Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-12-26
LETTER FROM FRANCE.

The following letter received b
Samuel De Vaughan from his sor
) Bernard De Vaughan who is now i
France: :
; st. Dizier, France, Nov. "a, 1915
Dear Father: II
Please don't get worried about M
not writing to you all. I am well ant
feeling fine and hope you are the same
can't write rSuch because | hav'
been travelling all over France since
l left the Hospital. l have Travelled
| by rail, truck and foot, and l am still
travelling and the Lord is the only one
that does know when I will stop.
am trying to catch up to the Second
Division headquarters; they are or
their way to the Rhine.
| When left the st. Afghan replace
ment camp came here to camp and
spent six hours here and was sent out
at night fall. arrived, at place call
ed St. Menehouh about one o'clock
the next morning. The next train did
not leave until five-thirty SO we had
| to sleep in a house that was hit by
\ an aeroplane bomb and believe me it
sure did loose it's couiitenance. The
front of the house was alright, but
the back of it was torn to pieces. Well
l spent three hours there and caught
train the next morning and was
headed for city called ,Grandpre. !
am sure you shave read of it in the
papers not so long ago. Well, | got
off the train (by the way l was riding
in box car them, and hiked ten
kilometers, Ca kilometer is about five
lights as long as our mile) to the city
Of Grandprc, and when I got there
was told that the headquarters had
never been there; so there was again.
7 hiked a couple more kilometers until
got to q narrow-gauge railroad; l
was then headed for Verdun Il know
,ou have head of that city before).
ANYHOW, it took US nearly three days
to get there. | also rode III box cars
then. Believe me, it sure was some
travelling and it sure was cold. Inc
Second Division headquarters was
then in Germany headed for the
Rhine River, so ]. tried to get trans
rnortation in trucks but could hot, aid
1.-THE rails had all been blown to pieces
and could not go by rail. then went
to another small city about thirty
kilometers further than Verdun, and
there we got transportation tor hall
of the men. There was about sixty
of us altogether in charge of leu
tenant. He couldn't get any more
transportation for the rest of US so
he brought US back heer to St. Dlzler.
We expect to leave here tonight for
Toul and stay here until the outfit
gets settled, and then get transpor-
tation and go to it.
While I was in Crandpre | had a
little time to roam around and | went
in the only church that was there,
and it was Cathedral. l meant to
say it used to be a Cathedral but
now It is only four wrecked walls
with little piece of roof hanging
over it. In the yard, short distance
from the entrance, lies the grave OF
six brave "Yanks" which were buried
there by their comrades. They all
died in action: at Grandpre, and they
were National Army men too.
could tell by their serial numbers,
they being, way up in the three MIL
lions. | guess they had been over
about three months or may be SIX
weeks. have a souvenir that | got
from the Cathedral, it is the lock off
Of the Tabernacle door of the nam
altar, and I surely do value it. There
was only one statue in the church out,
Of about twelve that were damaged:
and the walls all around them were
powdered. The French and Yanks
had to take Grandpre three times
before they could hold it and believe
me after they got it the third time
| the Boche didn't try to- retake 1t.
!, They kept going toward Berlin as
l'fast as they could. Believe | am
seeing France. l have been through
IImany a city that nothing is LETT but
1.-THE walls of buildings and some cities
| even with the ground. You can look
Eout of the cars and see big shell holes
Eeverywhere, and nearly Just as many
Elittle wooden crosses where fellows
were buried right where they died
! Sometimes they put as, high as SIX OF
eight in one she'll hole and cover then
i u lo Hirp rr