TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COURIER INDEX OCTOBER 25, 1918 P. 1
Allery, France, Sept. 22, 1918.
Dear Mr. McVeigh;
After seeing five countries I have stopped in France. I am seventy five miles from Switzerland and can see Mount Blanc on fair days, but this country is not fair very often. It rains about four days a week, and is cold all the time. This month seems like December to me.
At present I am located in a hospital camp, and it is the largest of its kind I ever heard of. I would like to write more about it, but that is against regulations. Our organization is only temporarily assigned here and we expect to move up near the front soon.
We have German wounded come in every day, and they speak well of the Americans as fighters. They say the Americans are the greatest fighters on earth, and if they keep up their present stride the war will end by spring. It is wonderful to note the spirit of the boys. You can hardly keep them in the hospital until they fully recover. They are all anxious to get back to the front. Without a doubt we have the greatest army on earth and every man in it is a real fighter.
I passed through a lot of French towns and it is pitiful to see the population. Women, children and old men and the men are very old.
We had a German colonel here a few days ago who died of bayonet wounds of the chest.
It is wonderful to hear the boys speak of the last drive; they say it was more like rabbit hunting, as the Germans would run when the Americans came in sight. The Germans are certainly treacherous. They came on the field a few days ago carrying stretchers, and instead of patients on the stretchers each one had a man with a machine gun. It is pitiful to hear the boys tell of the methods of fighting that the Germans use. I saw a lot of German prisoners a few days ago, and in the bunch was a lot of boys that seemed not more than 13 years old, and it is nothing to see a lot of prisoners over 45 years of age. We are getting a great army over here, and if we keep transporting all the winter I don't see where they will put them. This is a rainy Sunday, but you never know when it is Sunday. Everybody works here seven days in the week, even the laborers and farmers.
I miss the Bulletin so much, and will welcome it again when it arrives. I don't think the drive will stop this winter and that will mean that we will all work very hard, but you have to keep; going here or you will freeze to death. We are a long way from home, but we get good American eats three times a day and everybody in the hospital has a nice, warm bed to sleep in. Our trip over was tiresome and exciting, but successful.
With regards to the good people of Marianna.
1st Lt. MAC McLENDON.
Evacuation Hospital No. 19. A.P.O. 785, A.E.F.
NOTES: This letter was written by Dr. Mac McLendon. He was born in Jernigan, Alabama on April 15, 1888 and died on November 26, 1980. He is buried in the Marianna Memorial Park Cemetery in Marianna, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
Allery, France, Sept. 22, 1918.
Dear Mr. McVeigh;
After seeing five countries I have stopped in France. I am seventy five miles from Switzerland and can see Mount Blanc on fair days, but this country is not fair very often. It rains about four days a week, and is cold all the time. This month seems like December to me.
At present I am located in a hospital camp, and it is the largest of its kind I ever heard of. I would like to write more about it, but that is against regulations. Our organization is only temporarily assigned here and we expect to move up near the front soon.
We have German wounded come in every day, and they speak well of the Americans as fighters. They say the Americans are the greatest fighters on earth, and if they keep up their present stride the war will end by spring. It is wonderful to note the spirit of the boys. You can hardly keep them in the hospital until they fully recover. They are all anxious to get back to the front. Without a doubt we have the greatest army on earth and every man in it is a real fighter.
I passed through a lot of French towns and it is pitiful to see the population. Women, children and old men and the men are very old.
We had a German colonel here a few days ago who died of bayonet wounds of the chest.
It is wonderful to hear the boys speak of the last drive; they say it was more like rabbit hunting, as the Germans would run when the Americans came in sight. The Germans are certainly treacherous. They came on the field a few days ago carrying stretchers, and instead of patients on the stretchers each one had a man with a machine gun. It is pitiful to hear the boys tell of the methods of fighting that the Germans use. I saw a lot of German prisoners a few days ago, and in the bunch was a lot of boys that seemed not more than 13 years old, and it is nothing to see a lot of prisoners over 45 years of age. We are getting a great army over here, and if we keep transporting all the winter I don't see where they will put them. This is a rainy Sunday, but you never know when it is Sunday. Everybody works here seven days in the week, even the laborers and farmers.
I miss the Bulletin so much, and will welcome it again when it arrives. I don't think the drive will stop this winter and that will mean that we will all work very hard, but you have to keep; going here or you will freeze to death. We are a long way from home, but we get good American eats three times a day and everybody in the hospital has a nice, warm bed to sleep in. Our trip over was tiresome and exciting, but successful.
With regards to the good people of Marianna.
1st Lt. MAC McLENDON.
Evacuation Hospital No. 19. A.P.O. 785, A.E.F.
NOTES: This letter was written by Dr. Mac McLendon. He was born in Jernigan, Alabama on April 15, 1888 and died on November 26, 1980. He is buried in the Marianna Memorial Park Cemetery in Marianna, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD