TRANSCRIBED FROM THE BENTON COURIER NOVEMBER 22, 1917 P. 3
To the Benton Courier:
We left Camp Pike Wednesday, November 14, and arrived here on Thursday, November 15. We had two sandwiches on a trip of about twenty-eight hours, so you can see how a soldier is sometimes fed. Some times we get plenty to eat and some times we don’t.
This is poor looking country. It consists of sand hills and long leaf pines. The atmosphere is heavy and cool at nights. In fact, I believe it is cooler here of nights than at Camp Pike. The days are hot. There is so much smoke and fog you cannot breathe with any satisfaction.
We are quarantined against the measles, mumps and spinal meningitis. There is a squad of us down here in a tent in the woods because one boy has been exposed to measles. One good thing about it is that we will not have to do anything for fourteen days, which looks good to the soldier.
Some of the boys gamble all night long, but there is none of it for me. We only get fifteen dollars per month and the promise of three Liberty Bonds at the end of ten months. They forced us, who have no dependents, to take out half of our pay in Liberty Bonds, or they would hold out half of our pay until the end of the war. Of course ten months was more definite than the end of the war, so we took the Liberty Bonds.
It is rumored that we will have to go to New Orleans to guard in about seven weeks, although news has come to our camp that we have been ordered back to Camp Pike. The army is like other places and you cannot depend on rumors. I wish we could get away from this place.
Walter Geurin and I are the only ones in our bunch from Saline county. We are bunk mates. We have two blankets each, and that is all the bedding we have, so we set up part of the time at nights to keep from freezing.
I like the officers here better than at Camp Pike. I am speaking of those that I was in contact with there. Of course they could not be expected to pick up very many military stunts in ninety days.
All the boys here are looking forward to Thanksgiving for their pound of turkey.
Yours truly,
Eugene H. Garland
Co. D., 153d Inf.
NOTES: Garland is writing from Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. He was born on February, 2, 1893 in Dardanelle, Arkansas and died on July 7, 1918, Department de I’Aisne Picardie France. His military headstone identifies him as a Pvt. 7th Infantry 3rd Division. He is also identified as being from Arkansas. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
TRANSCRIBED BY SHANNON SOUTHARD
To the Benton Courier:
We left Camp Pike Wednesday, November 14, and arrived here on Thursday, November 15. We had two sandwiches on a trip of about twenty-eight hours, so you can see how a soldier is sometimes fed. Some times we get plenty to eat and some times we don’t.
This is poor looking country. It consists of sand hills and long leaf pines. The atmosphere is heavy and cool at nights. In fact, I believe it is cooler here of nights than at Camp Pike. The days are hot. There is so much smoke and fog you cannot breathe with any satisfaction.
We are quarantined against the measles, mumps and spinal meningitis. There is a squad of us down here in a tent in the woods because one boy has been exposed to measles. One good thing about it is that we will not have to do anything for fourteen days, which looks good to the soldier.
Some of the boys gamble all night long, but there is none of it for me. We only get fifteen dollars per month and the promise of three Liberty Bonds at the end of ten months. They forced us, who have no dependents, to take out half of our pay in Liberty Bonds, or they would hold out half of our pay until the end of the war. Of course ten months was more definite than the end of the war, so we took the Liberty Bonds.
It is rumored that we will have to go to New Orleans to guard in about seven weeks, although news has come to our camp that we have been ordered back to Camp Pike. The army is like other places and you cannot depend on rumors. I wish we could get away from this place.
Walter Geurin and I are the only ones in our bunch from Saline county. We are bunk mates. We have two blankets each, and that is all the bedding we have, so we set up part of the time at nights to keep from freezing.
I like the officers here better than at Camp Pike. I am speaking of those that I was in contact with there. Of course they could not be expected to pick up very many military stunts in ninety days.
All the boys here are looking forward to Thanksgiving for their pound of turkey.
Yours truly,
Eugene H. Garland
Co. D., 153d Inf.
NOTES: Garland is writing from Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. He was born on February, 2, 1893 in Dardanelle, Arkansas and died on July 7, 1918, Department de I’Aisne Picardie France. His military headstone identifies him as a Pvt. 7th Infantry 3rd Division. He is also identified as being from Arkansas. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
TRANSCRIBED BY SHANNON SOUTHARD