Question regarding dates before the Houston Riots 1917

Factual Questions
1

I’m trying to determine

  1. the exact date the United States Army (War Department?) issued the order for the 24th Infantry’s 3rd Battalion to be dispatched to Houston’s Camp Logan and
  2. when they arrived.
    3 Am I right in thinking it was only the 3rd Battalion or was it the entire 24th regiment that was dispatched to Houston?
2

I can answer 2, I think.

The Houston Post, Houston, Texas · Sunday, July 29, 1917

The arrival in Houston early Saturday morning of the morning of the Third Battalion, 24th United States Infantry from Columbus, New Mexico…

That puts it on Saturday, July 28. Camp Logan was announced on July 17, which narrows the time for the order to be issued. No useful book has a preview on Google Books, but they do exist. The Houston newspapers don’t mention any other Battalions.

A search of the Columbus Weekly Courier in July brought up nothing and neither did a larger search of New Mexico newspapers.

A Houston Chronicle article gives the date of arrival as July 17 but it obviously confused that with the announcement date.

3

Thanks Exapno_Mapcase. The date July 28 is consistent with what I found.As an infantry battalion I presume they marched rather rode on horseback from Columbus, New Mexico to Houston. How long would that have taken?

4

I would imagine they took a train instead. Columbus, NM is over 800 miles from Houston. Marching a battalion there in less than 10 days would seem impossible, and doing do on horseback is equally improbable.

I assume troop trains had clearance over other trains, but the connections in the west may have required transfers. Even so a trip of 800 miles would seem possible in two days.

5

By air, Columbus-Houston is 737 miles and the shortest current road route is 826 miles. I suggest the troops and horses traveled by train wherever possible.

6

Even relatively short trips like Philadelphia to New York were by train.

7

Exapno_Mapcase can you tell me where you found the date of July 17? I’ve seen June 14 but I haven’t seen anything else for the date of the US Army’s announcement for building Camp Logan.

8

July 14 is the date according to the Heritage Society.

However, the Houston Chronicle for July 16 carried an Associated Press article dated July 15 announcing that one of the 32 cantonments for Army and National Guard training would be Camp Logan in Houston. Many newspapers carried this AP article in relation to a local naming. None appeared earlier than July 16. I would assume that an AP article dated July 15 would be of news the government disseminated on July 15.

The news that 32 cantonments would be established was first reported in May 18 newspapers. The July 15 article gave the names and locations.

9

Terrific! Thanks Exapno_Mapcase