The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-03-07
HAL PAGAN WRITES LETTER
TO SHERIFF POWELL
Contains. France, Jan. 70, 1917.

conf,ans. France, Jan. %, 1919.
Dear Puck: l sure deserve d sooo
hawling out from you for not VIII
inp sooner, but you know it keeps me
going to write to the old man, SISTERS
brothers and all the chickens 10 ooo''
But Puck, even if l haven't written
have thought about you many many
times. and nest to the old man you
the hest, friend | have, and sure as
hell think a lot Of you. | think your
writing to all us boys all through th's
damn war is one of the finest things
a man ever did. 1t may nave SEEM
od like a little thing to you, but when
a man is up on the front all the ''ii'e
like we were, in rain, mud ana seven
teen different kinds of ~corruptlon,
it's wonderful how a CHEEKY letter
from the old U. S. A. puts the pep
into one and makes you feel like you
are going to do your damnedest or
die trying. l don't know whether l
have written you since we came over
here or not. Anyway, we came oVer
here about the 10th of December and
the regiment has been operating stan
dard gauge railroads ever since. lhsy
work between Longuyon and Metz
and haul rations and supplies for the
armv of occupation at Luxembourg
and Cob]enz. l haven't seen Fatty
Wright for a long time. l suppose
YOU have heard from him. He went
down to Langres to the officers train
ing school and l haven't heard from
him since.
Old Glasgow must have raised hell
on the day the armistice was signed.
We didn't do much only shoot up all
the "amo" we had on hand. But say,
Puck, it sure did seem quiet when all
the big guns ceased firing. You see,
we were in the St. Mihiel drive, and
after that show was over we moved
up into the Argonne sector with the
First Army and stayed with them I'M
til the finish, so you see we didn't
miss anything. From the Goth of
September to the grand finish on No.
vember 18th, the big guns never quit
firing. Day and night it was n con
slant rumble and roar, and at night the
sky was a red flare as far as you
could see with the flashes Of the guns.
1t vas some hell all right, and the
damned Boches couldn't stand the
"gaff." And when the guns quit at
II o'clock it was so quiet it seemed
unnatural. We were on the front
from February goth, 1918, until the
finish. That's some record, isn't it?
Believe me, we have had our share.
And now we are ready to go home.
When we will be released I can't say,
but we are hoping it will be soon
l think we will get back in the U. S.
A. about April, but of course that's
up to old "Blackjack."
We have had some time since we
came over here. We have a swell
place for our quarters. 1t is a three.
story chateau and the boys all have
beds and mattresses, tables, chairs
and mirrors, etc. Pretty soft, ism
it? We surely appreciate it after be
ing up in that damn mud in the Ar
, come forests. I have been down tt
Metz several times. It is a beautiful
, city and there are many places of his
toric interest there. I just got
Courier" this A. M. and l saw
, letter in there from Capt. Mark Z
Hoyt. l was located within Is or 2
$ "kilos" from him during the Argonn
fighting and didn't know it. The chic
s engineers headquarters were locate
at Souilly, consequently l had man
trips there in connection with u mc
tor equipment. We had companies {
Dombasle, Cheppy, Montfaucon an
Romagne. You will have to get o,
" your map, Puck. The country arour
Cheppy, Montfaucon and Romagne
1.-THE most godforsaken a man ever 100