World War I 100 Years Ago: Aug. 25-31

From The Indianapolis Star, Monday, August 27: A crowd of 200,000 persons lined twenty-eight blocks of downtown streets yesterday afternoon to greet the uniformed men of the Indiana National Guard, who will soon go overseas, and the conscripted young men in their Sunday best who have been selected for the national army, as they passed by in a great military review. The monster assemblage was the biggest and most inspiring demonstration ever witnessed in Indianapolis. People jammed every available space to show their love and affection for the Hoosier sons of liberty – the flower of Indiana youth. The guardsmen and the men who will soon be mobilized, including a large number of young black men, were cheered and applauded with every step taken along the parade route. Across the sea of onlookers, small flags were constantly waved with patriotic enthusiasm.