Jack letter to Captain - n.d.
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[page 1] Had rumers in [February] 1918 that some men were to be transfered from the 89 division for active duty over seas. So many false alarms that no one believed it. I was ordered back from school and the next morning our company fell out and our names were called and we were told to pack our bags and get ready to leave camp to parts unknown. At 4: pm we fell in and had bags and all belongings. Went to station and saw heavy pullman train long well equipped, two engines 22 coaches lot more trains on track like ours, several thousand men loading. Left [Camp Funston] in evening near 5 pm everyone in high spirits but ill at ease talking and discussing our destination. Tom said, "we are now hell bound for Siberia". Train traveled nearly 25 miles per hour all trains side tracked for us. stoped at one little town between Kansas City and [Camp Funston]. met another train. Hollowed at several boys Mat had been on pass from Fort Riley. all said we sure were going right across. everyone yelled, "good" some meant it and some didnt. pullman and everything wonderful arived in Kansas City in earley part of nite, didnt stop. went on thru. shot craps - good deal - lots of gambling. Tom Knocked a negro porters for a spooff cause he tried to stop a crap game. Tom told him to makeing up beds was his job and not running trains, didnt want burr head kicking dice anyway. conductor complained some one said put us off. he got officer - negro porter was afraid to identity soldier, no one knew who hit him. Went to bed at 11: A.M. woke up next morn in Arkansas. verry rocky and manny bluffs, stoped at some little town at 8: AM. unloaded for an hour fed, got acquainted with some girls - lots of them in town people were wonderful. we wer traveling over the Frisco main line. Kissed my girl good by, wrote to her in France lots - very beautiful blonde. She read of my fighting in France. wanted to marry me soon as I came back. Said father would give me ½ interest in grocery store and hard ware store. "get letters from her yet” married - 1 year, husband killed by horse. traveled all day in mountains. very beautiful - every one leary of where we were going. crossed at bridge at Memphis [Tennessee]. over.
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[page 2] bridge heavily guarded. Mamoth large bridge over Mississippi. Engine and two flat cars and one coach went ahead of us armed with machine guns and men, traveled 10 minutes ahead of us at all times to explode anny trap set for us on rails and to inspect tunnels - stoped at several tunnels. Went thru Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, and the Carolina's. "I think this is right" people wonderful to us every where - told us what would be done for us when we came back. Landed at Newport News Virginia in morning - train stoped on side-track about 7. AM. very foggy herd steam boat whistle everyone said "That's it." did not hear it again - everyone very quiet - looking to be unloaded and put on some ship. train started and traveled an hour - sun came from behind clouds - there was ocean. backed train into small army camp, unloaded met lots of soldiers wasn't assigned to co. for several days. Then was assigned to co. K 4th lots gold soldiers in it. Some had been in 4th on border and some had just arived from Tin Sin China from the 15th infantry - good soldiers - but called us John's - lots of good things to eat. drilled 3 hours per day close order drill. Tom and I was made corporals, saw it on bulletin board at same time didn't want the job - both went A.W.O.L to small town. got by Chain guard by way of going thru end of vacant barricks - grabed truck - went to town 5 miles stayed 3 days and nites. Had good time. lots of pretty girls and wine. bought whiskey from negro woman - all saloons closed to soldiers. Negro woman leary of us - that we were laws. Saw friendly soldier A.W.O.L said he just came from camp - outfit still there - no liners in harbor. M.P got after us, run us nearly ragged followed Tom and we bent into private home - told the woman the truth and she hid us till M.P. had gone. went back to outfit soldiers said we would be shot. we said let ‘em shoot - lieutenant
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[page 3] who's name I forget in command of co. took us to major BTL commander - questioned us we were then under guard major then took us to colonel. He expressed how sorry he was that we had committed such a crime asked us if we intended to desert. I told him no! We wanted to go see our sweethearts and put on a long face. Tom took the hint and told him they had come all the way from Missouri to see us and we were going to see them. Were sent back to co. under guard. went to target range next day. made good score. called our centry or guard, our orderly - made him awful angry. Had no guard at nite. old soldiers from China thot we were two good John's. Had several mess line fights. Had big dice game one day in barracks got in awful fight. Met an Indian from China "15 infantry" by name of Jessie A James - 5 years service - quiet gambler like to fight - took up with him. he thot lots of the 2 wild Irishmen. Didn't talk much liked us both. He wore expert pistol badge and expert rifleman's badge told us manny stories of fighting in China very interesting. Told us we were good soldiers. Went out on beach got some fresh oysters eat them out of shells. penny crap game on beach, broke eaven. Had that earning we were going to sail some - herd it so much didn't believe it. sailor told us that was April the first. On the 3rd or 4th we drew more equipment. Told to pack up in nite of April the 5th at 1: oclock. Troops poured in everywhere. were in loading docks all nite. didnt walk the gang plank untill 9 A.M. everyone mad cussing that Kiser and wishing he was there. Was kept down under deck out of sight till 1.30 or 2 PM the 6th. Tug pulled us out and when we were allowed to come out land was just dissappearing in the distance. Our boat was "The Great Northern"
