Another diary entry -

February 8, 1919, Sat.

Maneuvers called off - coldest day yet. Took my outfit for 1 hour road march this a.m. to Sauvigny to be snapped [photographed?] in fighting togs in afternoon. Good supper - up to Sorenson's to write in evening. Crouse to dance at 3rd Bn. No mail. About 4 or 5" of snow on ground. Have a pair of long OD breeches - very comfortable.

Letter to Aunt Nell -

France

8 Feb. 1919

Dear Aunt Nell -

Tho I wrote you only yesterday - I've a long evening, a warm fire, beaucoup candles burning, an easy chair, a fresh box of cigars and a quiet room - so - I'm going to use up this abominable paper that my orderly got for me by telling you something of life in a French village - based on my last year's experiences as a doughboy and my present ones as an officer. So, if you haven't time to read it now - you can lay it away - as there's nothing worth while to follow! Ha!Ha!

The Battalions (4 companies, 1/3 of a Regiment) hike separately, are billeted as separate units by their Intelligence Officers and are fighting and administrative units. It goes on a hike - change of station. Two days before it leaves, a Packard truck pulls out with it's billeting party which consists of the lut(?) officer, in charge with orders - his interpreter, 1 N.C.O. from each company and a man from Bn. H.Q. They arrive at the town which is Bn.'s destination and if the truck is not needed, it departs - and there you are - a small party of lone Yanks - with orders & rations - in a French town and - you have no idea how near other Americans are - or how far.

First of all you see the "Maire de la Ville" - we call him Town Mayor - and your interpreter opens fire [strange use of the term] with all details of your business. Then he gives you a list of the billets. This list has the name of the owner, # of the house, or farm and capacity. You then figure Bn. strength and divide the billets proportionately among your unit NCO's. Then each one sets to work allotting billets to sub units in his co., etc. You find a Bn. H.Q. - get the finest room in town for the Major - the next best for yourself and the 4 next best for the 4 Captains. It's a pretty low down shavetail [shavetail 1. (Military) military slang censorious a derogatory term for a second lieutenant or newly commissioned officer] that would select himself a better place than his Major has, I'll tell you! But - Captains - that's different! Ha!Ha!

Usually - the 2nd, 3rd or 4th night your Bn. arrives! In the mean time - everthing has been arranged - places for all officers, men, animals, offices, kitchens, storage, theatre, Bn. Staff mess, etc. You find out about water - food supply, etc. - and - most incidentally learn about all the prettiest girls and best champagne, to be ahead of younger, and better looking officers who'll arrive with the battalion!

Then - the boys pull in - everyone is shown their home and you shake down in a few hours to everday life. One funny thing about our chaps is the fact that they are absolutely at home in a town within 24 hours. The French people are great gossipers - as are the average American housewives and soon everyone knows - as do the villagers themselves how Monsieure Bernard is the richest man in town - how Madame Guillaime is the mother of 19 children and Mademoiselle Meline has a fiancé who's soon coming home on his permissionue and so on! Then - line chaps who parlay pretty well and have the francs begin to make private arrangements for spare beds not occupied by the officers and some chap whose French is so bad as it was 8 months ago stumblingly inquires if the Madame has any "urfs" (oeufs - eggs) and other's usually characterized by their red-noses and guard house records immediately get on the trail of vin blanc or cognac.

What do the towns look like? Well - at the front - "like as tho" all hell had been at 'em. And in the rear - centuries old - stucco or plaster walls, high windows, tile roofs, etc. - typically like all pictures of French towns - only worse. First of all - they are pretty clean inside but cold as blazes as they have absolutely measley fireplaces and then, built adjoining, is the barn. The essence, or odors of the stable is the first and most lasting impression of a French homestead. At the back is a well - so close to the stable that our medicos forbid us to use the water - and - in front of the house, where one might expect a green lawn and flower bed - is nothing less than an enormous manure pile - directly beneath the cheeriest window of the front room. The more prosperous a farmer is - the more stock he owns - the larger the pile - and thus(?) we have learned to garage their wealth. You see - instead of being scattered along the roads in separate & isolated farmhouses as we Americans do - they all live together in villages then have their land outside. One sees none - or very few lone farms over here.

The people are very hard workers, usually - especially the women. Their morals are very peculiar. A very respectable Madame will talk about things here - as unconcernably as you please - that would be carried on in whispers among blushes at home. Schools have Thursday and Sunday off instead of Sat. & Sunday - the kiddies come home at 4:45 and the school courses seem to compare very favorably with small town schools at home. One funny thing at either schools or churches is - during school or mass - the long rows of wooden shoes in the corridor or entry. The people - all ages & sexes wear felt slippers then get into their wooden shoes when they go out.

They are about all Catholics and in small villages have a very indistinct idea of America. They ask all sorts of funny questions about the U.S. Want to know if we have churches in America - if people who live together get married and - well - sometimes one thinks they think we must be savages!

