Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1918-07-11
PETERSBURG, VA.


/ enclose little article that you
may publish in the Heald | always
look SO eagerly to read of any of my
friends and perhaps there are some
who will be interested to know what
am doing. Like every thinking per.
son, was convinced that | must dc
my bit, tho small, in this great war,
and so in April, Miss Goodwin, whom
you will remember, and | enlisted
with the government to do protection
work for girls in camp centers. We
were sent to Petersburg, Va, on the
first of May to do this work in the
station and in connection with Camp
Lee, which is one of, if not the larg-
est cantonment in the United States,
working under the war camp comt
munity service.
Since we came here the first of
May $4,000 soldiers have left Camp
Lee and about $4,000 more have TAX
en- their places. Camp Lee is won
derful place. A city in itself, three
miles from Petersburg, and when one
realizes that Petersburg, tho 100
years older than Chicago, has a pop
ulation of only $4,000, with a con-
SJdAlIJ Chul6AA5 SuOoL popuidCAOh vi
10000 people, coming from near and
far to see their loved ones in camp,
he knows what the housing problem,
first of all, is. Then there are moth
ers and fathers coming great distanc-
es to see their boys, only to get here
and find they have gone just few
hours before. Girl wives who are
young mothers suffer like disappoint-
ments, and as we do the only thing
to be done, i. e., take them gently
and place them on the returning
train for their broken home, our
hearts cry out for them, their little
one, and their soldier "over there"
But our worst problem is the de-
linquent girls known as camp fol-
lowers" In protecting the soldiers
from them we cooperate with city
police, military police and protective
officers.
Recently the Central Line Train
ing Camp has been opened at Camp
Lee and in addition to the work al
every 80 days 1900 men will be for
warded here from various units of
the army and few from civil life to
prepare for commissions. The course
will be for four months. This is one
of three such school in the United
States.
While Camp Lee itself is one of the
sixteen cantonments in the country
it is said to have cost more money
than any other.
Petersburg is wonderful old town.
Perhaps no city in America has as
many vital links connecting it with
periods Of national history. "Old
Fort Henry" built in 1886, was the
nucleus of the original town, and
suburb of the city today is said to be
the site of the Indian village destroy
ed in 1876 by the Virginia Rebel"
Nathaniel Bacon.
Pocahontas lived here, and Poca-
hontas Basin. where she was wont to
bathe her face and hands, is one of
the interesting markers in pretty
Central Park. Petersburg was known
as tht Cockade City in the War of
1912. The famous Battle of the Cra-
ter, which occurred July 80, 1864.
With Confederate troops led by Gen.
Robert E. Lee and the Federals by
Gen. U. S. Grant, occurred here.
Not wars alone have made Peters |
burg famous. but the fact that it is |
called upon to play big part in the |
present world war, connected with |
he fact that am here trying to help |
hose less fortunate han ! am, makes |
ne refer o this record.
Thert are many beautiful, wonder
'ully beautiful, things here, and when
he world is II at peace again, much
o make one happy. |
Best regards to all.
Yours with the cofors,
GERTRUDE WHITNEY.