The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1918-04-11
A Letter From Texas

The following letter was received
by Guy Rogers from his friend Ivory
Haskell, who Is one of our town boys
now serving In the Regular Army at
Fort Bliss, Texas.
Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. az, 1918.
Hello Guy
You may be sure that l was sur
prised that l should hear from you as
thought that everyone had forgot
ten me but Edwin.
l am In the Base Hospital and have
been for some time but am feeling
fine now. | sat up for the first time
yesterday. I caught pneumonia while
on duty. l was some twenty odd
miles up in the mountains when a
snow storm came up. That morning
1t was fair and not a cloud to be seen
in the sky and as It Is warm down
here now as 1t Is up there In June
left camp In my shirt sleeves.
had my bed roll on my saddle but
never thought to take coat. / ex-
pected to be gone for ten days. Well
the snowstorm came up and l got all
wet and was wet all that day and
night, as there Is no wood one cannot
build a fire, and until about noon be-
fore | got up to the outpost where
could dry out. Well | relieved my
man and he started for camp. |
could hardly talk then. He told my
troop commander who sent another
man to relieve me and you may be
sure was glad when he got there as
was feeling pretty rotten. l got
fr,fn i..1t 1osr aff ha1
left where | expected to be gone ten
days. | went to the doctor to get
something for my cold and he took my
temperature which was 1895 and sent
me over here and here I've been ever
since January 18th | expect to have
Joined my regiment by the time you
get this. They are all packed up
ready to leave for France. We have
orders to be over there by the first of
April
| bet you were some sick when you
were vaccinated They vaccinate
you when you come into the army
and then you get six injections of
serum. Three are for Typhoid
Fever and three for Malaria. / kind
OF dread going into the field as know
although l don't think that 1t will be
as bad over there as 1t was in Mexico.
We have gone for days at time down
there without water and only q little
piece OF bacon. We we're in a desert
and there was water only In certain
places Hope I will never go thru
another such campaign as that was.
We lost great many men and hun
dreds OF horses In the year we were
on that campaign. Soldering In the
States is all right but when II comes
to soldering In another country had
rather not especially IL 1t Is In Mexico.
One time I remember OF our COM
ing to kind of water hole where
pigs were wallowing. We had not
had any water for 60 odd hours when
we came to this place we rode our
horses up and let them drink, then we
drank out Of the same place and filled
our canteens out Of that hole. The
water was black and had slime on It,
and there were those pigs wallowing
In It, When man Is real thirsty
he will drink most anything. Do
you wonder we lost great many
men?
There were about six months that
we we're not In communication with
the States. Nobody knew where we
were. What food we got we had to
steal from the Mexicans This was
after we had crossed the desert. We
were down In rich valley with a
river running thru It, We were
some or hundred miles from the
States.
Well l Will close now, hoping to
hear from you soon.
|. M. H.
G. T. 7th Cavalry,
Ell Paso, Texas.