[ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING]
Start with more diary entries -
Nov. 13, 1917, Tues., Cloudy. Wind cold as hell.
Drilled this morning and afternoon. Was very cold - had lots of extended order [drill]. The wind blowed hard all day. Day seemed awfully long. 3 excellent meals today! Great! Wrote letters tonight. Bed early.
Nov. 14, 1917, Wed., Fair. Windy. Cold as Hell.
Drilled this forenoon under our new lieutenant - Stout - very snappy. Changed tents - we are now in tent 24. Was in 18. Have a new board floor. Worked all the afternoon. Cold night. Bed early.
Nov. 15, 1917, Thur., Fair. Sunny. Cool breeze.
Good drill this a.m. Had lectures, etc. this p.m. Put up the walls to our tent. Had 3rd inoculation this p.m. Wrote several letters. Bed early.
Nov. 16, 1917, Frid., Cold morning. Warmed up. Fair.
Good stiff drills, etc. all day. Got called for our slowness in getting out. Sgts. are to have extra drill tomorrow p.m. I had class in wigwag today. [Wigwag -more formally, aerial telegraphy- is an historical form of flag signaling that passes messages by waving a single flag. It differs from flag semaphore in that it uses one flag rather than two, and the symbols for each letter are represented by the motion of the flag rather than its position.] Rec'd letters from Uncle D., Sis & Buir(?). Ans'd mail, prepared for inspection this evening. Bed about 10:30.
Nov. 17, 1917, Sat., Fair. Sunny. Warm.
Inspection by platoon Lieuts. Went off fine. Everything OK. Went over to see Al, Toddy, etc. at old 1st today. Went to see Anita Stewart this evening with Grose. Bed at taps. [Anita Stewart (born Anna Marie Stewart; February 7, 1895 – May 4, 1961) was an American actress and film producer of the early silent film era.]
Nov. 18, 1917, Sun., Beautiful day. Warm.
Fine day. Read and wrote letters nearly all day. Didn't leave camp. Bed early. Letter from Anna. Wrote in evening.
Nov. 19, 1917, Mon., Warm. Partly cloudy.
Had good drills all day. Good stiff skirmish this a.m. Drills in musketry this p.m. Clouded up toward night. Good school on combat this evening. Wrote two letters. Bed very early.
Nov. 20, 1917, Tues., Rain - cloudy - cool.
Drilled short time this a.m. Then had lecture on musketry until noon. Drilled in skirmish and rough & tumble games all p.m. Reg. school. Read. Hob-nailed trench shoes. Bed early. No mail today. Cold & clammy.
Nov. 21, 1917, Wed., Beautiful day. Warm. Fair.
Charge of street today. Beautiful all day. Mess OK. policing OK. latrines OK. everything OK. Rec'd and ans'd letters from C.J.B. [brother, Claude], Sis, Betty & Frank Yates. Bed 11:15
Nov. 22, 1917, Thurs., Cold. Cloudy. Windy.
Drilled all a.m. good and stiff. Made out allotment blanks again in early p.m. Co. went on Regt'l and outpost guard duty today for 24 hrs. No one but Mac & I alone in tent. Letter from A.E.H. Ans'd. Ernest Augur over for evening. Bed early. Cold.
Nov. 23, 1917, Frid. Cold - Windy.
Co. on guard so did not drill. Loafed around all day. Roger Smith and I went for wood. Went to P.O. No mail for me today. Studied musketry during day and read. Bed early. Very cold night.
Nov. 24, 1917, Sat., Very Cold. Windy. Freezing.
Reg. Insp. this a.m. Went OK. Fine all through. Had a show up inspection of property too. Very cold & freezing. Rotten mess at noon. Loafed around all afternoon. Letter from Uncle D. Had an excellent supper. Wrote Anna at night. Cold as hell. Bed at 11:00.
Nov. 25, 1917, Sun., Fair. Clear. Very Cold. Freezing.
Cold morning. Went over to old 1st Cav. to call on Ernest Ward this a.m. Rotten lunch! Slept all p.m. Ernest Ward & I went over to 10th Inf. this evening to visit & play cards with Ernest Augur. Wrote home. Bed about 10:30.
Nov. 26, 1917, Mon., Fair. Cool. Frost in a.m. & p.m. Pete Smith's birthday.
Up early. Held up going (or gang) for being a few seconds late. Great mix up! Excellent drills - in skirmish and close order all day. Good school on food economy and thievery. Wrote letters & read. Bed fairly early.
Nov. 27, 1917, Tues., Cold. Partly cloudy.
Drilled good and hard all day. Had my platoon part of time - lots of 3 deep game [It’s quick-paced, low-strategy, and involves big groups, shouting, and finding your two teammates as quickly as you can.] Shaved after supper. Regular school. Cold night. Wrote Martha. Bed early.
Letter to Aunt Nell -
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| different stationery |
107th. U. S. Infantry
7th. N Y. Inf't
- Co. M. -
November 27, 1917
Dear Aunt Nell : -
Very humbly, I take my stub of a pencil, and in most meek of manners begin to write! Ha!Ha! I consider myself most thoroughly and efficiently "called," as it were - and in accord with your clearly defined instructions duly promise that from this date on, my letters will come more or less on occasions of my impulse to write. Of course - many times - either those very welcome and highly appreciated papers arrive - or some interesting event happens, and I say - "I'll write Aunt Nell" - but - thinks - I should get a letter in a day or so - so will wait for it - and - there you are! So - what'll I do? From now on - look out! Ha!Ha! I'll flood you with bloomin' letters - you'll have several volumes of "letters of a soldier" - by the end of the war! Ha!Ha!