I guess there's lots of other things about them & their ways - but this will do for now. Perhaps - if you should delete some parts of this - and have youngster pupils - it might interest them.

Anyhow - it's done - and here's hoping I've told you something you didn't know before.

As ever

With much love. /Clyde

More diary entries -

February 9, 1919, Sun.

Beautiful day. Clear & crisp - very cold. Up at 9. Had fire in a billet at 5 a.m. Busy with reports, etc. in a.m. Football game against 111th, score 0 - 0. Read & played cards with Sorenson in p.m. Wrote letters & visited in evening. Very cold.

February 10, 1919, Mon.

Up at 8:00. Slept over! Fixed some claims. Hiked to Sauvigny with 2 scouts to get orders then about 12k east to reconnoiter route for Regt. Wednesday. Back at 4. Pretty foot sore. Wrote letters in evening. Very cold day.

February 11, 1919, Tues. Cold.

Beautiful day. Over to Sauvigny for cigars & photos in a.m. Played fox & geese in p.m. [The game of Fox and Geese dates back to the middle ages and is unusual in that the sides are unequal. The sly fox attempts to capture the multitudinous geese. Meanwhile, the geese try to hem the fox in so that he can't move.] Busy at odd jobs all day. We planned for trip to Div. review - but Major Grupp said I need not go! Rights! Lt. Crouse rec'd orders relieving him of his gas job. He goes to Co. K tomorrow & I move up to live with Stern. Wrote a few letters - played cards - bed early.

Two more letters to Aunt Nell -

France

10 Feb. 1919

Dear Aunt Nell -

Enclosed please find a picture of your overseas nephew in his working clothes. It's a rotten sort of picture but gives you an idea of the tools we've been working with & how they're worn.

Love -

Clyde

H.Q. 1st Bn. 112th Inf.

11 Feb. 1919.

Dear Aunt Nell:  -

Today - your letter of Oct. 31 reached me - also a letter from the Equitable Trust Co. of Paris saying they had placed to my credit (on Oct. 30) the sum of $400.00 (in francs) and asked for instructions regarding it! And, I received the notice today - 4 months later - nearly! Ye! Gods! I have written them to cable (or send by registered M.O.) same back to you - and - you in return can return it to Dad - less all expenses of sending, etc. - and I shall be gently relieved to know that although I never benefitted by it - it's safely back - or at least found.

Say! - I got a wonderfully surprising letter today - postmarked from your address Dec. 2 and, in her own hand writing a verse (which I'm learning by heart) from Miss Whiting! Tell her I shall at least answer it very, very soon - and - explain please that it came the very day - so she won't think I'm (?) enough to fail to answer before!

Then your letter - sort of "carried on" to dampen my spirits on girls all 'round, when I get home - but - I'm not so deeply in love with any that it's painful and - well - believe I understand 'em better than I used to so - here's to clean desks for a brand new start and look them all over at least once, listen to all the good advice I have to, then do as I jolly well please! Ha!Ha!

Please don't send papers now, Aunt Nell! I've just enough time to read what I get from those 14 Karat Red Cross people - so - more would only go unread!

This answers your letter in part, so I'll close for now as I'm writing by twilight - as always - 

Your affectionate nephew,

Lieutenant Clyde G. Bliss

U.S. Army

More diary entries - 

February 12, 1919, Wed.

Up at 5:00 - saw the outfit off - had breakfast - worked on maps & field orders for tomorrow's Div'l maneuver. Rec'd 20 letters including travel check & letter from Equitable Trust Co. about the $400.00. Letters from Anna, Aunt Nell, Miss Whiting, folks, Allen, etc., etc. Ans'd some. Am to act as Adjt. as well as Int. officer & do division work tomorrow. Went over it all tonight with Major Graff. Wrote a couple letters in evening.

February 13, 1919, Thur.

Up at 5:00 got my scouts out - called the Major. Left here at 7:00 to go over near Colombey-les-(?) for a Brigade maneuver. Beaucoup jobs today! Got away with all my jobs perfectly OK. Fine critique - both Brigadiers & the Major General there and all staff officers. Back, in trucks, at 2:30. Fixed up for some map work for the Major's umpire job of tomorrow - wrote in evening - bed early.

February 14, 1919, Frid. Cloudy - warmer.

Had short hike - class in courtesy and men cleaned up. Game in p.m. 7 old letters. I rec'd box of cigars. Got Pete sick at supper.

February 15, 1919, Sat. Cloudy.

Inspected by Major this morning - he was very pleased with results. Billeting lists corrected - wrote a few letters, played cards. Up to Steve's in evening. A bit colder out.

February 16, 1919, Sun. Rain!

