"The probable cause of his death was high explosive, as he was torn up very badly.
"In an area of two square miles many hundred of these could have been gathered. I took an interest in this one on account of its high polish for camouflage purposes, something new to us at that time."
"We spent quite a different life from this in the English waters where we put in many monotonous months waiting for the Hun to come out. We were sorry he came out the way he did for we were just aching to exchange broadsides with him.
"My ship convoyed one-half million troops through what is called the 'Submarines' Graveyard,' off the coast of Ireland, during the months of September and October."
"The boys in the outfit I belong to were the first to cross the Meuse River and were in the first lines when the guns stopped firing at 11 o'clock on the 11th day on the 11th month in the year 1918."
"I now belong to the Army of Occupation. We are going through what is to my thinking the prettiest country yet. My battery has hiked some four hundred and twenty-five kilometers since we fired our last barrage--and believe me, that was some barrage--'The Million Dollar One'. It will take a long time before I forget it. I stood on a hill and watched and listened. IT WAS GREAT. I guess about ten or twelve regiments of the American Artillery and I don't know how many of the French took part. The best of old Heinie's guns were being used. If he knew the sound of them as well as we did, he knew that we were firing his OWN guns at him. They have a very peculiar and creepy sound, see?"
"I had the pictures struck yesterday. And to show you how much speed there is here in France--for this is an instance of real speed--
"The guy who runs the shop pounded me on the back and said, 'Bon, bon-apres un mayr photo finie'. Anybody that has to put up with that kind of lingo and fight this war has sure got some job. Well, after tearing out about all of my hair and using three different Franco-American dictionaries I finally managed to get this out of the scraps, 'Good, good, after one month, picture finished'.
"If this letter reaches you safely you can say it came through from the infernal regions, for if there was ever a 'Hell's Half Acre' this must be it. Put your finger on the biggest forest in France and say I'm there. Six weeks like a rat, three of which is like a whirlwind sweeping through Hades day or night, no rest, but forever watching, waiting, working by candle light deep down in a dug-out, or no light at all. This certainly cannot last much longer. It does us good to know there is one place where everything is like it used to be. I certainly am glad SHAWMUT is still natural and hope someday soon to get back there and take up my work where I left off."