The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1919-01-10
Letter From Bob Bentley.

Blercourt, France, Nov. Is, 1918.
Dear Grandma: Now, if you have a
map you can locate me. Your map
won't show the name of the above viii
lage though, I'm afraid, since it is SO
small, so I'll tell you just about where
it is Clermont will be shown on your
map. There are several Clermonts in
France. This one is Clermont en- Ar
gonne, situated about twenty miles
west of Verdun. About half way be-
tween you may find the town of Dom
basle-en-Argonne, and don't pronounce
it the way it spells. In French it Is
''Dumbeli About mile east of this
town is our camp, named after Bier
court which is another mile east of us.
Ste Menehould is our farthest west
town. This railroad you will see is a
part of the old Paris Metz main line,
and it was a fine railroad in It's day,
winch was before 1914 Besides TINS
line we have been operating military
line, built since the war started, down
the river Meuse to Dugny and from
there down through SOullly, Vanbe-
court and other small villages to Som
uelles, with branches, where 1T Is con-
nected with an old line. Fleury-sur-
Are was our headquarters and still is.
You won't find this town on your map
probably Look straight west of Sou
lilly on the Aire river. In the old days
when the Germans used to be in ST.
Mihiel we were on the inside of horse
shoe and the Boches could shell us from
almost any direction. They shelied
Verdun and especially the railroad
yards there necrly all the time up to
and including the last day of the war.
We are to move from here in few
days, so they say, to take over another
road somewhere over to the east. This
is discouraging to those of us who want
to get home, and we think we are en-
titled to go home as soon as any of
them. We in the ranks are not getting
a large enough salary to console us in
staying here long now that the war is
actually over If we move over into
territory where everything has not
been destroyed by the war it will be
some change anyway.
It is lonesome here now. Most of
the soldiers have moved back to camps
farther south only few engineers
left up here and some negro troops who
are salvaging material on the battle
field I was up to hill 304 and Dead
Mans hill Sunday. Such a frightful
looking mess you can't imagine. There
is where the line stood for so long and
some of the worst battles of the war
took place. The French retook these
hills from the Germans the Goth of
August year agO-three days after
we arrived in Chalons and have held
them since, the line remaining station
airy until the 26 of Sept. this year when
the American offensive started. The
ground has been plowed and replowed
with shells and trenches built and re-
built in all directions. Everywhere are
remains of barbed wire entanglements
and all about lay unexploded shells of
all sizes, bombs, hand grenades and all
sorts of equipment and material. HUI
man bones are to be found amongst the
otter litter. Now and then a cross can
be seen marking the spot where some
soldier was buried where he fell in the
bottom of shell hole or on the side
where digging was easy. The crosses
mark the graves of only thousapdth
part of the actual number of men bur-
led on these hills. What impressed me
the most was the lonsomeness of it all.
Where a short time before so much life
anu dCCiViLy HGu occn was HoW ooSoAUtC
quiet.
Thanksgiving day comes day after
tomorrow. We sure have some thing
to be thankful for this year. wish we
could be home for Christmas but it is
now certainty that we won't, think.
Possibly we may get home to help Gel
citrate Fourth of July next year.
Love to all, ROB.