TRANSCRIBED FROM THE LITTLE RIVER NEWS FEBRUARY 5, 1919 P. 1
Dec. 17th Somewhere in France
Mr. J. H. Barkman
Dear old Dad:
How are you? Am feeling fine and ready to leave the hospital for my outfit which is now headed for Coblentz, Germany. I will either come home with them or as a casual. If I come as a casual it may not be long.
Well dad, we licked the Heinies for you and now we are yearning to get home, however, we are willing to stay and make the Fritzies behave, if necessary. Pa, I participated in the St. Mihiel drive and also on the Argonne Woods on the Verdun front and believe me that was the most hellish fight I have ever “seen or heard of”. Machine guns, pistols, cannons, and bayonets everything that was defensive or offensive was used to its fullest capacity-and say, we answered them Dutchmen.
We got them on the counter attacks. They came over in mass formation and we used machine guns and automatic rifles and we cut them down like a scythe cutting grain, and then went after them with “cold steel” (bayonets) It was fearful butchery, but it was awful work of “our boys.” The American boys are a glorious bunch, not afraid of the devil either. Well, must close, your son,
Sgt. Lambert Barkman.
NOTES: Lambert A. Barkman was born in Wilton, Arkansas on April 22, 1984 and died on January 3, 1981. He is buried in the Denison Cemetery in Idabel, Oklahoma. His military headstone identifies him as a Sgt. in the US Army serving in World War I. He enlisted on March 30, 1918 and was discharged on September 27, 1919. He departed New York, NY on July 21, 1918 onboard the Grampian. He was listed as a Sgt. serving in Camp Gordon Automatic Draft Co. #3 Infantry. He departed Brest, France on August 23, 1919 onboard the Callao. He arrivedin Hoboken, NJ on September 4. He was serving as a Sgt. in Co. G 26th Infantry. He was writing to his father James Humphrey Barkman.
TRANSCRIBED BY ADIN TYGART
Dec. 17th Somewhere in France
Mr. J. H. Barkman
Dear old Dad:
How are you? Am feeling fine and ready to leave the hospital for my outfit which is now headed for Coblentz, Germany. I will either come home with them or as a casual. If I come as a casual it may not be long.
Well dad, we licked the Heinies for you and now we are yearning to get home, however, we are willing to stay and make the Fritzies behave, if necessary. Pa, I participated in the St. Mihiel drive and also on the Argonne Woods on the Verdun front and believe me that was the most hellish fight I have ever “seen or heard of”. Machine guns, pistols, cannons, and bayonets everything that was defensive or offensive was used to its fullest capacity-and say, we answered them Dutchmen.
We got them on the counter attacks. They came over in mass formation and we used machine guns and automatic rifles and we cut them down like a scythe cutting grain, and then went after them with “cold steel” (bayonets) It was fearful butchery, but it was awful work of “our boys.” The American boys are a glorious bunch, not afraid of the devil either. Well, must close, your son,
Sgt. Lambert Barkman.
NOTES: Lambert A. Barkman was born in Wilton, Arkansas on April 22, 1984 and died on January 3, 1981. He is buried in the Denison Cemetery in Idabel, Oklahoma. His military headstone identifies him as a Sgt. in the US Army serving in World War I. He enlisted on March 30, 1918 and was discharged on September 27, 1919. He departed New York, NY on July 21, 1918 onboard the Grampian. He was listed as a Sgt. serving in Camp Gordon Automatic Draft Co. #3 Infantry. He departed Brest, France on August 23, 1919 onboard the Callao. He arrivedin Hoboken, NJ on September 4. He was serving as a Sgt. in Co. G 26th Infantry. He was writing to his father James Humphrey Barkman.
TRANSCRIBED BY ADIN TYGART