Statistical Review:[1]
In an attempt to determine the number of Marines killed by the influenza pandemic, an extensive review of monthly muster rolls and hospital registers was completed. Starting with a listing of those Marines who died from non-combat wounds, each name was searched utilizing the monthly muster rolls, available through ancestry.com.[2] Names of those who died from accidents, cancer, heart attacks, venereal diseases, and other non-flu or non-flu related illnesses were excluded. For each name found, their rank, date of death, location at death and specific illness was recorded, when available. Once the list was established, a review of the available Navy hospital registers, also available through ancestry.com, was conducted to locate additional names or clarifying information for those where no diagnosis was listed in the muster roll.[3] Some muster rolls and hospital registers were not digitized, therefore the actual overall number of those who died is undoubtedly different from what was calculated herein. It is further acknowledged that the numbers determined by the review of the muster rolls and hospital registers does not match the official numbers given in the various reports by the Secretary of the Navy and Navy Department in 1918 and 1919. However, the following statistical breakdown is provided based on the calculated numbers from the muster rolls and hospital registers in good faith.
By rank: The influenza pandemic struck nearly every rank of officer and enlisted Marine, and impacted the enlisted ranks far more than the officers. From the listing compiled, just 21 officers were killed by the flu and the highest ranking officer to die was Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen. No lieutenant colonels or colonels are recorded as killed by the flu. Four quartermaster clerks, first lieutenants, captains and majors died from the flu or flu-related illnesses.
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Of the enlisted, the privates suffered the most casualties; more than 420 privates were struck down by the flu or related illnesses, and yet not one sergeant major died. All told, over 530 enlisted Marines died. Based on the end strength of the Corps (1,503 officers and 51,316 enlisted), the death percentage breaks down as 1.4% of officers and 1.04% of enlisted died of the flu, However, of the total Marines were killed by the flu and flu-related illnesses, 96% were enlisted and 4% were officers. The large number of privates killed by the flu is in keeping with the unique characteristics of the 1918 pandemic, instead of claiming only the very old and very young alone, the 1918 flu claimed those aged 25-34 in significantly higher amounts—the prime ages of those of men enlisting in the Marine Corps.[4]
By date: Across the entire Marine Corps, the peak of the influenza pandemic in 1918 was in the months of September, October and November. October saw the most deaths of just over 200, followed by September at just over 180 and November with more than 140. The largest loss of life occurred on 24 September 1918 with 28, followed by 26 September with 23.
Figure 1: Numbers of Marines Killed by Influenza, May to December 1918
By location or unit: As one would imagine, the largest concentration of Marines saw the largest number of deaths from the influenza pandemic. The locations with the most Marines in one place in the Continental United States were the recruit depots of Parris Island and Mare Island, the Overseas Depot and Officers Training Camp at Marine Barracks Quantico, and the various Philadelphia posts. Of all posts and stations of the Corps, Quantico suffered the largest overall loss of lives at 125. Whereas, Parris Island and Mare Island experienced 43 and 17 deaths respectively. The city of Philadelphia was slow to react with measures to control the spread, in fact despite the already raging outbreak, the city went ahead with the Fourth Liberty Loan drive on 28 September 1918 where 200,000 gathered.[5] Therefore, it is not surprising to find that 48 Marines died while stationed in Philadelphia at the Marine Barracks, the Depot of Supplies and surrounding area.
Overseas units were impacted dramatically as well; including the fighting regiments which lost 19 Marines of the 6th Regiment and 16 of the 5th. The First Marine Aviation Force suffered 20 Marines dead from their squadrons in the Calais region, but also those men training in England with the Royal Air Force.
The port of Brest, France, saw the deaths of nearly 50 Marines, many of whom were fresh off troop transport ships. Not all who departed the eastern seaboard on the troop transports made it to Brest as mentioned earlier, the Henderson saw at least 24 Marines die in transit, but this was outdone by the Von Steuben, which lost more than 30 Marines in transit.[6] While there were Marines stationed at far flung reaches of the globe, very few were killed by the flu. For instance, in the Philippines, a single Marine died; whereas in Cuba three died, and Haiti and the Dominican Republic a combined six Marines succumbed to the disease and related illnesses.
Figure 2: Deaths of Marines in United States and Non-American Expeditionary Forces
In Conclusion:
When one compares the numbers of overall deaths against those of the Army and Navy, the Marine Corps appears to have made it through the pandemic relatively lightly. For instance, as previously mentioned, at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, the camp suffered 66 deaths alone on 23 September 1918; however, the worse day across the entire Marine Corps was the next day with 28 deaths.[7] Yet, when one examines the deaths in percentages of the entire branch of service, the Corps does not fare as well. In 1918, the Navy’s end strength was around 530,000 officers and enlisted; the flu took the lives of 4,158 equating to roughly .78% of the end strength.[8] The Marine Corps’ end strength for 1918 was roughly 53,000 men and officers and the flu killed (by the count of the author) 560 or just over 1%.[9] It leaves one wondering how this could be considering that the Navy provided the Corps all medical personnel and facilities, with the exception of those with the American Expeditionary Forces. Further, given the extent of the pandemic across all military posts and ships, and its relative ease of spreading, it is perplexing how the Marine Corps did not suffer more deaths from the flu.
It is unfortunate that the records of the Marines who were impacted by the flu pandemic are not more readily available with remote access. Private diaries and letters retained in private and archival holdings, and official records retained by the National Archives may yield additional information and are worthwhile exploring once the quarantine due to COVID-19 is lifted.
