When the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, there were 693 officers and 17,400 enlisted Marines on active duty serving around the world. This number is deceiving in that only three years before, in 1914, there were only a total of 10,000 officers and men serving in the Marine Corps. Congress had prudently increased the Corps' end-strength in anticipation of a war with Germany. The manpower was further increased after the declaration of war to 1,197 officers, 126 warrant officers and 30,000 enlisted men, thereby tripling the number of Marines on active duty in three years. Included in these totals were activated reservists, and, for the first time in Marine Corps history, women Marines. Major General Commandant George Barnett insisted that the Corps' obligations around the world be addressed before sending Marines to France. Once that was accomplished, he approached Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and persuaded him that Marines needed to be sent to France to live up to their motto "First to Fight." Daniels and Barnett next met with Secretary of War Newton D. Baker and convinced him to request a regiment of Marines for service in France, which he did on May 16, 1917. President Woodrow Wilson later directed Secretary Daniels to form a second regiment of Marines to serve in France. Eventually four regiments of Marines and supporting troops, including aviation units, were assigned to the American Expeditionary Force in France. On June 27, 1917, the 5th Marines arrived in France and, along with their sister Regiment the 6th Marines, established a legacy that is still flourishing today. Initially used as guards and working parties, the Major General Commandant pushed the issue of committing the Marines to combat with General John J. Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Force. As a result, the 4th Marine Brigade was formed consisting of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion and attached to the 2nd Infantry Division. The goal of this bibliography is to provide a single document of references of Marine Corps activities around the world during the period of World War I and to establish a broad bibliographic resource for parties interested in those activities. It is the intent of this publication to be as far-reaching as possible and include as many Marine Corps references in the time period 1917-1919 as can be identified. This bibliography not only addresses Marine Corps activities in France, but also documents a limited amount of Marine Corps activities in other locations around the world such as Siberia, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Guam during the same time period. It also provides information for Marine Corps bases such as Parris Island and Quantico.
About the Author: A native New Mexican, Gary Cozzens grew up in Portales where he graduated from Eastern New Mexico University, earning a double major in history and political science. Following graduation, he served in the United States Marine Corps for a total of twenty-four years, including Operation Desert Storm, and retired as a major in 1999. Most recently he was the manager of Lincoln Historic Site in Lincoln, New Mexico where he retired in July 2016. He is the author of The Nogal Mesa, Capitan and Tres Ritos, all published by The History Press. Gary and his wife, Shirley Crawford, live on the Nogal Mesa in Lincoln County, New Mexico.