The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1918-01-04
SPLENDID LETTER FROM A U.
S. SOLDIER IN FRANCE


following interesting letter from
Lieut.. Henry d. Hays, who is now
With the American expeditionary fore
es in France.
Mr.. Hays is brother of Mrs. Edw.
,. Rogers, a daughter-in-law of Post
master r. F. Rogers of this city:
Hotel Continental, Rue Castiglione.
Paris, France, Nov il, 1917.
Dear Mother-We came here yes
terday morning en- route to
where | join my assignment, the 18th
regiment We came from the front
line, where we stayed for six DAYS.
You have no idea what a war this is:
no one can really express it: one has
TO see it and be in it with all he has
before he really knows the magnitude
of it.
The roads behind the line are sur
prisingly good. considering the very
heavy traffic over them at all hours
of the day and night.
1t is common sight TO see man
fall into a shell hole. and have water
and mud up to his neck, and this is
no exaggeration either | walked the
first night from s p. M, till a M,
going to my outpost. 1t was pitch
dark, and you had to feel your way
through with a stick.
There isn't five square feet OF solid
ground for six miles behind the lines,
all of it having been shelled and torn
to pieces. There isn't an upright
piece of timber for miles: every tree
is torn to splinters and broken off at
the roots: great heaps of earth as
large as a house are thrown back.
Some of the dugouts, OF "pill-boxes"
are very secure, even the 'S-5's" do
not penetrate them; they are from II
feet to 3 feet thick on the top and
sides. made up from iron Orders and
reinforced concrete They are just
like a real home. They have five and
six rooms, beds. electric lights, fans.
stoves, pianos. etc. You can sit in
there, and | have, and a shell will fall
on top of tit only jars the lights
bit You see these "pill-boXes" are
used as battalion or company head
quarters: we tell stories. read or play
games, etc, all day You wouldn't
IL, u,
the enemy's front line is only about
couple of hundred yards off. The hard
est part Of it is getting up there, over
the above desrcibed ground.
All troops. ratiOns, etc, are moved
at night; all work is done at night.
and all trenches are dug at night.
was scared to death the fist night,
when "whiz bangs" "5-4's' and
"9-5's" shrapnels, machine guns and
a thousand other things meant to kill
were flying overhead and on all sides
of me, behind and in front of me. We
were very lucky in going in and COM
ing out of the trenches. We had only
one casualty | wouldn't take any
thing in the world for being over here:
money couldn't buy what | have seen.
I am keeping diary. and if live to
get back home. it will be very inter-
esting reading for you.
It certainly is great old war I
have so much | could tell you in re-
gard to the situation over here but
if ] should attempt to scatter a few
lines in this, | am afraid you would
nezer receive this letter so from the
y Ffs of things now. / am compelled
to change my prophecy that we would
have Christmas dinner in the L. s. a.
We are nicely doomed to remain over
here until the war is over. the length
Of time no one knows. $50 please do
not worry over me. am still here,
big and strong. and am quite we'll and
happy. I could talk to you all day
and never be able TO describe the war
as il really is. | sent you a cablegram
last night
have seen all points of interest in
Paris We are treated royalty by the
French. ! never hope 70 have or be
in as large a party as they gave us
last night
The Hotel Continental is the rendez
vous OF American officers in Paris.