Today, the Marine Corps, along with the rest of the world,
is once again fighting a pandemic, but it has history to learn from, medical
advances to rely upon and technology that can share information and spread news
faster than the disease itself. Marine
Corps units across the globe have implemented social distancing, closed
physical activity centers, shuttered barber shops, ceased all non-essential
travel for Marines and civilians, implemented maximum telework for all, and
even curtailed planned training and exercises.
With these measures, it appears that the Marine Corps (and the rest of
the United States) has learned many of the lessons from the 1918 flu pandemic,
and is taking an active part in the fight against COVID-19. At the time of writing, 2d Marine
Expeditionary Brigade was slated to conduct a transfer of authority with Joint
Task Force-Civil Authority as Task Force Northeast covering the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 1.[10]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Government Documents
Department of the Navy, Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy for the Fiscal Year 1918.
Washington, DC: GPO, 1918. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.3901502595062
0&view=1up&seq=13
Department of the Navy, Annual Reports of the Navy Departments for the Fiscal Year 1919.
Washington, DC: GPO, 1919. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924065924502
&view=1up&seq=11
Books
Crosby, Alfred W. America’s Forgotten Pandemic. The Influenza of 1918. Rev. Ed. New York:
Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Hewitt, Linda L. Women Marines in World War I. Washington, DC: History and Museums
Division, Headquarters Marine Corps, 1974.
McClellan, Edwin N. The United States Marine Corps in the World War. Reprint. Quantico:
Marine Corps History Division, 2015.
Journal Articles
Amerman, Annette D. “Over Here! Marines in Texas During World War I.” Fortitudine, Vol 33,
no 2 (2008): 7-8.
Byerley, Carol R. “The U.S. Military and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919.” Public Health
Report, Vol 125 (2010): 82-91.
Godinho, Antonio M. “Marines in the Azores Islands in World War I: Diary of Walter S.
Poague,” Fortitudine, Vol 37, no 1 (2012): 25-33.
Vaughan, Victor C. “Influenza and Pneumonia at Brest, France.” The Journal of Laboratory and
Clinical Medicine, Vol IV, no 4 (January 1919): 223-224.
Newspapers
Anonymous. “Mare Island.” Army and Navy Journal, 2 November 1918.
Kelley, H. L. “Spanish Influenza.” The Marine, 27 September 1918.
Websites
Ancestry.com, “US Marine Corps Muster Rolls 1798-1958,” Accessed multiple dates,
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1089/
Ancestry.com, “Registers of Patients at Naval Hospitals, 1812-1934,” Accessed multiple dates,
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9268/
Ancestry.com, “US Navy Burial Records, 1898-1932,” Accessed multiple dates,
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3014/
Caperton, William B. Naval History and Heritage Command, “Personal Account by Rear
Admiral William B. Caperton of the 1918 Influenza on Armored Cruiser No. 4, USS
Pittsburgh, at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil” Accessed 5 April 2020 https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/i/influenza/admiral-william-b-caperton-of-the-1918-influenza-on-armored-cruiser-no-4-uss-pittsburgh.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “History of 1918 Flu Pandemic,” Accessed
11 April 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/1918-
pandemic-history.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “1918 Pandemic Influenza Historic Timeline,”
Accessed 11 April 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm
Marine Corps History Division, “Marine Corps End Strengths, 1798-2015,”
Accessed 11 April 2020, https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/Research-Tools-Facts-and-Figures/End-Strengths/
Naval History and Heritage Command, “U.S. Navy Personnel Strength, 1775 to Present,”
Accessed 11 April 2020, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/usn-personnel-strength.html
Naval History and Heritage Command, “Influenza of 1918 (Spanish Flu) and the US Navy,”
Accessed multiple dates, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-
room/title-list-alphabetically/i/influenza/influenza-of-1918-spanish-flu-and-the-us-navy.html
Historical Resources Branch, Marine Corps History Division, Quantico, VA
13th Regiment Unit File
Charles A. Doyen Biographical File
Smedley D. Butler Personal Papers Collection, COLL/3124
[Note: The spreadsheet cited herein is available upon request.]
[1] Ibid.
[2] https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1089/
[3] https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9268/
[4] Crosby, America’s Forgotten Pandemic, 86.
[5] Crosby, America’s Forgotten Pandemic, 72.
[6] These ships made multiple trips to and from France; these figures reflect cumulative numbers of dead from all trips during May-December 1918. Henderson experienced two outbreaks in two separate crossings, 14-22 September 1918 and 18 October-7 November 1918.
[7] Crosby, America’s Forgotten Pandemic, 6.
[8] “Influenza of 1918 (Spanish Flu) and the US Navy,” Naval History and Heritage Command Accessed, 11 April 2020, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/i/influenza/influenza-of-1918-spanish-flu-and-the-us-navy.html and “US Navy Personnel Strength, 1775 to Present,” Naval History and Heritage Command, Accessed 11 April 2020 https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/usn-personnel-strength.html
[9] “Marine Corps Fiscal Year End Strengths, 1798-2015,” Marine Corps History Division, Accessed 11 April 2020 https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/Research-Tools-Facts-and-Figures/End-Strengths/
[10] Lance R. Bylth Email to Seth A. Givens, “FYSA: 2MEB as TF NE for COVID-19 Response,” 10 April 2020. Author’s Collection.
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