Miles, Tom

Tom Miles

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Significance:

320th Service Battalion, Quartermaster Corps WWI

Place of Birth:

Tennessee

Date of Birth:

1894

Place of Death:

Rutherford County, Tennessee

Date of Death:

June 6, 1934

Place of Burial:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Cemetery Name:

Stones River National Cemetery

Tom Miles was born in 1894 to parents Webb and Lelia Miles in the state of Tennessee. In 1914, World War I had begun overseas. The United States remained uninvolved until 1917 when German submarine warfare sank 3 U.S. merchant ships. Shortly after, the call to serve was sent out. Tom Miles enlisted with the U.S. Army on April 29, 1918, at Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia.

He served as a private in Company A of the 320th Service Battalion, Quartermaster Corps. These service battalions, often referred to as labor battalions, were primarily African American units whose work sustained the front: loading and unloading ships and trains, building trenches, bridges, and roads, transporting supplies, staffing depots, and supporting artillery movements. In this role, Tom Miles and the 320th formed an essential backbone for operations in France, keeping the army moving and supplied as the war evolved.

Private Miles remained overseas for the duration of WWI and was sent back to the United States when the war ended. He was honorably discharged on July 9, 1919, and returned to Maury County, Tennessee, where he resumed civilian life. 

Utilizing the skills he learned while in service, Tom became a laborer for the railroad. He continued this profession well into his late-30s. 

On March 20, 1922, at the age of 28, Tom married Dona Buckanan, in Maury County, Tennessee. The two had twelve years of life together before Tom was admitted to the Rutherford County Veteran’s Hospital on May 24, 1934. Although it is unclear as to why Tom was initially admitted to the hospital, he would spend only 2 weeks there before he died. On June 6, 1934, Tom Miles would die due to a pulmonary infarction at just 40 years old. He left behind his wife, Dona, and no known children. 

Tom Miles is laid to rest in Stones River National Cemetery in plot Q-6160. 

Tags: stones river national battlefield, stones river national cemetery, world war i, u.s. army, 320th service battalion