Wyatt T. Dixon papers, 1850-1987 (bulk 1918-1960).

ArchivalResource

Dixon, Wyatt T. (Wyatt Thomas), 1894-1986. Wyatt T. Dixon papers, 1850-1987 (bulk 1918-1960).

Wyatt T. Dixon papers, 1850-1987 (bulk 1918-1960).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30835573

Consists of diaries, photographs, photomechanical prints, postcards, clippings, correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, printed materials, forms, military records, leaflets, and maps. The Pictures Series comprises the largest portion of the collection. The collection documents the activities of the United States Army, American Expeditionary Forces, 30th Division, 113th Field Artillery Unit, Battery C, from 1918 to 1919; Durham, North Carolina; and Dixon's career as a journalist. The World War I Series chronicles the American Expeditionary Forces, 113th Field Artillery Unit, Battery C, which consisted primarily of men from Durham, N.C. Dixon's diaries chronicle the unit's movements and activities in the United States and Europe including England, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Battery C was involved in the Saint Michiel offensive and the Muese-Argonne Campaign. The diaries describe camp life in the United States and Europe, including daily routines; camp conditions; outbreaks of measles and other medical situations; and the soldiers' personal recreational activities. The journey by ship to Europe is also described in detail, including the sale of food to the soldiers and the conditions on board. Civilian responses to the soldiers as they visited or traveled through towns and cities in America and Europe are noted throughout the diaries. Dixon mentions a unit of African-American soldiers was at Mont Dore, France. There are some snapshot photographs of Battery C and some formal panoramic photographs of the entire unit. Letters written by Dixon and his family while Dixon was in the Army are in the Writings Series. The Writings Series contains some personal correspondence and a diary, but the bulk of the series documents Dixon's career as a writer for newspapers published by the Durham Herald Company in Durham, N.C. In his column "How Times Do Change," Dixon described life in Durham and the surrounding area and the manner in which cityscapes and social life changed over the past decades. The bulk of the pictures in the Pictures Series document Durham, N.C., and appear to have been collected by Dixon to illustrate his articles.

2, 700 items (3.6 linear ft.)

Duke University Libraries, Duke University Library; Perkins Library