From
Carlisle Bolt to His Mother
With American Ex. Force.
Aug. 16, 1918
Dear Mama,
Well, we are enjoying life these days, mostly
sitting around under the shade trees resting after a long time
of strenuous and exciting work. We are having some
delightful weather now and the French people are taking
advantage of it to harvest their wheat crops. This is
their chief crop here. They have some pretty good gardens
and a lot of fruit trees and grape vines, but the apples and
grapes are not ripe now and won't be for some time yet.
Some of the French people certainly were anxious to get home
again. Just as soon as we drove the Germans from their
towns some of them moved back in. They will never find all
of their furniture for we found lots of it in the woods where it
was left by the Germans, such as chairs, tables and bed
mattresses.
A great many of their homes were burned or destroyed by shell
fire. I think we have done some very good fighting over
here in the last few weeks, and the Allies as a whole are more
hopeful and in better spirits than they have been for quite a
while. |
My
outfit has seen service of most every conceivable kind and are
proud of the part they have played on every front that they have
been stationed.
Yes, I get both of the county papers pretty
regularly and very often we get daily papers that are published
in Paris. Sometimes we are stationed where we can't get
any papers and can't tell how the war game is going, as well as
you people at home.
The Good Lord certainly has been with us, for
though we have been in some of the most dangerous places, we
haven't suffered seriously. Some of the boys call it luck,
but I think most of them believe it is because of the devout and
earnest prayers of our mothers back home. One thing
impressed me with these Catholics - they continue to pray for a
loved one after they have died. The things one sees over
here make a person realize they have a duty to perform and more
resolved to perform it. Well, I guess I will hear from Sam
in a few days somewhere in France. If we get a few more
Americans over here I think we can soon end this war. Give
my love to all the folks at home and write when you have time.
Your devoted son,
W. Carlisle Bolt
Co. A, 117 Engs., (Rainbow Div.)
A.P.O. 715
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