On my recent stop in Atlanta, I took a trip over to Oakland Cemetery. Initially established as Atlanta Cemetery in 1850 and renamed Oakland Cemetery in 1872, this landmark is a hidden treasure located near the heart of Downtown Atlanta. Historic Oakland Cemetery is rich in history, and stories. One such story is that of Captain Joseph Brown Connally.
He was born in Atlanta Georgia on December 17th, 1875. His Parents were Dr. Elisha Connally, and Mary Virginia Brown. Captain Connally’s maternal grandfather was former Georgia Governor Joseph Emerson Brown. Young J.B Connally would attend the finest schools before being accepted to The University of Georgia. He would graduate from there and become an Insurance Clerk, eventually Connally would help form the first car insurance agency in Atlanta.[1] Connally would enlist in the army during America’s first call for volunteers.[2] He would receive his officers training at Fort McPherson and be commissioned into the 82nd Division. Capt. Connally was assigned to the 325th Infantry on September 2nd 1917[3], then sent to Camp Gordon to train his men. Capt. Connally was put in charge of 325th’s supply company. He and his men left for Europe aboard the S.S. Karmala on April 18th, 1918.[4]
They were sent to the Toul sector, then became engaged during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, and The Meuse–Argonne offensive. On October 10th, 1918, during the Meuse–Argonne offensive, Capt. Connally was hit with gas. An article in the Atlantic Constitution describes the scene of his gassing, “Far above the noise of battle are heard the groans of the wounded and the wails of the dying. Over the outstretched forms of many of their comrades the 325th pushes on. When the smoke clears away Joe Brown Connally is one of those on the ground his lungs filled with deadly Poisonous gas.”[5] One of his men stated that “Captain Connally should have two medals of honor.” [6] He then reported that Capt. Connally could barely stand and kept directing and calming his men while refusing medical treatment. It was reported that Connally said when urged to go to the hospital “My boys need me: if I go there will be no one to take care of them and if I leave here before we are relieved it will be to my own funeral.” [7] Capt. Connally would be sent to a field hospital to convalesce before heading stateside aboard the S.S. Sierra on May 9th, 1919.[8]
Sadly Connally would not ever recover fully from the gas attack. He would die on August 26th, 1920, at Lawson General Hospital. His cause of death was listed as “valvular heart disease with mitral insufficiency “[9]secondary to the lasting effects of the gas.
In 1922 the Connally family established the “Joe Brown Connally Scholarship in Georgia History, this scholarship is still awarded to this day. Plaques honor Capt. Connally at Georgia Baptist Hospital, The University of George, and The Capital City Club.
At the Capital City Club plaque dedication, a friend said of Capt. Connally “As for his life at this club, it was he who showed us that the Volstead act could not kill the joy of the club, He showed Us that the roses on women’s cheeks bloom just as red after the act as before it, and taught us that Coca-Cola has a spice and can supplant champagne and that there is not really so great a gulf from Budweiser to Bevo.
Those who knew him could never forget him and the great spirit he possessed. He was a prince of good fellows, and for cheer, unselfishness, and courage he had no superior.”[10] Let us never forget Capt. Connally’s sacrifice, he truly was an All American…
[1] Galloway, Tammy Harden. The Inman Family: an Atlanta Family from Reconstruction to World War I. Macon, Ga: Mercer Univ. Press, 2002. Pg. 66-67
[2] “Tablet Unveiled To Honor Memory Of Capt. Connally.” The Atlanta Constitution, November 12, 1921.
[3] “Georgia, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 for Joseph Brown Connally.” Ancestry.com. Accessed February 29, 2020. https://tinyurl.com/qqjaun8.
[4] “Page 149 US Army WWI Transport Service, Passenger Lists.” Fold3. Accessed February 29, 2020. https://www.fold3.com/image/604138259.
[5] “Smile of Fallen Warrior Not Forgotten by Soldier Companions Who Fought Beside Him .” The Atlanta Constitution, September 27, 1930.
[6] “Captain Connally Given High Praise By Fellow Officer.” The Atlanta Constitution, December 8th, 1930.
[7] Ibid.
[8] “Page 434 US Army WWI Transport Service, Passenger Lists.” Fold3. Accessed February 29, 2020. https://www.fold3.com/image/604339436.
[9] “Georgia, Deaths Index, 1914-1940 for Joseph B. Connally.” Ancestry. Accessed February 29, 2020. https://tinyurl.com/rh7a6xb.
[10] “Tablet Unveiled To Honor Memory Of Capt. Connally.” The Atlanta Constitution, November 12, 1921.
The Military History Traveler 