Harry S. Truman letter to Bess Wallace - May 26, 1918
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[YMCA letterhead] France, May 26 1918 Dear Bess: Another week gone and still no letters. I know they are somewhere in France though and that I'll get em some day. Captain Babcock who is going to school here is a very happy man today; he got about thirty letters yesterday. They were the first he'd received since coming over. We have been working as hard or harder than usual this week. I've studied more and worked harder the last three weeks than I ever did before in my life. It's just like a university only more so; right out of one class into another and then examinations and thunder if you don't pass.
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[YMCA letterhead] We had a maneuver yesterday and General [John J.Pershing] himself was there. I was in command of a battalion of artillery and he didn't even come around to see if I could fire that many guns. I'm very happy that he didn't because we had more figures and things than would fill an old Ray's arithmetic. My part was mostly play like except the figures. I was supposed to have three batteries, while we were represented by three second lieutenants. Had a second lieut. for adjutant and a major for regimental commander. We had a good time and walked about six miles besides. There were Major Generals Brigadiers Colonels Majors and more limousines than a Tammany funeral.
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[YMCA letterhead] It was a very great pleasure to see a Major General click his heels together and nearly break his arm coming to a salute when the General came along. You don't often get to see Major Generals do that. We are going to have a critique on the problem today and I suppose we'll get a lot of useful and useless information. I'll sure be glad when I get back to the battery and don't have to figure x-y=pdg or something else equally as enlightening. Everyone in the room as usual on Sunday is writing home and everyone as usual is stuck for something to say except for Geo Arrowsmith he can write volumes over a dead sparrow but the rest of us can't. We've told
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[YMCA letterhead] all we know about the scenery the people the place and about all we can say is that I love you and wish I had a letter and wish I could see you and go to church tonight. Please keep writing because I'll get them some day and I'll write just as often as artillery will let me. Yours always Harry Harry S. Truman 1st Lt 129th F.A. American E.F.
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Harry S. Truman 1st Lt 129 Fa American E.F. 5-27-[1918] Miss Bess Wallace 219 Delaware St Independence [Missouri] U.S.A. Ok Harry S. Truman 1st Lt 129 Fa [stamp] A.E.F. PASSED AS CENSORED 408
Details
| Title | Harry S. Truman letter to Bess Wallace - May 26, 1918 |
| Creator | Truman, Harry S. |
| Source | Truman, Harry S. Letter to Bess Wallace. 26 May 1918. Papers of Harry S. Truman Pertaining to Family, Business and Personal Affairs; Correspondence from Harry S. Truman to Bess Wallace, 1910-1919. HST-FBP_5-39_01. Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, Indep |
| Description | Letter from Harry S. Truman to his future wife, Bess Wallace encouraging her to write and telling her of a field meet. Captain Harry S. Truman commanded Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery Regiment from July 11, 1918 through the end of the war on November 11, 1918. During his military service Truman frequently wrote to Bess informing her of his experiences. |
| Subject LCSH | Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972; United States. Army. Field Artillery Battalion, 129th; Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948; Military training; United States. Army--Sports |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | HST-FBP_5-39_01 |
| Contributing Institution | Harry S. Truman Library and Museum |
| Rights | Documents in this file are in the public domain. |
| Date Original | May 26, 1918 |
| Language | English |