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[page 4] and was the fastest ship afloat at that time. She was armed with several 6 inch cannon, several 3 inch and several 1 pounders and some machine guns. Everyone looked sober. Not a tear being shed. Was a very fast bot. she layed the watter wide open and the watter that she was cutting thru layed 25 feet upon the side of the nose of her. We received instruction in regard to lighting matches and cigaretts on account of submarines - given fire drills - submarine drills and never took our life belts off after we were 3 days out. sea got rough on second day ship plunged and serged and the little great northern stayed right in there and pitched. our navel gunners wore them head gears and were on the lookout every moment. 4 AM one morning fire bell rang. observer thought sighted a sub. was a light afloat and looked much like on. we were told to stand by our bunks untill we were ordered out. my hatch was near the rear gun on the ship. I put my head out the hatch just as she fired and the concussion knocked me back down the steps 10 feet on a jew. no one was hurt. 4 six inch fired and suck a buoy that had broken loose some where. didnt have a convoy untill the 6th day. caught up with a ship which was carrying the 38 inft and the 7th machine gun. she traveled very slow. had to lag with her. forget name of ship. 8 day met a fleet of submarine chassers. They were dozens of them and ran around thru the watter on all sides of us. we had been
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[page 5] doing lots of zigzaging - everyone seemed to be much easier when so manny sub chassers were present. we landed on April the 6th beautiful scenery. Landed at [Brest] France. Lots of gun boats everywhere unloaded and started to our train to take us up near Paris where were going into training again. Everything beautiful at [Brest] France. Walked up high hill and went thru town to railroad station. Boys very curious to see french girls. everyone wanted wine. Loaded on train 4 men in car wasn't large enough for 12 men. Large wine train on side track. wine is hauled in France in cars like our oil tankers only the tanks are made of wood. Couldn't get anny wine out of car. Jess James shot thru wine tank with 45. wine sperted out in a stream 15 ft long was red wine. "Vine Blonc" sargant put me and James under arrest. Traveled 3 days and 3 nights thru France. country very beautiful lots of peasants people everywhere - very poor. every large town we could see lots of shell piled up ready to ship to front. girls and women working in field. Engineer on our train was Frenchman. Had his wine and wiskey with him on engine. troops complained of drunkard running engine. He never got drunk. We were so crowded that things were terrible. Rifles hung on wall of car would fall an skin people's heads. soldiers got mad - compared train service in France with that in U.S.A Lots of talk of how beautiful France was and what a pity it was to fight over such beautiful country. Lots of comment. Thot we were being shipped straight to front lots of arguments on that subject.
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[page 6] Landed at a little town about 60 miles out of Paris - called [Sexfontaines]. were billeted there in french barns and cowsheds. everyone raised hell. some took the opposite side of the question and ask if they thot they were going to be billeted in some beautiful french hotel and wine garden without army drill. we started drilling 14 hours per day and nite maneuvers at nite. I went to an intelligence school near Paris under French, British, Italian and American Intelligence officers. Jess James was the only friend I had there. Tom stayed with company. James and I became very thick. we all studied hard - sniping, scouting, map reading - observing and all kinds of enemy trench tricks - then form of battle - the habits of the germans - how they used the same form of attack repeatedly. Studied their fire arms - grenades, gasses. Their form of snipeing and observing their habbits, their signals by flares and rockets and manny things too neumerous to mention. we received lectures every day from very bright allied officers and men of hard experience on May the 30th orders came to pack up quickly - return to our organization and report to our majors at once. When we arived at our old outfits we found them the toughest soldiers I ever saw. Everyone quiet but mean - no one talked much we started for the [Marne] by rail - we were a well trained and a bad bunch of monkeys. Over.
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Dear Captain, I have jolled down some things for you to write on. Maby this will do if you can draw on your imagaineation enough and make out my writing. If this dosn’t Suit you I will write some more. By the way. We started or Sailed from Newport April the 6th and landed April the 15th that is on my Service record I found since I wrote this. I am going to write to Captain Mutneau Soon as I can get to town and get some Stationary fit to write on. I think Ill have it type written. Bob Thompson is comming in this evening to participate in that lawsuit this week. The folks that the story was fine, mother said "so true. Have you ever consulted anny publishing co in regard to selling this story. we want the Jack. Have you herd any thing from our Fort Worth job. How's my girls tell Lola hello for me Answer soon. am in hurry. Jack.
Details
| Title | Jack letter to Captain - n.d. |
| Creator | Jack |
| Source | Jack. Letter to Captain. n.d. John Lewis Barkley Collection, 1917-1919. 1996.33. The National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. |
| Description | In this undated letter, Jack wrote his captain concerning his military service starting in Camp Funston and sailing overseas from Newport News. |
| Subject LCSH | United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 4th; United States. Army. Division, 3rd; Camp Funston (Kan.) |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | 1996.33 |
| Contributing Institution | National World War I Museum and Memorial |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the National World War I Museum and Memorial: (816) 888-8100. |
| 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 | n.d. |
| Language | English |