Bennett Clark letter to Champ Clark and family - June 12, 1918
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France, June 12, 1918 Dear Darlings: I have moved all over France since I last wrote you. We are now in a much finer, cleaner more prosperous part than we were in before and I think that the boys are going to be very comfortable in their new bailwick. It is a beautiful country. It reminds me of the old song about the blue mountains that you used to sing, Little Ston, when I was a kid. I was training officer when we moved and loaded eight trains of forty seven cars each and was at it all one night and all the next day. I was afraid for awhile that I might be causing a breach with our dear allies for there were two English and one French transportation officers on hand who were supposed to superintend the loading but who really succeeded in getting in the way more than anything else. Along in the night I got kind of irritable and damned them to everything I could lay my tongue to and finally chased them away and told them to let me alone – which they did. The next morning they pulled in a train which was very dirty (I had cursed the Frenchman black and blue the night before because his train was dirty) and the French immediately turned out a squad and began cleaning
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up the train. The Englishman said: “Look at the bloody beggars. They haven’t done that for us since we have been in France. You are the first man that ever made the damned beggars clean up a train.” I ran things all day with a high hand and when I went to leave the Frenchman reached up to me and grabbed me by the hand and thanked me for my cordial cooperation (I had threatened to shoot him the night before if he didn’t quit trying to shut a lot of my men up in a car with no air) and said that he had never got such cooperation from the damned British. So talking it all in all a pleasant time was had by all, though some of my men overheard them talking about “that wild American.” But every train left on schedule time and I ran my own outfits. On arrival here I got three letters- one from each of you, which certainly warmed the cockles of my heart. Dad, I wish you would tell Mr. Garrett how much I appreciate his kindness in calling my arrival here to the attention of the House in such a kindly manner. I was delighted that you all are getting along so well and much interested in the accounts of Waw’s progress toward manhood. I’d like mighty well to see the little fellow
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as I would all of you. I’ll be back before long as I am convinced that the Germans are now making their last desperate play and will soon have enough Americans over here to put the kibosh on them and come marching home again. I think this fellow Wilfley running for the Senate is the funniest thing ever heard of. When his appointment got noised about over here everyone said “Who in the hell is Wilfley.” I believe that I am the only one of the thousands of Missourians in France that ever heard of him before his appointment. I got a letter from Genevieve mailed the 20th of May, also one mailed the 10th. Ones from Dad and Little Hon mailed about the 17th or 18th. My letters are later than any others received in the regiment which I think is because you are registering them. I haven’t had letters from anyone else in the States since I got over here and most of the boys are getting letters six or seven weeks old. The postal service is undoubtedly pretty bad and I’m glad they are going after them about it in Congress. I’m glad you got a house out in the edge of town. It will not only do the body good but it will do you all good. Congress Hall gets too stuffy
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along about this time of the year. I met Ex-Ambassador Robert Racon, who has some sort of a coffee – cooling job as major in the Quartermasters Corps over here. I didn’t take the trouble to tell him who I was. They say his wife designed the ridiculous little “go – to – hell” cap (as the boys call it) which they are forcing us to wear instead of our good old peaked campaign hats of blessed memories. The Australians have managed to hang on to their big campaign hats but we have had to part with ours and wear the little skull cap like Harry Louder wears in his performances on the stage. Since I have been over here, I have averaged fifteen miles a day in the saddle and am brown as a berry and hard as nails, I don’t believe that I was ever in more perfect physical condition in my life, to the entraining point, On the hike to our regiment got stung and had to hike much further than any other, but we came through without having a man fall out. The first two days I was in command as Col. Linxweiler was away at court. The 139th had five or six hundred men fall out, some of them throwing away guns, packs etc. As a result Col. McNeely
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has been relieved of command and I understand is to be sent home. He is to be supplanted by a regular. Our boys had been paid the night before the hike started and some of them had filled up with too much French wine and were not in good shape the next day but I was determined to make them march and teach them the lesson of taking that stuff in moderation. So I made them hike. It punished some of them terribly but they were game enough to stand it and after the first day were all right. When we pulled into the entraining point on the fourth day of the hike, I heard one little fellow limping along under a pack as big as he was say: “By God, boys, what it takes to get here, we’re all broke out with.” The splendid showing we made in comparison with the other outfits has done wonders for the morale. They admit that we are the best regiment in the Army and can lick their weight in wildcats. It really was a remarkable showing that the regiment made. They are the gamest bunch of lads that I ever saw. Now darlings, I think of you all constantly and love you to death and wish you could know how
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well I am getting on and what a good time I am having. I wouldn’t have missed the frolic for a lot but I’ll be mighty glad when it is all over and I’ll get to see you all again. With lots and lots of love to you all, I am as ever, Your devoted son and brother, Bennett. C.R. Lt. Col. Bennett C Clark, 140th Infantry, A.E.F.
Details
| Title | Bennett Clark letter to Champ Clark and family - June 12, 1918 |
| Creator | Clark, Bennett Champ |
| Source | Clark, Bennett Champ. Letter to Champ Clark and family. 12 June 1918. Clark, Champ (1850-1921) and Bennett Champ (1890-1954), Papers, 1853-1973. C0666. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
| Description | In this June 12, 1918 letter to his family, Bennett Clark speculated about the end of the war, recounted a story of travelling with his regiment via train, and discussed Col. McNeeley being relieved of command after six hundred men from the 139th Regiment fell out while marching. Champ Clark, a long-time resident of Bowling Green, Missouri, was a politician in the Democratic Party. He served as a representative of Missouri from 1893 to 1895 and from 1897 to 1921. From 1911 to 1919 he served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. . Bennett Clark served as a Colonel during World War I and was Missouri State Senator from 1933 to 1945. |
| Subject LCSH | Clark, Champ, 1850-1921; Clark, Bennett Champ, 1890-1954; World War, 1914-1918--Transportation; United States. Army. Infantry regiment, 139th |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | C0666 |
| 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 | June 12, 1918 |
| Language | English |