Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1919-04-11
LETTERS FROM OVER THERE
France, March 2, 1919,

IT
My dear Mother,
/ received your letter of Jan.
Goth. 1t was forwarded from my
former address. Think I'll get all my
mail o. K, like this place better
than any station I have been. 1t is my
frst station outside the zone of ad-
vance. We have the best mess |
have ever seen in the army. Ihe
kitchen crew are all Cinnamon and
they certainly can cook. We are on
2 river, the Cher, I think, ordinarily
about 200 yards wide but now near
err a mile, the spring floods are on.
However, no damage is done as the
river follows very level course and
the overflow is practically at stand
still. Some Of the men have to wear
hin boots t get in and out OF their
billets. From all appearances this
is a great grape country, but II l am
so unlucky as to be in France during
the grape season, I'll just be unlucky
enough be where there are no
grapes. Same as last year, up to al
| most time for grapes to be ripe, l
was surrounded by hundreds of acres
then pulled out and struck the chalk
country where very little of any
thing is raised. While at the Front
I collected quite few souvenirs, but
lav thrown and giyn most of them
away. Souveniers are getting so
common that they cease to be souve-
airs. had quite a bit of German war
paraphernalia, such as helmets, rifles
,ayonets etc. couldn't carry them a.
.3und with me and had to dispose OF
Gem. l suppose there are thousands
! those things in the U. S. now. Ger
IAN iron crosses are sold in stores
here, As francs each( about SS.25).
),n't want much for them do they?
And at that, I'll bet they are manu-
5ctllred here in France. The
French are very progressive and, on
he lookout for the Americans franc
Ine can buy any of the, U. S. cam
9aign ribbons superior to the ones
gu can get in the States. In fact
he American soldier can get most
:nything that can be had in Myers
Hillary Store in Washington. l
laven't seen a dozen French soldiers
::nce coming here At my last sta
ito they were being mustered out at
The rate of $4,000 per day. I saw
many a happy man with his little
pack on his back, free, and headed
for home. Then l saw many that
didn't know whether or not they had
ZONE or family left Several of them
told me that when the war started
they had homes and families, but in
territory that had been occupied by
the Boche for the past four years,
md not having heard from them,
they were uncertain as to what they
would find. While on my trip over
the old battlefelds in January, the
roads were lined with men, women,
! nd children returning to their
homes, or rather where their homes
had been.
J In Reims, scissors and various 9th
er towns, I saw family after family
with hand carts, donkey carts and
wheel barrows containing house hold
goods, at or in front of pileof
rubbish that had been house. Some
had no means of transportation and
we're standing in front Of what had
leen their homes with all their earth
iy possessions on their backs. Poor
unfortunates, they have suffered and
will suffer more until they get roof
over their heads. The people in this
district wouldn't know that war
had been going on but fer the alb
sence of many men, a very high cost
| of living and the presence of a few
thousands of American soldiers.
Will close with best love to all,
Your loving Son,
Carl Sullenberger..