TRANSCRIBED FROM THE POCAHONTAS STAR HERALD APRIL 5, 1918 P. 7
Jefferson Barracks, April 1.
Dear Editor:
If you will allow me the space in your paper, I will try to tell something of my army experiences, and something of the life as I have found it.
I have been reading, with great interest, the letters from the Randolph boys in the different camps. Am always anxious for my copy of the Herald to come. You can rest assured that the boys in service look forward to the day when they will receive their home paper, which is as good as a tonic. We can, through our home papers, always keep in touch with things at home, and you can bet we want to know what is going on at home. So kindly “keep ’er coming.”
I have not had the pleasure of spending but a few days each year in old Randolph for the last three or four, but “my heart’s right there.” Old Randolph is noted for its friendly people, and it matters not where we may go, there always remains with me that longing to be back at home, and with home friends.
I left Earle, Arkansas, where I have resided for the past two and a half years, on December 10th last and went to Memphis, Tenn., and volunteered my services in the Quartermaster Corps of the National army. I was examined there and shipped to Jefferson Barracks on December 15th, but did not receive my uniform until the morning of the 24th.
Jefferson Barracks is a beautiful camp located on the Mississippi river twelve miles south of St. Louis. It was established in 1828. Fort Belle Fontaine, which was located on the Missouri river bluffs near St. Louis, was torn away and Jefferson Barracks camp established in that year. The remains of all the soldiers, who were buried at Ft. Belle Fontaine, were taken up and moved to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery and reentered on April 15, 1904. There is a large red stone in the cemetery here, which was erected to those soldiers in November, 1904 by the St. Louis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This camp stood the storms of the Civil war, and a great many of the southern soldiers were in the camp during the war, as prisoners.
It would take too much space to describe the camp in detail, so will stop here. In regard to a boy’s life in camp, will say that to some, it is the most healthful and sanitary life they ever lived, and will prove a blessing to them. All buildings are thoroughly cleaned and inspected daily. Daily inspections of the body is also made. It is a perfectly sanitary life.
We get plenty to eat. Of course, our food is not cooked like that “our mother’s cooked” having as they do, thousands to cook for. We have two post mess halls. One will accommodate about 2700 men and other about 1500 at one setting. We also have a separate mess hall where the Quartermaster corps take their meals—“that’s where I live.” The Hospital corps also have their own mess hall.
We have parade just before noon each day. All the men in the companies are supposed to be in the parade.
I am assigned to a good company and our officers treat us kindly, with the exception of one or two noncommissioned officers who sometimes try to be “hard boiled.” I do not often come under the supervision of the company officers, as I work under the supervision of the officers of the Quartermaster corps, and when I am assigned as a permanent party, if I should be, I will not be attached to the company in any way. I was assigned to duty in the record office. My first work was as checker. I have gotten a great deal of experience, as I have worked on the equipage accounts, property account, and the memorandum receipt accounts, three separate sets of books, and did some work as invoice clerk. Am at present taking an inventory of the Quartermaster property, and opening up a set of Stock books, so you see we are kept busy.
I will now come back to the Y. M. C. A. I wish all the people at home only knew just what the “Y” means to their boys in camp. And believe me, the boys appreciate the work of the “Y” and praise it very highly. It is a home to the homeless, and a friend to the one who thinks he has no friends. It has the “home touch.” It makes the sad boy glad, for as I said before, it is the center of attraction and amusement. The boys go there to write home, and they sometimes write home when they get there, when they didn’t have any intention of doing so when they went, as all over the walls hang placards with such as “Be Sure To Write Home Today” and such other sentences written on them, suggesting to the boy his duty to his friends and loved ones at home.
Everything that is done there has the tendency to make the boy stronger and better prepare him to become a real soldier. They have their regular religious services, Sunday school, church and prayer meeting, which I delight to attend. There is also a class being conducted there at the present time by a man from St. Louis on personal work. There is a goodly number enrolled in the class and we all enjoy the work very much. They have moving pictures, boxing matches, high class singing, etc., there also, which are all free to the boys. They also have their athletic grounds on the outside and have balls and bats which they lend to the boys to use. I cannot praise the work of the Y. M. C. A. too highly.
I wish also to say a good word for the Red Cross. The Red Cross work is the most humanitarian, philanthropic work in the army today. We who receive the benefits of the Red Cross know, of course, more about its great help than you people at home, but I feel like you know enough of the work of this—the greatest auxiliary of the American government today, that it needs no further comment here.
I am glad indeed to note that the good people of old Randolph are standing behind the government in all this great work. May you continue to work, and work hard, whenever and in whatever work the government calls upon you to do. The one great task before the nation today is to win the war. If our arms are to be successful, every citizen must give his all, whether this be time or money, or life, or all of these. We must all work together. It is important that you people at home display democratic and effective control of all the agencies of production in your county. So you at home have just as important a work to do as we who are enlisted in the army, and I feel sure that the people of Randolph county will stand behind their boys.
With very best wishes and kindest personal regard to my many friends, I am
An old Randolph boy,
Ben Choate.
NOTES: Ben S. Choate was born on February 10, 1893 in Melbourne, Arkansas and died on June 1, 1962 in Hamburg, Arkansas. He is buried in the Maynard Cemetery in Maynard, Arkansas. He was living in Earle, Arkansas at the time of his enlistment.