Busy! Huh! Did you ever stop to consider my daily program? Up at 6:00 - breakfast 6:30 - then make up my bed, police the tent and our share of the street, shave, oil my "gat" (rifle in army vocab) & dress for drill - study up on subjects for the day's drill and get out at 7:50 for drill. In at 11:30 and wipe the dust off the rifle, clean my shoes, brush my clothes and "wash up" for lunch - then lunch at 12:00. After that, it's a smoke - read the forenoon mail - and out for drill at 1:00. We drill until 5:00. When we come in the rifle must have an extra good cleaning for inspection, and we change from sweaty, OD cotton drill breeches and leather lined leggings, and hob-nailed shoes to - OD wool dress coat, OD wool breeches - clean canvas leggings and tan dress shoes for retreat - also wash up, get in our night's wood and make out our drill report of the day's mistakes on the part of the corporals and men. At 5:40 is 1st call for retreat - and at 6:00 mess. Right after dinner we get our mail - by the time it's read and I've smoked a "Girard" [Gerard is a brand of cigar, maybe that's what he refers to]- it's school time - at 7:00. Out of school about 8 - or 8:30 - and then nothing to do but write letters, study the dozen odd manuals on the subjects for the coming day, read for recreation, smoke and talk. And there you are! On Wed. and Sat. afternoons & Sundays, we don't drill - but it's schools for Sergts., go to barber shops, laundry, to town for hot showers & to shops, visit friends in five or six different regiments, write letters, and - sleep! On Sundays I sleep, visit & go to church!
So you see a fellow is pretty busy - and - well - no civilian job in the world is more of a 24 hour a day job than an army sergeants! It's the finest job in the army, the "realest" job - and I wouldn't trade it for a commission! That's honest truth! Therefore - I'm not going to totally accept your "call down." I told the Captain that one day - and he said "Sergt. You are the first man I ever had that possessed the nerve to tell me he didn't accept a reprimand!" I actually told him so - because it was true - I didn't - mentally - and - my frankness actually pleased him - I swear!
No - H--- no, we are still here in Spartanburg - the most lifeless spot on earth - and - according to latest rumors won't leave before Jan. or Feb! Yes - I read nearly every article in the Atlantic - as did several other Sergts. The papers this week were fine! The Digest was very live - so was The Republic - and Forest & Stream! Oh! boy! how did you happen to think of that? You're a jewel!
As to my financial ability - I had an idea I was rather slow in that respect! You see - I've several acquaintances - who actually make money - but - I'm no gambler - and hate to take chances! Ever since I've sent the greatest part of my loose money into the Eastern Fur I've fretted and worried over the fur market - as - a slump in the market of fur & hides - means a lot to me - but - it's a safe bet - I think! If it isn't - well the war will end with me owning El Refugio - a few Liberty Bonds - I've turned all my other securities into cash for the Company to swing more fur purchases this winter - and my insurance. Imagine me if that should happen - with a few measly thousand, a camp and no job! Makes a chap's blood run cold - but if fur is a good market - why it'll mean 18 or 20 thousand total and - well - I can take forestry, etc., in Syracuse - a big vacation, a honeymoon - or whatever I please for a couple years - before getting into the "rut" of life again! Ha!Ha! But it's not my job to worry about my finances now! Far from it! It's up to me to become such a "horribly" good soldier - that I can do my bit toward putting the fear of Yankee steel & lead into those German's hearts.
Oh! I'm all right. Haven't any kind of ailment whatsoever! Not even that minor cold that keeps a handkerchief busy! Never felt better in my life - and hard - why - I haven't a soft muscle - or extra bit of fat on my body - but you should see the depth of my chest - the size of my arms and as for power - my strength actually surprises me!
Oh yes! About my tent mates! I've got the jolliest bunch you ever saw. Sergt. Joe Toombs is with us yet. Then there's Sergt. J.L. Mac Donnell [or MacDowell] - a lawyer from N.Y. - a college graduate and a prince of a chap - about 34. Sergt. Toombs is 32. Then there's Sergt. Donald Selee - an electric expert - formerly with the Edison Company, and a mighty fine chap - about 23 - then there's Sergt. Pelham - a surveyor, expert at railroad work and who has been all over the United States, Mexico, Canada and in the Canal Zone. Then, besides us 5 Sergts. there are three Corporals - Corp. Ruller - a youngster of 19 who is just out of school, Corp. Barber who is 30 odd - father of a youngster 13 years old and a mechanic by trade and Corp. Marriott who is an expert rifle barrel inspector. All the men in the tent are of good family, excellent character - pretty well educated and most congenial.
Pause -------------
Well, I've been to a fire in the lumber yards - and taps is blowing - so I must "double time" to finish this, make my bed and "take the count" - as ever
With much love / Clyde
It was very endearing to read how he is encouraged by his fitness and his investments in fur. From knowing how much of an outdoorsman he was, he might have been considering being a trapper once he was out of the army. Or at least using that as a source of income. Furs were important and a status symbol. There wasn't the moral issues around fur we have now. It's such a shame he was too injured to make a good life after the war.
ReplyDeleteThe diary entries and letters to Aunt Nell sure reveal Clyde as a genuine go-getter. He seems to have tried his best in all that he did.
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