Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-11
WAR LETTERS
From Local Boys Serving the
Nation.

Mrs. C. C. Carter, 2016 Sixteenth
avenue, who is now in Detroit with
her younger son. Lieutenant c. c.
Carter of the quartermaster corps,
has letter from her son,
Captain R. W. Carter, now serving
in American expeditionary forces
in France, in which he says the
spirit of the American troops is the
best in the world and that they
meet all hardships with grin.
Captain Carter tells in very inter-
esting way about his travels back
of the lines and of the many dis
comforts endured.
Captain Carter says in part:
Somewhere in France. Lundi
April.-My Dearest Mother: You
see how Frenchy l am getting al
ready. We camped in the mud in
the last place One night was
enough. cold and rainy. Our bed
ding rolls didn't come so we had
to get blankets from some British
sergeants, and slept on the floor
which was not very comfortable.
/ After a bad night We staggered
around in the mud for a long time
, and finally got our orders to move
out We marched away with no re-
grets After going million killo-
meters or more, Il thought l would
pass out toward the end), we got
to the station and entrained. |
have often read of French freight
cars marked 40 Hommes. s Che
/ veaux, but that was the first time
| had ever seen them. We loaded
"a men in each car. Officers were
4 four to a third class yection. | was
/ lucky and there were only three
] in the section we had. That night
was a bad one We slept by stretch
| ing out on the seats and hanging
! our legs around in the most COM
! Portable positions, and covering up
more or less with our overcoats.
! After a while we arrived at this
/ camp which is more comfortable
, both for officers and men. We have
: our trunks and bedding rolls and
expect to sleep between sheets to-
night Shall be glad to settle down
! somewhere for we have been trav
| cling a month and four days and
! everybody is getting sick of 1t. l
am sure pleased with the way our
men have acted during our travels.
/ We have had some very uncOm-
| Portable times and many hardshipS
4 but the troop kept smiling and al
! ways came up with a song. The
men are very comfortably quarter
/ ed in "huts' and we. are not crowd
! ed as we have been We have our
! own field range and kitchen. for
which l am truly thankful and if |
! ever get this troop fed up l shall
/ be happy. They always seem hun
CRY and ready for more. AS one
man said. Gee, it seems good to
get a mess kit full of good old
slum.' which expressed my opin-
! ion exactly. We also have an Off
GERS mess for the Sixth cavalry.
/ THE Young Mems Christian as
sOciation is a great institution. The
one here is run by New York wom-
en-. and is full every minute. They
sell cigarets, etc. and furnish pa
per for the men to write home on
! There is a little room set aside for
officers. | can't tell you where
am or what l am doing. Letter
writing is the worst proposition l
have run up against, because there
are so many things | want to say
and l can't say anything at all.
| Corporal A. Ross Cline, formerly
of this city, now with the American
I expeditiOnary forces in France,
writes to his father, A. R. Cline OF
I the Cline and Shaw Coal company
of Rock Island to tell the folks to
quit saying if you come back and
say when you come back.
/ Parts of two letters are ap
pended:
We have been having some
rainy weather lately which has
made it very muddy again. The
| French tell us that we can expect
| quite a bit of rain this month but
after that we will have the finest
kind of weather.
! Lots of wild flowers are out now
and make me think of spring in ILL
nois. ! sure will be homesick if you
continue to tell about all the beau
| ties of California l can just see
/ those poppy fields backed up by
/ NIts. Wilson and Lowe and surely
! hope that all of us can realize our
hopes and dreams and have a lit
| tie home out there where we can
all enjoy life and be happy.
We had big air battle over us
( this morning which created quite
/ bit of excitement for a while 1t
sure is the most exciting exhibition
/ l have ever seen and instead of
hunting cover every one stands
/ around and watches.
Just TO prove to you that it is
I sprin gtime l am enclosing a little
flower | picked up out in the tim
Der 1t is at least something that
has been alive and growing and
may make it seem that We are not
quite so far apart.
THE grass is as green as can be.
the trees are budding and just few
days ago I found a couple of vio-
| lets, but still the papers have Il
cold and snowy over there.
AT present we are having a big
rest. All we have to do is to take