TRANSCRIBED FROM THE MOUNTAIN ECHO FEBRUARY 28, 1919 P. 1
Co. A, M. G. Bn., Cossegrey, France, December 22, 1918
Mr. G. H. Perry,
Yellville, Arkansas
Dear Uncle:
Just a few lines or paragraphs to tell you that I am still alive and thriving as well as possible under the conditions.
Have been thousands of miles and many places since I left home, and had innumerable experiences of different kind---some pleasant and some quite the opposite. We had quite a pleasant voyage during July; went into training from August until during September and then started to the front.
Having moved near the front by train, we left out on foot on the night of the 6th of October to enter the lines, and the night of the 9th we went into the Campaign sector near Suippes, and there received our first experience under shell fire, and learned the whine of the big G. I. Cans, as the big shells are called. They sent them over at us in quantities that night to try to prevent us making the relief but wern’t at all successful for we entered the line without losing a man, though we had to do some tall dodging part of the time. On the next morning we started going “over the top” for we had orders that our objective was the Aisne river, and so regardless what they shot at us, we just kept pushing them back. It was rainy most of the time, and when we got the Huns started we kept them going so it was just keep on the move all the time. On the 13th we had almost reached the River Aisne, and the Boch turned loose everything he had at us to try to stop us. We had to go through three artillery barrages that day, and considerable gas. The shells were dropping all around us, and bursting and shrapnel and gas everywhere and for awhile it looked like there wouldn’t be a one of us come out alive, but somehow we managed to head right through the barrages and keep going anyhow. We lost one man killed, several wounded, and some gassed. Also one of the mules to one of our machine gun carts was killed. It was one of the men in my squad that was killed; also the mule to the cart in my squad. But luck was with me, and I came out without a scratch. That was about the hardest day we saw, tho there were many others we were under shell fire. As our objective was the Aisne river and we reached it at a point near Attigny we stopped there and held the river against the Hun until we were relieved. On the morning of October 18, 1918, we were relieved and marched back to a little berg called Villers-en-Argonne and took “rest billets” to rest up before going back into the line again. Just about the time we had drawn new equipment and clothes and were expecting to start back into the line again, the Hun put up a squeal for peace, and the armistice was signed, so we didn’t get another trip in the front lines.
The 36th Division made such a great drive in their sector that we received a citation from the French and from our Commander in Chief also. These citations are something all Divisions have worked and wished for and we received telegrams from the Governors of Texas and Oklahoma complimenting us on our work.
Your nephew,
Corp. L. W. Perry,
Co. A. 133 M. G. Bn.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON
Co. A, M. G. Bn., Cossegrey, France, December 22, 1918
Mr. G. H. Perry,
Yellville, Arkansas
Dear Uncle:
Just a few lines or paragraphs to tell you that I am still alive and thriving as well as possible under the conditions.
Have been thousands of miles and many places since I left home, and had innumerable experiences of different kind---some pleasant and some quite the opposite. We had quite a pleasant voyage during July; went into training from August until during September and then started to the front.
Having moved near the front by train, we left out on foot on the night of the 6th of October to enter the lines, and the night of the 9th we went into the Campaign sector near Suippes, and there received our first experience under shell fire, and learned the whine of the big G. I. Cans, as the big shells are called. They sent them over at us in quantities that night to try to prevent us making the relief but wern’t at all successful for we entered the line without losing a man, though we had to do some tall dodging part of the time. On the next morning we started going “over the top” for we had orders that our objective was the Aisne river, and so regardless what they shot at us, we just kept pushing them back. It was rainy most of the time, and when we got the Huns started we kept them going so it was just keep on the move all the time. On the 13th we had almost reached the River Aisne, and the Boch turned loose everything he had at us to try to stop us. We had to go through three artillery barrages that day, and considerable gas. The shells were dropping all around us, and bursting and shrapnel and gas everywhere and for awhile it looked like there wouldn’t be a one of us come out alive, but somehow we managed to head right through the barrages and keep going anyhow. We lost one man killed, several wounded, and some gassed. Also one of the mules to one of our machine gun carts was killed. It was one of the men in my squad that was killed; also the mule to the cart in my squad. But luck was with me, and I came out without a scratch. That was about the hardest day we saw, tho there were many others we were under shell fire. As our objective was the Aisne river and we reached it at a point near Attigny we stopped there and held the river against the Hun until we were relieved. On the morning of October 18, 1918, we were relieved and marched back to a little berg called Villers-en-Argonne and took “rest billets” to rest up before going back into the line again. Just about the time we had drawn new equipment and clothes and were expecting to start back into the line again, the Hun put up a squeal for peace, and the armistice was signed, so we didn’t get another trip in the front lines.
The 36th Division made such a great drive in their sector that we received a citation from the French and from our Commander in Chief also. These citations are something all Divisions have worked and wished for and we received telegrams from the Governors of Texas and Oklahoma complimenting us on our work.
Your nephew,
Corp. L. W. Perry,
Co. A. 133 M. G. Bn.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON