The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-12-27
LETTERS FROM THE
BOYS IN army CAMP

| Mr. William MOTIFS received the
following letter from his son Lester
Dads Christmas Letter. Novem-
Der "a, 191S.-Dear Father: Am go
| ing to write you for the first time in
about a year. This is fathers day
can tell almost anything l want to sc
guess l can write quite a letter. Am
still in the hospital but am only
working for a chance to get out and
back to my battery. Am in Base
hospital No. 80, close to Never
Meuse. Dad, am going to tell you
a few of the places where l have
been and lots OF them you can find
on the map. We landed at st. Naz-
aire on the 18th of August, 1917, and
| went from there to Besanson, Doules
We stayed at Besanson for our train
ing about forty five days. We went
from there to our first front (frst
'front.' the Americans took over near
Nancy at little place called Valley
| Then we moved to the right to a
place called Luneville. We only
stayed few days there then we
moved back for a rest. Went back
of December when we went to the
front at ST. Mihiel near Toul. Our
| battery position was directly in front
! of Boucq. Left on March 25, 1918
| We went from there to the front at
! Cantigny where we made the first
drive the Americans had ever made
and the best of it is that we made
| good. We were on this front until
t the first of July and started back for
a rest, blt while we were on the
march we got orders to go to the
Chateau Thierry front I guess you
have seen the papers and found out
about what this front was. We went
! from there back to the Toul front
again but was there only few days
in nice quiet place where we didn't
have to do any fighting. We were at
a little place called Gezencourt. We
moved from there back to the front
at Boucq and with other divisions
that were there we made the
prettieSt drive that | have ever
seen. When we moved up so that
we could see what we had done with
our artillery fire and found that it
had been put over SO good, it made
us all feel good. Our Doughboys will
never forget the help that their ar
tillery gave them on that front.
They sure think a lot of us and they
don't think any more of us than We
we do of them. They can't be beat.
Well, dad, we moved from there to
the last front, 'Verdun," and it sure
was front. l thought that the
Chateau Thierry front was bad
one but it didn't have any thing on
this one. We went in and relieved
the 35th division and started at
Very. l don't know just where it
was that the Infantry stopped but |
know that it was in the Argonne
woods some place. We moved about
fifteen kilometers (about twelve
miles) up before our infantry got re-
lieved on November IL, but we
never did get relieved. Then on No
vember Is / took sick and came to
the hospital and have been here ever
since. l could tell you lot of other
places / have been but think it will
go better when l get home because
if tell you everything now I won't
have anything to tell when / do get
home, but the best thing of all is
that the day that the armistice was
signed was the day that started on
my reserve. My four years was up
ON November 10, 1918, and on Nov
em5er II l sarted my reserve. l sure
did want to be back with my battery
for the last of it because l saw the
start and l sure wanted to see the
finish, but l guess l saw about my
share of it anyway, and any time
they want to take me out of this
country / sure am ready to go. There
is big bunch of sick and wounded
that just went by with band lead
ing time starting for the United
states. Would like to be back, but
DON'T want to come till | can come
with my battery. ] came over with
it and l don't think that there is a
battery of artillery in France that
has got it beat today, even though
we haven't got very many of the old
men left. We came over with about
225 mer and when l left we had
about forty Of them left, but there
was just enough Of them left each
time that when we got filled up with
new mer they gave them the same
spirit of the old ones. When a man
was told to do anything he knew it
was helping to get through with this
thing and jumped in and did it with
out even saying a word On one day
that | will never forget, we had to
put over barrage of 240O rounds
and we started at a. M in the
morning and stopped at 4 p. m. that
day, AL from four guns and there
wasn't word said from any of the
men and any man that says that
handling six inch shells for fourteen
hours without stopping isn't hard
work, you know what l want to call
him. Well dad won't write very
much more because if I do will
have book instead of a letter but
you can write and tell all the kids
what have told you and when l get
home will have lots more. Tell every
one l said l wish them all a Merry
Christmas and hope it won't be long
after before l can be back with them.
Tell mamma not to think hard Of
me for writing to you on Dads day
and not writing to her on Mothers
day; but hope that next mothers
day l won't have to write. So will
close with love and kisses to all and
a Merry Christmas ard, believe me
1t is going to be a merrfer one than
it was last So answer real. soon and
want You to do the answering. Lots