John L. Barkley letter to Dock - n.d.
Transcript
[page 4] How would you like to have been in the 41 day battle in the [Argonne]. There was not one second of this time but what there was not a barage from both sides of shrapnel and the strongest of gasses and the biggest of guns. The germans shot some of the damdest shells at us you ever herd of bigger than nail kegs and four times as long and when one hit you had not beter look out. How would you like to have saw five thousand ded men to every thousand yards. Just think of looking from our house to our west line and then place this many men in this space across on the german side they was twice as bad. Dont ever let any body with dutch blood in
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their veins ever say anything to you or about me or any one else they ought to send that damd old Boche, old man Peters old Schmidt back over here and make them help pay this light debt they think so much of their native land. Dock I am not going to tell you anything about that tank deal it is to bad to tell a civilized man. I played them durty every chance I got and this is not the first time I ever did this. How I got out of this tank I find my last round of amunition keep my automatic pistol for hand to hand fighting, plunged out of the tank with a sudden dash and talk about running crooked was no name
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for it. I had three bullet marks in my clothes and a burnt legin string. I run for a ditch about fifty yards from me and went down it to our Major who was wondering what was taking place next with any men to stand them off. Dock if I eve go to hell I will expect to see more dutch there than any other class of people. Dont tell any one anything I write. If they ask me anything when I come home they are out of luck for information. I might tell Nelse the story of the thirty men with their hearts cut out hung to a tree naked. Must close you dont write often as you say you do. Cpl. John Barkley
Details
| Title | John L. Barkley letter to Dock - n.d. |
| Creator | Barkley, John Lewis |
| Source | Barkley, John L. Letter to Dock. n.d. John Lewis Barkley Collection, 1917-1919. 1996.33. The National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. |
| Description | In this incomplete, undated letter, John L. Barkley wrote his brother Dock concerning his experiences at Argonne. |
| Subject LCSH | United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 4th; United States. Army. Division, 3rd; Argonne, Battle of the, France, 1918 |
| 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 |