TRANSCRIBED FROM THE BAXTER BULETIN OCTOBER 4, 1918 P. 1
Somewhere in France.
8-27-’18.
Dear Editor:
If you will kindly lend me a little space in your paper I will try to give an account of myself while I am all together.
Well I am fine and dandy. My health is reasonably good, and I am always able to take charge of the duties that are set out for me to do. I am on duty today. It fell on the 3rd squad in the 4th patoons to do guard duty from 3 o’clock this morning until 3 in the evening, and it happened to be my squad. So here we are. I wish you could see us. Just four of us, one on post, and the other three are supposed to be asleep, but I am playing hob sleeping. Any way I had rather write a letter home as to sleep.
This is a lovely place where we are situated at present. It looks just like some hunting ground back home. I have my gun and plenty of ammunition and all I lack is a good squirrel dog, ha, ha. Plenty of hunting but not squirrel hunting, ha, ha. Well, well, thank goodness, our dinner has just come down to us, and of course I must go eat a few bites. I know you will gladly excuse me, for eating is something we all have to do. When we have a chance. Well dinner is over and I am back on my job. I can’t tell you just how this letter is going to sound. I would like to give you a description of this country, but under the present rules for writing, I am unable to give any names or no of places, but just making it short, and fixing it so it will pass the censor. I will say that France is a right pretty country. Of course it is like all other countries, it has some pretty parts and some you don’t fancy so much. I have seen some real lovely places in my tour thru France. Now you understand I’m not trying to impress upon you that I have seen the whole of France for I have only seen the small part of it. But I haven’t seen any thing yet to compare with our grand old country, “America”, the place where our dear people live. And the place we are defending today. Of course we are fighting for the freedom to the world. For a pure form of Government like we have enjoyed in our dear old Nation, and like we are goning to enjoy in the time to come. We are over here to defend our country. We are over here to defend the homes of our fathers and mothers, our wives and children, our brothers, sisters and friends. We will all gladly give our lives on the battle fields of France, before we will see our homes ruled by a savage ruler, like they have in the Nation we are fighting today. We can’t stand for it to be done. Our good President wouldn’t stand for such a thing to shadow our home as that. God our Father in Heaven won’t stand for it and its up to you all at home, and we boys over here to do our best. We must and will strain every nerve in our body and spill every drop of blood we posess, before we will come back home with the work of defeat.
Boys what are you doing at home. Are you rendering your service to your country in the way we all should? If you are not you are not true to your country. You are not true to your father and mother, and you are not true to your God. If you wont help defend the homes of your dear old fathers and mothers who have loved and cared for you all through your lives. You are not fit to be called Americans, for a true American won’t stand for any thing like that to come to their homes. If Uncle Sam calls for you boy, dawn your duties at home and come to his service and if he doesn’t call for you don’t think you are out of the war, for we all have a part in it. Of course we can’t all go to the trenches. We are not all needed at the trenches. Somebody has got to stay at home and if you are lucky enough to get the job at at home, you aught to be proud and thankful enough to do just that much more. I had to leave my home. I had to leave my dear wife, and of course it hurt me to do so, but since I have seen what I have I see it is my duty to be here. May God bless you all.
Well I wish I could tell the fathers and mothers of Baxter county that have boys over here, something about their sons, but I cannot for I have’t seen a boy from Baxter. Not even one from Arkansas. I know there are lots of them over here, but I haven’t been lucky enough to run across them.
Well I presume I had better ring off for the present, asking you all to always remember we boys in your prayers, and if any body wants to write to me my address is H. P. Alley, Co., D. 326 Inf.. American E. F. I would be glad to get a letter from any one at any time. Thanking you, I am yours.
Hosea P. Alley.
NOTES: Hosea Porter Alley was born on February 23, 1892 in Mountain Home, Arkansas and died of battle wounds received on the Western Front on October 21, 1918. He held the rank of corporal at the time of his death. Alley served with Company D, 326th Infantry of the 82nd Division. He departed from New York, NY on April 29, 1918 on board the Mauretania. He was listed as a private in the 326th Infantry. Originally interred in France, his remains were returned to the United States where they now rest in Arlington National Cemetery. His remains left Antwerp, Belgium on April 26, 1921 onboard the Wheaton. A commemorative stone was also placed in the family plot in the Mountain Home Cemetery. The local American Legion Post is named in honor of Alley and fellow Baxter County World War 1 casualty Clarence G. White. His military headstone at Arlington Cemetery identify him as a Texas Corporal serving in the 326th Infantry, 82nd Division.
