The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-03-28
LETTERS From The
BOYS. IN the CAMP

BOYS. IN the CAMP |
Mrs. Eugene Fitzgerald of 1906
North Fourth street, this city. is in
receipt of the following letter from
her husband, Eugene Fitzgerald, who
is with Company C, Eighth Gun Bat
talon. Third division, Army of Occu-
patton. Nickenmich, Germany, dated
February rs.
My Dear Wife: Another month
gone and we are still at the same
place. Yesterday and today receiv
ed your letters dated February 1. g.
and and / surely was pleased to get
them. ! write to you every day so II
some letters get lost you will at least
be sure to get the majority of them.
There is absolutely nothing new
happening around this point but will
now tell you OF some Of the things
have experienced since landing in
what is called Sunny France.
After we landed in France we trav-
.eled in box cars as they call them,
the cars are about the size of the
street cars at home. Thirty to thirty
five men were put in one car-no
place to lie downward for eats, In one
corner OF the car was box filed with
some canned meat and tomatoes, can
ned beans and some bread. That was
all we had on that trip which lasted
three days and three nights. We took
another trip like this, the same length
of time little later. From the time
we left Southern France in October
and came back from the front in No
vember did not even have a>chance
to take my clothes off or even my
shoes and on our way up to the front
we waded in mud over our shoe tops.
Talk about mud, water and wet feet
it surely was awful We slept in dug
outs AS they are called, with two blan
kets to keep us warm. These dugouts
are only holes dug in the ground most
always in a hillside if possible, being
large enough for one or two men, and
Dutch shells bursting like Wild fire all
over. A person never knew what min
ute he'would be blown in pieces. We
got two meals a day. for lunch can
of salmon and a loaf of bread and for
supper we got good meal, as it would
be brought from the kitchen back of
the firing line These eats were
brought UP at night as the roads were
being shelled too heavily by the Ger
mans during the day. The wagons
with eats could only get up within
two miles from where we were and
the men had to go and meet the wa
CONS, carry the food through the
woods, mud and shell holes to where
we We're. This all happened in the
Argonne forests. One night two of
the boys were killed and FIVE injured
while carrying food up to the front.
The night we came out 6f the woods
we had, to lie along the road side for
about one and 4 half hours as the road
was being shelled by the Dutch as we
were lying in mud and nothing but
real mud We surely were mud from
head to foot and arrived ten or more
miles Ia back Of the firing line about
one o'clock Ia the morning. Wen, we
were all mud and, SC, Eged-we simply
put blankets Gown en- the wet ground
and went to sleep. That was on a
Saturday night. but Sunday mornine
we all found dugouts and stayed there
for about ten days Talk about mud
when we went after eats we stood in
mud over our shoe tops. When that
was all over we stayed in quiet lit
tie French town and on the 18th OF
November we started out and hiked
for one, whole month from early in
the morning until late at night. Were
we tired and stiff from sleeping on
hard floors? say we were, and now
we are stuck here in this God forsak
en- lonely little village of Nickenmich
Germany, not even large enough to be
called village. Talk about being lone
some ard homesick, Esther, it is near
ly maddening sometimes.
Since we have been in Germany
have been cooking for the officers Of
my company, bake cakes, pies and
everything-and when it comes 'to
making fudge, l am a bear. We gel
the very best to eat and cannot com
plain as to eafsh There are five Off
GERS that / cook for and we surely dish
up the food. have little room te
myselfato sleep in and a feather bed
like a house. But give me the good
old u s. A. for mine. Here is hopins
that we will soon return, but do moi
know as yet when it will be, the soon
er the better will be suited, as there
is TO place like home for q married
man, I say.
hope this letter finds you in the
best of health. I am feeling fine nov
and again starting to get fat as was
when l lett Mankato. Receive mai
from you most every day and L surely
eat up the letters. Remember me tt
| all of the folks.
H. H. Oberlander has written thu
following letter to Elmer Glenn:
Berod Germany, February rs, 1919
Dear Friend Elmer: Received you,
welcome letter under date of Janu'
airy 20 and certainly was surprised t.
hear from you You don't realize
what a letter means to us boys Owe
here in this God -forsaken land o
Germany. Sure am aching to ge
back home. When ] saw the IL;
West Lewis street on that enyel0p'
was wondering who could hav'
written that letter. So you hav'
been talking, to my mother, and sh
4 Il. II -,