FreightWaves Classics: Cross-country U.S. Army convoy began 103 years ago

It’s hard to believe that in 1919 – just over 100 years ago – the vast majority of the nation’s roads were unpaved. At that time, only 12% of the country’s rural roads had been “surfaced.” However, that definition included roads that were mostly ill-maintained and had dirt or gravel surfaces. Moreover, there was no federal authority overseeing construction; and what few decent roads there were remained unconnected.

World War I ended on November 11, 1918. Just a few months later, the U.S. Army’s Motor Transport Corps Transcontinental Convoy (MTC-TCC) was organized. The convoy was staged and executed as a cross-country trip from Washington, D.C. to the Presidio in San Francisco. It left Washington 103 years ago tomorrow. The route used was the Lincoln Highway,

The Lincoln Highway was dedicated in 1913 as the nation’s first coast-to-coast roadway. While it had a noble name, the “thoroughfare” was, in reality, a patchwork of connecting roadways, many of which were no more than undeveloped dirt paths, especially west of the Mississippi River.

The convoy’s purposes

The convoy’s primary purpose was to test the mobility of the military during wartime conditions. World War I had changed warfare in many ways – including the use of motorized transport, airplanes and tanks.

The convoy used standardized military trucks, along with some motor cars and motorcycles, to gather valuable data and experience in the developmental use of the relatively new concept of motorized transport. Another purpose of the convoy was to evaluate the several classes of trucks and cars that the Army’s Motor Transport Corps had used during the World War, along with a few recently released models under consideration from various U.S. manufacturers.

The convoy also provided a unique opportunity to gain insights on the condition of American roads and automotive infrastructure. 

The vehicles and the men

The expedition consisted of 81 motorized Army vehicles. The Army’s Motor Transport Corps convoy included 34 heavy cargo trucks, four light delivery trucks, two mobile machine shops, one blacksmith shop, and one heavy trailer hauling an artillery tractor equipped with a power winch. This tractor, called a Militor, was capable of pulling several trucks at one time. It was the real workhorse of the convoy.

In addition, the convoy included “two spare parts stores, two water tanks, one gasoline tank, one searchlight with an electrical power plant truck, four kitchen trailers, eight touring cars, one reconnaissance car, two staff observation cars, five sidecar motorcycles, and four solo motorcycles as well as five GMC ambulances with two ambulance trailers, and a Loder 4-ton pontoon trailer.” Over 20 of the trucks were standardized Army Class B 3-ton “Liberty trucks.”

Liberty trucks had been built during the war with standard interchangeable parts so they could be produced quickly and also easily repaired. The trucks had large engines, large gasoline tanks, large radiators, and maximum ground clearance for the European landscape. The trucks also needed a large number of mechanics to keep them in working order.

The convoy was meant to be self-sustaining and self-operated, carrying bridge-building equipment so that, in case of washouts or structural damage, repairs could be made quickly. It was the heaviest, longest and most thoroughly equipped and manned Army motor convoy assembled at that time.

The expedition was manned by 24 officers and 258 enlisted men. The military personnel involved were Company E of the Army’s 5th Engineers, the Quartermaster Corps’ Service Park Unit 595, Companies E and F of the 333rd Motor Supply Train, a medical unit and a Field Artillery Detachment.

In addition, there were official observers who traveled along with the convoy. There were 17 officers representing the nine branches of the Army. Among the War Department observers was 28-year-old Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

A number of civilian companies also accompanied the convoy. Most were vehicle and parts suppliers, and three were tire manufacturers.

Leaving the nation’s capital

Amid a great deal of fanfare, the convoy (which was three miles long from beginning to end) left Washington, D.C. on July 7, 1919. The departure ceremony also included the dedication of what was known as the Zero Milestone. Located south of the White House grounds, the milestone marked the starting point of what The New York Times described as ‘the largest aggregation of motor vehicles ever started on a trip of such length.’

Two motorcycles from the convoy scouted about 30 minutes in front of the main body in order to report conditions and place markers. The convoy was led by the 5th Engineers and their heavy artillery trucks, followed by the machine and blacksmith shops. The engineers were responsible for repairing or replacing any insufficient bridges or making minor road improvements along the way.

The weather was good during the first couple of days that the convoy was on the road. It entered Pennsylvania on July 8 and reached Gettysburg, where it merged onto the Lincoln Highway. However, day-long rain on July 10 turned dirt roads into slippery, muddy paths that caused delays; one vehicle was lost after skidding off the road in the mountainous region and crashing down a hillside.

Along the route the convoy was often detoured around various obstacles, often onto even more poorly maintained secondary dirt roads. The artillery tractor was used constantly to tow broken down or immobilized vehicles. Therefore, the Quartermaster Corps’ mechanics were in the rear, taking care of the necessary repairs.

The results

Last year FreightWaves Classics published several articles about key milestones of the convoy’s cross-country journey, and will do so again in 2022. To better understand the state of the roads and the difficulties the convoy encountered, consider this – it traveled a distance of 3,251 miles in 62 days – an average of only 52 miles per day. 

In that summer of 1919 – again only 103 years ago – the members of the convoy learned first-hand about the difficulties motorists faced traveling significant distances on roads that were often impassable. The vehicles in the convoy were heavier-duty than the cars and trucks of the day, but they suffered frequent breakdowns nonetheless. 

Certainly the most unintended consequence of the convoy was that Lt. Col. Eisenhower’s  experiences on the trip influenced his later decisions regarding construction of the nation’s interstate highway system during his presidential administration.

Source: freightwaves - FreightWaves Classics: Cross-country U.S. Army convoy began 103 years ago
Editor: Scott Mall