Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-10-23
FRENCH MAKING GREAT SACRIFICES
AND PRIVATIONS

AND PRIVATIONS
| IBy Warren Holcomb, Headquarters Company.
| 5Sth infantry, Am. E. F., Bordeaux, France,
September 1871
| Dear Folks at Home: Well how is every
| fling going ON back-on the old farm? | am
getting along fine. The wound in my knee is
| Improving fast and | can walk around: will
soon be well again. bunch of
us moved over to another hospital. II is Base
ia and not very far from Base No. 6. where
| L first. | have not gotten any mail for
a long time, as ! did not get any while was
since came to the hospital. l suppise l will
get bunch of letters when do get my mail.
They have good recreation hall here
| every evening. We well taken care of
here. The conditions great deal better
| than / imagined that they were that is for the
/ soldiers. The French people seeing ter
| rible times, they sacrificing very thing
to win the war. ! gave some candy to some
| little children across the street from where we
were stationed at one time and by the way
| they acted II the first they had
since the war began. There are lots of fruit
| trees all over the country but not much fruit
this year. They do most of their farm work
| in the old fashioned way. They cradle the
grain and bind il by hand and NOV the hay
with scythes. But their wagons what
| beat me; they string the horses out ahead
of the other, sometimes four Of them. The
wagons are big, heavy two wheeled carts
MILK THEIR COWS THREE TIMES A DAY
| by Private Ralph L. Moore, in the trenches,
Somewhere in France, September IL
Dear Folks: Received your letter of the
23rd and 26th. Sure was glad to get them
yes more than glad, for they did lot of
| good, especially the last But mother,
don't think for minute had neglected what
you spoke Of, and those verses fine.
couldn't help filing up little ] read
them, for | well acquainted with several
that viii come back. My last letter to
you ] wrote in a dug-out or hut, that had
been occupied by the Huns short time before.
| had a chair and real table TO write on There
was nearly everything Imaginable around
| there. Some of the boys sent things
home. l didn't, its much bother. found
nice new shirt that wish papa had. lis for
! cold weather, and the best goods |
| in ashirt. it to sleep Today
| in a town about the size Of StOddard. but oh
| so different. There are very few people living
here now. They have had to move out. OF
course Idon't pretend to know the name Of it,
| / have broken my jaw so many times on these
names, that | have given up trying to pro
nounce them have been in swimming sew
eral times in the Somme river. The water
sure is cold. guess it will freeze the coolies al
| right. l sitting in the shade Of a pear
| tree a real cane-bottOmed chair, with nice
smooth board from an old cupboard on my
knee writing desk. II is three o'clock
| about over there there is. about hours
difference in time.l Am also nibbling few
chocolates and cookies, | got at the before
dinner. TO my front are four houses built IN
one, with vines running up to the caves, well
and bunch of eurrant bushes and the ground
is red with fruit. To my left is sort of gar
den, mostly weeds though. To the are
more trees running back to a brick wall twelve
feet high, with pieces of glass set in cement on
top. This sure is the land of stone and brick
walls. To the right is a patch of raspberry
bushes and a shell hole about four feet deep
and ten feet across. They say shell er
strikes twice in the same place. Perhaps they
/ don't here, but I've seen places where several
have struck practically the saI.e place. II
sure is hot here today. the hottest we've had.
! A slight breeze is blowing frJm the west.
i. Yes. they are away behInd the U. S. in
most everything here. 1t does make tired
to them driving horses-drive three horses
with one rope for jerk line. and TO hear
them talk to them you would swear the horses
knew more than the driver. Use tread-miis
for threshing power. Another queer thing.
they milk three times day.
Now to keeping my stomach full, you
know that always quite task. and since
we are limited grub my appetite hasn't
been what you call satisfied for a long time,
4 But as for suffering from hunger, never
have. You know a person is sometimes better
of If they don't get all they can eat The
worst trouble some of II is SO hard Il lakes
let's of chewing. So 'suds" has gone up back
there? Well its good thing. A bottle Of
Il champagne costs = Francs, and all kinds Of
wine accordingly, and lots Of the fellows are
making fools Of themselves with il. Yes
got the letter you wrote my birthday sas
one from Myrtle yesterday. There we're a
few at FIRST | didn't get but they seem TO be
coming alright now. And folks, remcr1-
Der If I am due 10 fall IN this var, could
fall for ne better cause. don't worry
have had to take the job Of corporal will
close Eith love and best wishes from your son
and hrother.