AN AMERICAN WW1 SOLDIER WRITES HOME

 [ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] More diary entries - Oct. 31, 1917, Wed., Fair. Cool. Arm very sore - feel punk. Did not drill. Muster at 11:45. Bum lunch. Wrote letters in p.m. Read in the evening. Bed at 9:00. Nov. 1, 1917, Thurs., Cold. Clear. Cold morning. Drill & lecture this a.m. Staid around for the Governor this p.m. Very easy day. Wrote letters. Bed early. Nov. 2, 1917, Frid., Cold. Cloudy. Practiced for review - then marched to field and about 11:30 passed Gov. Whitman. Our lines were excellent. Whole Div. was there. Had signal practice this p.m. Guin was over for evening. Bed late. Nov. 3, 1917, Sat., Cool. Fair. Inspection this a.m. I got H--- for dusty rifle & had to have it reinspected. Wrote letters & read this p.m. Wrote Sis. Bed early. Nov. 4, 1917, Sun., Fair - quite warm. Went over to 10th to see Guin, with Harold Smith this a.m. Slept after lunch until 4. Guin & a Sgt. were over. Go...

 [ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] Letter to Aunt Nell - Camp Wadsworth Spartanburg, SC October 28, 1917. Sunday Dear Aunt Nell : - Well - it's Sunday - and what a day! Truly - a day like this would be the acme of Indian Summer dreams in old York State. Such - in fact, have been our days for the past three or four days - typical cold, freezing nights - and warm, sunny days with a mildly cool, bracing air astir. And today has been a most profitable one. This morning I wrote a few letters, attended 10 o'clock church, then hiked over to the 10th Inf. camp and called on Ernest Augur - who, poor chap is soldiering under most miserable circumstances yet - and back for luncheon. Immediately after lunch, Joe Tombs and John Crowley, fellow sergeants of mine assembled for our hour of discussion and debate on the results of the past weeks drill - and study & research in the new things incorporated in the program for the...

 [ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] Letter to Aunt Nell - Camp Wadsworth, S.C. October 15, 1917 (Monday evening) Dearest Aunt Nell: - Your letter received yesterday - but - I've been humped over a desk all day - drumming at army paper work - of which there's no end - and this is my first opportunity to write! Needless to say - your letter was a " hummer "! And it did me a lot of good! The package of papers you sent recently came Sunday - so I had a pleasant means of spending the day. That copy of the New Republic was a gem. I have read nearly every article in it - and Joe Toombs is greedily reading it - and the Digest! Both were extraordinary numbers! Your other package of medicine hasn't come yet - but - a million thanks for it! Yes, I am actually feeling better. My cold has left the lungs almost entirely - and I am now enjoying a moderately sore throat and a minor cold in the head only! Am going o...

 [ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] More diary entries - Oct. 1, 1917, Mon., Fair - cool breeze - warm sun Our first Monday in camp. 3rd day. Worked all day grading Co. St., bldg. side walk, burning refuse, making rustic fences, etc. Nearly finished. Tired. Air full of smoke tonight. Wrote letters. Oct. 2, 1917, Tues., Fair - cool air. Worked all day, building the "Cuckoo Club." Put up big tent & fly, built fire place of logs, 6 ft. high. I was engineer of job. It's great. Worked on it all day. Smoked and read all evening. Cool tonight. No letter from Sis since Frid. Oct. 3, 1917, Wede., Fair. Fairly warm. Up 5:50. Drilled good and stiff from 7:30 - 11:30. Bum mess at noon. Slept until 4. Washed up & shaved. Oct. 4, 1917, Thur., Fair. Warm. Up early. Drilled from 7:30 - 11:30. Still drill from 1 - 5, too. Short arm inspection in a.m. Hiked to P.O. after supper. Rec'd 12.18 from press. Had run in ...

 [ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] Diary entries - Sept. 25, 1917, Tues., Cold - cloudy Up at 5:00. Took down day tent, made rolls, cleaned up. Left camp 10 a.m. Started down subway 10:45, went to Penn Sta. Ferry. Entrained about 3:00. Left N.Y. about 5:15. On Pullman. Bunked with Decker & Briery. No dinner, but had supper. Train - 1st Section HQ Co. - Hosp. Corps - Supp. Co. - M.G. Co. - & Band. 2, 3, &4 sect. - 1st., 2nd & 3rd battalions. 3 cars per Co. Sept. 26, 1917, Wed., Fair - warm Up 6:30, shaved. Train is in Wash., D.C., been here about an hour. Laid over sometime in No. Phil. last night - had fine trip. Bkfst. at 7:30. Saw Capitol Dome at 8:40. Saw Wash. Monument at 8:43. Crossed Potomac at 8:45. Passed Cavalry camp & rifle range at 9:15. Passed big camp of wooden barracks at 10:00. Crossed Rappahanok River & then Frederickstown at 10:50. Dinner 12:15. Richmond at 1:25. Went around west ...

