TRANSCRIBED FROM THE JUDSONIAL WEEKLY ADVANCE DECMEBR 4, 1918 P. 4
In France.
Nov. 11, 1918.
Mr. Frank Brooks,
Clear Water.
Well, how are you, old boy, fine and dandy I hope. I haven’t received any etter from you yotso you had better write to me or I will be over and tell you what I told a Boche the other day. I am alive yet and glad I can write you. I am thankful to my Master that I have been spared this long. I want you to put this letter in the Clear Water notes as it might interest some of the readers. I want you to write and give me all the newsyou know for I am always glad to hear from you people in the good old U.S.A.
I am just out of the battle line where I spent many days fighting the Hun. While I was on the front I went over the top four times and we were engaged in some fighting, too, I want you to know. We were shooting left and right. While we were trying to capture some machine guns in front of us a gun opened up on us from the rear. We looked around and spied a German in a tree with a machine gun shooting at us. So he soon came tumbling out of the tree and we went on after the rest. We captured quiet a lot of prisonersand left the rest where we found them.
This division captured ground that the French said could not be taken and one division tried and failed but the 29th Division went over it like a whirlwind over a briar patch.
Some of the prisoners asked if we were all wild men or if we liked to fight. They said you all look so merry, you don’t seem to mind it a bit. Well, they had thefighting bunch of the U.S.A. behind them and went like geese to the south.
That was one time over and I will tell you the rest when I return. But I found after the battle a bullet hole in my coat. What do you suppose I thought of that? You can guess at the rest.
I am proud that I am able to write to my many friends in Judsonia. I am away behind the lines now and can rest good for I can’t hear those big shells bursting and ringing in my ears.
So good-bye to all, I got to sleep.
Private James D. Ritter
Co. F, 113 U.S. Inf., 29 Div.
A.E.F., via New York
NOTES: James D. Ritter was born in Arkansas on March 4, 1888 and died on April 20, 1923. He is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Judsonia, Arkansas. His military headstone identifies him as serving as a Private in 113th Infantry 29th Division. He departed St. Nazaire, France on May 5, 1919 onboard the Floridian. He arrived in Hoboken, NJ on May 17, 1919. He was listed as a Private in Co. F 113th Infantry.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON
In France.
Nov. 11, 1918.
Mr. Frank Brooks,
Clear Water.
Well, how are you, old boy, fine and dandy I hope. I haven’t received any etter from you yotso you had better write to me or I will be over and tell you what I told a Boche the other day. I am alive yet and glad I can write you. I am thankful to my Master that I have been spared this long. I want you to put this letter in the Clear Water notes as it might interest some of the readers. I want you to write and give me all the newsyou know for I am always glad to hear from you people in the good old U.S.A.
I am just out of the battle line where I spent many days fighting the Hun. While I was on the front I went over the top four times and we were engaged in some fighting, too, I want you to know. We were shooting left and right. While we were trying to capture some machine guns in front of us a gun opened up on us from the rear. We looked around and spied a German in a tree with a machine gun shooting at us. So he soon came tumbling out of the tree and we went on after the rest. We captured quiet a lot of prisonersand left the rest where we found them.
This division captured ground that the French said could not be taken and one division tried and failed but the 29th Division went over it like a whirlwind over a briar patch.
Some of the prisoners asked if we were all wild men or if we liked to fight. They said you all look so merry, you don’t seem to mind it a bit. Well, they had thefighting bunch of the U.S.A. behind them and went like geese to the south.
That was one time over and I will tell you the rest when I return. But I found after the battle a bullet hole in my coat. What do you suppose I thought of that? You can guess at the rest.
I am proud that I am able to write to my many friends in Judsonia. I am away behind the lines now and can rest good for I can’t hear those big shells bursting and ringing in my ears.
So good-bye to all, I got to sleep.
Private James D. Ritter
Co. F, 113 U.S. Inf., 29 Div.
A.E.F., via New York
NOTES: James D. Ritter was born in Arkansas on March 4, 1888 and died on April 20, 1923. He is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Judsonia, Arkansas. His military headstone identifies him as serving as a Private in 113th Infantry 29th Division. He departed St. Nazaire, France on May 5, 1919 onboard the Floridian. He arrived in Hoboken, NJ on May 17, 1919. He was listed as a Private in Co. F 113th Infantry.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON