TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ARKANSAS GAZETTE AUGUST 26, 1918 P. 3
Dear Mother:
Will write you while I have the privilege of telling of the happening of the past two weeks, without censoring. We were just on the eve of getting relieved for a few days rest when Fritz decided to come through to Paris. About 12:45 p. m., July 14, he starts his big guns to shelling us, and to advancing toward our lines, but he got the surprise of his life when he crossed the Marne river. There he found us waiting for him, and such a reception we gave him he will never forget. For two days we held the lines at Cannigis, and finally the order came to advance. This we did until we reached Maulin, where we stopped 24 hours while our engineers were putting pontoon bridges across the river near Mizy. At daylight on the 22nd we crossed the Marne and took possession of the comfortable dugouts Fritz had labored so hard to build. Their dugouts were surely fixed up fine, as if they intended remaining there awhile. The woods around there were full of machine guns, but they failed to stop us. However, it looked like every moment would be the last one. We all figured we were lucky to come through their bombardment.
Things look quite differently now to what they once did, for today, instead of Fritz dangerously threatening to go through to Paris, we are on our way to Berlin. The boys have them on the go now and are following up their advantage.
You can imagine how proud we all were when the order was received for us to go back to rest camp after several days of hard fighting. We were glad of the opportunity to get out of muddy dugouts, and the constant noise of bursting shells and whining machine gun bullets were beginning to get as old as the mischief.
I am inclosing the lapel of a coat of one of the Crown Prince’s crack soldiers. They say that the troops that opposed us were the Crown Prince’s best, and they are—his best runners.
NOTES: A partial letter from Van Clifton Jeffers of Dermott, Chicot County, to his mother. He was serving in Co. I of the First Arkansas Infantry. He was born August 31, 1897. He died May 27, 1944 and is buried in Shady Grove Cemetery, New Edinburg, Cleveland County, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT.
Dear Mother:
Will write you while I have the privilege of telling of the happening of the past two weeks, without censoring. We were just on the eve of getting relieved for a few days rest when Fritz decided to come through to Paris. About 12:45 p. m., July 14, he starts his big guns to shelling us, and to advancing toward our lines, but he got the surprise of his life when he crossed the Marne river. There he found us waiting for him, and such a reception we gave him he will never forget. For two days we held the lines at Cannigis, and finally the order came to advance. This we did until we reached Maulin, where we stopped 24 hours while our engineers were putting pontoon bridges across the river near Mizy. At daylight on the 22nd we crossed the Marne and took possession of the comfortable dugouts Fritz had labored so hard to build. Their dugouts were surely fixed up fine, as if they intended remaining there awhile. The woods around there were full of machine guns, but they failed to stop us. However, it looked like every moment would be the last one. We all figured we were lucky to come through their bombardment.
Things look quite differently now to what they once did, for today, instead of Fritz dangerously threatening to go through to Paris, we are on our way to Berlin. The boys have them on the go now and are following up their advantage.
You can imagine how proud we all were when the order was received for us to go back to rest camp after several days of hard fighting. We were glad of the opportunity to get out of muddy dugouts, and the constant noise of bursting shells and whining machine gun bullets were beginning to get as old as the mischief.
I am inclosing the lapel of a coat of one of the Crown Prince’s crack soldiers. They say that the troops that opposed us were the Crown Prince’s best, and they are—his best runners.
NOTES: A partial letter from Van Clifton Jeffers of Dermott, Chicot County, to his mother. He was serving in Co. I of the First Arkansas Infantry. He was born August 31, 1897. He died May 27, 1944 and is buried in Shady Grove Cemetery, New Edinburg, Cleveland County, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT.