HISTORY
of
THE 306th Field Artillery
ON BOARD THE U.S.S. LEVIATHAN
ATLANTIC OCEAN,
April 27, 1918.
DEAR OLD PAL:
Well! Well! here's
a letter from your old friend right out in the ocean.
Can you amagin, Al.
"Me," who's been kicking up the dust on the old
diamond, or chasing 'em over the grass in deep center.
"Me," who's never had no use for water, except
what's in the pail and you know, Al I only hit that for
appearances sake cause you know, Al, it's the regular
thing to do after banging one over the garden wall. Yes,
Al, I am now doing a high diving act on the high seas.
Said diving being into the lunch. But I'll tell you about
that later.
To begin with, we
started for France from Camp Upton about 9p.m.onApril
21st. At 9 P.m. we falls out of the barracks and had roll
call with full packs until 3 A.M. April 22d. Every time a
guy coughed they'd put over another roll call on us.
Meantime the boys was getting restless like lions in a
cage to get over there and get in some good barracks
again, and put in a few more months at squads right, in
which we ain't quite up to the handle yet, in fac far
from poifect.
Well, at 3 A.M. the
foist sargent for the last time, very gently bawls "
CALL THE ROLL," and off we go for France to get the
5.30 train for Long Island City.
We just gets on the
road long side the barracks when we gets a halt, and by
this time we was pretty sore about the way we was delayed
from getting at the Germans when some guy put over a
rumor that an order just came from Washington that the
war was over, believe me, Al, we was so disappointed,
that if it was true, we was willing to go right back to
civilian life and leave the army flat. But we was soon
off again after another roll call and got the 5.30 train
at 4 O'clock-
Soon we pulls into
Long Island City and gets on a special ferry-boat
resoived for us, and when we hears that we are making for
Hoboken, and that we would have a few roll calls in that
good old Irish town, the boys all feel pretty good. Also
pretty dry, cause it was excrushiating hot. But I guess
the gink who was running the excursion was one of them
bone-dry guys and we lands flat on the dock.
Well, Al, I wasn't
much surprised to see that we was going to make the
voyage on a boat with smokestacks. I had a tip on it from
a guy who's pretty thick with the barber who shaves the
Major. And what do you think the name of her was? Yes
Sir! the Leviathan. Some giant, boy! She's the old
Dashund or something like that, made over, and listen Al,
the guy who give her the new name knew something, 'cause
the foist part made a hit with the Irish and Algerians in
the outfit. We get as far as the gang-plank and we have
another long delay on the dock. But this was just
military courtesy and we didn't mind. It seems the
Commodore of the vessel was just dining at the time. And
he takes about three hours to dine! Which is mak-in- a
good job of it eh, Al? So right here is where we gets our
foist knockdown to corned beef. Our Cap. commands, (1)
Eats, (2) Rations! Rations is the command of execution
but before he says it we have forty-two cans open, and
when the Red Cross ladies hands us coffee and cake for
desert, which was delightful, we calls it a meal. (The
coffee and cake part of it.)
It gets to be about
2.3o and at last we move. Yes Al, she's some boat! A
whale! But I hear that an Irishman drawed, the plans for
her, I had a laugh, Al, when one guy sees the boat and
says he don't get it as how such a boat made of steel cud
float. So I tells him as how the boat was made of iron,
not steel. And she's made of wood inside, plenty of wood
in proportion. That's where a guys education comes in Al.
Well it don't take
us long to get consigned to our staterooms, and right
here, Al, is where I gets sore on the Irishman who made
the plans. I figures right off that he's a blood relation
of the guy who invented bob wire. No doors or walls or
curtains or anything on the staterooms, everything open!
Amagin Al, you know how we made the circuit on pullmans.
I asked a naval guy on the ship, "What's the
idea?" and he says it was the " Iron Pipe
Demountable System " and I tell him I calls it,
" The Sardine System." But then he tells me
about the idea being that if the boat was captured we
could be safe because the Germans couldn't get thru the
ailes of our bunks. That's where I lurns something Al.
But I couldn't kick, because the side of the boat I slept
on has holes in it, portholes they calls em.
Well Al, once we
gets under way there wasn't much excitement until Mess
time, then all hands makes a dive for the Grand stairway
what leads to the Ball-Room. That's where we dine Al, in
the Ball-Room. Can you amagin it Al, privates in the
Ball-Room with hand paintins on the walls and ceilings! I
don't know where the Officers feed. J guess they have to
take care of themselves as best they can. As I was saying
Al, the boys make the big rush for the lunch and every
time I sees that rush it reminds me of the riots at the
gates on the days that McGraw had me slated to pitch.
Once we gets into the Ball -Room it's all big-league
stuff Al, with Officers standing all around umpiring and
any guy caught going to the plate more than three times
in one inning is out. We only have two meals a day and
that is enuf Al. Breakfast and dinner. For supper we have
abandon-ship drill by the numbers in case the ship goes
down.
And we have nifty
little life-presoivers that go on like a chest protector.
We was told that if the ship went down, to keep cool, and
take one blanket with us, and take an Annie Kellerman off
the stoin. I guess we would keep cool, eh, Al? Can you
figure as how the - a guy's going to swim with a blanket
on
him? That may sound all right to a naval gazoop, but take
it from me, Al, I always have my belt filled with
ammunish and my rifle handy. And if the boat goes down
yours truly will take a Brodie off the stoin with his
gun. That's a guy's best friend, Al, -his gun. And you
know there's quite some wood on her too, and I figures I
cud hang on to it if the presoiver got loose and went
down. I guess that's quick thinking, eh, Boy? Well, you
know me, Al! But believe me the "Subs" never
had a chance. Our deck is decorated with guns all
camoflowed and each of 'em run by the best Navals we got
in West Point.
