John L. Barkley letter to Folks - June 5, 1919
Transcript
June 5, 1919. Germany. My dear folks at home. I just took a hike to day of about seven miles with full pack. My pack weighs about sixty pounds. I hiked into Germany with sixty pounds on my back making about on the average from 18 to 23 miles per day. We hiked 250 miles the first twenty miles was very rough and shell barb wire and many difficulties we had to contend with. The rest of the way was good roads only many hills. The germany army moved ahead of us about 40 killoes ahead 31 or 2 miles. We had no trouble, they all seamed glad to evacuate. Now I want them to eather sign this peace of establish a line and go to fighting and see how quick we put them into the north sea. You people think
Transcript
all of the good divisions have gone home that is all bull. They left these 5 divisions over here because they were the best men and had the best dicipline and all have seen action. They looked at it like this. "They can feed and equip a good soldier just as cheap as they can an undiciplined rooky and he can do mo fighting also they dont want a soldier over here who has a poor unsoldierly looking appearance among these hostile people. There was a little street fight a brawel in our neighboring town one killed I believe. These dutchman may start something here one of these nights and if they do it is their ass. These x. soldiers all have it in for me and still when I meat one on the streat he
Details
| Title | John L. Barkley letter to Folks - June 5, 1919 |
| Creator | Barkley, John Lewis |
| Source | Barkley, John L. Letter to Folks. 5 June 1919. John Lewis Barkley Collection, 1917-1919. 1996.33. The National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. |
| Description | In this incomplete letter dated June 19, 1919, John L. Barkley wrote his family concerning the amount of hiking necessary to get to destinations. |
| Subject LCSH | United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 4th; United States. Army. Division, 3rd |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I; Army of Occupation |
| 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 | June 5, 1919 |
| Language | English |