The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1919-02-06

low the last letters of Henry Hester
man who gave his life for his country
on November .. 1913, while fighting
with the American forces In France
News of his death was received here
before the letters reached the home
folks
France, October 10, 1918.
Dear Folks Received your letters
all right some of them at time when
they were especially welcome, namely,
right on the very front line trench. We
were in battle night and day and |
wish | could tell you all | would like
to about those exciting days so I'll just
tell what | think will get through all
right. The battle started In the morn
and when the artillery started | thought
all of hell had broken loose, such deaf
cning roar and the sky for miles or as
far as one could see, was just great
flashes Of fire as those big guns went
off and II was light enough to see
long ways around. Then ut over
the top we went and 1t was not far to
the first German trenches, and to where
we saw what those big guns that were
firing all the time had done; we drove
on ana about twenty seven hours later
had captured n large hill that had been
strong point for long ways. And II
was here that the prisoners fled into
columns. | think, or was told. we got
over 5000 Of them.
AS the drive went ON we had taken
many trenches and dugouts, dugouts
that they surely had fixed up fine. |
guess they thought they would stay
there always. They had fine stone
floors, like in the g. $. & Il Co. bank
in Grangeville; lace curtains in the
windows, fire-places, and the best bed
Steads and the like, in them. l guess
they were for the officers, for there
were lots of maps and aeroplane pie
lures and the like of that i'm them. But
those things didn't interest me so much
as did the eats, aS we hadn't stopped to
eat yet and ! was getting pretty hun
cry. A wounded German that | helped
to bandage up right nj this place, told
me where to find the best of the eats, so
| went over and found ii and took some
along. also took along II dandy box of
cigars that surely came in handy when
tobacco was getting scarce. 1t was the
fifth night before | got any sleep and
that was just for II few hours. but after
we left the front in the sixth night, |
have surely made up or lost sleep. We
are now back quite n ways from the
front and have good rest billets and
grub again, and as | think over the
things we did and the way we went
many puzZling things present them
selves. One is the very small per cent
age OF deaths there is on the field. Such
II hurricane of shrapnel and bullets we
went through and | would not need to
use all my fingers to count the deaths
ON the field of our company. Some that
were hurt in the first days were back
again before we were relieved.
| saw Sam Kennedy twice during the
battle but didn't get to talk to him
and so far as | know there were only
four more from home near where
was. There is lots of peace talk now
and If peace should come and we get
home again I'll have lots of interesting
things to tell you.
| note in your last letter that you
are having II good time ami that the
folks are getting along well. | didn't
know from the way YOU wrote If my
crop made more than last year or il all
together made more; YOU know there
was more land planted
| didn't get to finish this letter before
our meal So will do it now. I've writ
ten TO you several times but couldn't
get to mail them So had to carry them
around till they were worn 50 YOU could
not read them. 1t is sometimes two
weeks before we get mail, but am us
ually lucky and get few then.
The mail is SO long getting back
aud forth, so | wish You would get al
the folks and the three girls a Christ.
mas present and send them for me- BE
sure and get mother good one. Well
| must close. Please write soon. Low
ingly, HENRY.