Capt. William Peck
From the Sept. 16, 1915 issue of The Elgin Daily Courier
GUARDS RECEIVE WAR EQUIPMENT
Company E, Illinois National Guard, is on a war basis.Today the news leaded out that for the past week Captain William R. Peck of the company has been receiving advices from Springfield which suggests necessary equipment and arrangements for placing the National Guard on first class war basis.
A few days ago a big shipment of the latest type of army rifle arrived from the Rock Island arsenal. With the guns came a large quantity of ammunition and a number of new uniforms and other supplies.
Today rumors among the members of the company attached significance to the recent supplies of equipment which have come from the Rock Island Armory and I. N. G. headquarters at Springfield.
It is said that the "Suggestions" received lately come in a semi-official way from army headquarters. No order had been sent fro the company to be prepared for a call, but the "suggestions" received hot only recommend certain equipment but also certain maneuvers for the soldiers to be drilled in.
Some of the guards profess to expect a call to Mexico.
From the June 15, 1935 issue of 'The Elgin Courier-News'
Co. E 3rd Ill. Nat. Guard, Inft.
From the March 10, 1916 issue of 'The Elgin Daily Courier'
WON'T OFFER I. N. G. UNTIL WAR DEPT. ASKS ILLINOIS AID
Springfield, Ill., Mar. 10,- The Illinois national Guard will not be offered to the war department for service in Mexico until the department asks for aid.
This was the statement issued by Governor's Secretary Sullivan in denying the rumor that Governor Dunne had offered the Illinois national Guard for service in Mexico.
From the March 17, 1916 issue of 'The Elgin Daily Courier'
VACCINATE MILITIA IS NEW STATE ORDER
All members of Company E. I. N. G., will be inoculated within the next few days with the typhoid vaccine, in preparation for any possible call to the front. Captain William R. Peck stated today that he had sent for the vaccine to the government and expected a supply with the necessary instruments in a short time.
From the March 22, 1916 issue of 'The Elgin Daily Courier'
DENIES I. N. G. HAS ORDER TO PREPARE
Springfield, Ill., March 22,- "I do hereby officially deny that any order has been given by this department or received here relating to the preparation of the I. N. G. for active service or preparedness." Signed Acting adjutant general Colonel R. J. Shand.
The above statement was made by Colonel Shand this afternoon to the United Press in refutation of the report that the I. N. G. commassary officers and quartermasters had been ordered to prepare for mobilization.
From the April 6, 1916 issue of 'The Elgin Daily Courer'
ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR I. N. G. CAMP
Elgin Militia to go to Fort Sheridan August 6-13
Springfield, Ill., April 6,- One of the most comprehensive encampments ever arranged for the Illinois national guard was announced today by Adjutant General Dickson.
Two camps, one at Fort Sheridan, Chicago, and the other at Camp Lincoln, Springfield, will be maintained. Six battalions of field artillery and the field hospital corps will go into camp with the regular army at Sparta, Wis. The engineer corps of Chicago will go into the joint United States army camp at Belvoir Tract, Av. The signal corps will go into camp at Fort Sheridan at a date to be set later. The first cavalry will take a practice march out of Chicago early in July. The naval reserves will drill with the Atlantic fleet.
The regiments will go into camp at Fort Sheridan, as follows:
First infantry, July 16-23; Seventh infantry, July 23-30; Second infantry july 30 August 6; Third infantry August 6-13; Sixth infantry, August 16-20.
Regiments will go into camp Lincoln as follows:
Forth infantry August 20-27, Fifth infantry, August 27 Sept. 3; Eighth infantry Sept. 3-16
From the June 15, 1935 issue of 'The Elgin Courier-News'
Capt. William R. Peck, in command of the company during the expedition to the border, some years ago penned an interesting acount of the unit's experiences during the Mexican campaign, excerpts of which follow;
"In June 1916, Company E was called to the Mexican border where trouble was stirring-we always suspected that it was started by the Germans to divert the attention of America from the fight abroad."
Billeted in Pig Pens
"We left Elgin 100 strong and went into camp first at Springfield, Ill. Here the first taste of army hardship began. Men were quartered in pig pens at the state fairgrounds, put through strenuous maneuvers and given equipment for fighting. We were sent to Camp Wilson at San Antone. Ariving there on July 5, in mud that virtually pulled off our shoes. We cleared the region of mesquite, scrub oak, drained it and pitched tent, making it eventually an ideal camp. The began our strenuous training.
"Long, arduous hikes brough broken arches and blistered feet, one of them being from San Antone to Austin, Tex., a distance of 214 miles, marching with heavy packs. This hike tried our endurance harder than anything we had ever experienced. Some of the men were forced to give up the march, joining the company the next day. Pup tents were pitched in open spaces near Austin and maneuvers began, the men being taught warfare that would have been put into practice had we invaded Mexico.
