TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COUIER DEMOCRAT APRIL 10, 1919 P. 3
Lerouville, France,
March 4, 1919.
Dear Mother:
I have just received your letter of February 10, and am glad that you are well. I happen to be without a cold at present--something unusual.
We expect to leave this place about Saturday, and of course we will spend about a month in some seaport; but at least we have something definite, and we are all happy.
I have just returned from a very interesting little visit, which included St. Mihiel and the trenches and devasted areas thereabout. From there I went to the historic city of Verdun, which is surrounded by the forts that saved Paris, and in turn all of France. There is not a single building in the city that wasn't destroyed, and it would be absured to look for a window paine that was not broken. None of the civilians have returned to the city as their homes and all the factories were destroyed. On the very last hour before the armistice the Huns whipped one of their large shells, a "210" into the city. The huge wall around the city is very much the same, as the savage bombardment didn't seem to have much effect on it.
We then visited the trenches near Verdun, which we occupied during the closing days of the war, and I was in all of our old dugouts. It was a trip I shall never forget.
Lots of our boys who were wounded during our trying days in the Argonne Forest have returned to our regiment.
I am sending you a picture of Vanquois Hill, which our division captured in one hour and 45 minutes. The French tried to take this supposedly impregnable stronghold seven times within four years, and were repulsed with losses of over 200,000. Our boys are very proud of the achievement and this was the second time our outfit has been cited in General Orders. But we are not trying to claim all of the credit. Everyone seemed to disregard their lives and "put their shoulders to the wheel."
Remember me to everybody. With love, your son,
GENE.
Med. Dept., 138th Inft.,
69th Brig., 35th Div., A.E.F.,
A.P.O. 743
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
Lerouville, France,
March 4, 1919.
Dear Mother:
I have just received your letter of February 10, and am glad that you are well. I happen to be without a cold at present--something unusual.
We expect to leave this place about Saturday, and of course we will spend about a month in some seaport; but at least we have something definite, and we are all happy.
I have just returned from a very interesting little visit, which included St. Mihiel and the trenches and devasted areas thereabout. From there I went to the historic city of Verdun, which is surrounded by the forts that saved Paris, and in turn all of France. There is not a single building in the city that wasn't destroyed, and it would be absured to look for a window paine that was not broken. None of the civilians have returned to the city as their homes and all the factories were destroyed. On the very last hour before the armistice the Huns whipped one of their large shells, a "210" into the city. The huge wall around the city is very much the same, as the savage bombardment didn't seem to have much effect on it.
We then visited the trenches near Verdun, which we occupied during the closing days of the war, and I was in all of our old dugouts. It was a trip I shall never forget.
Lots of our boys who were wounded during our trying days in the Argonne Forest have returned to our regiment.
I am sending you a picture of Vanquois Hill, which our division captured in one hour and 45 minutes. The French tried to take this supposedly impregnable stronghold seven times within four years, and were repulsed with losses of over 200,000. Our boys are very proud of the achievement and this was the second time our outfit has been cited in General Orders. But we are not trying to claim all of the credit. Everyone seemed to disregard their lives and "put their shoulders to the wheel."
Remember me to everybody. With love, your son,
GENE.
Med. Dept., 138th Inft.,
69th Brig., 35th Div., A.E.F.,
A.P.O. 743
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD