The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-12-27

| those big shells just all around me
and they'd cut down the trees around
me and everything else. You just
lay fat on the ground when you hear
| big one coming. You can hear
them come all right. They've got the
wickedest whistle you ever heard.
Well, you just lay there and grit your
teeth and wait for it to come right
on top Of you. But thank God none
of them came on top of me but they
came within few feet. I've laid in
little hole in the ground when they
were bursting all aroung and said a
little prayer good many times. I've
sure dressed a lot of wounded I've
dressed wounded Germans too. I've
surely had wonderful experience
over here. I couldn't commence to
tell you about it. The division I'm in
sure has got god reputation here.
I'm in the first American army and
guess you've heard enough about
that bunch to know where I've been.
We had the Germans retreating in
trucks and everything else We
captured town after town that had
French civilians in, women and little
children and old men that had been
prisoners ever since the war started
Now maybe you think they weren't
happy when we freed them. No may
be you think / wasn't happy and
everybody else over here when this
armistice was signed. / figure I'll be
home somewhere around Christmas.
l want to see you when l get back
and I'll tell you all about the war.
You can take me out and show me
the city. I'll be back before your
on the front all the time and made
such good name for ourselves that
we're going to be about the first
ones back / guess that sounds pretty
good. l don't thing Ed. ever saw the
front but I'll tell the world sure saw
it. We were in one place once and
the Germans were Smelling us from
three sides and we didn't have any
artillery behind us and l was the
only medical man in the whole bat
talon CHATS four companies) that
stuck it out to the finish My officers
didn't know what happened to me
whether l got killed, captured or
wounded or what They sure were
glad to see me and / didn't have a
scratch on me. We sure lost the men
there. The big shells touched almost
every foot of ground ard l was fixing
up the wounded and when it was all
over | came in altogether and the
only one in the bunch to stick it out
to finish. But Pm glad it's over
now. | wouldn't care about going
through that again. I've had lots of
experiences just about like that. We'd
march through mud ard water up to
our knees all night and then go over
the top at five in the morning. Oh,
it's a great life if you don't weaken
bit. l never felt better in my life.
| guess they can't kill me off. i
never get sick. 1t sure is too Dad
about Fred Carlson and Wendell
Lorentz. I wonder what's the cause
of the flu. Every letter I get they
speak of it and how many are dying
but / haven't heard much about it
over here. I'm going to ask you to
do me little faver. When you get
through reading this letter take it up
to mother and read it to her. Will
please her very much l just wrote
her, but / can't write letter to her
like | can to some of my old friends,
so if you'll take this up and read it
over to her you'll be doing me a big
favor. Will have to close for this
time. If l don't get home by Christ
mas l wish you a very Merry Christ
mas and A Happy New Year and
many more of them. AS ever, Harold.
The following Dads letter" was
received by MIR. G. L. Wigen from
his son Henry B. Wigen who has now
been in France for some time.
Dear Dad: Thinking it about time
l write you a few lines, will try and
write you now. How is the world
treating you now days anyway? I
suppose you know all about the
allies victory?" What do you think
about the "Yanks?" 1t always takes
the "Yanks" to wind up all troubles.
Being that the war is over our op-
portunity comes that we may write
most anything in our letters. Of
course the censor is still on the job
and sees that nothing out of the
way is said. Suppose you would like
to hear about what have been doing
in France during these past fifteen
months. Well after receiving our need
ed training over here we went to the
trenches in March. The first front
/ was on was the st. Mihiel, staying
there about five weeks There We're
no activities there at that time.
From there l went to the Verdun
front, also very quiet. Then we went
out of the trenches for a few days
rest, and while resting I was taken
sick with trench fever and sent to the
hospital staying there for only a few
days. Was sent back to my outfit
about the middle of June They be-
ing on the Chateau Thierrey front
then, and l was about four kilometers
to the left of Chateau Thierry. We
also checked the Huns advance on
Paris at that Place. On July LIST
went to scissors and there we went
over the top, taking town and
several hundred Huns, also many
munitions, that 1 won't take time to
write about. This attack marked
the starting of the Great American
Offensive. We then left there and
went to scissors and there we went
over the top on July 18th where
received my first wound We had
up to that day been in the trenches
for fiftytw days without being be-
ing relieved. / also got my first
taste of Hun gas on July 4th, not
serious enough though to receive
medical attention. We sure had
fine 4th of July celebration 10.55 On