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS
Somewhere in France.
8-27-’18.
Dear Editor:
If you will kindly lend me a little space in your paper I will try to give an account of myself while I am all together.
Well I am fine and dandy. My health is reasonably good, and I am always able to take charge of the duties that are set out for me to do. I am on duty today. It fell on the 3rd squad in the 4th patoons to do guard duty from 3 o’clock this morning until 3 in the evening, and it happened to be my squad. So here we are. I wish you could see us. Just four of us, one on post, and the other three are supposed to be asleep, but I am playing hob sleeping. Any way I had rather write a letter home as to sleep.
This is a lovely place where we are situated at present. It looks just like some hunting ground back home. I have my gun and plenty of ammunition and all I lack is a good squirrel dog, ha, ha. Plenty of hunting but not squirrel hunting, ha, ha. Well, well, thank goodness, our dinner has just come down to us, and of course I must go eat a few bites. I know you will gladly excuse me, for eating is something we all have to do. When we have a chance. Well dinner is over and I am back on my job. I can’t tell you just how this letter is going to sound. I would like to give you a description of this country, but under the present rules for writing, I am unable to give any names or no of places, but just making it short, and fixing it so it will pass the censor. I will say that France is a right pretty country. Of course it is like all other countries, it has some pretty parts and some you don’t fancy so much. I have seen some real lovely places in my tour thru France. Now you understand I’m not trying to impress upon you that I have seen the whole of France for I have only seen the small part of it. But I haven’t seen any thing yet to compare with our grand old country, “America”, the place where our dear people live. And the place we are defending today. Of course we are fighting for the freedom to the world. For a pure form of Government like we have enjoyed in our dear old Nation, and like we are goning to enjoy in the time to come. We are over here to defend our country. We are over here to defend the homes of our fathers and mothers, our wives and children, our brothers, sisters and friends. We will all gladly give our lives on the battle fields of France, before we will see our homes ruled by a savage ruler, like they have in the Nation we are fighting today. We can’t stand for it to be done. Our good President wouldn’t stand for such a thing to shadow our home as that. God our Father in Heaven won’t stand for it and its up to you all at home, and we boys over here to do our best. We must and will strain every nerve in our body and spill every drop of blood we posess, before we will come back home with the work of defeat.
Boys what are you doing at home. Are you rendering your service to your country in the way we all should? If you are not you are not true to your country. You are not true to your father and mother, and you are not true to your God. If you wont help defend the homes of your dear old fathers and mothers who have loved and cared for you all through your lives. You are not fit to be called Americans, for a true American won’t stand for any thing like that to come to their homes. If Uncle Sam calls for you boy, dawn your duties at home and come to his service and if he doesn’t call for you don’t think you are out of the war, for we all have a part in it. Of course we can’t all go to the trenches. We are not all needed at the trenches. Somebody has got to stay at home and if you are lucky enough to get the job at at home, you aught to be proud and thankful enough to do just that much more. I had to leave my home. I had to leave my dear wife, and of course it hurt me to do so, but since I have seen what I have I see it is my duty to be here. May God bless you all.
Well I wish I could tell the fathers and mothers of Baxter county that have boys over here, something about their sons, but I cannot for I have’t seen a boy from Baxter. Not even one from Arkansas. I know there are lots of them over here, but I haven’t been lucky enough to run across them.
Well I presume I had better ring off for the present, asking you all to always remember we boys in your prayers, and if any body wants to write to me my address is H. P. Alley, Co., D. 326 Inf.. American E. F. I would be glad to get a letter from any one at any time. Thanking you, I am yours.
Hosea P. Alley.
NOTES: Hosea Porter Alley was born on February 23, 1892 in Mountain Home, Arkansas and died of battle wounds received on the Western Front on October 21, 1918. He held the rank of corporal at the time of his death. Alley served with Company D, 326th Infantry of the 82nd Division. He departed from New York, NY on April 29, 1918 on board the Mauretania. He was listed as a private in the 326th Infantry. Originally interred in France, his remains were returned to the United States where they now rest in Arlington National Cemetery. His remains left Antwerp, Belgium on April 26, 1921 onboard the Wheaton. A commemorative stone was also placed in the family plot in the Mountain Home Cemetery. The local American Legion Post is named in honor of Alley and fellow Baxter County World War 1 casualty Clarence G. White. His military headstone at Arlington Cemetery identify him as a Texas Corporal serving in the 326th Infantry, 82nd Division.
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS