The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-03-15

school from G:30 until 100. From 1880
to $50 when the lights go out, we have
to our selves. Now | suppose you viii
say two whole hours to write in why
you ought TO write book in that time.
During that tine we must sew Oh ')Et-
tons, wash our clothes, clean our leSginS.
shine our shoes, make CIR beds and on
damp chilly nights cut wood and build
fire. BY this time ] think you had
ought to realize that a soldier nowadays
is not lazy bum: quite the contrary
think. The average soldier comes from
the better class, at least it is so in this
camp.
We got to this camp on January so,
leaving Jefferson Barracks January &c.
The Journey lasted about forty three
states; Arkansas. Mississippi Tennessee,
Alabama, Georgia and into South Caro-
lima. We passed through Memphis and
Atlanta also Chattanooga All three of
these so l understand are typical south
ern cities. If they are | don't think the
south begins to compare with the north.
The streets are poorly lighted and the
alleys are all dark and the mud after a
rain is of an unfathomably depth. One
doesn't see nearly as many cars and
even the Fords are MT SO much in evil
dence as in the north. The outskirts of
all these southern towns are Just GOV
cred with negro tenement houses, ram
shackle affairs with great cracks be-
tween Tie boards ard at least half the
erywhere and in no small quantities.
Memphis is especially rotten, it being a
river town. The Mississippi here is not
the same it is up no, north, here 1t is real
We came through the mountains on
the way to Camp Sewer. Does anyone
Of your children know what range they
were? 7 didn't. We passed through a
tunnel half a mile long. In the train
there was the awfullest rumbling l ever
heard and clouds of sulpherous smoke
from the engine poured in We also
saw evidences of Sherman's great march
The seed cotton is still on the ball.
1t is reddish brown in color and the
stalk very much resembles our wild rose
stalk OF course the leaves were all off
when we came through so | couldn't
form a very accurate idea OF the real
cotton. The ball and cotton look like
our milk weed poo and seed One very
peculiar thing about the cotton is that
il is planted in rows which conform 10
the shape of the field, that is If the
field is round the rows, are circular aad
They are also very close together per
hapS EIGHTEEN inches to two feet apart
The soil IS all reddish brown about the
color of iron rust The part of South
Carolina we are in is no. very in
tensively cultivated country in fact i
is not suited to farming of any sort The
last hundred miles or so was through
thinly inhabitated country and what
dwellings, we did see were just shacks.
We were most awfully glad when the
sergeant said "everybCdy ont even
it was raining and the mud deep enough
to lose a horse in. The first night we
slept in tents with no floors in them and
the water ran through two inches deep.
Conditions have greatly improved and
the weather is fine. | am writing this
in the shade of holly tree, the sun is
so warm. and the other day we PLAYED
a game of baseball think of that, base
ball in February.
Write again and possibly | can find
time to write IL I am here and have
paper-Your friend. Espy Cate