Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1918-02-22
SPECIAL WORK IN FRANCE.
Letter from Major Ashley, Formerly
Officer Of First vermont-Urgent
Need for Good officers.


oflcer Of First vermont-Urgent
Need for Good officers. .
Maj. l.. D. Taylor has received the
following letter from Maj. J. M. Ash
ley, former First Vermont officer now
with the American expeditionary
forces:
Somewhere in France,
Jan. 80, 1918.
My dear Taylor
/ Your letter was received couple
Of days ago and l am trying to answer
| it by the light of bum lamp. do
not have time to write in daylight
| Since wrote you before have moved
to another part of the country on some
special work with a part of the com.
mand. .-:
have been quartered in chateau
| with steam heat, q good kitchen in
charge of Cook Levi Heap, formerly
of the Brooks House, dining room,
walters and real mess-the first one
have had in France. At one time
there were eight officers here but by to-
morrow there will be only Hartwell and
l left. We arrived here just before
| Christmas and we had several of the
old Vermont officers in to dinner. There
were 10 of us and we had everything
to go with the meal, including a case of
champagne to wash 1t down. We tried
to feel gay but there was something
lacking-some spell which seemed to
hover over us. We were too far from
home. ....
1t has been real winter here, but
now the weather has broken and it is
like the month of April at home I
have five cars and the same number
of motorcycles that are kept busy all
the time. / drive ear myself instead
of cycle, as 1t is not 80 dirty. The
only trouble is that they are'.all Fords
and not so fast as the cycles. Ser
geant Miner, wiiohis one of the agents
on my headquarters, is in my car with
me and he is a dandy. He sure is q
good man to look after a car. There
is much trouble with punctures on ac.
count of the number of hobnails that
come out of the soldiers shoes in the
roads, and there is hardly day we dc
not have at least one puncture. Mine,
figures days work as 50 many gallon.
of gas and so many punctures; not il
kilometers.
recently and am glad to know that he
has a command. The Lord knows W,
need all the good officers we can ge'
over here at this time. trust that
will see him in France soon
Just got an order to move 100 mel
on nights notice and as all the serv
ice records have to be transferred a.
the same time, the companies these mel
came from are making out the payrolls
= 1t is case of the officers staying NJ
all night to get things in shape. Blu
1t is done just the same; this game il
not much like National Guard encamn
, ments. I =
There Is not much that l can writ,
,, about, but 1T is not FROM lack of new
as there is some excitement at time
but 1t would never do to tell about il
l have not been TO Paris as about tn
time got to where l had time to asl
+. for pass, headquarters stopped isSl
ing them.
The part of the country where | an
ut present is one of the best parts o
France. The people are very fine, ant
? they do all they can in their way t.
g help us out. But they strike you a
= very sad people The greater par
of the women are in mourning an,
5 those that are not wear a worried looi
l The only bright and happy faces 70,
= see are those of the children who ar
$ too young to realize the situation.
will take off my hat to the FrencI
!. woman. She is doing her part. an
there is no kind of work she will no
2 do. Nothing is thought of but deci
e rsive peace saw young girl tn
J. other day whose husband had just bee
-. killed and the remainder of his detach
| ment captured. She was glad that h
= had been killed rather than fallen in
/: to the hands of the Germans. Thi
seems to be the sentiment.
1t is after midnight so must tur
in. Give my regards to all my friend
and write me when you have time.
will try to answer.
Sincerely,
j. NJ. ASHLEY.