The first steps in the creation of the 9th Company, Virginia Coast Artillery occurred in July of 1917. After a meeting with the Virginia Adjutant General W. W. Sale, Mr. C. C. Walton was given the authority to raise a new Company of Coast Artillery within the Virginia National Guard. Soon after this meeting Walton, in the local Richmond, Virginia newspapers ran an advertisement for volunteers to form this new Company. In this ad the Robert W. Service’s “Rhymes of a Red Cross Man” was quoted. And a section entitled “The Volunteer” was reprinted in the ad.

Once this ad hit the papers applications began to pour in and the first date of the existence of the 9th Company, Virginia Coast Artillery began on July 23, 1917. Robert W. Service was 41-years old when the First World War broke out and he attempted to enlist, but was turned down "due to varicose veins." He briefly covered the war for the Toronto Star (from December 11, 1915, through January 29, 1916), but was arrested and nearly executed in an outbreak of spy hysteria in Dunkirk. He then worked as a stretcher bearer and ambulance driver with the Ambulance Corps of the American Red Cross, until he had health problems. Convalescing in Paris, he wrote a new book of mainly war poetry, Rhymes of a Red Cross Man, in 1916. The book was dedicated to the memory of Service's brother, Lieutenant Albert Service, Canadian Infantry, Killed in Action, in France, in August of 1916. Robert Service received three medals for his war service: 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Walton realized he would need high grade men to become First and Second Lieutenants for the Company and so he sought out Colonel Jo Lane Stern for assistance in finding such men. Col. Stern then recommended John B. Cary and William S. Stuart, both of whom were at the time serving at Fort Myer enrolled in the Officers’ Training School. Walton contacted these two men but John Carey declined to come over to the 9th Company as he was set on going to the Infantry, but William Stuart accepted Walton’s offer. William E. Sale was then brought to the attention of Walton who accepted the position of Second Lieutenant. Mr. Sale was then in Staunton, Virginia but after the phone call he quickly arrived in Richmond that same evening. By July 28, 1917, the new company had recruited the State minimum to officially form a company and an election of officers was held that same day by the volunteers in the new 9th Company. Walton was elected Captain, Stuart elected First Lieutenant and Sale was the Second Lieutenant.

The following day on July 29, Captain Walton notified the State Adjutant General that the 9th Company was ready for inspection and muster into Virginia State service. On the evening of August 2, 1917, at the Capitol Square in downtown Richmond Colonel Stern formally inspected and called the first muster of the Company. During the ceremony Colonel Stern made some inspiring remarks to the men of the 9th Company. Under General Order No. 32, Adjutant General’s Office, the 9th Company, Virginia Coast Artillery Corps, National Guard was formally organized.

On August 3, 1917, the men again were assembled and were again inspected by Colonel Phillip R. Ward, Coast Artillery Corps, United States Army, for the Federalization of the 9th Company. After that the tobacco warehouse factory in Richmond was secured as the armory of the new 9th Company.

Edward R. Estes was the first man to enlist into the 9th Company on July 24, 1917, and the last man joined on August 4. On the first three nights that the Company was assembled every single man in the company was in the line, which spoke to the enthusiasm of the men who had been recruited. Now that the 9th Company was an official part of the United States Army as of August 5, 1917, the question of housing and how to feed the men were the first order of the day. Arrangements were made with the Lexington Hotel to quarter the men there and a local catering company was secured to feed the men. Military discipline and drills were started right away and long hikes were used to get the men into physical condition. Equipment was delivered by the Army and within a few days so did uniforms. Now the men looked like real Army soldiers.

On August 17, Captain Walton received a telegraph message from the War Department directing him to pick 20-men, who were proficient in horsemanship, and be sent to Fort Monroe, for duty overseas. Captain Walton called for the Company to assemble and volunteers were called for. To the man, each stepped forward at once. Captain Walton then selected the 20-men for this duty. The next day under the command of Acting Sergeant W. W. Shelton, the detail of men left for Fort Monroe. Once at Fort Monroe the men were assigned to the 1st and 2nd Companies, Virginia Coast Artillery, which later became part of the famous Rainbow Division, the 42nd Division. Of the 20-man detail from the 9th Company, Corporal Wade H. Miller later was Killed in Action on July 14, 1918, in the Champagne front; James I. McRee was awarded the Croix-de Guerre for conspicuous bravery in action; and Corporal Bailey L. Tucker was badly gassed on the Alsace Lorraine front while taking German prisoners to the rear.

Back at the Lexington Hotel on August 27, 1917, Captain Walton received an order directing him to take the 9th Company to Fort Monroe and report to the commanding officer for duty on August 30, 1917. At 4 o’clock in the afternoon of August 30, the 9th Company boarded a train at the C&O station in Richmond and headed off for Fort Monroe. Once they arrived at Fort Monroe a few hours later, they were met by 1st Lt.  Earl B. Wilkinson, who led the way to the barracks where the 9th Company would be billeted at. At the barracks they were welcomed with a spread of coffee and sandwiches provided by the 3rd Company of Fredericksburg.

The 9th Company remained in the barracks for the next three-weeks until they were ordered to man Battery Anderson on the Chesapeake Bay. There at Battery Anderson were 12-inch mortars situated about two-miles away from Fort Monroe. Now the men of the 9th Company began a course of study in the handling of the 12-inch mortars. Drills and loading and firing these mortars were eagerly undertaken by the men. The fort commanding officer Colonel Lundeen assigned three Reserve Officers to be the 9th Companies instructors and every morning infantry drill was also undertaken. The officers of the 9th Company, along with their normal duties, were required to attend the Artillery School on base. During this same time many of the men of the 9th Company gained their qualifications as First and Second-Class Gunners.

Athletics were also an important activity at the fort and healthy rivalries developed between the various Virginia National Guard companies at the fort. In football the 5th Company out of Roanoke had not been defeated on the field and it seemed as if they would be undefeated, that was until the 9th Company got ahold of them. The contest was so intense that during the game a free-for-all fist fight broke out. After the exchange of fists on the field and the intenseness of the game subsided, a close and warm kinsman-ship sprang up between the 5th and 9th Companies.

On November 13, 1917, Captain Walton received orders relieving him of command of the 9th company and he was ordered to report to Colonel Lundeen as a member of his personal staff. Later Captain Walton would be assigned as Personnel Officer and Assistant Adjuant at Camp Eustis. Lt. William A. Stuart then assumed command of the 9th Company. But on January 2, 1918 Lt. Stuart was relieved and assigned to Headquarters Company Coast Defenses of Chesapeake Bay as the Assistant Artillery Engineer. 2nd Lt. William E. Sale on May 16, 1918, was detailed for special duty as Instructor for the Virginia National Guard companies. Later in the war he served in the air service as an artillery observer.

On December 23, 1917, Special Order No. 291 from the Headquarters of the Coast Defenses of the Chesapeake Bay, detailed that the 9th Company was to be re-designated as Battery F of the newly forming 60th Artillery Regiment, CAC for duty in France.

The 60th Artillery, CAC was under the command of Colonel Elmer J. Wallace, with Captain John Izard serving as the Adjutant. On February 27, 1918, Captain Dulaney Logan was appointed as Battery F commanding officer. The officers of Battery F under Captain Logan’s command were:

Battery F left Fort Monroe for Camp Stuart on March 20, 1918, to join the 60th Artillery for the first assembling of the regiment. And on April 22, 1918, the entire 60th Artillery went aboard the USS Siboney for transportation to France.

From now on the history of the 9th Company, Virginia Coast Artillery is told from the history of the 60th Artillery Regiment, CAC.