Slept until 8:30 - up, shaved, breakfast, loafed till noon. Went to Regt'l H.Q. in p.m. for meeting of all officers of 112th. Col. Rickerts gave us a fine talk about conditions in general. Wrote a couple letters in evening. Bed early.

February 17, 1919, Mon., Rain

C.O. drill a few minutes in a.m. short lecture and check on equipment. Men back from furloughs. Lt. Col. here today from G.H.Q. to interview my scouts. Div. inspection - Lt. Col. - also here today. Some more Town Maj[y]or's work today - more for tomorrow. Lt. Col. told us we'd go home in Apr.

February 18, 1919, Tues., Rain

To Goussain - court in a.m. to make some negotiations for land for barracks - also fixed up a field here - put out a schedule - lecture on German Tactics - a lot of claim work - and met Div. R.R. &C. officer in p.m. Petit (?) & desk work all the evening.

February 19, 1919, Wed., Partly cloudy.

Busy most of day on claim work with Fitzwater, my clerk. Rec'd letters from E.T. Co. Paris, Anna, mother, Mike & S.D.&G. of N.Y. Wrote a few letters up at Sterns - bed quite early. Looks like spring!

February 20, 1919, Thur. Rain - all a.m.

We hiked to Domremy in a.m. - Bn - saw Joan of Arc's birthplace, church & the Basilique erected in her honor - wonderful paintings. Hiked back in one lap(?). Stood retreat. Officers' meeting - fixed up maps - planned for tomorrow - bed early.

February 21, 1919, Frid. Fair.

Up 5:30 - left here at 7:00 for Punerot on the Div'l maneuver. Jumped off at 10:00 - it finished at 1:00 - long critique - lots of Generals there. Major, Bill & I caught ride home in Art. Major's Ford. Rec'd 6 letters - cleaned up - (?) - bed early.

February 22, 1919, Sat. Pretty fair day.

Rec'd a bunch of letters - from the Macintyre's, among the rest. Loafed in a.m. and ans'd last nights mail. Played football in p.m. Wrote letters up at Stevens in the evening.

February 23, 1919, Sun., Fair day.

Loafed all a.m. Had 2 hours football skrimmage in p.m. To show - 112th band - Mrs. Gould & 2 friends concertists in evening. Major pretty stewed - the women were up for supper - I went to bed on their arrival. Dead tired.

February 24, 1919, Mon., Rain.

Close order drill, mapping, in the a.m. I did some T.M. work. Football in p.m. Rec'd letter from Jeal. Up to Sorenson's in evening. Wrote a few letters - Bed early.

February 25, 1919, Tues., Rain.

Loafed most all day. Major gone to school. Fixed up billets for the Div. show - got out some memo's & orders - made a report. (?) in with Bill! Officer's school in new I.O.R. (?) 4 - 5. Went to Div'l show in evening. Mighty fine musical comedy. Great girl make ups - fine music. Bed 10:00.

February 26, 1919, Wed., Fine mostly all day - 1 hour rain.

Hiked to Greux & back - 16 kilos in a.m. Capt. Whitehull in command of the Bn. - Football, bath, cleaned pistol, stood retreat, got out tomorrow's maps. Wrote Anna and home in evening. Cooler.

February 27, 1919, Thur., Cloudy.

The maneuver was called off - no drill - so my men cleaned up around. I loafed - inspected billets & wrote a few letters & played a skrimmage game with the Regt'l. foot ball team. Pretty (?) field. To 111th show in evening. D----d good show!

Letter to Aunt Nell -

H.Q. 1st Bn. 112 Inf.

Feb. 27, 1919

Dear Aunt Nell -

Just a few lines to say "Hello!" and ask why you haven't written lately! I really think it has been several weeks since I last heard from you.

Well - our Division is on the sailing list. We're officially listed as the 2nd Div. to sail in May. But - since that official list came out, we heard that, due to a petition sent to Sect'y Baker, we have jumped up and are now to go home in early April! Anyhow - it's practically sure we'll go at least by early May - and possibly sooner.

It's been corking good weather here lately - so decent in fact that I can sit in my room without a fire and windows wide open. Very much like early May back home!

We've had lots of maneuvers and reviews lately! I've been out nearly every morning at field work -and played foot ball for one or two hours ever afternoon, then lots of book work so it keeps me pretty busy. And - we have lots of mail(?) again, needless to say. Anyplace you find doughboys - you'll find mail(?) - always!

How's your friend Miss Whitely? I rec'd a card from her some time ago - and acknowledged it by a short note. So short, I guess, that I'll probably never hear from her! Ha!Ha!

Well - there's nothing more so will close for now - hoping to hear from you soon, as ever

With much love, / Clyde

Another diary entry - last day of February

February 28, 1919, Frid., Fair.

1 hour of drill and 3 (?). Worked all rest of a.m. on B.D.L.'s Got them signed & stamped by the Majors. To barbers, stood retreat. Wrote Anna & Bill Sloan in eve.