Dear Sister . . .

[TRANSCRIPT]

Rudolph arrived at Camp Cody, near Deming, New Mexico by train in August 1918.  Camp Cody was one of numerous training camps created nationwide beginning in May 1917.  Sixteen National Army cantonments included Camp Dix, Wrightstown, New Jersey; and Camp Travis, San Antonio, Texas.  Sixteen National Guard camps included Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, Texas; Camp Logan, Houston, Texas; and Camp Cody.  These camps were quickly erected with wood frame barracks, quarters, administrative buildings, hospitals, warehouses, kitchens and mess halls, plus tents on wooden platforms for most of the trainees.

Why Rudolph was sent to far away New Mexico instead of San Antonio, Houston or Fort Worth is unclear.  Other newspapers reported new draftees heading to these camps.  One report about a few Texas soldiers being sent to Camp Cody speculated that there were bunks needing to be filled.  What is clear is that in time of war the National Guard was merged with the Regular Army and Army Reserves.  All were serving the Army of the United States.

Rudolph mentioned "That Kruger boy from Taylor" who may have been Arthur Krueger mentioned in the Taylor Press article the morning Rudolph was drafted.  I have not been able to find a family connection to Arthur even though Rudolph married into the Andrew Krueger family after the war.  Arthur may have been from the Frederich Krueger family, which is more distantly related.  He also mentions "Carter from Beaukiss", who may have been Silas Carter, who also traveled from Taylor with him.

"Casual Camp" was apparently a temporary quarantine area for brand new soldiers to minimize influx if illness and to sort out which ones were best suited for different military assignments.  The army's program for managing health is also reflected in his comment about getting his first (vaccination) shot.

Rudolph asked Ella how they were getting along with picking.  Like most farming families in eastern Williamson County, the Beyer family grew cotton on their farm of more than 240 acres, purchased as undeveloped land and cleared by hand.

I can't imagine that Rudolph had traveled much before this time.  There was much work to do on the farm.  Although photos show that the Beyers may have had an automobile by then, this was the time of the Model T Ford, which was limited to about 45 miles per hour.  Horse and mule power were still common, especially on farms.  He wrote, "I wish you could see this country once . . . ."  He clearly enjoyed seeing new places, even as the landscape dried up as he was transported west to New Mexico.

After a Year of Waiting, Rudolph Beyer was Drafted

Although Rudolph Beyer had registered early on National Registration Day for the draft, he wasn't actually drafted right away.  Registration order numbers (#15 for him) were selected on the basis of a lottery by the local draft board to determine who would be called up for the draft to meet national military force personnel requirements.  The local board lottery system was established to avoid problems experienced the last time mandatory conscription was enacted - in particular, draft riots that occured in New York during the Civil War!

This new draft lottery system was enacted July 20, 1917.  On July 24, 1917, the Taylor Daily Press published detailed instructions about how men would be notified that they had been called up, when to appear to complete required forms and physical examinations, how to file exemptions and appeals, and other details.  This notice filled half of page three of the newspaper under the headline shown above.

More than a year later, on August 8, 1918, Rudolph appeared before the local board and was drafted.  We can assume from the instructions in the newspaper that at some point he became aware that his number was coming up by checking lists posted at the local draft board office and that he completed all required forms and physical examinations before that date.  The next morning, August 9th at 4:55, he was ordered to board a train in Taylor, bound for Camp Cody, nearing Deming, New Mexico, along with eleven other men from Williamson County.  Grandpa Beyer was a soldier in the U.S. Army.