Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-08-27
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THE LETTER SENT TO ME FROM
FRANCE
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THE LETTER SENT TO ME FROM
FRANCE
On my return trip from New York
city in the early summer there were
two soldier boys on the Pullman sleep
er who were very attentive to my com
tort. We were detained by 4 wreck in
front of us. seven long hours, before
reaching Atlanta. Those boys were love
~, called me grandmother, brought me
fresh water and they walked up the
track n full haif-mile to find ginger ale
and crackers. One was raised in New
York, the other in New Jersey. Yester-
day l had letter from these fine boys
and l was so glad to hear from them
There was a young lady who was re-
turning from Washington City
These boys request me in the letter,
as you will see, to forward the letter
to her after l read (which l will do.
such = nice letter and these Boys are
such noble boys, that ] am going to
transcribe the most of the letter for
the Semi Weekly. You will also enjoy
the story, 1 feel sure. I hope they may
come back 20 their dear mothers at
home
"Hea dquarters One Hundred ana
Twelfth heavy field artillery, A. E. F.
II v,
ar Mrs. FELTON,:
Before going into details about our
travels lately, we want first TO bring
to mind scene on a Sea board Air Line
train On the 22d of May, this year. in
voiving sweet old lady, a sweet young
lazy and two of Uncle Sans boys.
The old lady, as you may guess, was
your own gracious self, and the young
lady Miss Davis, of Athens. Ga, on
her way home from Washington for a
vacation of ten days after an absence of
fourteen months, and the L. S. boys were
ourselves, who had been home for
furlough, after an absence of ten months
ana soon to depart for overseas service.
Thus Opens the Story
Not long after we said good-bv In
Atlanta, on the train, our regiment re-
celVed It's orders and moved to a north
ern camp. We stayed only few DAVIS.
ana then embarked on a big ocean liner
Tor our trip across the seas. The trir,
was uneventful-not a submarine sight
ed-much to our disappointment as we
hoped for some excitement. After ten
days the shores of Southampton came
In view. We hoped to spend a month
or so in England, and proceeded to get
all our surplus money changed into
English coin and bills, so that we might
spend 1t all-pitch in and have a good
time. We landed at an English port
and much to our surprise, marched
right through the town to a railroad
station. And we did march. too; never
did our band play better, and, in spite
of two weeks on the ocean and the
heavy two packs on our backs, we put
up an exposition of marching that had
not been equalled in our whole history
And we came into service as a regi-
ment on July 25, 1917. We boarded 4
little dumpy coaches with little toy
engine, nut how that train did run. The
train stopped once or twice to let the
boys get out and stretch their legs. At
one station we were given some coffee
and at another we had a chance to buy
some cigarettes. We gave away a lot
o. English money, as we had not learn
ed to figure on 1t. Finally, late at
night. we stopped at southern English
pert, and marched three miles to a
camp-slept on hard floors-rain pour
ing down. My! but those boards were
hard but we had boosted of the COM
ing hardships and we didn't care for we
were cover there" The breakfast was
meager, compared to our camp meals
but there was no grumbling. At noon
we started on another leg of our jour
ney. We marched through quaint Eng
lish %ceN>s. the people cheered us,
wished Us God-speed. Late in the aft
ernoon we got on another boat unlike
the great ocean liner that we had
known. The officers called it trans
port but it was a cattle boat. But we
did not care-we were going on-and
we were happy! AS night fell we left
the port, some rough water. some eX-
citement, when the boat dropped an
Choir, some thought we had been tor
pedoed but we were over and another
- he
The jargon in France. was like the
chat.ering of monkeys. We saw it
would be hard to catch onto that French
talk We marched through that town
and seven miles to another rest 90 camp
where the same process Of trying to
sleep was gone through with, this time
without the rain. Next day we hiked
back down the hills to the railroad sta
ton, and embarked on the last leg Of
our Journey. We were pleased with
what we saw in England, all the old
English stories came to mind-"The
Hound of the Baskervilles," "Raffles,
sherlock Holmes etc. In passing
through France, other memories came
to us. 4 We saw German prisoners work.
ing under guard, we thought of the afro
cities. murders inexcusable cruelties TO
prisoners of war and the stern purpose
for which we are here. How the peo-
nile did stare a. US, IN our funny -lOOhlIS
uniforms! We then marched through
that town to the billets prepared for
US. Another train ride of thirty-siX or.
forty hours, and got off at FrencnS
town. To our surprise we were the first
Americans stationed there. Some CT
US went to small villages, but the com
manding officers and our humble selves
occupy a chateau of an old French no
bIeman, Count Somebody or Other. To
be literally exact, the officers sleep in
the chateau and we sleep in the barn
We filled our bed sacks with straw and
are as comfortable as can be. The
chateau is a wonderful place, lots Of
secret passages, funny stairs, funny fur
niture We are transplanted into a place
two hundred years ago. We are remind
ed of the old French stories of which
we used to read. There are some pic
lures that would bring thousands at
auction if sold in America; splendid
chairs, old beds that have given rest
to kings; the typical peasants, beautiful
gardens, fine fields Of hay and wheat
are exactly what we used to read about
There is city, too, of $4,000, perhaps
They are good to the soldiers, like the
people of Admission used to be, for the
first thing they did to US was to raise
the prices. We are four miles (siX Kill
ometers). from town. We saved the sit
uation by the hiring Of bicycles. The