1919 Argall WWI Cyanotype Map of Battery C, 148th Regiment in France

Among the first military unit route maps.

Among the first military campaign unit route maps, this is a c. 1919 World War I cyanotype route map of Battery 'C', 148th Field Artillery Regiment, in France and Luxembourg. The map follows Battery 'C' through its engagements along the battle lines and illustrates its movements between engagements. We have not encountered any similar maps from World War I (1914-1918), but similar maps became popular with American and British soldiers during and after World War II.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the region from the confluence of the Seine and Oise rivers west of Paris to Wasserbillig, Luxembourg, and from Mézières (here as Mezeries) and Sedan to Saint-Dizier, Toul, and Nancy. Cities and towns are labeled, including Paris, Compiègne (here as Compeigne), Château-Thierry, Reims, Verdun, and Metz. Manuscript yellow highlights the two major areas where Battery 'C' fought: the region around Château-Thierry and the region between St. Mihiel and Sedan. All these sectors lay along the battle line, marked here by bold dashed lines. One marks the Battle Line as of July 10, 1918, and the other as of November 11, 1918. 15 white dots mark the Battle Positions of Battery 'C'. These are numerically labeled and correspond to an index along the bottom border. Bold white lines with arrows mark the convoy routes followed by Battery 'C', labeled alphabetically and corresponding to an index along the bottom border.

A Short History of Battery 'C', 148th Field Artillery Regiment

Battery 'C' was first organized in May 1916, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The National Security League urged local businessmen to form the unit, and local citizens were recruited. When the Battery was first called to camp, over nearly half of the original recruits 'were discharged for physical reasons'. The Battery was then recruited up to peacetime strength of 133 men and 'mustered into Federal Service on August 14, 1916'. The Battery spent the next 6 months at Army bases and camps in New Mexico and Texas before it was mustered out of Federal Service at Fort D. A. Russel in Wyoming on February 26, 1917, and the men returned to civilian life. A little over a month later, on April 6, 1917, the U.S. entered World War I, and the Battery was reconstituted at war strength, with most of its former members rejoining the unit. (The Battery, known as Battery 'C', 1st Colorado Artillery, 'existed on paper only' in the weeks between when it was mustered out and the declaration of war.) Battery 'C' trained at various bases across the United States from July 1917 to January 1918. They departed New York aboard the S.S. Baltic on January 23, 1918, and arrived in Liverpool, England, on February 6, 1918, after narrowly avoiding a torpedo attack the day before. Soon after, Battery 'C' was training in France. They were deployed to the front on July 4, 1918, reached the front on July 7, and fired their first shot on July 10. Battery 'C' fought on the Château-Thierry front, the St. Mihiel Salient, the Verdun sector, and in the Argonne woods, where they were when the Armistice was signed. After the Armistice, Battery 'C' became part of the Army of Occupation and, by the end of December, was billeted in Höhr, Germany. Battery 'C' left France aboard the U.S.S. Peerless on June 3, 1919, and arrived at New York on June 15. The 148th Field Artillery Regiment was mustered out of Federal Service on June 19.

Among the First Military Campaign Unit Route Maps

Campaign route maps are a phenomenon that is mostly associated with World War II (1939-1945), when hundreds of units made maps following their movements from the beginning of their war to the end. American, British, and French units all made maps in the genre, as did units from other Allied countries. We have also encountered nearly two dozen maps made by Nazi units. These maps are characterized by a few prevalent aspects: they follow the unit's movements through the battle zone, they usually (but don't always) provide dates for important actions or events during the unit's war, which allows the viewer to follow the unit's progress, and they usually have a commemorative aspect to them. This map does all these things, fifteen years before the first World War II unit route maps appear.

Cyanotype: Why so Blue?

Cyanotype is a photo-reprographic technique developed in 1842 by the British astronomer John Herschel (1792 - 1871). Sometimes called a 'sunprint', the technique uses a solution of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide that, when painted on white paper or cloth, reacts with sunlight to dye the object a brilliant blue. Areas blocked from ultraviolet exposure remain undyed and white. Herschel developed the technique to reproduce his astronomical notes, but others quickly realized that any object capable of blocking light could be used to create a cyanotype image quickly and easily. By the late 19th century, the process became popular with designers, the military, architects, and engineers (blueprints), who used this cheap, effective technique to reproduce images quickly and accurately in the field. Cyanotyping is limited in that only a single copy can be made at a time, so it was practical only for short-term fieldwork. Cyanotypes also remain highly sensitive to light and, over time, fade or degrade, making them highly ephemeral. The process fell out of fashion in most places by the 1920s but remains in use in some parts of the world, such as India and Nepal, to this day.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by William A. Argall and published c. 1919. It was likely printed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, just like the Battery's unit history, but we have not found any concrete information to substantiate this claim. We have found only one other example, which is part of the Battery C 148th Field Artillery Regiment Photograph Collection at the Pikes Peak Library District.

Cartographer

William Arthur Argall (October 14, 1881 - July 27, 1964) was an English-American metallurgist and mining technician. Born in Cornwall, England, Argall came from a mining family. His father, Philip Argall (1854 - 1922), was also a mining engineer and metallurgist who worked worldwide, managing mines and metallurgical works. The family moved to Colorado in 1887, where Philip became manager of the La Plata Mining and Smelting Company in Leadville. William eventually became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Argall joined Battery C of the 148th Field Artillery Regiment to fight in World War I. He and the rest of the 148th departed New York, New York, to fight in France. Argall returned to the U.S. aboard the U.S.S. Peerless and arrived at Brooklyn, New York, on June 15, 1919. After the war, he returned to Colorado and married Nina Gratz on December 25, 1923; they had two daughters. Argall worked in mining in both Colorado and Alaska. He died at home in Denver, Colorado, on July 27, 1964.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Cyanotype. Light wear along original fold lines. Some intentional yellow shading. Manuscript pencil scribbles, likely done by a child.

References

Pikes Peak Library District, 422-6. Davis, Paul Milton and Clay, Hubert Kenneth, History of Battery 'C,' 148th Field Artillery, American Expeditionary Forces (Colorado Springs, CO: Out West, 1919).