The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-10-18
LETTERS FROM SOLDIERS
FROM MANCHESTER

The two letters following are from
soldiers going out from Manchester,
one AS volunteer in the National
Guard and the other as member Of
the drafted National Army:
Word from Private Nelson N. Lor-
ette. formerly of Manchester Depot,
who sends his best wishes to all his
friends;
Dear friends:
enlisted in Co. NJ, N. Y. State
National Guard at Hoosick Falls, N.
Y, on the eighth day Of June, 1917,
and was sent to headquarters in
Schenectady, N. Y, and from there to
the Company headquarters in Green
Island for drilling. | stayed there
about two months and was then sent
to Waterford, N. Y, guarding the
government locks. We were there
about q month when we were again
sent to Schenectady headquarters and
from there we went to City Island,
N. Y. We then were sent to Spar
tansburg, s. c., at Camp Wadsworth,
where we now are. We have . very
nice location. The afternoon we ar
rived here it was very muddy, as it
had been raining quite hard that
night, SO we slept in the mess shack
which had been built for us and the
next day we started to work putting
up tents and working on the company
streets. 1t was a little hard for the
boys at first but they are having a
good time now. We have been here
about two weeks and we have every
thing we need. We have bathhouses,
reading rooms, stores, churches, band
concerts and Y. M. C. A. buildings.
We are going to have street cars that
run from the camp TO Spartansburg.
There is one thing l did not mention
and that is we have moving pictures
twice a week. / end this story with
good luck and wishes to all.
remain, yours truly,
Private Nelson Lorette,
Co. M. End N. Y. Inf, Camp
Wadsworth, Spartansburg, S. c.
The following letter we append just
as it was written because the writer,
who is native of Greece, but nat
uralized citizen, expresses himself SO
well that much of his seriousness
might be lost in making over the let
ter:
A. C. Orvis,
Manchester, vt.
Dear Mr.. Orvis: Y
Your letter received and | was very
much pleased to hear from you. Really
l am now into a new life that | never
to be; l was selected by my
adopted Country what am proud Of,
to give up everything for the right,
for the sake of humanity, for the per-
petual peace to come, for the general
brotherhood of mankind. From the
time on l received my red card TO ap-
pear at Bennington for transportation
at Devens Camp my only thought is
how | shall be more useful and Obedi-
ent to my Country which is yours, to
the Country which represents the JUS
tice, equality, liberty Of each Of US,
for which all rational living persons
lenounce everything that does not
to that end and purpose that
all of US desire and pursue. Now is
he time indeed the evil spirit of might
which does not consider right, to be
rushed into dust forever and the
spirit of right which produces right to
,e the leader from now on to the
humanity by the iron arm
# Brutality. You and and all per-
IONS with reason are against the war;
,ut not against every war, only
Igainst the war where there is moth U
ng in it. While when the ideals of y
the principles of equality
or which our great forefathers fought '
md died-when these principles are in q
all of US become automatic l
lily soldiers full equipped not SO much 9
4 material weapon as by the weapon r
4 moral powers which by the time G
onquer all the material forces Of the 8
vorld. My native Country Greece al n
rays stood for these principles and at
II times contrives TO stand for them, =
nd say frankly that anyone Of that !
,ountry who does not stand for prin- "
iples Greece stand, is no Greek; he cl
, barbarian. =,
My adopted Country, United States :,
America, stands for the same prin- :
iples,. Why then should not l give N
p everything even my life for these Of
nchangeable principles without which vi
fe is worth nothing! u
am conscious Of the many hard
hips which am going into. l know