The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1919-03-13
mp. Now you may know how

camp. Now you may know how
we felt.
70 make this impression
stronger, we were ordered to
furnish a detail Of six hundred
men to work about the camp the
next day, December the eighth.
This crowd worked at digging
bitches, and loading and unload
ing lumber. That night detail
of four hundred men was called
for. (Our regiment had in it
fourteen hundred seventy six men
at this time) These men were
carried three miles to the docks
and spent a busy night loading
and unloading ships. The next
day we were called upon for more
men, and we did similar work,
groups working at ditching, roll
ing dirt, carpentering, moving
lumber, hauling wood, sawmill-
ing, unloading ships, and all the
heavy work that can be found
around an army camp.
The food in some parts of the
camp was fair, but in many it was
very poor. The boys in one group
in our Brigade had only mush for
breakfast and dinner for week.
For dinner we had for a part of
the time only soup and toasted
light bread crumbs.
These are some of the condi-
tions that existed that made so
many of the Americans dissatis-
fed with the camp. Official fig
ures state that during the month
of October alone 1866 American
boys were buried at Brest.
Conditions were so bad from
reports that had come to this
country that a special represen-
tative of the Washington Post;
was sent over, and made the fol-
lowing report:
Seventy thousand American
soldiers are awaiting transpor-
tation home from Brest (Pontane-
zen barracks) under living con-
ditions of such wretchedness and
misery that one marvels at the
discipline that. keeps them from
breaking into open rebellion.
'Insufficiently nourished and
inadequately housed or sheltered
from the elements Of Breton
winter. they are enduring state.
of affairs that. is a disgrace to the
Government.
II don't know who is to blame,
but | think that the responsible
-ity should. not fairly be placed
upon the A. E. F.
"These seventy thousand men
are the victims Of incompetency
and blunders. They were con-
centrated to Brest before any
adequate plan for their reception
had been worked out. To make
this camp habitable 100000
feet of lumber are needed imme-
diately. It is not there.
"The concentration camp is
three miles from Brest, over one
of the bleakest roads in Brittany.
1t covers an area of about one
square mile-between 600 and
700 acres of swamp. Some of the
men are living in rude barracks,
buildings of wood, but by far the
greater part are under canvas.
Most of the tents are old and thin
and leak continually under the
rain which falls steadily in Brit
any at this season Of the year.
Out Of 120 of the tents which /
visited less than thirty had board
floors. None of these tents is
ditched, and the men are obliged
to put their bedding rolls down
on the bare ground that is con-
tinually flooded.
Il have seen mud in the front
line trenches, but realized that
had never known what mud was
until ! visited this place. The
mud in many parts of the camp
is thigh high. Every company
street is river Of mud which
flows over into the tents.
"The health Of the camp at
present is good, for the men have
come there from the front and
from other camps, where they
have been toughened by outdoor
life.
/ spoke to one Of the surgeons
about this. He shook his head.
"The health Of the men is good
now" he said, ssbut | dread to
think what may happen
within month"
This, you see is the opinion as
expressed by civilian sent over
for the purpose Of investigating
|.conditions at this special camp.
Surely you cannot blame the
boys for carrying in mind very