TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ARKADELPHIA DAILY NEWS FEBRUARY 18, 1919 P. 1
My Dear Sister:
I write to inform you that am in good health and feeling fine at this writing.
I trust that this will find you and all the family enjoying the very best of health.
I believe the last letter I received from you was that of November 11th, 1918 In which you sent me a letter from Sergeant Coxie by which I addressed him and was so very fortunate as to receive a reply from him today. He is stationed at Verdun, France, at present. He expresses himself as being all O.K. and in good health.
I haven’t been writing any of late owing to the fact that we have been in hopes that we would soon be on our way home but it looks now as if we are here for an indefinite time presumably it may be in 4 or 6 weeks or it may be in 4 or 6 months, most likely the latter. However, I will write you each week to date of evacuation and I want you to write me regularly.
Well I have witnessed my second Xmas in France, which passed very quietly by. We had a good dinner altho we continued to soldier, loading motor trucks and box cars with all kinds of food stuffs for the A.E.F. boys.
Owing to the fact that Bordeaux is one of the large ports of embarkation for the A.E.F. and our work being the transporting of supplies, we are likely to be held until all the soldiers embarking from this port have evacuated this section, which will mean about six months longer for us.
Well, how is mother and grandmother? Tell them to take care of themselves as best they can and keep the home fires burning for their soldier--boys will return to them in the near future if life lasts. Coxie will most likely get back before I will. He said that he was going to try to get leave to come to see me. I am in hopes that he will embark from this port, and if he does I am sure that I will chance to see him.
Tell daddy to figure for a well lines up business in 1920.
“Lovingly
Ephriam.”
NOTES: This letter was written by African American soldier Ephriam Bragg Ross to his sister. He was born in Arkadelphia, Arkansas on September 8, 1890 and died on February 7, 1923. He is buried in the Clayborn Chapel Cemetery in Arkadelphia. He departed Hoboken, NJ on December 4, 1917 onboard the George Washington. He was serving as a Sergeant in 313 Labor Co. OMC NA. He departed Bordeaux, France on May 15, 1919 onboard the Santa Barbara. He arrived in Hoboken, NJ on May 23. He was serving as a Sergeant in Co C 307th Service Bn. QMC.
TRANSCRIBED BY ADIN TAGERT
My Dear Sister:
I write to inform you that am in good health and feeling fine at this writing.
I trust that this will find you and all the family enjoying the very best of health.
I believe the last letter I received from you was that of November 11th, 1918 In which you sent me a letter from Sergeant Coxie by which I addressed him and was so very fortunate as to receive a reply from him today. He is stationed at Verdun, France, at present. He expresses himself as being all O.K. and in good health.
I haven’t been writing any of late owing to the fact that we have been in hopes that we would soon be on our way home but it looks now as if we are here for an indefinite time presumably it may be in 4 or 6 weeks or it may be in 4 or 6 months, most likely the latter. However, I will write you each week to date of evacuation and I want you to write me regularly.
Well I have witnessed my second Xmas in France, which passed very quietly by. We had a good dinner altho we continued to soldier, loading motor trucks and box cars with all kinds of food stuffs for the A.E.F. boys.
Owing to the fact that Bordeaux is one of the large ports of embarkation for the A.E.F. and our work being the transporting of supplies, we are likely to be held until all the soldiers embarking from this port have evacuated this section, which will mean about six months longer for us.
Well, how is mother and grandmother? Tell them to take care of themselves as best they can and keep the home fires burning for their soldier--boys will return to them in the near future if life lasts. Coxie will most likely get back before I will. He said that he was going to try to get leave to come to see me. I am in hopes that he will embark from this port, and if he does I am sure that I will chance to see him.
Tell daddy to figure for a well lines up business in 1920.
“Lovingly
Ephriam.”
NOTES: This letter was written by African American soldier Ephriam Bragg Ross to his sister. He was born in Arkadelphia, Arkansas on September 8, 1890 and died on February 7, 1923. He is buried in the Clayborn Chapel Cemetery in Arkadelphia. He departed Hoboken, NJ on December 4, 1917 onboard the George Washington. He was serving as a Sergeant in 313 Labor Co. OMC NA. He departed Bordeaux, France on May 15, 1919 onboard the Santa Barbara. He arrived in Hoboken, NJ on May 23. He was serving as a Sergeant in Co C 307th Service Bn. QMC.
TRANSCRIBED BY ADIN TAGERT