The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1919-01-03
SOLDIERS WRITE
FROM FRANCE AND
FLANDERS FIELDS
Letter From France.

ion City, Tenn, U. s. A.-Dear S1rs
Have just eagerly devoured the con
tents of your paper of Nov. 8. The!
are letters from home on a broaC
scale. / notice many cheering state
ments while others mako us feel sad
But it was impossible for this grear
victory to be won without the shed
ding of some of our best blood. But
we can be, and arc, thankful thai
this awful carnage hos been brought
to favorable end. One who has
seen the battlefield can truthfully
say "war is h"
Well, for q quick trip to the front
We got on special train in Camp
Jackson, S. c., July 16, 1918, and
passed along the eastern slope of the
Appalachian mountains to Camp
Merritt, N. j., where we got ou1
overseas equipment on July 81. Early
that Sunday morning we began the
march to a point up the Hudson,
which was some seven miles. We
arrived on the summit of the
palisades just in time to get beau
tiful view Of the effects of a new
born day 'on the silvery Hudson.
Then we descended to the boats
which carried us down the river to
an allied pier, where the monstrous
grey hounds were leisurely riding at
anchor. But everywhere we could
see the rush of busy life. We were
on the island, Manhattan, only for
a short time ere we went on board
one of the great ships. 1t carried
us across in time to experience a
foggy morning in Liverpool Aug. g..
Here we were gloriously received.
But soon took train for South Hamp-
ton, where we spent the night and
went on board a long, narrow, fast
boat. Then the break of day, Aug.
5. found us in the harbor of Cher
bourg, France. We had three sub
marine scares while on the way.
After thrce-days stcy in an Eng
lish rest camp-we1l never forget
this famous brand, ask the boys-we
were put on trains again. But it
seems that they took us to be horses
or cattle, since we were put in cattle
cars. Well. anyway, we rode for
three days only to find that we were
south of Bordeaux in Camp Hunt.
Here we got our guns, gas masks,
helmets, etc. We did not tarry here
three days, till we were
again put in those renowned cars
where we stayed till VIC got to a lit
tie village called Bruc, about fifteen
miles east of Paris. In this vicinity |
we got infantry drill for about FIVE
weeks. Then / happened to be one
Of the lucky two hundred who were
chosen for artillery casuals.
So on the 18th of September we
took train for the front. We got off |
1t Chateau Thierry. You have heard
enough of it to know what kind of
shape things were in here. Such is
he condition of all towns in the war
stricken district.
After joining the division here on
his front we started to the rear,
linking we were going for rest.
But no, we found ourselves on the
Argonne front after nine days march.
There is where the fun CD began.
We, it seems, got there just in time
o start big drive Sept. 25. That
s some forest, believe me- 1t was
rery thickly wooded, with barbed
wire all thru it, up and down the
ills and hollows. l never saw such
! mess. But you ought to see what
did for it. The trees were
lestr Trees one and one-half
ee' better were snapped off
i - more shells. They were
AK trees too. Some force in those
ills, Ell? Well, that was the only
vay to get the Boche out. A largel
art of the forest was completely de-
troyed. After we got them out of
here they did not get time to get
mother foothold. Very often we
ould not keep up with Jerry. We .
him to the position near
edan, where we we're when that
amous order came-''stop lighting"
Well. on this front, I'll admit, I
ncked many shells. and consider
ne foolish who would not duck. 1
ave been well paid for it. That
'as when we fiattened ourselves on q
he ground in the mud or fell down b
ito some little hole. We found that Q
Q were pretty small and could get t
ito small bulk. Then we felt too i
'rge. One time we did not try to {
.el big. q