Hampton B. Ball letter to home- December 1, 1918
Transcript
[December 1, 1918] Dear Home, Another Sunday and I am still in the same town. I do not know just how long we will be here but hope that the next move will be to the sea. I hear lots of rumors from what I hear not I will be back some where around X mas. I did not have as big a Thanksgiving as I have been in the habit of spending because
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I was on guard that day. Went on at 9 o'clock that morning and was on 24 hours. It rained all day anyway and would have been gloomy lying around so it was just as well for me to be on duty. It is turning very cold now especially at night. Every morning when there is no rain here is a large frost on the the ground. I am living in an old house with a large fire place and as we get plenty of wood it is no trouble to keep warm. I am now in a very old part of France. I cant spell the name of this place but it isnt far fom Dijon. The buildings here are mostly very old and have stone roofs made by pilings flat stones on until it looks about like a shingle roof. When they finish on it is about eight inches thick. The iron plate in the fire place where
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I stay dates 1668 and I dont know how much older the house is. There are buildings near here said to be as much as 800 years old. The people here all wear wooden shoes and when school turns out in the afternoon and the kids start home you can imagine the sound of them going down a rock road. The people, cows, hogs, horse, chickens, and all live in the same building. As a rule the hog pen is just off the
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kitchen where they can pour the slop from the kitchen right into the hog trough. You can imagine the smell around the house. I only wish I could tell you all I know about France but it would be a book full so you will have to wait until I get back. There is nothing unusual going on now. Just the same old routine of getting up at a certain time and going to bed the same way with drill hours thru the day. We get
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no news at all except by rumor so can give very little. Just waiting for the time to leave here for home I hope Must close now. Have not gotten any letters written b you since about [October] 25. It only takes about two weeks now for his mail from the states so ought to hear from you soon after you write. As ever Hamp Cpl. Hampton B Ball Co B. 326 Inf A.E.F. [censor mark]
Details
| Title | Hampton B. Ball letter to home- December 1, 1918 |
| Creator | Ball, Hampton B. |
| Source | Ball, Hampton B. Letter to home. 01 December 1918. Ball, Hampton B., Papers, 1918-1919. C3935. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
| Description | In this December 1, 1918 letter to his home in Troy Missouri, Hampton B. Ball described his Thanksgiving Day activities. Ball served in the 82nd Division, 326th Infantry Regiment during World War I. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918; United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 326th; United States. Army. Division, 82nd |
| 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 | December 1, 1918 |
| Language | English |