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS
Jefferson Barracks, April 1.
Dear Editor:
If you will allow me the space in your paper, I will try to tell something of my army experiences, and something of the life as I have found it.
I have been reading, with great interest, the letters from the Randolph boys in the different camps. Am always anxious for my copy of the Herald to come. You can rest assured that the boys in service look forward to the day when they will receive their home paper, which is as good as a tonic. We can, through our home papers, always keep in touch with things at home, and you can bet we want to know what is going on at home. So kindly “keep ’er coming.”
I have not had the pleasure of spending but a few days each year in old Randolph for the last three or four, but “my heart’s right there.” Old Randolph is noted for its friendly people, and it matters not where we may go, there always remains with me that longing to be back at home, and with home friends.
I left Earle, Arkansas, where I have resided for the past two and a half years, on December 10th last and went to Memphis, Tenn., and volunteered my services in the Quartermaster Corps of the National army. I was examined there and shipped to Jefferson Barracks on December 15th, but did not receive my uniform until the morning of the 24th.
Jefferson Barracks is a beautiful camp located on the Mississippi river twelve miles south of St. Louis. It was established in 1828. Fort Belle Fontaine, which was located on the Missouri river bluffs near St. Louis, was torn away and Jefferson Barracks camp established in that year. The remains of all the soldiers, who were buried at Ft. Belle Fontaine, were taken up and moved to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery and reentered on April 15, 1904. There is a large red stone in the cemetery here, which was erected to those soldiers in November, 1904 by the St. Louis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This camp stood the storms of the Civil war, and a great many of the southern soldiers were in the camp during the war, as prisoners.
It would take too much space to describe the camp in detail, so will stop here. In regard to a boy’s life in camp, will say that to some, it is the most healthful and sanitary life they ever lived, and will prove a blessing to them. All buildings are thoroughly cleaned and inspected daily. Daily inspections of the body is also made. It is a perfectly sanitary life.
We get plenty to eat. Of course, our food is not cooked like that “our mother’s cooked” having as they do, thousands to cook for. We have two post mess halls. One will accommodate about 2700 men and other about 1500 at one setting. We also have a separate mess hall where the Quartermaster corps take their meals—“that’s where I live.” The Hospital corps also have their own mess hall.
We have parade just before noon each day. All the men in the companies are supposed to be in the parade.
I am assigned to a good company and our officers treat us kindly, with the exception of one or two noncommissioned officers who sometimes try to be “hard boiled.” I do not often come under the supervision of the company officers, as I work under the supervision of the officers of the Quartermaster corps, and when I am assigned as a permanent party, if I should be, I will not be attached to the company in any way. I was assigned to duty in the record office. My first work was as checker. I have gotten a great deal of experience, as I have worked on the equipage accounts, property account, and the memorandum receipt accounts, three separate sets of books, and did some work as invoice clerk. Am at present taking an inventory of the Quartermaster property, and opening up a set of Stock books, so you see we are kept busy.
I will now come back to the Y. M. C. A. I wish all the people at home only knew just what the “Y” means to their boys in camp. And believe me, the boys appreciate the work of the “Y” and praise it very highly. It is a home to the homeless, and a friend to the one who thinks he has no friends. It has the “home touch.” It makes the sad boy glad, for as I said before, it is the center of attraction and amusement. The boys go there to write home, and they sometimes write home when they get there, when they didn’t have any intention of doing so when they went, as all over the walls hang placards with such as “Be Sure To Write Home Today” and such other sentences written on them, suggesting to the boy his duty to his friends and loved ones at home.
Everything that is done there has the tendency to make the boy stronger and better prepare him to become a real soldier. They have their regular religious services, Sunday school, church and prayer meeting, which I delight to attend. There is also a class being conducted there at the present time by a man from St. Louis on personal work. There is a goodly number enrolled in the class and we all enjoy the work very much. They have moving pictures, boxing matches, high class singing, etc., there also, which are all free to the boys. They also have their athletic grounds on the outside and have balls and bats which they lend to the boys to use. I cannot praise the work of the Y. M. C. A. too highly.
I wish also to say a good word for the Red Cross. The Red Cross work is the most humanitarian, philanthropic work in the army today. We who receive the benefits of the Red Cross know, of course, more about its great help than you people at home, but I feel like you know enough of the work of this—the greatest auxiliary of the American government today, that it needs no further comment here.
I am glad indeed to note that the good people of old Randolph are standing behind the government in all this great work. May you continue to work, and work hard, whenever and in whatever work the government calls upon you to do. The one great task before the nation today is to win the war. If our arms are to be successful, every citizen must give his all, whether this be time or money, or life, or all of these. We must all work together. It is important that you people at home display democratic and effective control of all the agencies of production in your county. So you at home have just as important a work to do as we who are enlisted in the army, and I feel sure that the people of Randolph county will stand behind their boys.
With very best wishes and kindest personal regard to my many friends, I am
An old Randolph boy,
Ben Choate.
NOTES: Ben S. Choate was born on February 10, 1893 in Melbourne, Arkansas and died on June 1, 1962 in Hamburg, Arkansas. He is buried in the Maynard Cemetery in Maynard, Arkansas. He was living in Earle, Arkansas at the time of his enlistment.
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS