Minnie writes me to say she is encouraged by the war news from Europe but worried about the flu epidemic at Camp Funston.
Addressed to Mr. Ward C. Griffing, 25th Company, 164th Depot Brigade, Camp Funston, Kansas
[Sherman, Kansas]
Monday evening, September 30, 1918
Dear Ward:
Had a letter from you today -- was sure glad to get it. It’s been a week since I’ve heard from you. I should have gotten it Saturday. You had Route 8 written on it. I expect you were writing to your folks and then put the same route on mine as you did on theirs. You don’t want to do that anymore or I may not get your letters.
Did you try to get a pass for Sunday or are you quarantined? I didn’t know before you couldn’t write if you were quarantined over there.
School is going fine. It’s pretty cold up there this kind of weather. Part of a window light is out of one window and one window is out of place and wind just whistles in all around. We must have it fixed before real cold weather or we’ll burn a lot of coal for nothing.
I heard they had another big rain at Camp Funston and I thought of you over there in that leaky tent. I guess you are getting used to it now tho. It would be awful if you were to get that influenza and had to be in that kind of place.
I sure hope you do keep well but I’m afraid of that epidemic that’s broken out. Maybe you think I don’t want you to be quarantined if it’s going to interfere with your getting a pass. I’ve actually planned on you getting one some time soon until it would be an awful disappointment if you didn’t. And I’ll bet it seems ages to you since you have been home. It seems like a long time to me when I’m just gone over Sunday.
The papers sure sound good, boy. This has been the best week they have ever had [in Europe]. That is more to show for it. One of the boys up here that’s now in France belongs to the Coast Artillery and he said from the news he heard it sure sounds fine. Said he probably would be home Xmas. But I don’t believe the last at all.
Write whenever you can, boy, even if you don’t have any news. I don’t have either. And it makes the day so much pleasanter when I hear from you. Pen’s dry.
Your girl, -- Minnie G. Frey
Footnotes:
- On September 26th, the American forces under General Pershing began the great Meuse-Argonne offensive, with the specific object of breaking through the Hindenburg line and the Argonne forest defenses in order to cut the vitally important railroad communications of the German armies through Mézières and Sedan. On the first day the Americans drove through the barbed wire entanglements and mastered all the first line defenses. During the next couple of days, Americans on the Meuse-Argonne front penetrated heavily fortified German lines to a depth of from 3 to 7 miles, capturing 10,000 prisoners.
- The Coast Artillery Corps was primarily stationed along the coast and at out posts of our foreign territories. Coast Artillery installations were mostly harbor defenses and were stationed at a fort or fortified gun emplacements. At the time of our entry into WWI, America was ill prepared for large scale warfare with large movements of whole armies. The U.S. Army was not prepared with its Artillery and had no heavy artillery guns to speak of. When the Coast Artillery finally went to France they used French or British made weapons. The Coast Artillery corps played a major role in gaining the upper hand in the quagmire that was going on in Europe. If it was not for the efforts of the Coast Artillery Corps many more human lives would have been devoured in the battlefields of that war.
I tell Minnie I did some “pretty fair shooting” out on the firing range and then speculate about being transferred.
Addressed to Miss Minnie G. Frey, Stockdale, Kansas
Camp Republican
Friday evening, [September 20, 1918]
Dear Kid:
I received another of your letters today & I am shure glad that you think enough of me to write every day if you are busy.
I have been on the firing line most all day. We got out there at daylight and I scored until about eleven o’clock when I had to stop until 12. I did pretty fair shooting compared with some of the men, but it was nothing remarkable. This afternoon I scored again. One man a little ways to my right was injured. The bolt of his rifle blew out or something & tore his face a little. I don’t know how badly. No one was seriously injured tho.
About 20 or 30 men were transferred from our company today & were sent to [Camp] Funston so I don’t believe I will be sent to Funston. I will probably be transferred as soon as I get over my last shot which I will get tomorrow. I shure hope you can come up next Sunday after my squad will be on guard. I think I can get off tho.
How I long to be with you kid, but as you say, after this old mess is cleared up & the dishes washed, we will be glad that we sacrificed as much as we did even if it is not the supreme sacrifice as many before us have had to do.
When I am transferred & you do not hear from me, do not think I have forgotten you. But just say, “Well he will write when he can.” Just believe in me & when this war is over, I am coming back to you. Yours forever, -- Ward
[P.S.] If you have time, you might want to make me some chocolate fudge.
Two pictures of the Rifle Range
I tell Minnie about nearly freezing to death on the windswept rifle range.
Addressed to Miss Minnie G. Frey, Stockdale, Kansas
Camp Republican
Thursday evening, 10 P. M. [September 19, 1918]
Dear Kid:
I must hurry & get this written because we must have lights out in 15 minutes. We are very late tonight because we were out on the firing line this afternoon. About ½ of the company – the brightest I suppose – were chosen as scorers to keep the score of the shooters, & I was one of them. At 12:10 we were told to be in line. At 12:30, [we were to be] ready to go out whether we had our dinners or not. I got my dinner & swallowed it whole, washed my mess kit, but didn’t stop to wipe it [and] threw it in my bag. [Then I] grabbed my rifle & the whistle blew. We had to lay out on the range from then until nearly dark. The wind was in the north & was as raw as a piece of beef. Then we had to march in & get our suppers. We will have to get up at about 4 o’clock in the morning & go out on the range again. I expect us scorer’s will shoot sometime tomorrow. Nobody got seriously hurt today & I hope they won’t tomorrow. A few of the men in this company have received notices to move tomorrow morning & I expect we all will as soon as we get off the range & get our inoculation.
You asked how long it takes for me to get your letters. I got the letter you wrote Monday last night. It shure is nice of you to write everyday & I hope you feel like keeping it up.
I am going to put on every rag I have to go out on the range tomorrow. I nearly froze today. I got your letter tonight where you said I would try to keep your picture if you took it. Don’t you think that I have carried that watch in my shirt pocket everyday except the two days when it was lost? If you talk about snuggling up against me, you will make me awfully homesick because that is what I want more than anything else. Try & come up Sunday. I may not have any luck seeing you but it won’t hurt to try. Well, I …
Lights out. Good night Darling, -- Ward
Footnote:
- Camp Republican was located on the floodplain of the Republican River, immediately north of Junction City. Its name was later changed to Camp Forsyth.
Minnie writes me to say she is encouraged by the war news from Europe but worried about the flu epidemic at Camp Funston.
