TRANSCRIBED FROM THE HOT SPRINGS NEW ERA FEBRUARY 11, 1919 P. 4
Jan. 22, 1919.
Dear Father and Aunt:
Guess you have received my message by this time. We landed at Newport News from the U.S.S. Baron after a very rough passage. We ran into one of the roughest storms in 18 years on the Bay of Biscay. A large wave came over us and tons of water came down into our hold. Many of the men lost everything they had but no one was hurt.
We were on the water twelve days being delayed two days by the storm. We left from the port of St. Mazaire.
It certainly is great to be back in God’s country once more and be able to write without being censored. There were many things happened in France that one could not write back home.
Our company was on the British front from the 8th of Aug. until the armistice was signed, following them in the great drive of August and September, and were the first Americans to enter great city Lille crossing the Hindenburg line and entering Belgium. We saw the destroyed cities of Merville, St. Quintin, La Basse, Cambrai, Ypres, and smaller places.
I was on the defense of Paeberguer, the largest steel plant in France, owned before the war by Germans. They made every effort to destroy the place by shelling and bombing. Our job was to fight the bombing planes which came over at night, dropping great bombs. As a rule the bombing planes came singly, but often they would come in relays, dropping their bombs and going back after more, as many as 160 bombs being dropped in one night. I have seen bomb holes forty feet wide and a few much larger. The shells are not so bad. If you hear one you know that it wont hit you; but you hear the bombs coming down and dont know where they are going to light. One bomb went through the center of one of our alrge searchlights, but did no harm except to the lamp, as it failed to explode.
I have seen the soldiers of nearly every land----English, French, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Portuguese, Algerians, Italians, Russians, etc. The Scotch, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders are fine men and fighters. But the Germans say the Yanks are the cruelest fighters of all.
We passed through Paris on the night of the last air raid on that city. Our company also took part in the bringing down of the largest bombing plane ever brought down, a Friedrieshaven with six engines. We don’t know what we are going to get. We are the only searchlight regiment in the U.S. army, and some of us may be held to form the regiment along regular army lines. Some of the men will probably be asked et of the men will probably be discharged soon.
This camp is located on the Old Fairfax and Mt. Vernon estate and was the playground of Gen. Washington. The place had grown up in timber and this class was literally cut out of the timber. We are about 20 miles from Washington and three from Mt. Vernon. If we are kept in service for any length of time our base will be near Houston, Texas, where all searchlight equipment is located. I have hopes of getting a furoulgh at least.
Guess I will close for tonight. As ever,
Sgt. Clayton P. Epperson
P.S. Promoted to Sgt. 1st class
NOTES: Epperson was writing from Camp Humphreys, Virginia.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON
Jan. 22, 1919.
Dear Father and Aunt:
Guess you have received my message by this time. We landed at Newport News from the U.S.S. Baron after a very rough passage. We ran into one of the roughest storms in 18 years on the Bay of Biscay. A large wave came over us and tons of water came down into our hold. Many of the men lost everything they had but no one was hurt.
We were on the water twelve days being delayed two days by the storm. We left from the port of St. Mazaire.
It certainly is great to be back in God’s country once more and be able to write without being censored. There were many things happened in France that one could not write back home.
Our company was on the British front from the 8th of Aug. until the armistice was signed, following them in the great drive of August and September, and were the first Americans to enter great city Lille crossing the Hindenburg line and entering Belgium. We saw the destroyed cities of Merville, St. Quintin, La Basse, Cambrai, Ypres, and smaller places.
I was on the defense of Paeberguer, the largest steel plant in France, owned before the war by Germans. They made every effort to destroy the place by shelling and bombing. Our job was to fight the bombing planes which came over at night, dropping great bombs. As a rule the bombing planes came singly, but often they would come in relays, dropping their bombs and going back after more, as many as 160 bombs being dropped in one night. I have seen bomb holes forty feet wide and a few much larger. The shells are not so bad. If you hear one you know that it wont hit you; but you hear the bombs coming down and dont know where they are going to light. One bomb went through the center of one of our alrge searchlights, but did no harm except to the lamp, as it failed to explode.
I have seen the soldiers of nearly every land----English, French, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Portuguese, Algerians, Italians, Russians, etc. The Scotch, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders are fine men and fighters. But the Germans say the Yanks are the cruelest fighters of all.
We passed through Paris on the night of the last air raid on that city. Our company also took part in the bringing down of the largest bombing plane ever brought down, a Friedrieshaven with six engines. We don’t know what we are going to get. We are the only searchlight regiment in the U.S. army, and some of us may be held to form the regiment along regular army lines. Some of the men will probably be asked et of the men will probably be discharged soon.
This camp is located on the Old Fairfax and Mt. Vernon estate and was the playground of Gen. Washington. The place had grown up in timber and this class was literally cut out of the timber. We are about 20 miles from Washington and three from Mt. Vernon. If we are kept in service for any length of time our base will be near Houston, Texas, where all searchlight equipment is located. I have hopes of getting a furoulgh at least.
Guess I will close for tonight. As ever,
Sgt. Clayton P. Epperson
P.S. Promoted to Sgt. 1st class
NOTES: Epperson was writing from Camp Humphreys, Virginia.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON