told of the sites he had seen. Pritchard wrote the second letter to an unnamed captain, whom he addressed as “Vet,” likely an officer who had been discharged. In this letter, he explained what he believed to be the reason why he had not received a promotion. The remainder of the documents relate directly to Pritchard’s duty in the Army. There are several special orders and memoranda of which Pritchard kept official, or “true” copies. In August 1919. Pritchard typed a document which listed his military experience. Unfortunately, the top portion of this page is missing. Pritchard apparently submitted his history with a copy of the April 24, 1918, letter of recommendation by Major Deems in hopes of securing a promotion in rank.Dates
- 1917-1919
Creator
- Pritchard, Charles A. (Abner), 1888-1960 (Author, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org. Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.
Biographical Sketch
Charles A. Pritchard was born in Franklin, Johnson, County, Indiana on 9 October 1888 to Henry R. and Ida Belle Pritchard. He graduated from Franklin High School, attended Franklin College, and graduated from Purdue University. He began his military career while in school, received officer training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, and from January to April 1918, organized and commanded Company A of the 325th Field Signal Battalion at Camp Sherman, Ohio. The 325th was the first African American signal unit in the Army and was the only one to serve in France.
Pritchard left for Europe on 6 June 1918 as a first lieutenant in Company A of the 329th Infantry. Once in France, the Army reassigned him to oversee the organization of the classification camp at Le Mans, France. In 1919, Pritchard was assigned to the Renting, Requisitions, and Claims Service (R.R. & C.) in Le Mans. He returned to the U.S. in December 1919 and was honorably discharged on 21 April 1920. He became an insurance agent, living in Indianapolis and Franklin, Indiana. Pritchard died on October 30, 1960.Extent
0.04 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The papers are arranged chronologically.
Physical and Technical Requirements
There are no physical or technical restrictions.
Donor Information
The papers were a gift from Dan White in 1998 (1991-021).
Processing Information
Processed with funds from the Newman Family by Sara Law, 2023.
Creator
- Pritchard, Charles A. (Abner), 1888-1960 (Author, Person)
- Title
- Charles A. Pritchard World War I Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- EAD by Kristina Perez using ArchivesSpace
- Date
- 2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center Repository