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Assassination of France Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife occurred on June 28th, 1914 in Sarajevo when they were brutally wounded by Gavrilo Princip in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. This triggers events that will start WW1. -
Russia Takes Action
Russia prepares its vast army to intervene against Austria-Hungary in favor of its ally Serbia. This action starts a chain reaction that leads to the mobilization of the rest of the European Great Powers and the outbreak of hostilities. -
Military Career Starts
Before his military career, McCormick studied military history and followed military affairs. As a Chicago Tribune war correspondent, he visited the Eastern Front in 1915. There, he visited various combat units of the tsarist Russian Army and observed several battles between the Russian and German armies. -
McCormick's Marriage and Death
Col. McCormick married twice but had no children. He married Amy Adams in 1915 during his European trip to the Chicago Tribune War correspondent. She passed away in 1939. Col. McCormick remarried in 1944 to Maryland Hooper, who outlived him by 31 years. McCormick passed away on April 1, 1955, at his beloved estate -
Germany Fires Shells
The Germans fire shells filled with chlorine gas at the Allied lines. This is the first time that large amounts of gas are used in battle. This results in the near-collapse of the French lines. However, the Germans are not able to take advantage of the breach. -
The Lusitania Sinks
On May 7, 1915, less than a year after World War I erupted across Europe, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the RMS Lusitania, a British ocean route from New York to Liverpool, England. Of the 1,900 passengers and crew members on board, more than 1,100 were assassinated, including more than 120 Americans. -
German Limits Submarines
Reacting to the sinking of the Lusitania and other neutral passenger lines, Kaiser Wilhelm suspends unrestricted submarine warfare. This is an attempt to keep the United States out of the war, but it severely hurts German efforts to prevent American supplies from reaching France and Britain. -
1916 Villa Raid Columbus
In 1916, McCormick’s Illinois National Guard unit Illinois Cavalry. was called up for service along the Texas-Mexican border in response to the Villa raid on Columbus, McCormick and the 1st Illinois Cavalry established quarters in Brownsville, Texas. There, McCormick purchased several field kitchens and machine guns for the under-equipped regiment. -
First Tanks
The British employ the first tanks used in battle at Delville Wood. Although they are useful at breaking through barbed wire and clearing a path for the infantry, tanks are still primitive and fail to be the decisive weapon, -
Zimmerman Telegram
In January 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. This message helped draw the United States into the war which changed the course of history. -
United States Enters WW1
On April 6, 1917, the U.S. joined its allies Britain, France, and Russia, to fight in World War I. Under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, more than 2 million U.S. soldiers fought on battlefields in France. Many Americans were not in favor of the U.S. entering the war and wanted to remain neutral. -
Germany And Russia Peace Treaty
The Germans sign a peace treaty with the new Bolshevik government of Russia. The terms of the treaty give Germany huge tracts of land that had been the Ukraine and Poland, and peace on the Eastern Front allows Germany to shift soldiers to the Western Front, causing serious problems for the French, British, and Americans. -
McCormick's Assignment in battle of Cantigny
Upon America entering World War I, McCormick joined Gen. Pershing’s staff in France. He was granted a combat assignment with the 5th Field Artillery of the First Division. As commander of the 1st Battalion of the 5th Field Artillery, he led the unit in providing crucial artillery support to First Division troops in their capture of the German village of Cantigny. The first American victory of World War I, The Battle of Cantigny -
Treaty Of Versailles
World War I officially ended on June 28th, 1918 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Negotiated among the Allied powers with little participation by Germany, its 15 parts and 440 articles reassigned German boundaries and assigned liability for reparations. After strict enforcement for five years, the French assented to the modification of important provisions. -
End of McCormicks Military Career
By the end of his military career, McCormick had risen to the rank of Colonel. He received the Distinguished Service Medal for his action in World War I.The citation in part reads "he displayed rare leadership and organizing ability, unusual executive ability, and sound technical judgment. By his ceaseless energy and his close supervision of training, discipline, and command in action against the enemy”
