Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1919-04-10
LETTER FROM
c. N. CARTWRIGHT
FleurS France,
February %, 1919.


happened, still the same old kid in
) France, but a different place alto
!, gether than / was, when | wrote you
, last. | have been on the travel ano
shifted around quite bit, that is
4 why | haven't written sooner. or fath-
er the delay | did not know where
would wind up for while, guess
III am stationed here for awhile tho.
will tell you what / am doing later
on in the letter. Just to think the last
letter l got you were wondering why
u did not write and comes this long
stretch, but | haven't forgotten you
or any one back there. think my
mother and father would be the last
ones I would forget. wrote Maude
a letter last night, the first one, also,
since | left Nevers. Our company was
split up there. Part was transferred
into another company, others stayed in
tie same company, others were sent
to a place called Lours and / hap
Ipened to be one of them. We were
then transferred into 128 T. c. which
am in now. They sent us then to
Verdun. / got to see quite a lot
of France on that trip as we went
roundabout way. When we landed
in Verdun and vicinity there came
something new as there was heavy
fighting there. l will now try and
tell you if / can some of the many
things | saw. l mean ruins and bat
tie fields. Verdun was quite a city
but no more; the place was all shot
up-buildings all shot down, churches,
a Cathedral never saw zone that
was whole and l was all over the
place. They have an underground
city there but l didn't get to see it;
some of the boys did and said it
wasn't hurt any; that was the first
day was there. The next day 1 went
out in the country; it was all battle
fields. / saw lots, wire entangle-
ments all over, every place you go,
trenches and dugouts, graves, shell
holes, old shells, old broken guns,
helmets, shells that had never been
shot off-most anything they use you
can find laying around. That was my
second day, still wanted to see more
so the next day they told US there
wouldn't be anything going on for our
company, so l went out again, only
this time l took the train and went
out farther, guess about fifteen
miles. Then struck out across
the country towards place they call
Dead Mans He'll and it sure was
guess. | saw three dead Germans
that had never been buried Of course
there wasn't anything left but the
bones and clothing as they had been
there so long. l also went through
the crown princes headquarters. They
were dugouts, some size too, there was
six big entrances. They had a mar
row gauge railroad down in there. Atl /
kinds of things Il cant tell so you will i
understand if l wrote a dozen letters) I
There was what l would call an of
flee room, guess that was the princes
palace; there was four bed rooms off /
of it, spring cots, cane bottom chairs,
the walls had a. one time been covered I
with pictures but they were all gone
guess they had been carried off for
souvenirs. was sure tired that night
/ slept some, believe me, after tramp
ing around over. the hills. The mex
day we were told to stick around l..
camp and close to quarters as some Of
US were to go to work. They put some
to work there, others they distributed
up and down the line; they sent six of
us to Fleury. l am one of the six, /
am running stationary engine and
pump that furnishes the camp an !.
engines with water
like it pretty well, but would likc
10 come hone lots better. stay at
The pump house about quarter Of +,
mile from camp. go back and forth
to my meals. 1t is the pump house,
| mean, on the bank of the river.
would like to have some of Dads fish
ing tackle as l believe it would be
1 good place to fish. l don't have any
dea when | will be home, wish | did
would sure write and tell you. Well
must get you last letter and answer
t. / don't know when | will get any
nail the way ] have been shifted
lround, but l will just live in hope
hat you are all well and doing fine
Until hear again. How is everybodyl
you, Dad, Maude, Ruth, Lou and
3ernice and the little Bee, and the
,ittler family. Tell Eva I will write
Ter soon. Tell Lou l will try and ge'
o him and Ruth too. How does she
ike DR.. Catron by this time. Tell