The Very Human Story of Robert Adams...
- born in 1875 and raised as a Texas Cowboy...
- learned some law and courtroom procedure by clerking for a traveling Texas State Court judge...
- joined the U.S. Army around 1900...shipped to the Philippines...fought in the Moro War...promoted to the rank of sergeant...
- very unusual for one with only a few years of service...
- served ten years or so on garrison duty at various army posts in Texas...
- during that times promoted to 2nd lieutenant, and served as legal council to enlisted personnel under military trial...
- participated in U.S. occupation of Vera Cruz, Mexico...
- fast forward to the hurricane of 1915 that devastated Galveston, Texas.....
- Lt Adams was found to be absent without leave and intoxicated...
- He was charged and scheduled for court martial trial...
- Knowing his obvious indefensible guilt and knowing that he would be broken to private and most likely sent to Leavenworth prison...
- where there were many men imprisoned, who he had failed to successfully defend...
- he then took the most logical step... and deserted the U.S. Army...and fled to Canada...
- after arrival in Toronto in 1915, Robert enlisted in a newly forming Canadian Army unit, the 97th Battalion, aka known as "The America, Legion"...
- An effort to recruit U.S. citizens, exclusively...look it up...
- upon realizing Robert was a veteran soldier, with 15 years of experience, he was commissioned, with the rank of Senior Major...
- talk about being in the right place at the right time...
- after basic training, the 97th was sent to Nova Scotia, for advanced training...
- ie: trench warfare...
- after realizing what they had signed up for...about half of the 97th deserted...
- after arrival in England, the 97th was disbanded, with the remaining officers and men assigned to a replacement battalion...
- it so happens that the Second Canadian Mounted Rifles were in need of a Senior Major...
- now one should know that the 2CMR had been dehorsed and turned into infantry...
- Robert served in the trenches as Senior Major of the 2CMR until sometime in 1917...
- when...he was again found to be intoxicated on a regular basis...
. instead of dishonorable discharge, Major Adams was diagnosed with shell shock, and sent to a rehab hospital in England, where he was discharged from the Canadian Army...
- shortly after returning to the U.S. and discovering he was a wanted man, Robert again fled to Canada...
- where he again enlisted as a private in the Canadian Army...
- and was shortly posted to the 58th Battalion of the CEF...
- where on August 27, 1918, private Adams was killed in action, during the Battle of Arras, France...
- and so ends the story of Robert Adams...who when asked what was his occupation, replied...
- Soldier...
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Last edited by ed good; 11/11/25 08:03 AM.