Lauded By Funston
"Before our return to Austin, our battalion gained the reputation of being one of the best in the Eleventh Provisional Division, composed of Illinois and Wisconsin troops. General Funston was alive at this time, and when he reviewed the troops he remarked on the splended showong of our regiment and kept us in Texas five months longer than any other Illinois regiment. He complimented the spirit of the regiment highly, and said that if he could keep it in the regular army he would do so. Col. Charles Greene of Aurora was the regimentsl commander.
"The Texas Training was a round of unforgetable annoyances-the pestering with vermin of all sorts, chiggers, ticks and scorpions. There were some illnesses, but no deaths. At last on Jan. 31, 1917, the troops were brought back to God's country-Fort Sheridan, this time, but landed there fresh from a tropical atmosphere of 60 to 70 degrees, in weather 22 degrees below zero.
Compny E in Drive After Bandit Villa in June 1916
Ninteen years ago this month, June 1916, Company E, 129th Infantry, of Elgin left to join Uncle Sam's regulars in the punitive expedition against the Mexican bandit war leader, Pancho Villa. The company entrained, proceeded to San Antonio, Tex., and there were quartered for the grater part of a six-month period.Capt. William R. Peck, in command of the company during the expedition to the border, some years ago penned an interesting acount of the unit's experiences during the Mexican campaign, excerpts of which follow;
"In June 1916, Company E was called to the Mexican border where trouble was stirring-we always suspected that it was started by the Germans to divert the attention of America from the fight abroad."
Billeted in Pig Pens
"We left Elgin 100 strong and went into camp first at Springfield, Ill. Here the first taste of army hardship began. Men were quartered in pig pens at the state fairgrounds, put through strenuous maneuvers and given equipment for fighting. We were sent to Camp Wilson at San Antone. Ariving there on July 5, in mud that virtually pulled off our shoes. We cleared the region of mesquite, scrub oak, drained it and pitched tent, making it eventually an ideal camp. The began our strenuous training.
"Long, arduous hikes brough broken arches and blistered feet, one of them being from San Antone to Austin, Tex., a distance of 214 miles, marching with heavy packs. This hike tried our endurance harder than anything we had ever experienced. Some of the men were forced to give up the march, joining the company the next day. Pup tents were pitched in open spaces near Austin and maneuvers began, the men being taught warfare that would have been put into practice had we invaded Mexico.
Lauded By Funston
"Before our return to Austin, our battalion gained the reputation of being one of the best in the Eleventh Provisional Division, composed of Illinois and Wisconsin troops. General Funston was alive at this time, and when he reviewed the troops he remarked on the splended showong of our regiment and kept us in Texas five months longer than any other Illinois regiment. He complimented the spirit of the regiment highly, and said that if he could keep it in the regular army he would do so. Col. Charles Greene of Aurora was the regimentsl commander.
"The Texas Training was a round of unforgetable annoyances-the pestering with vermin of all sorts, chiggers, ticks and scorpions. There were some illnesses, but no deaths. At last on Jan. 31, 1917, the troops were brought back to God's country-Fort Sheridan, this time, but landed there fresh from a tropical atmosphere of 60 to 70 degrees, in weather 22 degrees below zero.
From the July 15, 1916 issue of 'The Elgin Daily Courier'
PECK THROWS SCARE INTO COMPANY E MILITIAMEN
A scare was thrown into the men of Company E last Monday when they were on an eight mile hike into the country. Sergeant Tuttle who happened to be near Captain William R. Peck suddenly gasped and ran to the Captain's side."Captain, are you ill? You had better fall out," Said the sergeant. Captain Peck looked at Tuttle and had almost decided that the heat had affected Tuttle, when another one of the boys broke ranks and rushed to the captain's side.
The captain's face was as blue as could be and the boys feared that he was suffering from a stroke of apoplexy. And then he removed his hat and the "apoplexy" tine of blue was fond streaming from a blue handkerchief which Captain Peck had tied beneath his hat.
Mrs. Peck received a letter today from Captain Peck. He stated that he was getting along fine and that he was doing so much marching and drilling that he is losing any tendency toward a corpulent waist line.
From the July 17, 1916 issue of 'The Elgin Daily Courier'
CAPTAIN PECK MAY BE ASSIGNED HERE TO GET RECRUITS
Captain William R. peck who is now at Camp Wilson, San Antonio, Texas, may be in Elgin within a short time as one of the three recruiting officers who are to be sent to this part of the state in an effort to enroll more recruits.As several of Company E's men had to be added to other companies to complete their enrollmentt, Captain Peck and two other officers may be assigned to recruiting duty in the norther part of Illinois.
Captian Peck wrote to Mrs. Peck and Dr. George F. Ruppert and stated that he expected to return within a short time.
Most of the letters received by the men from the front indicate that they expect to either return to Elgin next month or to go to the border.
From the 1956 Kane Co. Honor Roll
Name - William Riley Peck
War - WI
Rank - Major
Unit -
Co. E 129th Inft. 33rd Div.
Died - May 13, 1953Interred - Bluff City Cemetery, Elgin, Ill.
Location - Grave 4, Lot 160, Section 4
Issued a Gov't Headstone
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