TRANSCRIBED FROM THE BATESVILLE GUARD DECEMBER 28,1 917 P. 7
On the Field in France, Nov. 26, 18.
My Dear Father
With so much going on, tempus just fugits along and you don’t know where it has gone. I have not gone. I have been out of the office ever since Capt. Green left and have been fully occupied with the supply business. The clothing allowance you perhaps know, has been abolished and the soldiers are issued whatever they need to present a ieat appearance. On this account I am constantly changing clothes, swapping for worn out, misfits for fits, etc. It is no easy job to keep a clear record on all these transactions, and I have my hands full. In addition our company is scattered all over north France, so to speak, and that makes it all the more difficult, as Baraca I have to pack up a box of clothes (blank) and then and take it around to them.
Since I wrote you last we have been seeing things. You have of course been reading about what did to the Kaiser last week--and still continues. One morning about a week ago we awoke to the cannoning of the British heavies and knew that the drive was on. Another sergeant and I walked over to some batteries that morning--big boys, to--and watched them pour “iron (blank) rations” into Fritz. You have no idea of the noise these babies make when they fire. You have to stop your ears if you are close by. One “banged” about ten feet away from us when we were not expecting it and I thought that my ear drums had burst.
A couple of days later we went over to what had been Fritz’s trenchs. There were some sickening sights to se seen there. He had evidently evacuated in great haste as there were rifles, gas masks, big guns and spoil of all kinds in his wake. We went down into two or three of his dugouts. He was evidently fixed for the winter. We walked on down the valley and reached a high hill where we could look into_________ and in the distance we could see _______ While we were gazing around at the scenery, three Hun’s planes came nosing into our section of the heavenly blue, very low. Then we heard the put, put, put of the machine guns and every now and then the cresh of a high explosive. But the Hun’s machines kept sailing around. Then “bang,” a high explosive burst in the aid a couple or three hundred yards away. It made me feel as if some one had hit me over the head with a maul. It was evidently no place for us and we beat it.
That was evidently a beautiful country around ____, but of course it is noy torn up by the ravages of war. Here and there you see streaks of white zizzagging across a hillside. These are trenches marked by the subsoil of white chalk which is thrown in front for a parapet. Almost everywhere the big shell holes and sometimes mine craters in which you could almost hide a house. And everywhere there is mud. But you can see that it was a beautiful country once. There are hardly any trees at all here, except here and there a little wood and the roads are generally lined with trees. Now these have been cut down and those in the line of fire are torn and shattered.
We have seen thousands of German prisoners. They are undoubtedly the most motley, hungry, wizened bunch of men I ever saw. Most of them say that they are glad to be taken prisoners-- that it is a case of getting shot in front or behind. Some prisoners were found chained to machine guns and many dead Germans were found so. Some of them are mere boys and others are feeble and men, very few able-bodied men in the number I saw which was about four or five thousand.
From all reports they still refuse to believe that the United States is in the war. They think that we are New Zealdanders or Australians. They say that they are not allowed to speak to their comrades about our entrance into the war and the officers deny it at every opportunity.
Mother mentioned a letter seen in the Gazette from Gordon Harvey of Leslie, Ark. He is in our company and a good friend of mine. Goes by the name of “Snake.” He is a good scout.
We are well and prospering and the life is making men of us.
With lots of love,
Max Brown.
With 12th Engineers, American Expeditionary Forces in France.
NOTES: This letter was written by Brown to his father Rev. Brown of Batesville, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY PAYTON DHOOGE
On the Field in France, Nov. 26, 18.
My Dear Father
With so much going on, tempus just fugits along and you don’t know where it has gone. I have not gone. I have been out of the office ever since Capt. Green left and have been fully occupied with the supply business. The clothing allowance you perhaps know, has been abolished and the soldiers are issued whatever they need to present a ieat appearance. On this account I am constantly changing clothes, swapping for worn out, misfits for fits, etc. It is no easy job to keep a clear record on all these transactions, and I have my hands full. In addition our company is scattered all over north France, so to speak, and that makes it all the more difficult, as Baraca I have to pack up a box of clothes (blank) and then and take it around to them.
Since I wrote you last we have been seeing things. You have of course been reading about what did to the Kaiser last week--and still continues. One morning about a week ago we awoke to the cannoning of the British heavies and knew that the drive was on. Another sergeant and I walked over to some batteries that morning--big boys, to--and watched them pour “iron (blank) rations” into Fritz. You have no idea of the noise these babies make when they fire. You have to stop your ears if you are close by. One “banged” about ten feet away from us when we were not expecting it and I thought that my ear drums had burst.
A couple of days later we went over to what had been Fritz’s trenchs. There were some sickening sights to se seen there. He had evidently evacuated in great haste as there were rifles, gas masks, big guns and spoil of all kinds in his wake. We went down into two or three of his dugouts. He was evidently fixed for the winter. We walked on down the valley and reached a high hill where we could look into_________ and in the distance we could see _______ While we were gazing around at the scenery, three Hun’s planes came nosing into our section of the heavenly blue, very low. Then we heard the put, put, put of the machine guns and every now and then the cresh of a high explosive. But the Hun’s machines kept sailing around. Then “bang,” a high explosive burst in the aid a couple or three hundred yards away. It made me feel as if some one had hit me over the head with a maul. It was evidently no place for us and we beat it.
That was evidently a beautiful country around ____, but of course it is noy torn up by the ravages of war. Here and there you see streaks of white zizzagging across a hillside. These are trenches marked by the subsoil of white chalk which is thrown in front for a parapet. Almost everywhere the big shell holes and sometimes mine craters in which you could almost hide a house. And everywhere there is mud. But you can see that it was a beautiful country once. There are hardly any trees at all here, except here and there a little wood and the roads are generally lined with trees. Now these have been cut down and those in the line of fire are torn and shattered.
We have seen thousands of German prisoners. They are undoubtedly the most motley, hungry, wizened bunch of men I ever saw. Most of them say that they are glad to be taken prisoners-- that it is a case of getting shot in front or behind. Some prisoners were found chained to machine guns and many dead Germans were found so. Some of them are mere boys and others are feeble and men, very few able-bodied men in the number I saw which was about four or five thousand.
From all reports they still refuse to believe that the United States is in the war. They think that we are New Zealdanders or Australians. They say that they are not allowed to speak to their comrades about our entrance into the war and the officers deny it at every opportunity.
Mother mentioned a letter seen in the Gazette from Gordon Harvey of Leslie, Ark. He is in our company and a good friend of mine. Goes by the name of “Snake.” He is a good scout.
We are well and prospering and the life is making men of us.
With lots of love,
Max Brown.
With 12th Engineers, American Expeditionary Forces in France.
NOTES: This letter was written by Brown to his father Rev. Brown of Batesville, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY PAYTON DHOOGE