Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-10-03
The following letter was handed in
by Rev. Timmcke:
American Expeditionary Forcea
August 9th 1918.
Miss Annetta Marteli

Miss Annetta Marteu
EureAa SOuIn Uakota.
Dear SIS:
received your most welcome letter;
Halso pictures and believe me WA
tickled to get 1t as it was the first
mail / was able to receive for almost
three weeks. This is also the frs.
letter have been able to write out
side Of postal for the same length
of time.
If you have read the papers for the
past three weeks you will know where
was at and what l was doing and
why it was impossible to write sooner.
You see we had the Germans going
back so fast that it took all our time
to keep up with them and believe me
we sure set the pace for them as they
left everything they had behind them.
During the first day ! picked up a
dozen or more helmets but before the
day was over had discarded them all
because my pack was heavy enough
without anything else added.
had several narrow escapes while
we were up but there is one VIII
remember goVu ueal longer than the
rest because 1T was purely luck that
the whole bunch of US didn't get killed
We had been in woods that the Ger
mana. were Smelling although none hit
close enough to make w move until
late in the afternoon when they began
dropping them all around US. We
hitched up and were all standing
around the wagon waiting for orders
to pull out of the woods when a shell
hit within ten feet Of US killing three
of our horses and breaking up two
bicycles. Not single one of our de.
tachment was wounded although il
dazed all of US for about five minutes
When the shell exploded it sure rained
shrapnel. We are out now getting 9
breathing spell and maybe you thinl
it don't feel good to sleep under cover
and have your shoes of for the frs,
time in Is days after sleeping in ditch.
es and dugouts and out under trees
exposed to rain. Am sending you 8
few clippings from The Stars ant
Stripes which will tell you quite 8
little about the dirty Hun. / have
seen the way they fight and have come
to the conclusion that the only way
like to see them is dead and hav.
seen plenty Of them laying out in tn
fields that won't fight for the Kaise,
any more.
Those pictures you sent were prett,
good Send some more. Must clos,
hoping to hear from you in the yer,
near future as letter from HON,
means more than months wages t.
us over here " It'll love to everybody
Your brother,
ANDREW.
Sergeant Andrew Martell
Ho. Det. 15n+h NJ. G. Bn.
American Elk. Forces.
The following interesting letter wa
received by Fred Kist from Georg,
E.. Marck formerly employed by Mr.
Kist:
Some Place in Franc
August l3 l.I5
: Friend Fred:
Will take little of my spare tim
this morning and drop you few
lines to let you know that am still
with the boys and getting along o. k
but the bunch I left Linton with il
pretty well split up. We are in tn
trenches now and you sure can hea
those big shells walking through tn
air. A person would think that 20,
ought to be ao.e to see them but tner,
is no chance only when they strik,
and then they sure do make the dir
fly. was out in No Mans Ian,
the other night with patrol ant
we returned safe but l aant to tel
you that man sure does hug tn
. ground when the bullets come sing