The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-11-15
LETTERS FROM THE
BOYS IN ARMY CAMPS

trained at Mankato, July %, 1918 Tor
Camp Wadsworth, S. c., and who
arrived in France about September
Is. 1918.
"On Active Service with the Amer
lean EXpeditionary Forces. Some
where in France. October Is, 1918.
Nv dearest Mother: Since the last
time | wrote you. we have moved sew
eral times. We are following up one
of the most important and active
fronts in this part of the war. We
are at present assisting the engineers
in building and repairing roads and
bridges. We are within hearing OF
the artillery.
have seen several battles in the
air and they are certainly exciting.
Each time the allies have come cut
victorious in the end although the
Huns brought down few obserVa-
ton balloons. The Huns along this
front are being driven back so fast
that our artillery cannot follow them.
Every one is very optimistic. am
sure YOU people at home know more
what is actually going on than We
for what we hear is of course only
local.
This letter writing is great deal
harder proposition here than II was
in the states where we had Y. Nj. I.
AS TO write in. Here we are at WORK
from early in the morning Until $50
AT night BY the time mess Is over
il is dark and as We can have no
nights we go TO sleep as soon as we
can. However, each platoon stays III
camp half day every other day. Ihal
gives us q little time 10 fix up our
tents. clean up. and clean our guns,
hut not much time for letter writing.
So If my letters are few and far
between, do not worry. ! am well and
feeling fine have received no let
tiers as yet but am still living in
hopes.
We had heavy underwear and an
other blanket issued 10 us the other
day and we are quite comfortable.
We have soap issued every now ana
then and Bull Durham tobacco, but
no pipe tobacco. We also received
several Fatima cigarettes last night
and sweet cookie. They taste fine!
The things we crave most are good
tobacco and sweets. Or course, we
get almost no sweets in our mess. VIC
do have splendid meats though, roast
beef. etc. / understand that you car
send a Christmas box OF a certain
size. You can find out from the
postmaster the details, ! think. II
Won have not sent one yet, | would
like most a sweater few pairs o.
socks. and some hard candy. like
lemon drops. something that viii
taly
When get back home.
am going to have reserved sea
in the dining car. believe me! W.
had a dandy breakfast this mornin:
OF rice, thin pancakes and coffee
tell you the rice was fine. But ina
is the way it goes, sometime
good, sometimes punk. festerda
for bre kfast we had lou
prunes. slice OF bread and coffee
But we had a dandy dinner, roas
beef. onions, bread and coffee.
Owing TO a new ruling we canno
give our regiment and company !
letters from now on. However. II re
mains the same and you Will address
nv mail the same as you have D."
doing. You can also address ME
Sergeant W. 4. s.. for have y!
stripes now. We nave been haVIn
perfectly beautiful weather most
The time. regular Indian summer.
could not help but think OF the GOO
times we were having wear ago
this time. Minnesota mus ."
beautiful as ever and nj
| were there TO ctjcy & ~ with yo
The way it looks now / will be ne
year and we will spend wear havlI
a GOOD time The morning is near
gone and | must close. With wor
of love to YOU and all at home.
Winfie
f. B. Gordan, of the United Stat
Infantry. now wounded and IN no
pital Somewhere in France, CIV
a good idea of the attitude OF t
American soldiers about giving [
Germans peace before they we
thoroughly licked, in recent lett
to +. A. Fisher OF the Manka
fruit house, where Mr.. Gordan W
formerly employed Private Gord
enlisted m the regulars at the OF
break OF the wal and was in I
first boat load going over on Ju
10. 1917. He went TO France al
about forty five minutes drill in q
country. being one of the volunte'
who stepped forward when the co
mel asked the rockies who were
ling to go to take two PAGES forwa
He is a member OF the 10th Re
ment Company l., First Divisi
First army. which made the II
parade down the streets OF Pa
one year ago, and were asked
parade this year. He was woun'
twice, the first time with schrap
in the shoulder. The letter follo'
81 really have something to
YOU this time. | am in the hospl
wounded. Awful, isn't it? IL II
worrying me in the least though,
fact am rather enjoying it. am sic
ing in a real bed with white she
and a pillow. 1t is the first
rest | have had and is almost
good to be true, for during the
ten or twelve months little pile
hay to sleep on was treat. 1
all comes in the game OF
though, and we didn't mind, e
though the ground was awful i
and wet sometimes, for we
over here 10 whip the Huns, and
hNnN