The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-01


Pour Out Their salvos.
Capt. H. IS. Taylor, formerly assist
ant physician at the Brattleboro Re
treat, who Is now n physician with the
i0lth United states infantry in France,
has written an especially interesting
letter TO Mai Linn y. Taylor of Brat
tlcboro, which the latter has just re
cciycd. II il az follows:
SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE.
Dec. 30, 1917.
Major Linn u. Taylor,
Bratticboro, Vermont.
My Dear Najor:-
Your most welcome letter of NOyem-
her odd has lust come to hand, and /
cannot begin 20 tell you how delighted
/ was 20 receive IL.
II is rather difficult 10 write letters
from here rs there is so much that We
cannot speak of and so very little left
for us 10 write about. / fear that what
| may have 20 say will bc far from in
tcrrsting. but ! am sure that you will
realize the many difficulties and make
due allowance. | am, MS you already
know, still with the 10Th u. ;. Inf.
We landed in England and came on dI-
rcctly 20 France tho middle OF Octo-
Der. making but two stops on the way
and these az so.callcd rest camps. Why
they call them rest camps il more than
can see for the troops generally get
hut little rest and one does not remain
i'm them long enough to get rested. OF
course there were a great many inter
estiug things to see all along the way
and although the journey was rather
tedious in many particulars il was inter
cstuu and time passed rapidly The
voyage was really the best part of 1t
and vet even that became eXtremcly
tircsomc. especially after We had had
about n week Of rough weather. The
troops stood the trip beautifully ana
managed 20 take all the sailors money
from them wnh their usgal list. pi
gambling games and in true Gank fash
ion.
One Of the best was the game OF
Crown and Anchor which the sailor
taught our boys Three days later III,
BOYS had all the sailors money, TO
gethcr with the game itself, which tn
Sailors put up in one last attempt 4
regain their money. A few days late
these same sailors managed TO rails
$50 somewhere and went back TO &c
their game az IL was proving wonde
as q money maker, but they lost thei
$50 IN Just three minutes and rcturne
20 their respective tasks much wise
o. 10 the Nanks' WAYS Of doing thing
England continues to put up with tn
toy railroads and many a Joke wen
the rounds rs we entrained there i
their little coaches. They rumble alon
az q fair rate of speed, however, an
are perhaps the best for their speci;
needs as most Of their hauls are Yer
short. II did seem queer, though, an
| wondered what big Capt. Sulliva
would say II he could but cast on
weather eye on the freight trains. Ii
tie things; they look like the seen
railways az the beach. | was reall
afraid that some of the more dcvili,
men would try 90 take n few Of the ca
for souvenirs, but we managed 10 ket
them in hand all right and | don
believe that the English rolling stoC
suffered any because of our passiI
through.
In France we were up against abo
the same proposition, It's queer tn
tell me that we are building our on
lines over here and / am just me
than anxious 90 see one Of our |
compounds come putting up the rail wi
about q hundred Of the big boys behI
them. When they let out their bis
and ring their bells these people "
think that the devil is after them su
II would take about four of their
ginra 90 make one of ours
Well we came on into the Goth
yisional area (and of course that s t
ing you a whole lot; you ought to
very grateful for that piece of new
and then commenced u period of
tersiye training about which / {
tell you but q little, for of course
methods used are not TO be spoil
about 90 anyone. The French are VI
Kind 60 us and are more than glad {
We are here. They are expecting or
things and Of course there is not
slightest doubt but what we shall
liver the goods when their delivery
due. They are cooperating with us
the best possible manner and il is alb
as common 20 see a Sammy and
Frcnehy strolling along together as
is two Sammlcs. They are really
El'dl It'Il' anu true born UHhtCrS,
cry inch Of them. However, of cor
way down in my heart / firmly bell
that had our boys gone in when I
did and under the same circumstal
the results would have been vastly
trrcnt, for 90 my mind one Ameri
is as good as any three other sold
ia the world. They are holding up
der hard training and rather adv
conditions in a wonderful manner
with fine degree Of courage.
Yesterday | saw two who had |
pretty well shot TO pieces with a /
grenade and their wounds were
extensive and frightful, but in
Of this there was never a murmur
either Of them and in doing my ,
caused them intense pain, ! x
The attitude of the average man
here is vastly different. even now,
what we have seen. iRNtAe camp