Dear Folks:
Just wrote Deva a long letter and now it is your turn.
We have been having some rather strenuous exercise the last two days. We have been salvaging the country for government property that has been lost or left by troops that have formerly occupied this territory. We marched almost fifteen miles yesterday and a little farther today - and over hills covered with thick timber, barbed wire, entanglements, over dug outs and through grape vineyards and I can assure you that is pretty tiresome work.
I think we will be through with it by tomorrow evening and we will all be glad of it too as it is painfully tiresome work. Last night I went to bed at seven o'clock and I surely hated to dust out this morning at five forty five. That is an ungodly hour to arise and I hope I never have to get up that early after I get home. As Grandmother says "The Lord willing and I keep my health" I'll never get up that early. I surely do enjoy sleeping early in the morning.
I had a whole wad of newspapers yesterday and was surely pleased to receive them. Two were Sunday Registers and the other one was The ______ ______.
I enjoyed them all. I am going to give them to Hi Burch or Les Ballard as soon as I have read all there is to read. There are several of the boys from home in our Regiment. Nearly all that came with me are in the Regiment. Hull must still be at Camp Dodge. Well I am glad that I came over as I have seen many interesting sights, and am a few years older and wiser and in splendid physical condition and Hull, which he has not had any of the hardships we have had, will some day wish he could say that he had been across.
We have been through quite a lot but all Infantry men have the same and we were so fortunate in not having had to occupy this sector in war time. This was a pretty busy place then and we got here just as the last gun was fired. I sent you a "Stars and Stripes" which has a good write up on the "Eleventh Hour" of the war.
I saw several returning prisoners yesterday over at Division Headquarters. There were some Italians along and they had some interesting tales to tell too. Some of them had been German prisoners for over two years - these were Italians. The Americans had been in German prison camps about eight months. They weren't very well treated I assure you. They ought to shoot the entire German Army. They leave behind them plenty of devilment yet as they leave the territory. Well we aren't in it now and when we move it will be towards the sea port.
I am getting a good map of France and Clark and I are going to trace out our various moves. We know where all we have been and I would like to have it to keep after I get home.
I sent you a map in a letter a few days ago. It has no marks of any kind that I know about but we were in that territory recently. I also sent you a post card picture of one of the towns we were near recently. We are quite a little ways from there now - about a hundred kilometers to the north and east of there. Someday perhaps I can tell you where I am.
You know I think Leon is somewhere near. In his letter of a few days ago he said he was near two good sized cities and I believe his division is near but of course I have no way of finding out. I don't think they have been in action at all but am not sure about that. I must answer his letter soon.
Grant
