Hampton B. Ball letter to home - February 18, 1919
Transcript
Courcelles, France [February] 18, 1919 Dear Home, Your letter of [January] 26 came last night. I did not write Sunday because I had not heard from you for about ten days and I was sure I would get a letter soon. I am sorry you did not get my December letters because there was a lot of good dope in each one. I also wrote papa a long Christmas letter about the last of November and one to the father of a chum of mine who was killed and have never heard from either. I got papa's letter about the first of [January] and wrote him a long one
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answering all of his questions. I hope you get that one because it contained a copy of my company's history which I want to keep. I expect you will still be getting letters from me after I have been home for a month. I told you two weeks ago that I would be gone from this old dump before this time but the division is being held up and I am still here. From the rumors now it will only be about three more weeks until I will be on my way across the puddle. I will be held only a short time after reaching the states so may get home in March. Be sure and hold on to that ham you spoke
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of. It has been so long since I tasted real ham that I expect it would make me sick. As for chicken I have not ever had a taste since I left home. I have even forgotten the taste of fried chicken. I was able to get a few eggs last summer for $1.20 a dozen but have not had any now for several months. Another thing which is not obtainable hear is real apples. I have seen a few things they call apples and sell them for 10 [cents] a piece but if I had them at home I would feed them to the hogs and doubt very much if the hogs would eat them.
Transcript
Well my school is still going on. I am now teaching about fifteen the fundamentals of arithmetic. It is a lot of fun trying to explain it to Polacks, Wops, Jews, etc., all at the same time and make them understand it. Some had it in their own language and some never heard of it so you can see for your self I am having a lot of fun. Fan I want you and Bessie to leave that preacher alone. C.J. will croak sure. The next time you write tell me about "Peanut." I have not heard from it fora long time. Must close now Love to all Hamp. [Censor signature]
Details
| Title | Hampton B. Ball letter to home - February 18, 1919 |
| Creator | Ball, Hampton B. |
| Source | Ball, Hampton B. Letter to home. 18 February 1919. Ball, Hampton B., Papers, 1918-1919. C3935. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
| Description | In this February 18, 1919 letter to his home in Troy Missouri, Hampton B. Ball speculated when he would return home, and discussed American food that he missed the most. Ball served in the 82nd Division, 326th Infantry during World War I. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918; United States. Army. Division, 82nd; United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 326th |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | C3935 |
| Contributing Institution | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the State Historical Society of Missouri: 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, Missouri, 65201-7298. (573) 882-7083. |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
| Date Original | February 18, 1919 |
| Language | English |