Today, the 89th anniversary of the launch of the U.S. Army’s First Transcontinental Motor Convoy, Craig Harmon, Director of The Lincoln Highway National Museum & Archives, has announced two more discoveries: the convoy photo album and the official report.
The album, with more than 100 photos, belonged to Expeditionary Commander Lt. Colonel Charles W. McClure.
The official report, seen above with fold-out charts, is believed to be the only survivor of 2 or 3 since the War Department preferred to distribute shorter accounts to garner publicity for the promotion of better highways.
The convoy crossed the U.S. in 1919 to test the mobility of the military during wartime. Twenty-four officers (including Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Eisenhower) and 258 enlisted men took 81 motorized Army vehicles from Washington, D.C., to Gettysburg, and then followed much of the Lincoln Highway to San Francisco, arriving 62 days later.
More information on the documents will be forthcoming. See Harmon’s website for more general information, or ask there to be added to his email updates.
Lincoln Highway News 
July 8, 2008 at 2:56 pm |
What a fantastic piece of history. Thanks for sharing the information!