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Lot 119
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Woodrow Wilson TLS Re: Colonel Mann, Military Preparedness Advocate 4 Years Before WWI Declaration
Woodrow Wilson TLS Re: Colonel Mann, Military Preparedness Advocate 4 Years Before WWI Declaration
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Description:

Woodrow Wilson TLS Re: Colonel Mann, Military Preparedness Advocate 4 Years Before WWI Declaration

A 1p typed letter signed by 28th U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) as "Woodrow Wilson" at center right. June 26, 1913. [Washington, D.C.] Typed in blue ink on watermarked bifold stationery with "The White House / Washington" embossed at the letterhead. The innermost and outermost leaves are blank. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds and even, light toning. A small ink blot (about the size of a pencil eraser) is located near the edge of the right margin well outside of the text. Else near fine. 7" x 8.875."

President Wilson wrote this letter to U.S. Senator from New York James A. O'Gorman (1860-1943), in part:

"Thank you for your letter of June 27th [sic; probably the 25th]. I have carefully noted the enclosures from Colonel Mann [not included in this lot], and shall be glad to give earnest and serious consideration to this matter…"

"Colonel Mann" referred to Colonel William A. Mann (1854-1934), a career officer of the U.S. Army. Colonel Mann was, after February 1913, Chief of Staff of the Eastern Department of the U.S. Army, whose administrative headquarters were located on Governors Island, which was an area within Senator O'Gorman's constituency. We do not know the exact content of Mann's enclosures referenced by President Wilson, but
because they were forwarded to Wilson by O'Gorman, we can speculate that they most likely concerned Governors Island.

Colonel Mann had been in the news recently in the context of organizing U.S. Army reserve forces in the interests of military preparedness. The officer was featured in a fascinating article entitled "Organizing Reserve Force of the U.S. Army" published in the April 13, 1913 issue of the "New York Sun," p. 36, in which Colonel Mann celebrated the War Department's recently issued General Orders permitting the organization of a reserve force of U.S. servicemen. In the lengthy interview, Colonel Mann bemoaned the fact that trained military servicemen had been continuously allowed to melt back into civilian life without any mechanism in place to allow them to be recalled in case of emergency. Colonel Mann said, "A reserve army is something entirely new for the United States but it is something that we should have had years ago. For years military men have tried to awaken the country to a sense of the danger that threatened the United States by reason of its totally inadequate military forces in case we should be drawn into war with a first class military Power…"

It is surprising to note that these words were said in 1913, more than one year before World War I erupted in Europe, and four years before the United States entered the conflict. Yet there were those who recognized that military preparedness was critical, not only in the face of an abstract "first class military Power" (as prophesied by Mann), but also in the face of more concrete threats to the United States, found mostly to the south. These included: instability caused by the on-going Mexican Border War (1910-1919) after the Mexican Revolution; and defending the Panama Canal, then nearing completion. It is remarkable to think that the U.S. military was preparing U.S. invasion plans of Mexico as early as 1913, three years before John "Jack Black" Pershing's "Punitive Expedition" against Pancho Villa in 1916. Certainly organizing the U.S. army reserve force was a prudent policy decision. It is worth noting that the U.S. Army had about 130,000 men at its disposal when war was declared against Germany in April 1917, some 30,000 men above Colonel Mann's minimum "fighting" threshold, and 50,000 above the pre-policy reserve change.

William A. Mann was a Silver Star-decorated U.S. Army veteran of several notable campaigns, including the Sioux War, the Spanish-American War, and the U.S. Philippines War. An 1875 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Mann graduated from the Army War College in 1905 and served in several high-ranking staff positions including Assistant Chief of Staff in Cuba (1906), Chief of Staff in Cuba (1907), and War Department staff (1911). His position as Chief of Staff of the Eastern Department was a major one. Mann reached the final rank of Major General upon his retirement in July 1918.

James A. O'Gorman served one term as U.S. Senator from New York, from 1911-1917. Prior to that, he was a New York Supreme Court Justice from 1900-1911 and from 1902-1906 the Grand Sachem of the Tammany Society.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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