Charles Stevenson letter to Folks - January 13, 1919
Transcript
Cordel, Germany, [January 13, 1919]. Dear Folks: It has been about a week since I have written to you, but it sure has been a busy week. We changed our location, completed a couple of guard reliefs and did a lot of extra work or so in that week. Then, personnally, I have been busy. Our First Sergeant mashed of couple of privates in the eye and ear several nights ago and was temporarily relieved of his job, and in his place I am acting, In addition to that the company clerk has been transferred and again I am the fall guy. I have been working quite a bit at nights, something not at all agreeable with me, but I cannot get away from it without arguing with someone who outranks me a whole lot. The latest letters I have from you are two from Grandma under the dates of December 2 and [December 9] and one from Aunt Daisy of December 9. When you wrote these you had not yet received a letter from me written after the armistice was signed. You certainly know by now that everything came out in good shape and that I, at least, suffered no losses of anything. At present we are billeted in a nice little town. Marmon and I have a fine room between and are taking life as easily as conditions will allow. Just this morning Marmon took a detail of thirty-five men to a nearby town called, Trier, perhaps you know it better by Treves, where the armistice committee generally meets. If I am not mistaken that committe is meeting there in a few day. He will be back in about three days. Yesterday he and I went to Trier and we enjoyed the visit very much. It is the first real town I have been in since I came over here. The population, so we were told, is about 50,000. The town has regular street cars, stores, restaurants, hotels, dry good stores and everything that Topeka, Emporia or such towns would have. Under separate cover I am sending you some views of the place, most of which I saw. Some ruins there were over 1800 years old. One bridge on which we walked was begun about the time of Christ and the original construction is still intact. They have picture shows and everything. It was the first for a German town I ever was in that amounted to anything. While there I put out fifty marks for a German silver, Swiss movement watch. A German mark is equivalent to about twelve cents. Well, it takes 8.13 marks to make a dollar, so I figured it out that the watch cost about six dollars. I needed a watch and had the marks so I grabbed it.
Transcript
[page 2] If anybody displays the slightest interest in any of those souveniers, you can certainly show
Details
| Title | Charles Stevenson letter to Folks - January 13, 1919 |
| Creator | Stevenson, Charles |
| Source | Stevenson, Charles. Letter to Folks. 13 January 1919. Stevenson, Charles S. Collection. 1979.24; 1982.202. National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. |
| Description | Charles Stevenson wrote to his grandparents about his time in Germany. Stevenson enlisted in Kansas City, Missouri and became attached to Company A, 314th Engineers at Camp Funston, Kansas. Stevenson was shipped overseas on June 12, 1918 where he remained for the duration of the war. He arrived back in the United States on May 26, 1919. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918--Military life--United States; United States. Army. Engineer Combat Battalion, 314th |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | 1979.24; 1982.202 |
| 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 | January 13, 1919 |
| Language | English |