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Albert J. Carpenter [8/1917]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Headquarters Company, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division
  • Location of Service: Camp Bowie, Texas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; France
  • Highest Rank: Private
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/225

View full service history

"Our eats have run out, but still trying to keep up good spirits." (Diary transcription, 2).

A 19-year-old student when he enlisted in the 36th Division of the 142nd Infantry, Albert Carpenter served in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France during the final days of the war. As a soldier in the trenches along the Hindenberg Line, he experienced the gassings, mud, and bloodshed for which the war is infamous. In a series of short but vivid entries, his diary chronicles a single month, October 1918, which he calls "the most eventful month of [his] life."

[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

[ Enlistment record ]
[ Honorable discharge from the United States Army ]
[ Diary of Albert John Carpenter ]
[ Biographical information ]
[ Diary transcription ]

About this Item

Title

  • Albert John Carpenter Collection

Names

  • Carpenter, Shirley Linn
  • Carpenter, Albert John

Home State

  • Missouri

Headings

  • -  Carpenter, Albert John
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Headquarters Company, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Camp Bowie, Texas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; France
    • Highest Rank: Private
    • Dates of Service: 1917-1919
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2011-09-14)
  • Computer File: Flash Drive [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2018; 2017-04-18)
  • Manuscript: Unit histories [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [2 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1920-1921)
  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Transcription of document (collected 1918)
  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 1918)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [1 item] -- Photograph (collected 1917-08)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/225

Cite as

  • Albert John Carpenter Collection (AFC/2001/001/225), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Carpenter, Shirley Linn, and Albert John Carpenter. Albert John Carpenter Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.00225/.

APA citation style:

Carpenter, S. L. & Carpenter, A. J. (1917) Albert John Carpenter Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.00225/.

MLA citation style:

Carpenter, Shirley Linn, and Albert John Carpenter. Albert John Carpenter Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.00225/>.