TRANSCRIBED FROM THE BRINKLEY ARGUS JULY 11, 1919 P. 1
June 10th, 1919
Reins, France
My Dear Mother:
I spent yesterday in going over the battlefields of Chateau Thierry and Belleau Woods. It is wonderful to see the places where our boys fought and gained under such extraordinary difficulties. A French Lieut. Colonel, who was assigned to an American Unit, and fought with the there said: "Do you compree hell?" and when I answered yes, he said: "Americans worse than hell."
I went out to where the base of one of the big Bertha's was. It is an enormous piece of mechanism but was never used. It is just fifty-two miles from Paris, and is twenty-two miles closer than the one that was in action and did the damage to Paris, which was captured.
Reims has nineteen hunsand buildings and only fourteen of them were left undamaged by the Huns, but I have been unable to find any of these fourteen sofar and can't find anyone who has seen them. The place is in complete ruins. No matter what is said it is hard to exagerate in regard to the condition of these things. I went to the famous battlefields and to the ruins of Fort Pompei this afternoon. There are lots of signs of the Bosh. I found one dead German (or rather the remains of one.) You could easily tell by his uniform that he was Bosh. I tore one of his boots off and picked up the bones of his feet, and a Red Cross Nurse, who was with me, got one of the bones of the spine, for a souvenir. I got a French 75 shell and a German helmet and a German officers canteen, so have sent them home. Hope you get them O.K. These I got right off the battle field, so I know they are the real article. The helmet has several rifle or machine gun bullet holes in it, so guess the hun that wore it got what was coming to him. If two million others had just got the same there wouldn't be so much wrangling over the peace terms.
I don't think it possible that anyone who goes over this part of France can even think of being more lenient on the Germans.
Well, I go to Soissons tomorrow and then on the Verdon and will then go on to Brussels Belgium. I hope to get to go on into Germany before my return.
Will write more later. Give my regards to all my friends and love to all the folks.
NOTES: This letter was written by Henry Manly Folsom to his mother. He was born in Beebe, Arkansas on April 22, 1897 and died on April 13, 1974. He is buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. He enlisted on August 6, 1917 and was discharged on July 10, 1919. He departed Newport News, Va. August 6, 1918 onboard the Zeelandia. He was listed as a Private serving in machine Gun Company 154th Infantry 39th Division. He departed Brest, France on July 1, 1919 onboard the Great Northern and arrived in Hoboken, NJ on July 6, 1919. He was listed as a Sgt. serving in Brest Casual Co. 2231.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
June 10th, 1919
Reins, France
My Dear Mother:
I spent yesterday in going over the battlefields of Chateau Thierry and Belleau Woods. It is wonderful to see the places where our boys fought and gained under such extraordinary difficulties. A French Lieut. Colonel, who was assigned to an American Unit, and fought with the there said: "Do you compree hell?" and when I answered yes, he said: "Americans worse than hell."
I went out to where the base of one of the big Bertha's was. It is an enormous piece of mechanism but was never used. It is just fifty-two miles from Paris, and is twenty-two miles closer than the one that was in action and did the damage to Paris, which was captured.
Reims has nineteen hunsand buildings and only fourteen of them were left undamaged by the Huns, but I have been unable to find any of these fourteen sofar and can't find anyone who has seen them. The place is in complete ruins. No matter what is said it is hard to exagerate in regard to the condition of these things. I went to the famous battlefields and to the ruins of Fort Pompei this afternoon. There are lots of signs of the Bosh. I found one dead German (or rather the remains of one.) You could easily tell by his uniform that he was Bosh. I tore one of his boots off and picked up the bones of his feet, and a Red Cross Nurse, who was with me, got one of the bones of the spine, for a souvenir. I got a French 75 shell and a German helmet and a German officers canteen, so have sent them home. Hope you get them O.K. These I got right off the battle field, so I know they are the real article. The helmet has several rifle or machine gun bullet holes in it, so guess the hun that wore it got what was coming to him. If two million others had just got the same there wouldn't be so much wrangling over the peace terms.
I don't think it possible that anyone who goes over this part of France can even think of being more lenient on the Germans.
Well, I go to Soissons tomorrow and then on the Verdon and will then go on to Brussels Belgium. I hope to get to go on into Germany before my return.
Will write more later. Give my regards to all my friends and love to all the folks.
NOTES: This letter was written by Henry Manly Folsom to his mother. He was born in Beebe, Arkansas on April 22, 1897 and died on April 13, 1974. He is buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. He enlisted on August 6, 1917 and was discharged on July 10, 1919. He departed Newport News, Va. August 6, 1918 onboard the Zeelandia. He was listed as a Private serving in machine Gun Company 154th Infantry 39th Division. He departed Brest, France on July 1, 1919 onboard the Great Northern and arrived in Hoboken, NJ on July 6, 1919. He was listed as a Sgt. serving in Brest Casual Co. 2231.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD