In mid-August 1918, most Americans were following the progress of the war in France. It is hard to believe that tens of thousands of them would not live to see the final victory on Nov. 11 and more Americans would die at home from something called the Spanish flu over those three months than would from all the German shells, bullets and gas at the front.

Throughout that summer, Americans had read of the disease sweeping Europe, killing thousands on both sides of the conflict, but most felt they…