Brief History of the 80th Division
Content Description
This collection contains one typed manuscript titled “Brief History of the 80th Division.” The folder that originally contained this document notes that “this mimeographed copy was apparently used as primary copy for one of the Richmond papers.” The manuscript documents the actions of Adelbert Cronkhite (1861-1937), who served as a Major General with the 80th Division during the First World War. It describes the formation of the Division, training... of men, action seen in France, the Division’s Richmond and Newport News headquarters, and the deactivation of the Division at the conclusion of the First World War. This manuscript copy was published in celebration of the accomplishments of the largely Virginian 80th Division by the Richmond News Leader, a now-defunct Richmond newspaper. One of the pages is stamped with the following "News Copy 1936 Aug 6 PM 2:48."
See moreDates
- Creation: c.1936
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is minimally processed and open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection contains some in-copyright material. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.
Biographical / Historical Description
The 80th Division operated within the 305th Field Signal Battalion of the United States Army. The Division was activated on August 5, 1917, at Camp Lee, Virginia. The bulk of recruits for the 80th were from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland, with the Division bestowed the nickname “The Blue Ridge Division.” The 80th Division was deployed to France on June 8, 1918, where they would go on to participate in the Battle of the Somme, the Meuse-Argonne... Offensive, and the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. The 80th suffered 6,029 casualties, with 880 men killed and another 5,149 wounded. The Division was inactivated in May 1919 but was reactivated during the Second World War.
See moreExtent
0.04 Cubic Feet (One legal-sized file folder)
Language of Materials
English
Metadata Rights Declarations
- License: This record is made available under an Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license. The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library of the University of Virginia makes its bibliographic records and the metadata contained therein available for public use under the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Designation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was a gift from the Richmond News Leader to the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on an unknown date.
Condition Description
Fair
Subject
- United States. Army. Division, 80th (1917-1942) (Organization)
- Cronkhite, Adelbert, 1861-1937 (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Brief History of the 80th Division
- Author
- Eric Willersdorf, Student Accessioning Archivist Assistant
- Date
- 24 February 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Repository
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22904-4110 United States