The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-05-19

spring drive will end this cruel war. and
We will be victorious and come back to
our dear ones at home. and tell about
our many experiences and narrow es-
capes. and certainly have had my
share.
Il haven't been real sick since l have
been over here, and never weighed as
much in my life or felt better. Just at
present our rations are mighty slim, but
what we have is not wasted one bit
You can see from the heading of my let
ter that my address has been changed.
am sniper, or what they called a sharp
shooter in the Civil war, and am always
where the bullets fly the thickest. In ad-
dressing my mail from now on use my
address. because l am always with bat
talon headquarters, and when my mail
goes to Company M sometimes it is
week before L get it. The intelligence sec
ton is composed of the picked men from
each battalion, and l am among the q
men that were picked. | would rather be
a private where l am than sergeant
in my old company. because on the mr.
ing line l am my own boss, and l have
sense enough to pick safe place for
sniping | hope the rest of your boys will
be lucky enough to remain in the states
until this war is over, because france
is the most God-forsaken country in the
world and the people all seem crazy to
me. OF course, most of your boys are
officers; in fact. Joe and myself are the
only privates among them. The officers
have servants to wait on them and eat al
a separate mess and sleep in good
feather bed in some old Frenchman S
house. while we poor erivates eat just
anywhere we can. In the rain we line
up and have to eat outside no matter
how hard it rains, and we sleep in barns
with the cows and horses. Many a morn
ing I have woke up and found my
blankets covered with snow, and in the
rain YOU have to keep your head COW
cred up to keep drops from falling II
your face. / am glad l am a private, be-
cause / want to be able to say | have
seen the hardest part Of the war when
| come out, and so far l have seen
nothing but the hard side.
LIKES HIS OFFICERS
when we are in the trenches | an
free to take up my position anywhere /
want to and take orders from no one
but the battalion intelligence officer
and [ would fight through fire for MIN,
because he looks after US like a brother.
He is a young fellow and is not like
the average officer, always showing MS
authority and GUESSING his men out. lie
is just one Of the boys. We also nave
a fine major in fact, every man in ms
for him if it were necessary. He never
tells a man to do anything he wouldn'
do himself, and always has pleasant
word to say just at the time it is need
ed.
MANY day in the trenches I had
been laying for hours waiting for q
Boche to show his head and was feeling
blue, the major would pass by and Say
some kind words that would brace me up
and leave me feeling fine. Had it not
been for him / believe / would nave
come in disguised. Shortly after he
would leave / would always have some
fun making Moches dodge my bullets
One bright Sunday afternoon | was lay
ing behind a tombstone in graveyai q
in No Mans Land and a German snlpei
spied me and he cut pieces out of the
stone [ was behind for nearly an hour
and | finally got his location and fires
a dozen or more shots at him, and ne
never fired again all day. I can't say
got him, but L accomplished my missioi
by stopping him from shooting at tat
details that were carrying food to the
men in the trenches. l will have to ad-
nit it is an uncanny feeling to be lyinf
behind q pretty thin stone and have
fellow to shoot pieces off of it for more
than an hour.
PICKED AS CRACK SHOT
Your baby grandson is private
first class and has been picked as one
of the hest shots in the regiment ano
made a sniper. equipped with a specia
rifle ana telescope sight that is &C.
curate 1000 yards and the Boche GER
tainly jumps when he shoots. 1t J!
quite sensation to lay for hours an1
wait to shoot at a human, and wher
you see him your heart bounds and you
can almost bite piece of it out because
you know you. are trying to take some
mans life. Don't think ] am chicken.
hearted. because 1 haven't failed tt
shoot vet.
Give my dearest love to everybody
and write soon. Also telephone dad my
new address, because l won't have q
chance to write for about 10 days. Tel
Ida Neal 1 think about her constantly
and for her to write to her baby brother
real often. With all my love for every
body, / am, your baby,
81 l.. DISMUKES,
''Intelligence Section. Headquarters
Sd Battalion, 18th Infantry, A. E. F.
France"