New Britain herald., 1917-12-18
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Russell ". Nelson Writes They
 Are Confident of Victory

Russell w. Nelson of this city, who enlisted in Troop B at the beginning of the war, and is now in France, has written the following interesting let ter to a local friend:
 Just note to thank you for the package you sent me-they came last night and you don't know what it means to get news from the U. S. A. in this neck O. the woods. Every one just sort of lives to get mail and papers and when g. bunch comes in you should see the wild scramble to see whether everybody has been lucky enough to get in-on any.
 All the boys are feeling fine and dandy and although the weather at times hasn't been the finest we are getting into good shape as far as living conditions go and have abso- 1utely not kick coming, except that New Britain (even at p. m.) would look pretty good to me now..
 Tt is very pretty country in which we are located and before the war it was evidently quite, a. farming country-however this question of keeping the roads in condition and working the land is looked after by the government, which details men cases you can see old women and young kids (nine and ten years old) work ing in the fields and doing whatever work is absolutely necessary around the farms It is all very clear after seeing conditions under which the people are living and have evidently lived for some time how much they have given for the cause for which they are fighting and the fine thing about it all is that nobody is the least pessimistic about the outcome of it all. You would naturally think after three years of pounding they have taken that they would not be so keen about going back for more, but talk ing with fellows who have been out there the effect seems to be just the opposite.
 ''The people in the States (for the most part) have no idea how much the French people are looking to the United States for results and from what we have seen your Uncle Sammy is not going to disappoint them.
 Y we are (that is a couple of pla- toons) located in a big chateau on the side of a hill, and from what is left after the inmates got out, it must have been a wonderful place in it's day. We have just had double-deck hunks put in every room and they were tried out for the first time last night, and it is quite an improvement over the floor. When our fireplace was going full blast and everyone was smoking, it looked like one of the scenes from The Man Who Came Back, or rather a Smoke Joint in 
 "Our evenings, which start a little after o'clock, are generally spent in loafing around the fireplace, reading at the Y. M. c. A., which was put up in a hurry in a tent, or gathering around the stove in one of the French cafes. These cafes are merely the basement of old billets and light wines may be purchased. In our village there are three of these places and they are really nothing but holes in the wall
 "Old New Britain Is well repre- sented here as you probably know. Ed Barnett is in these parts. We are going to try and get in touch with some of the other fellows over here,' that is Bert Peck, Platt, Hummy, Bob, etc. AS we dope it out the Roosevelt hospital outfit is about 30 miles from us so that some of these days we should be able to see them.
 The fellow beside me is writing a letter yards long and he has gazed at the picture of a fair one for inspira- tion. If you could see the picture you could appreciate that there are not many who could be inspired by it. In fact that is the way it struck me.
 "Bv the time this letter reaches you it will probably be well on toward the holidays and trust you will have a very merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Wish you would remem- Der me to all the bunch and give my best regards to your mother.
 RUSS"