Every night we
close the portholes so as no sound can get out and hold
an entertainment with movies which we enjoy, Al, but most
of the nights we spend trying to shave ourselves with
salt water. We always have our evenings to ourselves, Al,
and I spend most of em on deck taking in most of the
scenery which is always about the same,--one cloud
follows us all the way over. I guess that's obsoiving
things pretty close, eh, Al. Well that's my way.
Well Al, old boy,
I'm sorry I can't tell you just where I am, but here's a
hint. One day I asks a petty Naval just about where the
ship was and he says, " We are now passing thru
Military Channels." So there's your tip, Al, look
itupon the map and you can figure about where we will
land. Now Al, I guess I will have to close as I just
hears the whistle blow for medical exercises which we
have every day.
Assuring you that I will keep in touch with you and
hoping that you will give my regards to all the boys in
the league, and wishing you the same, I am your old Pal.
HEN.
CAMP SOUGE,
DEAR OLD PAL: May 10, 1918.
I suppose everybody on the circuit is wondering how I am
and how I got across the ocean. Well, the ocean ride was
soitinly wonderful. In my opinion every young guy should
make it once in his life, and believe me, Al, it looks
like every young guy is going to have a good chance.
Well Al, I suppose
you took my tip and found that we landed in Brest, which
is in France, on the coast. We blew into the harbor and
sunk the anchor on May 2d, about 6 bells A.M. (which is
about the general time for doing anything in the army)
and it was soitinly a gorgeous sight. The harbor with the
hills was wonderful and put me in mind of the Blue Ridge
mountains which I heard tell of in song. And then there
was a sausage obsoivation baloon up, which, with a few
French "Subs," was the only things that made
the scene look like war-time.
About noon we was
escorted ashore on a lighter and lined up in the street
for a march to our rest camp. It was funny to see the
youngsters run up to us and beg cigarettes and pennies.
They soitinly take up smoking at a delicate age over
here. I saw one kid about 9 years old working on a cigar
like as if it was a herring.
Finally the band
plays and off we go making a big impression on the
population of Brest (about 180) who gave us a big hand.
It was a pretty good hike of about 3 miles to our
barracks, but the scenery was new to us and we gave the
country the double 0 for it looked pretty nifty with the
green hills and little white houses with orange colored
roofs.
Towards evening we
hit our lodgings which are called the Pantanezen
Barracks. And believe me Al! They sure was a rumy bunch
of stone houses. They say that Napoleon put up his outfit
at this joint. But that's letting it down easy. I'd say
that Noah used it for a Zoo right after the flood.
It sure was a swell
place to rest. Rest Camp? It was a Summer Resort! All we
had to do was drill all day OR go down and work on the
docks. We also took a march while there to one of the
nearby towns just to show the natives what a crack
regiment looked like.
On May 7th we blew
Napoleon's joint and marched down to Brest and here's
where we gets the low down on the French Railroad Sistem.
Well Al, we line up longside of a row about a mile long
of box-cars; each one about the size of a packing case
with four wheels on it. Can you amagin the sensation AV
Oh, it's great! And get this Al! On the outside of each
car are some nice hand painted words which reads: 8
CHEVAUX, 40 HOMMES. This means that the car don't care
who gets on, 8 horses, or 40 men. So we pile in, wishing
we was horses.
You've seen the
cars pull in at the stock yards Al? Well that's us pullin
out. And I used to think it was pretty tough makin the
circuit on Pullmans. Anyway we didn't get along so bad.
For dinner we had canned Irish Turkey, Tomatoes, and
Hardtack. For supper and breakfast we had the same, which
is as good as you can get on any box-car.
All along the road
we piped the scenery, which we gave the 0. K. It was
really gorgeous Al. But mostly hills.
Well, on May 9th we
blew into a burg called Bonneau. I guess this is the
joint the wild guy hailed from. It is in the Department
of the Gironde, southwestern France, and can easily be
found if you look on a map about 9 by 12 feet. Any-way we
shake our overland special. And putting our packs gently
on our backs in the prescribed manner we hike about 2
miles to this ranch which is called Camp de Souge. And
here we are givin Squads Right a battle for further
orders.
Well Al, I'll try
to write again soon but to tell the truth I've been
pretty much engaged since landing on French soil. What
takes up most of a guy's time is counting his pay what he
gets in French money and believe me, Al, the French
Sistem of cur-rency is awful. But I'm only a private, Al,
and if it's an ordeal for me to count my salary, you can
guess what the Officers are up against when they
computate their stipend. Everything goes in franks over
here, Al. So many centimeters makes a frank, so many
franks makes a kilo, so many kilos makes five franks, and
like that. I'm getting the hang on it now. It's the old
story, Al, If a guy's got the education, it don't take
him long to get the combination.
But being as I'm
able to interprete French money, it gives me a
considerable of extra work, cause the boys all ask me to
go with them when they buy something, so as I can tell
'em how much they spend and how much they have left
(which ain't never much).
Things is pretty
high over here. The French talk about franks just like us
Americans talk about collar buttons. Iguess it won't take
long to build up France. If we stay here long enuf
they'll have side walks inlaid with Poils and Solid gold,
ball-bearing door nobs on the doors, to.
Well Al, I guess
I'll close now, asking you to give my best
regards to all the bone-heads in the league and wishing
you the same I am, your old Pal Hen
LAWRENCE H. FOSTER,
Private, 306th F. A.
(With apologies to Ring Lardner.)