Grants Pass daily courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1919-1931, 1919-01-13
SOLDIER LETTERS
Sherman Had Hell Overcstimated
Says Donald Morrison

| NuNemueT 20, 1910
Dear Mother:
Since / wrote last the censorship
has been raised to limited extent
so l will be able to tell you some OF
our experiences over here. 1t is just
three months ago today since | left
England. We landed at La Havre
France, and from there We went to
southern France to be outfitted for
the front. While there we were bill
thedral, which was Napoleon's head
tehdral, which was Napoleon's head
quarters in the Franco-Prussian war.
! His office and fixtures are there,
just as he left them. We were there
about two weeks. and since then we
have been on the Metz and verdun
fronts. What have seen OF war in
that time makes me thing that Cen
eral Sherman had He'll overestimated
beyond conception when he said that
war was He'll.
At IL O'Clock on the 11th, when
the armistice was to go into effect,
many Of us were holding our watches
and betting whether or not IL would
stop on the minute set; but at II
O'Clock there came a sudden hush
and / said to lad who was betting
1t would not stay, "You have lost
your money" but he said, Lost
nothing, just wait" But we only
had to wait moment to tell plainly
that 1t was all over, the roar of can
non for miles, the quaking OF the
earth from bursting shells, all had
ceased and the whole world seemed
to fall asleep. That evening trucks
and automobiles were running with
full lights; In the distance lights
we're shining in windows; bon fires
were burning along the trench lines;
the heavens were filled with flares
and rockets; the big guns resumed
activity and 1t sounded like war had
started up again-Fritzie thought so
too, for he sent word to headquar-
ters that we were not complying with
the terms Of the agreement.
This kind of celebration lasted for
a day or two. After everything had
quieted down, another lad and II
walked out over the battlefield
where the last and fiercest artillery
barrage Of the war was carried on.
Going up to the front line we met
thousands Of doughboys coming
back, their faces wore vacant and |
solemn expression-they were not
jubilent over the victory won, as
you read OF in song and story and
perhaps have read Of in this case
even knowing they were instrument
al In bringing to an end the worlds
greatest war. The end seemed to
cast sort Of tense gloominess over
them, In fact was touched little
with 1t myself don't know Just
what 1t was. whether we wanted fur
ther vengence for the crimes of the
Bosche or whether we were so glad
1t made us sad-as the song goes.
During my whole time in the zone OF
action I never saw an American
or discouraged until It
was all over.
II you have never head the poem
by William Service, THE March Of
the Dead" you should read it-it is
80 significant of the prevailing spir-
1t of how the end came to us. II
you have kept up with the history of
the war you will know that there is
over million and half of men
buried on the Verdun front and as
we walked towards No Mans Land
judged 1t to be the most devastated
piece of land on the face of the
earth-not a living thing was left.
What the shells and bullets didn't
kill, poison gasses had. We never
saw living thing, not bird or even
a little bug. We walked until dark
ness overlook us out in No Mans
Land. and in coming back over the
shell holes and trenches by the light
Of the moon we could realize a glor-
ious peace 1t was ut seemed like It
was the first time the dead could
rest" for they had been blown from