Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-07-02
TAILLANcOURT, FRANCE. May is.


Mason Of A Co., who died short while after
your son, iP the yard of beautiful chateau
at Janluy- 1t is a very beautiful spot indeed,
and you would never have any trouble in To-
eating the grave il you ever come over, though
l think the bodies all to be gathered into
one or two large cemeteries
Several Of We ehapiains made inspection
OF the graves Of cur area and found them all
well cared for. I remember distinctly your
sons grave and glad TO be able to tell you
It is in first class condition.
MY heart goes out 70 you mothers in these
days when the troops return. Yours is a
sacred and beautiful company-you mothers
and God win not leave you comfOrtless. /
know that in the heart OF every man who has
been over here is rich love and sympathy for
you all and you cannot make a call upon
them that viii not be answered.
God bless you Mother Peterson, and If l car
ever serve you in any way be perfectly free to
write me. Nest sincerely yours,
L. J-D.Hoekman, Chaplain 55th. Inf. U-S.A.
IBy John Bolstad Of the 2lst Engineers Light
Railway Volunteers, TO his mother.I
Lemons, France, May IS. 1919.
Dear Mother: ! received your letter and
card several days ago but have not had time
TO write before real busy these
days with Inspections, reviews etc. Today we
had regimentai review and our cOlors were
decorated by the French. Tomorrow General
Pcrshiug reviews our regiment. We expect to
leave here for the coast next Monday or Tues
day but / suppose il will be some time before
get home so ] will answer the questions you
asked. enlisted September 21, 1917 at Fort
Smelling, Minnesota. We left Camp Grant
December I6, FI9I7, going 10 Camp Merritt
New Jersey and We had last roll call
American soil at 9:30 D. m. Christmas day.
1871 and at 1880 a. December 26 We
marched out Of CampMerritt with full field
equipment down the old KnickerbOcker Road
to the little town of Cresskill, boarded the
train there and uniosded at the HobOken
docks, went on board the Transport President
Grant about II a. M, left New York harhor
Just after dark the day. We had three
submarine alarms on The trip, gunners claim
ed they got one Of them. We landed in Brest
harbor January 10, 1918, and left there the
u of January and went to Gieyres just north
of Tours in central France, stayed there until
the last part Of March 1918. March 80. we
got our gas masks and steel helmets and
Easter Sunday 1918 were our way to
the St. Mihiel front. We ESTABLISHED a rail
head al Sorcy sur Muese I'd huil: narrow
guage tracks mp TO the trenches and hauled
most Of the supplies and shells etc. for the
St.Mihiel drive of September ~, 1918. We
we're bombed quite few times and most of
our track was within range of the German
artillery. We lost number of men that
front, one sergeant killed, not over 301
feet from cur barracks by a German air bomb.
We left the St.Mihiel front and took part in
the Muese-Argonne battle. We operated on
the French narrow guage from DOmbasle to
Esnes and after the Germans were driven
back the Americans built track across the old
no mans land and connected up with the
German narrow gauge and then we run over
that track up through MOntfaucOn, Cierges,
ROmagne and up towards Sedan. &. Co.
did not lose any on that front, but il
sure was fierce job railrOading in the Ar
gonne forest at night without any lights of
any kind.
After the armistice we went east of Yer
dun and took over the standard gauge rail-
roads from the Germans and operated out of
Longuyon. Andun and Contains. The name
of the outfit is the 2lst Engineers Light
Railway Volunteers, and we have men from
every state in the Union.
expect to be home in three weeks or
month at the most. l am in first class
health. The weather is fairly good here.
Well. l will close for this time.
IN THICK OF 1T FROM FIRST TO LAST
by Edward Egstsd of Glendive. Montana.
written TO his father at Chaseburg, giving
description Of his service in France with I'm
We left New York on August 8. for Eng
land. landing in Liverpool August goth, and
hiked to Naughty.Ash Camp and stayed there
to Winchester. England and stayed two days
and left Winchester camp and took the train
for South Hampton and boarded the boat TO
lie Havre, France. and liked to Camp lie
days and took the train to ErOundos, France.
1t required three days TO get there in box cars,
location for about three weeks and then we
got order for so men out of our company
for replacement in the 2Sth Division. and when
we left EroundOs we took the train to Mon
keyville and stayed there all day till IL o'clock
at night, in the woods, so the airplanes could
not get the range US, and at midnight we
Htked up INTO pretty close 10 the line and
stayed there a week ten days. and on Sep
TENDER 26th the big drive came on at eleven
O'Clock at night, and then hiked thirty-one
ktOs that night till o'clock in the morning.
We were in that day until the next
morning. When reached mans land
ii looked pretty tough. | slept out the
ground and was awakened by big shell that
jerry threw and we rolled our packs and
lined up in platoon formation and n big shell
came and smashed into platoon and
wounded and killed seventeen men. Then we
got out in some place could get into
a dug out and stayed there n short time and
then got into the front line into the Ar
gonne and there were six of rs in big shell
hole in the front wave and ct night oar top
sergeant got a machine gun in siiell h, !e
over. At midnight we left that place ar d
went up in reserve for three days in a big
ditch. and then went up a hill and
took company LIS place for four or five days,
and we were advancing right alongfor about
seven or eight kilos and going through
thick woods and in the rain and it got dark
so we had to dig in and l and my fellow
friend bunk together just enough to get even
with surface of the ground. Our blankets and
everything we had were ringing we. and the
Division and we hiked back of the lines short
distance, could get something hot 10
eat and drink and remained there one day
and at o'clock the next morning we liked
about 40 kilos to get trucks and we reached
the trucks at o'clock at night for Joytown
and stayed there four days to wait for our
refreshment troop. All we had left out of ESQ
men in our company was IS when we came
out of the Argonne forest, and then we went
up on the Trtseourt sector on October 10th and
ing water 20 the front lines for the boys TO
drink and from - o'clock at night till
o'clock in the morning watching 30 smell the
gas Jerry throws over.