Item #77622 Detailed Manuscript Diary and Related Archival Materials. Wilson KAPPEL.

Detailed Manuscript Diary and Related Archival Materials

Item #77622

(WORLD WAR I). KAPPEL, Wilson. Detailed Manuscript Diary and Related Archival Materials Pertaining to the Service of Wilson Kappel of Bolivar, Ohio, during World War I, Including His Account of Service in Europe and Details of Fighting on the Front Lines in France and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. [Various locations, including Ohio, Georgia, France, Luxembourg, Germany, and Belgium. Primarily 1917-1919]. Folio manuscript diary, [153]pp., one printed book, and various family papers, certificates, dog tags, photographs, and more. In very good condition overall. An important and informative World War I archive belonging to Wilson Kappel of Bolivar, Ohio, including a phenomenal, starkly-written, and uncensored diary kept by him throughout his service, detailing war deaths, mustard gas attacks, and the notable Meuse-Argonne offensive near the end of the war. Kappel (1893-1979) served as a mechanic with Company C of the 6th Infantry of the United States Army. He registered for the service on June 5, 1917, was drafted in July, shipped out to training in October, and served until his return from Europe on July 31, 1919. Kappel spent significant time in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Germany during his service, all of which he details here. By far, the most significant item in the present archive is Kappel's manuscript diary, which covers in amazing detail every aspect of his service from home to Europe and back again. The diary, which Kappel titles in manuscript on the first page DIARY OF THE WORLD WAR, is large format and closely written for over 150 pages in an eminently readable and uncensored style. It is likely that he either wrote out this diary from notes made during the war, or wrote it out from memory shortly after the war. The text conveys a sharpness that immediacy that would likely have been slightly dulled by the passage of time. The diary begins with the line, "I registered June 5th, 1917" and takes Kappel first to the mobilization camp at Camp Sherman in Chillicothe, Ohio, and thenceforth to basic training at Camp Forrest in Georgia. Kappel writes in unhurried detail about training on the rifle range in Georgia, traveling to Hoboken, New Jersey, to board a troop ship to Europe, and writes extensively about his experiences overseas. Kappel's European diary entries begin with his arrival at the "sorting yar.

Price: $7,500.00

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