TRANSCRIBED FROM COLUMBIA BANNER APRIL 3, 1918, P. 7
Somewhere in France,
Feb. 22, 1819.
Mr. Louis T. Sanders,
McNeil, Ark. U. S. A.
Dear Lewis:
Received your letter of Jan 24th. and was certainly glad to hear from you old boy and will be glad to hear from you any time, so don’t let this be your last letter for you can’t realize what a letter is until you have the experience we have in getting mail from home.
Suppose I must have been the first one over here from around there as I landed in this country on or about the 1st of Oct. or that is we did not land in France direct from America. We were on board ship 23 days and I think traveled most half around the world. Have been able to see some beautiful country as we traveled across both Scotland and England also a touch of Canada and then clear across France.
I like England fine but Scotland I believe is the prettiest country I have ever seen. T’is certainly a pretty country and lots of pretty girls and they were nice to us as we were the first Sammies they had seen. Of course they were no prettier that the girls back home; but to get back to the traveling, we were on a passenger train of course that is what they call it.
You see in both France and England they have this class stuff; 1st, 2nd, rd class. Well we were mostly 3rd class. The coaches are very small and narrow, there is no isle through them at all but a running board on the outside. The coach is made into about 8 sections. 1st class 4 passengers, 2nd class 6 passengers, and 3rd class 8 passengers and believe me it is some tight place for 8 men including equipment and when you want to go any where you buy your ticket, go get on the train, no one to ask where you are going, when you get to your destination you are supposed to turn your ticket in to the agent that is if you have bought one before starting. Of course if not, alright. It costs less than a cent a mile to travel on these trains. You could take $2.50 and travel across the world on a French train.
And the people, well, they are a little funny at times. Of course all the young men are at the front. They live in very small brick and plastered houses with very few windows in them and do very little work. They all have a small vineyard and make their own wine. They only use water to build bridges over. I have never seen a Frenchman take a drink of water. They do not use it any way at all, I think they even use wine to bathe their face and hands in. They all wear big wooden shoes and they are all made the same size. It looks real funny to see a pretty girl coming down the street with a big chunk of wood on each foot. Some are so pretty I have even taken my own shoes off and offered her but she says no, no. They are very nice to us.
I am getting better satisfied every day as we are having beautiful weather now and we have Saturday night and Sunday off to go where we please and I generally make good use of it, rent a bicycle and start out. The country is very thickly settled and little towns every where.
All hotels are saloons and all saloons are hotels. We are in the southern part of France and about 60 miles from a very large city, one of the principle parts of France. Oh! It is not such a bad country at all.
Some of the boys have an awful time with these French drinks but one thing you have to give this country credit for and that is the roads, they sure have good roads and the main thing is lots of pretty girls. If they only could talk. Oh! well I am getting to where I can talk a little and say enough to get by. When a Frenchman talks he or she uses both hands, nods their head and works their shoulders and I can’t get all of me to working at the same time yet but I think I will be able to Polly von Fransay before many more months.
Listen, Lewis if you can get a copy of the News with that letter in it send me the letter if you please. I am sending you a picture in this letter which I had made a few days ago so you can see how well I am looking. Oh, I am getting fat at Uncle Sam’s expense.
We are certainly turning out the lumber now. I am sawing days. The mill runs day and night. Most all of the boys are pretty well satisfied the only trouble is we can’t get enough mail, you see I was one of the first to leave and get over here, so they were all so busy seeing the other boys off as they were in a bunch and I don’t think they have missed me yet so you can tell some of the old maids and a few of the young ones to drop me a few lines when they haven’t any thing else to do and I would like to hear from some of the boys also.
You can turn this over to the Banner if you wish as I was among the first to represent Columbia county over here if you do send me a copy of it. You will have to excuse this writing as I am in my tent writing on my knee by a candle light after a hard days work, so be good Lewis and write me real often and let me know what is going on.
We will be getting our furloughs before long. I haven’t decided where I will spend my first one so if there is any particular place you would like for me to visit mention it in your next letter.
Well I suppose I had better close will write you again soon so you write real often. Give my regards to Mr. Rodgers, Mr. Rowe and all the rest. With best wishes I am,
Your Friend,
Pvt. Sam A. Brasher,
Co. B. 10th Engineers (Forestry,) A. E. F.
NOTES: Samuel Acquilla Brasher was born on December 7, 1888 in Columbia County and died on December 14, 1987 in Keithville, Louisiana. He is buried Greenwood Cemetery, Camden, Arkansas. He enlisted July 28, 1917. He was described a being of medium weight and height with gray eyes and light brown hair.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
Somewhere in France,
Feb. 22, 1819.
