The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-01-10
LETTERS FROM The
BOYS. IN The CAMP

l - IS sBuSs SSuuu I
Mrs. Hattie e. Cooper received the
following letters from her two sons.
Cook Herbert Cooper and Sergeant
M. c. Cooper.
Longres, France.-Dear Mother:
Your letter in my possession and was
very very glad that everyone is well
back home and l hope we can all
be together soon and I'm sure DON
aid will be home very soon as he
has been in the hospital two months
suffering from wound in the Shout
der from shrapnel. He has wholly
recovered however and is feeling fine
and looking good. He is about thirty
five miles from Longres, but l went
up to see him on pass and took
him some tobacco and some Cigarets
ard also a lot of money as he was in
dire need.
Well he was over joyed when l
walked in on him and he sure has
had some experience in warfare as
he told me all about it.
He fought on four different fronts
ard never got wounded until he hit
the Argonne forest and Verdun and
now | expect he will be decorated be-
fore he comes home. Well he is
some kid now and anyone who goes
through what he and lots of others
have, have got lots coming to them
and there is nothing too good for
them.
Well the lights are about to go out
/ I finsc
quickly so write soon and tell all the
rest to write soon. | expect We'll
have lots of work to do Christmas
and it will keep me busy for awhile
any way ard so good-b bye for this
time ard Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year to everybody. Low
ingly your son. Cook Herbert d.
Cooper.
France, December 13, 191S.-Dear
Mother: Just few lines this time to
let you know that / am we'll and en-
joying my furlough. How is every
one at home? This is a nice place
here mother and l wish you could
see it. 1t is right on the ocean and
have dandy view from my window.
and so will IT, few days be able to
write you about my trip. | received
a letter from Don just before | left
the outfit and he was in Base hospi-
tai 50 so | guess that address will get
him o. X. He didn't say a word
about beirg hurt so l don't know a
thing about it. / am still having a
deuce of time with my teeth, right
now my face looks like someone had
taken poke at me and have been
all over this area looking for a den
fist and can't find one. l hope you
are all well and be sure and give my
best regards to Jim and wife, Did
tell you that she wrote me a letter
the other day ard said she would send
me one of their pictures for Christ
mas? Well | hope you all have a
Happy New Year and a Merry Christ
mas because you will have to have
mine for me also. Well mother
will close for tonight, hoping that
you are all well as usual. Lots of
love to you and the sisters and bro
theirs. l remain, Lovingly your son,
Mike.
PIP. Blyer is in receipt Of the fol-
lowing letter from his son, who is in
France:
Wiley st. Etienia, France, Novem-
Der "a, 1918. My Dear Dad: This is
the day WHEN all OF the men of the A.
e. F. are to write a letter to their
fathers, so l am writing this while
waiting for supper
We played our third football game
today with Machine Gun company.
and tied them 0 to 0. 1t was a
hard game. If our men had felt bet
ter We would have won, but we just
COUNT get started ard the best we
could do was hold them.
We left New York August Is, on
board the II. M. S. Saxon. There
were eighteen ships in the convoy
We were escorted two days by de-
stroyers and battleships, and they
left us. Then We went all the way
across with our battleship until the
second day out from this side when
we were met by about twenty five
British sub chaSers. We landed on
the 2Sth in Liverpool. We took a
train to Camp Stony Castle near
Working. We were there six days.
We then went to Southampton for a
day ard then crossed the channel
unescOrted. We landed at Cher
bourg ard were in another J British
rest camp with British rations. We
had been there four days when we en-
trained for Flavisny. This is the
town told you about being on a big
hill. 1t was bum place. We were
there little more thar a week and
then moved to COisevanX three kilos
west of Hevicourt., Here we got
started well on American rations. Up
TO this time we were living on bully
beef and hard tack. Here also the
Spanish flu hit us. We lost six men.
including Sergeant Miller. Over half
Of the company was sick. We were
at CoisevaEx about month. Then
we went up to the trenches. We
went up with 100 men out of $50. We
liked thirty-two miles in two nights
with full PACKS. Now if that wasn't
hard work I'd like to know why. We
spent four days and nights in the
front lines, then went to Badyicourt
in reserve. l was in reserve three
days whan l was sent to the front
with the First Platoon to support
Company A. | was up there four days
and nights and then was relieved. I
just spent one right in Badvicourt
when the company moved up and |
had to go back so my twelve DAVIS