CAMP MERRITT, KRESSKILL, NEW JERSEY
My dear Mother & Dad:
Well here we are at our port of embarkation, awaiting orders to board our ship and start on our journey across the Atlantic. We left Camp Logan Monday around noon and arrived here last night (Friday) at 11:00pm.
First let me describe the wonderful trip we had by train on the way to our camp here. In a previous letter I believe I outlined the route we would take as it was given me by one of the boys who had the inside 'dope'. Well it panned out exactly as I gave it to you - we followed the exact course as I outlined it. We arrived in New Orleans at 3:00am Tuesday. I was on guard - all troop trains post a guard on each platform. We crossed the mighty Mississippi by ferry to New Orleans and it certainly an eye-opener to watch them load our troop train aboard that ferry. It took 4 trips of the ferry to complete the job, for our train consisted of 12 coaches (Pullman) and 4 box cars, as well as kitchen car in the middle of the train. It took 4 sections like this to carry our entire regiment. We were in the third section. Col. Foreman rode with the last section consisting of Hdqrs Company and Supply Company. Wish I had time to tell you of all the interesting things we saw along the way. We were forebidden to write or mail any letters or cars from the train, so that will account for the reason you received no mail from me en route.
After leaving New Orleans, we rode on the Illinois Central to Jackson, Miss., Memphis, Tenn., Louisville, Ky., Jefferson, Indiana, Muncie, and then on the New York Central to Cleveland and Buffalo. From Buffalo, we took the Delaware, Lackwanna & Western to Hoboken, New Jersey, stopping on the outskirts of that city until an Erie locomotive pulled us the remaining 20 miles to Camp Merritt. At each big town where we stopped to take on water, etc., we would alight and do a little running for exercise and then close order drill and marching on the streets. And whenever and wherever we turned out like this, the population of the city or town cheered us most lustily and the women and children would come running up to the train giving us books and magazines and cigarettes. In Scranton, Pa., the Red Cross supplied us with baskets of tasty sandwiches and smokes of all sorts. We were all thrilled with the warm reception we received from all the populace along the entire route. No matter how far the R.R. tracks were from the center of town, crowds of people were always on hand to watch us and greet us as we passed through. This was especially true of Cleveland, for I never saw a more enthusiastic and patriotic group of people. Some even ran alongside our coaches for several blocks! I must admit to an admiration for the people of Cleveland for their warm and enthusiastic welcome... From Buffalo at about 2:00am one morning we took the finest railroad system in the country known as the Road of Anthracite -- The Lackawanna. We saw the coal mines of Scranton and received enthusiastic waves from coal miners with their illuminated caps and that was a thrill to all us. We soon came upon mountains of solid rock in New York and N. Jersey. This railroad system in places is cut through solid rock - mountains of it and very awesome and picturesque. The next morning we passed over a high trestle bridge and was afforded an excellent view of some very wonderful country and a great variety of scenery. New York is indeed a very beautiful state. The railroad just curved and wound right around the mountains. At one point, a great distance below us, we could see a beautiful valley with its well laid out farms and homes. It was almost like a picture with residences looking as small as doll houses - and even from a distance they all waved to us.
Last night I was picked as one of the unloading gang. We packed up the kitchen things in a truck and rode over to the camp. And now perhaps a description of the Camp is in order. It's only a 2 minute ride up a steep slope from the station at Kresskill. There are no tents - just 2 story barracks buildings with iron cots and real mattresses. Each building has a furnace for cold weather and all sewage is carried away through an efficient drainage system - utterly unlike the one we had at Camp Logan. These barracks are certainly designed for comfort with big airy rooms and plenty of windows affording a lot of sunshine during the day. In the kitchen they burn hard coal, instead of hard wood as we did at Camp Logan.
This is our first day here and we spent most of it in getting some washing done and taking a much needed bath and change of underwear. (And by the way -- HOT & COLD running water -- Oh you Draft Army!) This is a National Army Camp and you can believe thay have every modern convenience in their 'home away fro home.'
We are confined to Camp today, so can't go to New York. But we expect to get passes for 24 hours or overnight, just as soon as the big inspection is over and done with. We're only about 18 miles from New York and costs but 70 cents for the round trip - special rates for soldiers. We have been given to understand that no troops are kept here more than 1 week - so doubtless we'll soon be leaving for France or whereever our destination will be across the Atlantic.
It's after evening mess now and a bunch of the boys have received overnight passes to visit the Big Town. A couple of us expect to get ours within a day or two and then be on our way to see the Gay White Way and stand at the corner of 42nd and Broadway - about which Geo. M. Cohan has written so many songs. . Must close now... please give my love to Ina and the Fishers. Will write again soon to all.
