Finding aid for the Dudley J. Hard Papers

Biography of Dudley J. Hard

Dudley Jackson Hard (1872-1950) was born in Wooster, Ohio, in 1872. He attended public school and college there, and was active in the Ohio National Guard. In 1894, Hard moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and continued his military career. His offices in private enterprise included: secretary-treasurer of the Cleveland Light and Power Company; director of the Ohio Chemical Manufacturing Company; director of the Cleveland Welfare Foundation; and a trustee of Wooster college. For several years, Hard owned the controlling interest in the Wooster Electric Company, a business that had been organized partly by his father, Curtis V. Hard.

Hard's military career followed a long family tradition. His grandfather, Abraham Hard, was a sergeant in the Sixth Vermont militia in 1792. Hard's father, Curtis V. Hard, served in the American Civil War and the Spanish American War.

Dudley Hard's military career began with his enlistment on June 30, 1888 in Company D of the Eighth Oho Volunteer Infantry, Ohio National Guard, based in Wooster, Ohio. Within that body he served as a corporal, sergeant, and as a first lieutenant in the Cuban campaign of the Spanish American War. With Hard's move to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1894, he enlisted in Troop A (also called First City Troop, Black Horse Troop, First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry), First Squadron of Cavalry, Ohio National Guard, on December 28, 1894. Hard held the ranks of corporal, second lieutenant, and first lieutenant from 1898-1915. On October 19, 1915, Hard was commissioned major of the First Squadron of Cavalry, Ohio National Guard. In that capacity he served in the Mexican Border campaign of 1916-1917. On May 4, 1917, he was commissioned colonel of the squadron.

Following the United States' entry into World War I, the Cavalry was transferred to Field Artillery and designated as such. The First Squadron of the Cavalry was assigned to duty with the Second Ohio Field Artillery, which was renamed the 135th Field Artillery. Colonel Hard commanded this unit from August 4, 1917 to April 11, 1919. He later served as brigadier general of the 54th Cavalry Brigade and Chief of Staff of the 37th Division before his retirement from military life in 1936.

The 135th Field Artillery was part of the 62nd Field Artillery Brigade of the 37th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. the 135th Field Artillery was quartered at Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, Alabama, for training until late June 1918, when they sailed for England.

In France, the 135th Field Artillery regiment supported, at various times, the 92nd, the 33rd, the 28th, and the 5th Divisions of the American Army. They belonged to the Second Colonial Corps and the 17th Corps of the French Army. Also, they were assigned at one time or another to the First, Second, and Third American Armies. They stayed in France until march 12, 1919, when they sailed from Brest on the battleship Vermont, and arrived at Newport News, Virginia, on March 24, 1919.

the 135th Field Artillery reverted to is Cavalry designation after World War I. In 1920, the unit was reorganized and called Troop A, 107th Cavalry. Later, Troops A and B were combined to form the First Squadron of the 107th Cavalry Regiment, 54th Cavalry Brigade, 37th Division of the United States.

Scope and Content

The Dudley J. Hard Papers, 1864-1944 and undated, consist of military orders, bulletins, memoranda, rosters, payrolls, maps, war diaries, tactical procedures, discharge records, an unpublished book manuscript, a personal diary, correspondence, newspaper clippings, certificates of commission, and a souvenir volume and programs.

The collection thoroughly documents the daily operations as well as the military maneuvers of the 135th Field Artillery prior to and during its involvement in France in World War I. The records show the working relationship of the 135th Field Artillery within its two immediately superior military bodies, the 62nd Field Artillery Brigade and the 37th Division. As a whole, the records provide a clear picture of military life during the period, and may provide insight into reasons for some of the tactical maneuvers in World War I. The personal records of Dudley J. Hard serve to exhibit the accomplishments of one man within the military system.

Particularly noteworthy are the unpublished manuscript of Curtis V. Hard recording the movements of the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Spanish American War, and the diary of operations of the First Squadron of the Ohio Cavalry in the Mexican Border campaign of June 1916-February 1917. These accounts lend a personal touch to their respective military events.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

All photographs have been removed to PG 245 Dudley J. Hard Photographs.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3138 Dudley J. Hard Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of Lyle Thoburn in 1958.

Processing Information

Processed by Heidi Kirsten Goetz in 1981.

Other Finding Aid

Lists of the military records of Curtis V. Hard and Dudley J. Hard are available at the Reference Desk of the WRHS Research Library.

Detailed Description of The Collection