 [ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] More diary entries while encamped at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY Aug. 31, 1917, Friday, Warm, Fair Had inspection & battalion muster by Maj. Sherman this morning. After dinner we had heart & lung exam. Every one there. We were congratulated on our efficiency in being on time, etc. Staid in and wrote letters. Sept. 1, 1917, Saturday, Cool, Rainy Had regular inspection this morning - then short arm inspection. Non-com school also in afternoon. After dinner I went to hosp. with service records to get them all stamped - back at 4:10. "Al", "Joe", and I went down to 42nd St. Fed in the Automat, looked around some, went to the American Roof Garden [I'm sure this was New York City’s old Hotel Majestic roof garden] - back at 11:00 - Good crowd on subway both ways. Cool in evening. Sept. 2, 1917, Sunday, Cloudy - warm Up before 7:00. Washed and shaved, changed m...

 [ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] Diary entries - Aug. 19, 1917, Sunday, warm. The day we hit New York. We arrived in upper Bronx, near King's Bridge about 8:00 this morning. Switched around quite a bit, got off the train and marched to Van Cortland Park, marked out and pitched camp. No breakfast. The Red Cross gave us sandwiches & milk for dinner. Met Co. G. Set up tents, cots, etc., etc. Regular mess. I wrote letters & went to bed early. Very tired. [Additional info extracted from Wikipedia - Van Cortlandt Park is a 1,146-acre park located in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is managed with assistance from the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. The park, the city's third largest, was named for the Van Cortlandt family, which was prominent in the area during the Dutch and English colonial periods. Its natural features include Tibbetts...

 [ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] Diary entries - Aug. 1, 1917, Wed., Hot as Hell Drill in morning. Three men fell down from heat. Afternoon all went swimming. Went to movies. Saw - "The Family Name." This is the middle of the 3rd week we have been in camp - very little rain all this time and extremely hot. Aug. 2, 1917, Thur., very hot Sultry morning. Started on hike at 8:30 up Paine's Hollow road, down through woods to Fort Herkimer Road then back 11:10. Nothing doing this p.m. I took a bath. Have badly chafed legs. Went to movies - saw "The House With The Golden Windows." Hot! Hot! A little rain this p.m. Letter to Aunt Nell - August 3, 1917 / Camp Weller Dear Aunt Nell:- When you wrote me, it was too hot for a letter - so you sent a "vest pocket model." Now, it's too cool to sit still long - so you can expect exactly less than a book! I awefully envy you your opportunity to stud...

[NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] Starting with more diary entries. July 15, 1917 - Mohawk - Left El Refugio Sunday. Got camp [El Refugio] ready to leave. Left camp about 11. Took dinner at home. Came to Mohawk on 5:11 car, arriving 7:28. Reported at armory. Staid all night at Richardsons. July 16, 1917, Mohawk, Monday Reported at Armory. Co. M. was inspected, etc. Physical exams started. Toombs and I had detail of making camp. Am up for Sgt. July 17, 1917, Mohawk, Tuesday Reported at Armory. Had my physical exam. Had latrine tent detail. First night to sleep in tent. July 18, 1917, Post Card to Nellie 1st Dear Aunt Nell: - Well, our Co. is assembled, and everything is going full speed. I am up for Sergeant as I expected - and presume I'll make it all O.K. We are getting "Federalized" now. Are in camp here now at park - "Camp Weller." Had physical exam today. Don't know if I have passed for sur...

[NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING] Special posting of next three letters - May 4, 1917 / Oswego, NY Dear Aunt Nel, Your letter received this morning and am answering it herewith. The picture I'm enclosing is so damnably rotten (pardon enthusiasm) that I'm truly ashamed of it. But I promise you, I am going to have some cabinets taken when I get to Mohawk with full dress uniform and will send you one of those. As to my girls, Gee! it's a regular moving picture show to keep track of them. Long ago it was Rosella Shand, then Marcia Saxton, then Jacqueline Burton, then that blank blank creature Nellie, and now I'm trying to be serious with the poor ruins[?]. The minute a guy gets serious they think he wants to get married PDQ! Now I am through! From now on I am going to have a bunch on the string and just be on friendly terms with them all. I, at present have two in Mohawk, one in Milford, four in Peekskill and ...