Letters from Soldiers
John R. Rogers with
the 30th Division
Dec. 26th,
1918
Dear Friends and
Relatives in dear old Jackson
As it is all over, over here we know you are longing for the
return of your loved ones. If it is the
Lord’s will they will soon return. Not all of them will return but these will
stay here for a great cause and they will never be forgotten. They have
suffered and died for their great America.
The old 30th Division was in several hard fought
battles. The Germans will never forget the 30th. When we would take
our turn in the line the Hun planes would keep busy flying over to see what was
going to happen next.
We were the first American division to enter Belgium. Took
Kemmel Hill. From there to France on the St. Quentin front. First drive Sept.
29. Over the top 5:50 a.m. Had 4,000 yards to take. Took it in 3 hurs 38
minutes. Had to take Bellicourt and the Hindenburg line. But we did it. The 119th
and 120th Infantry had 1,100 artillery guns behind them, besides the
numbers of trench mortars and 115th Machine Gun company, also our
rifles. The Australians relieved us and we came out of the line Oct. ?? (can’t
read) We didn’t have any lines by time, for we had driven them beyond their
trenches and they never had time to dig any more from that time on.
We went back to the front Oct. 10th and backed
them three miles that day. The next day, the 11th, we pushed them
back three and a half miles, and the next day pushed them back the same
distance. Then we were relieved and came out. The next drive was Oct. 16th.
We drove them about 5 miles and came out the 20th of October and
never went back.
Well, as I am in one of the French homes and it is bed time,
I will have to ring off for this time.
Good bye to all.
As ever,
John R. Rogers
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Jackson Boy Gassed
We are in receipt of a letter from Norman D. Pressley,
requesting us to change the address of his paper from France to Camp Lee, Va.
Mr. Pressley states that he was very severely gassed on Sept. 29th
near St. Quentin and has been in the hospital ever since and has been informed
that he will have to remain there for some time yet.
Mr. Pressley enlisted with the 1st N.C., now the
118th, Ambulance Co., which was organized at Canton. He is the son
of D.H. Pressley of Glenville.
-=-
From Lieut. F.H. Woodard
Somewhere in France
Nov. 12, 1918
My Dear Grandma:
Your sweet letter was received November 8th; was
mailed on 14th; it did not take it a month to come. I should have
written you, but I have been awfully busy since coming over here. I landed in
Brest May 8th; was exactly 10 days on the water. We only saw one
submarine and it got away from us when we shot at it. After I landed I got on a
train and was on it three days and nights. We landed in one of Napoleon’s
famous schools near the source of the river Marne. This town where I was was
once the home of Julius Caesar; was built in 54 B.C. You can imagine how old it
is. It’s a walled city on a hill. I stayed there six weeks and went to the
Flanders front near Ypres, where there has been so much fighting. We were here
about two months. I was up at the front a great deal of the time and had
several narrow escapes. One day they sent for me to come back to Division to
defend a man in a court martial trial, and the Germans saw the car come from
the well-screened road into where I was in the cellar of a farm house and the
car had just arrived and I took my court martial manual and had just sat down
in the car when a shell struck about four feet from the car and tore it up,
wounded the man driving it and killed three men and wounded six others about 20
feet away, but I was not touched. The court martial manual had a hole in it. I
got out of the car to phone for an ambulance and just before I had left the car
another hit about 30 feet away, and when I got in the cellar another hit near,
but as it happened my line to the dressing station was still on and was the
only line I had. I got the men all off for the hospital and got my lines up and
phoned them and they sent another car and I went in. My man was convicted, but
only got six months restrictions to camp.
That night Grady Thomas of Bryson City brought me back in a
motorcycle side car. We got through a line, but the boches were throwing shrapnel
all over the road. I made Grady stay till daylight, as it was as dark as pitch.
Next morning he went back to Division and we came out of the line in about a
week and went for a few days rest near Arras when suddenly we came to this
front, and after breaking the Hindenburg line and advancing about 20 miles we
came out about two weeks ago and are still out. Now the war is over I guess we
will come home sometime within a year, and then I am done.
When we went through the Hindenburg line I was with the infantry
and am still with them. It was awful but some of us still live. Beat has been
back all the time, except one battle. At that time he was under my command, and
you have no idea how uneasy I was when he was out of my sight and how glad I was
when I would see him again. He was my brother and in my company but he did just
the same as the others. I showed no preference. But when we came out of that
battle the captain took him back with him and kept him through the other
battles. I did not know why until the other day the captain told me he could not
stand to see us both at the front, so he took him. Beat and I were talking the
other day and we decided it was the prayers of our good mothers and grandmas
and grandpas that saved us. So now we know we will come back home some day.
The homes here now are beginning to look homelike already.
The people are moving back and are very happy and thankful to America and all
for peace. The French all love America and her people.
I have not been to church since I left America. There were not any except Catholic and French. So I knew I could not understand either one, but I prayed when I got the time and did the best I could.
For people back home do not know how it is over here, but they certainly has been loyal to the cause. But I believe that most French people have had more to eat that we had in America during the war. We captured several big towns with as many as 1,000 people in it. They were poor, of course, as the Germans had the towns four years, but not as bad as you would think. The Germans were cruel, but they let some of them live.
I can speak French some and spoke with lots of them. They
said that some German soldiers were good to them and some were mean.
I must close and go to bed.
We are drilling now just like we did in the States. You can
put this letter in the Times if you want to because it’s the longest letter I
have written since I came over here, because up to know I was afraid I would
give out some military information, but the Germans are whipped now, that’s
sure, and they can never rise again.
Will close with love to you, Chunk, Aunt Hester and family.
You must take good care of yourself. I will come to see you when I get back.
Your loving grandson,
F.H. Woodard
1st Lt.
Sig. Corps
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