Much love,
(signed) George
Well here we are at our port of embarkation, awaiting orders to board our ship and start on our journey across the Atlantic. We left Camp Logan Monday around noon and arrived here last night (Friday) at 11:00pm.
First let me describe the wonderful trip we had by train on the way to our camp here. In a previous letter I believe I outlined the route we would take as it was given me by one of the boys who had the inside 'dope'. Well it panned out exactly as I gave it to you - we followed the exact course as I outlined it. We arrived in New Orleans at 3:00am Tuesday. I was on guard - all troop trains post a guard on each platform. We crossed the mighty Mississippi by ferry to New Orleans and it certainly an eye-opener to watch them load our troop train aboard that ferry. It took 4 trips of the ferry to complete the job, for our train consisted of 12 coaches (Pullman) and 4 box cars, as well as kitchen car in the middle of the train. It took 4 sections like this to carry our entire regiment. We were in the third section. Col. Foreman rode with the last section consisting of Hdqrs Company and Supply Company. Wish I had time to tell you of all the interesting things we saw along the way. We were forebidden to write or mail any letters or cars from the train, so that will account for the reason you received no mail from me en route.
After leaving New Orleans, we rode on the Illinois Central to Jackson, Miss., Memphis, Tenn., Louisville, Ky., Jefferson, Indiana, Muncie, and then on the New York Central to Cleveland and Buffalo. From Buffalo, we took the Delaware, Lackwanna & Western to Hoboken, New Jersey, stopping on the outskirts of that city until an Erie locomotive pulled us the remaining 20 miles to Camp Merritt. At each big town where we stopped to take on water, etc., we would alight and do a little running for exercise and then close order drill and marching on the streets. And whenever and wherever we turned out like this, the population of the city or town cheered us most lustily and the women and children would come running up to the train giving us books and magazines and cigarettes. In Scranton, Pa., the Red Cross supplied us with baskets of tasty sandwiches and smokes of all sorts. We were all thrilled with the warm reception we received from all the populace along the entire route. No matter how far the R.R. tracks were from the center of town, crowds of people were always on hand to watch us and greet us as we passed through. This was especially true of Cleveland, for I never saw a more enthusiastic and patriotic group of people. Some even ran alongside our coaches for several blocks! I must admit to an admiration for the people of Cleveland for their warm and enthusiastic welcome... From Buffalo at about 2:00am one morning we took the finest railroad system in the country known as the Road of Anthracite -- The Lackawanna. We saw the coal mines of Scranton and received enthusiastic waves from coal miners with their illuminated caps and that was a thrill to all us. We soon came upon mountains of solid rock in New York and N. Jersey. This railroad system in places is cut through solid rock - mountains of it and very awesome and picturesque. The next morning we passed over a high trestle bridge and was afforded an excellent view of some very wonderful country and a great variety of scenery. New York is indeed a very beautiful state. The railroad just curved and wound right around the mountains. At one point, a great distance below us, we could see a beautiful valley with its well laid out farms and homes. It was almost like a picture with residences looking as small as doll houses - and even from a distance they all waved to us.
Last night I was picked as one of the unloading gang. We packed up the kitchen things in a truck and rode over to the camp. And now perhaps a description of the Camp is in order. It's only a 2 minute ride up a steep slope from the station at Kresskill. There are no tents - just 2 story barracks buildings with iron cots and real mattresses. Each building has a furnace for cold weather and all sewage is carried away through an efficient drainage system - utterly unlike the one we had at Camp Logan. These barracks are certainly designed for comfort with big airy rooms and plenty of windows affording a lot of sunshine during the day. In the kitchen they burn hard coal, instead of hard wood as we did at Camp Logan.
This is our first day here and we spent most of it in getting some washing done and taking a much needed bath and change of underwear. (And by the way -- HOT & COLD running water -- Oh you Draft Army!) This is a National Army Camp and you can believe thay have every modern convenience in their 'home away fro home.'
We are confined to Camp today, so can't go to New York. But we expect to get passes for 24 hours or overnight, just as soon as the big inspection is over and done with. We're only about 18 miles from New York and costs but 70 cents for the round trip - special rates for soldiers. We have been given to understand that no troops are kept here more than 1 week - so doubtless we'll soon be leaving for France or whereever our destination will be across the Atlantic.
It's after evening mess now and a bunch of the boys have received overnight passes to visit the Big Town. A couple of us expect to get ours within a day or two and then be on our way to see the Gay White Way and stand at the corner of 42nd and Broadway - about which Geo. M. Cohan has written so many songs. . Must close now... please give my love to Ina and the Fishers. Will write again soon to all.
Much love,
(signed) George
No comments:
Post a Comment