News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1919-01-08
JOHNSON
Writes OF journey Overseas
PERCY LIE PAULET FRANCE
November 30, 1913


November 80 1913
Dear Mother:
We have just been given permission 10
day to write home about oar jpurn y
overseas and where we are, | koow you
are more than anxious to hear so WI
try to tell as much as | can rememh re-"
To begin with it is a trip which viii
never be forgotten in a lfe-time and it. il
something which, when | reac homr,
can be glad TO have had. 1t is in some
ways invaluable.
On the afternoon of October 10 we
were told to pull down our tents and eei
ready to move. This was at Camp Colt
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and | had
just come off guard. We had our tents
down and stacked in short time. That
night we rolled up in blankets on the
ground. The next day we waited around
camp for the train TO back onto the sid
ing and take us out. 1t did NOT come so
that night we pitched our small "pup"
tents. We were awakened in the night
by the cars being backed in. We were
called out and told to make packs about
four o'clock in the morning. We had
our meal on the jump as we expected to
load Immediately. Instead. other com
panies came in, loaded, and went out
three times before we received orders to
entrain.
We entrained at two o'clock in the
afternoon. In the morning there was
steady whirl of dust across the field and
we were all thoroughly covered. but we
were happy bunch for all that. We |
rode all night and reached Pennsylvania |
Station, New Jersey, the next morning. |
We boarded ferry and went up the |
river, along Long Island, in the early
dawn. 1t was fine sight. We landed |
and were entrained to Camp Mills. We
landed there October IS and stayed unit
October 20 when we were marched out
during the early morning and again en-
trained for overseas. We boarded the
ferry again and sailed down the river to
Hoboken, where we boarded the famous
Leviathan. had never expected to see
it, to say nothing of sailing on it. 1t
certainly is a fine. large ship. 1t has
everything that modern conveniences de-
mand. On board. my company was put
on k. p.-that is, we looked after The
DINING hall for all troops on board. 1t
sounds easy but, believe me, there was
little work to it but we had many moIe
privileges than most of the fellows did,
by SO doing. There were about twelve
thousand troops on board-about six
hundred were colored.
On the 9th we steamed ont at eleven
o'clock. One escort went out with US
and stayed until the next day, when il
left, and from then. on We went alone
under full steam. We were to pick up
another escort on this side. forty eight
hours out, but somehow we missed il aud
it reached US only twelve hours out. 1t ,
was a fine voyage with little storm and
no rough seas to speak of as she was 20
large she rode with very Ii tie roll. Very
few were seasick. We were to run into .
Liverpool but we were a little late. We
took on pilot to take US Gp the river . :
about seven o'clock and about eleven we
ran onto mud bank and stopped fast.
That was caused by our being late for
high tide. The tide went out and left
the ship sixteen feet above its water line. !;
We we're unloaded for fear she mi ght go
over but she did not. We made the rest
of the journey up the river in the small
river steamers. This was on the third of -
November-just one week in crossing.
We marched from one station to aoother
in Liverpool at eleven, p. M From tn, re =
we rode all night to WInche-t-r, EuL-
land, and unlOaded there in the morning
and marched to rest camp. Here we
stayed over night, when we again err
trained and rode twelve miles to South
ampton, England, where we waited all t
day and crossed the Channel that night {
to Cherbourg, France. We experienced {
the worst seas of all in crossing the Eng
lish Channel. We again went to another I
English rest camp, where we were bunked
in tents twelve feet in diameter. twelve /
men to a tent. Here we stayed from !,
November 9 to l3 We then boarded Az =,
other train, this was the one | wrote If
each car of which would hold forty men 6
or eight horses. We rode three nights r
and two days on this train to this camp.
Here we arrived on November IS and c
have been here since. II il q tank train
Ing camp-that is. there is one a few
miles from here. We are hillered in this
French town The largest part of the -
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