Mr. Louis T. Sanders,
McNeil, Ark. U. S. A.
Dear Lewis:
Received your letter of Jan 24th. and was certainly glad to hear from you old boy and will be glad to hear from you any time, so don’t let this be your last letter for you can’t realize what a letter is until you have the experience we have in getting mail from home.
Suppose I must have been the first one over here from around there as I landed in this country on or about the 1st of Oct. or that is we did not land in France direct from America. We were on board ship 23 days and I think traveled most half around the world. Have been able to see some beautiful country as we traveled across both Scotland and England also a touch of Canada and then clear across France.
I like England fine but Scotland I believe is the prettiest country I have ever seen. T’is certainly a pretty country and lots of pretty girls and they were nice to us as we were the first Sammies they had seen. Of course they were no prettier that the girls back home; but to get back to the traveling, we were on a passenger train of course that is what they call it.
You see in both France and England they have this class stuff; 1st, 2nd, rd class. Well we were mostly 3rd class. The coaches are very small and narrow, there is no isle through them at all but a running board on the outside. The coach is made into about 8 sections. 1st class 4 passengers, 2nd class 6 passengers, and 3rd class 8 passengers and believe me it is some tight place for 8 men including equipment and when you want to go any where you buy your ticket, go get on the train, no one to ask where you are going, when you get to your destination you are supposed to turn your ticket in to the agent that is if you have bought one before starting. Of course if not, alright. It costs less than a cent a mile to travel on these trains. You could take $2.50 and travel across the world on a French train.
And the people, well, they are a little funny at times. Of course all the young men are at the front. They live in very small brick and plastered houses with very few windows in them and do very little work. They all have a small vineyard and make their own wine. They only use water to build bridges over. I have never seen a Frenchman take a drink of water. They do not use it any way at all, I think they even use wine to bathe their face and hands in. They all wear big wooden shoes and they are all made the same size. It looks real funny to see a pretty girl coming down the street with a big chunk of wood on each foot. Some are so pretty I have even taken my own shoes off and offered her but she says no, no. They are very nice to us.
I am getting better satisfied every day as we are having beautiful weather now and we have Saturday night and Sunday off to go where we please and I generally make good use of it, rent a bicycle and start out. The country is very thickly settled and little towns every where.
All hotels are saloons and all saloons are hotels. We are in the southern part of France and about 60 miles from a very large city, one of the principle parts of France. Oh! It is not such a bad country at all.
Some of the boys have an awful time with these French drinks but one thing you have to give this country credit for and that is the roads, they sure have good roads and the main thing is lots of pretty girls. If they only could talk. Oh! well I am getting to where I can talk a little and say enough to get by. When a Frenchman talks he or she uses both hands, nods their head and works their shoulders and I can’t get all of me to working at the same time yet but I think I will be able to Polly von Fransay before many more months.
Listen, Lewis if you can get a copy of the News with that letter in it send me the letter if you please. I am sending you a picture in this letter which I had made a few days ago so you can see how well I am looking. Oh, I am getting fat at Uncle Sam’s expense.
We are certainly turning out the lumber now. I am sawing days. The mill runs day and night. Most all of the boys are pretty well satisfied the only trouble is we can’t get enough mail, you see I was one of the first to leave and get over here, so they were all so busy seeing the other boys off as they were in a bunch and I don’t think they have missed me yet so you can tell some of the old maids and a few of the young ones to drop me a few lines when they haven’t any thing else to do and I would like to hear from some of the boys also.
You can turn this over to the Banner if you wish as I was among the first to represent Columbia county over here if you do send me a copy of it. You will have to excuse this writing as I am in my tent writing on my knee by a candle light after a hard days work, so be good Lewis and write me real often and let me know what is going on.
We will be getting our furloughs before long. I haven’t decided where I will spend my first one so if there is any particular place you would like for me to visit mention it in your next letter.
Well I suppose I had better close will write you again soon so you write real often. Give my regards to Mr. Rodgers, Mr. Rowe and all the rest. With best wishes I am,
Your Friend,
Pvt. Sam A. Brasher,
Co. B. 10th Engineers (Forestry,) A. E. F.
NOTES: Samuel Acquilla Brasher was born on December 7, 1888 in Columbia County and died on December 14, 1987 in Keithville, Louisiana. He is buried Greenwood Cemetery, Camden, Arkansas. He enlisted July 28, 1917. He was described a being of medium weight and height with gray eyes and light brown hair.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT