Don't Forget to Write - 5/21/1918

 

Camp Sheridan

Tues 3:30 P.M.

My Dear Mother:

We (Norman DeMunn & myself) have left our old home and are at the 145th Inftry Medical Detachment waiting until 6:00, when we expect to entrain. 

From now on our address shall be as follows. (I mean by this, from the time we leave this country).

Howard J. Good, 1540490, Wagoner.

Camp Infirmary No. 4

112th Sanitary Train

37th Division

American Expeditionary Forces

In case we become permanently attached to any outfit, the name of the outfit & its whereabouts will be added. 

Be sure to give Leona a copy of the address & tell her that it is to be used only after we leave this country. 

Don't forget to write to Wampolds & thank them for their kindness. 

For the present address my mail

Howard J. Good, Wagoner

Camp Infirmary No. 4

37th Division

c/o 145th Infantry Medical Detachment

Camp Lee

Virginia

Also give Leona this address for use at present. 

Feeling fine & full of Pep.

Love to All

Howard

 As I was doing some research into American World War I era mail, I first assumed that I would learn the centralized address for troops was simply because they were always on the move. In reality, the military was preserving the confidentiality of their locations, even from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The Military Postal Express Service (MPES) had only been created a month before Howard sent this letter. While the MPES preserved many of the same processes as the USPS, it allowed the War Department to keep troop locations "in house". Mobile MPES moved with troops and did not reveal their locations to the distribution centers until camp was set up. Howard would have received his daily mail along with his rations and was able to send mail back home for free. 

https://info.mysticstamp.com/the-military-postal-express-service_tdih/ 

Last Parcels from Camp Sheridan - 5/20/1918

Camp Sheridan

Montgomery, Ala.

May 20, 18

My Dear Mother: - 

Well, we are completed loaded, our individual baggage & everything. 

We will leave tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M. if the coaches come in . If not we will leave Wednesday. 

I have Elmer Calisch a pair of cotton trousers, a hat, pair of leggins, & two medical books to send home. 

Also I am enclosing some pictures, I am sending Leona a print of each.

I rec. Dad's letter with the $10 O.K. It will come in very useful. I am very much obliged and the package of stationery arrived O.K. 

E. Calisch will send the things I have him before he leaves, to S.M. Jones Co. via Express collect & his folks will send for the articles which belong to him. 

Well I must close & drop Leona a few lines. I rec. a dandy letter from her yesterday. 

Feeling fine & dandy

Love to All

Howard

The above undated photo is from Camp Funston, Kansas, but it gives you an idea of what Howard and his buddies might have looked like sending out all of their extra gear as they prepared to take one step closer to the front. 

Just a few weeks before this letter, the U.S. started the Military Postal Express Service, which might have been what Howard used to send his and Elmer's things back home. This allowed soldiers to send mail for free or gave their parents the wonderful gift of paying for it when it returned home. 

Literally Tons to Pack - 5/17/1918

Camp Sheridan

May 17th

My Dear Dad: - 

This will probably be the last letter your shall rec. from me, postmarked Camp Sheridan, Ala.

I rec. Mother's letter of May 14th. 

We worked from 5:30 A.M. till 8:30 tonight putting the finishing touches on our equipment. The equipment of each Camp Infirmary exclusive of our personal equipment, is 28 boxes & crates, ranging in weight from 45 pounds to 2,090 pounds. There are 5 boxes & crates weighing from 45 to 65 lb. 16 b. & c. weighing 93 to 110 lb. Several weighing about 250 lb. My wagon is all apart & crated, it weighs 2090 pounds, exclusive of wheels, which weigh 610 lb (crated separate). The wagon complete, exclusive of four sets of harness weighs 2700 lb. We have two of the wagons loaded on the train (we did it today & we load our Medical Supplies tomorrow. 

As far as we can learn we leave with the 145th Infantry Regiment, on Monday or Tuesday. We think we are going to Camp Lee, Va. 

I understand that they only allow the soldiers to write a couple letters a week, while on "Over sea" services, so if that is the case, I will write a letter home one week & write to Leona the next week, then that will allow me to write one letter a week to my friends. 

Don't send any mail to this camp after Monday or Tuesday for I feel sure I shall not be here to receive it. By the way, I also rec. the magazines today. 

Well, I don't know where, we will be be sent when we leave this country but we are all curious to get over there and assist in hurrying the close of this damned war. 

You would be surprised could you have seen the change the "Pep" of this Div. when the orders come to move. Everybody is full of pep and anxious to get moving. 

Well I am too tired to write any more so will close.

I was very sorry to hear of the death of Mr. Nelson. He was a very good friend of mine & was very kind to me. 

Feeling fine & Dandy

Love to All

Your Son,

Howard

I found this fun memory book that the men from the Buckeye Division created, mixing essays of memories of their time together along with cartoons. I'm sure this won't be the last time that I reference it! As the 37th got ready to leave Camp Sheridan, it's strange to think that they would eventually become nostalgic for this place, considering all they really wanted to do was leave. It sounded like Montgomery treated them pretty well. The men could ride street cars into town, where they enjoyed peanut stands, soft drink parlors, and "real theaters and motion-picture theaters." 

When I first started exploring what solider life was like at Camp Sheridan, the description of tents and mess halls seemed primitive compared to Howard's old life in comfortable Toledo. However, the "boys" looked back fondly at things that were comparative luxuries to what they would encounter in Europe. They sang the praises of "regular" tents, "chow" at the mess hall, and "shower baths where hot water burst from spouts." 

Adopted Prison Guard Pen Pal - 5/16/1918

 Knights of Columbus

War Activities

Camp Sheridan Ala

May 16, 1918

Mrs. J. S. Good, 

Dear War Mother

It is with great pleasure I drop you a few lines to let you know I am well and getting along all O.K. The only thing is I will not be in this camp long and pray to God to be with me at all time and let me come back to this country with Victory. I received your letter and picture and the picture is great of you - and I wish that some day we will be together as we were at Xmas time by the grace and love of the Lord we will be back. I have been so busy I have not had time to think. You have got a fine garden but we have to leave if for some time else. I wish some of this poor people had some of the garden to have good things to eat and enjoy. Well Dear War Mother I will get some pictures taken and send one to you and when the war is over come to see you for a day or so. The Capt. Doctor has came down this morning and said we would be on our way very soon and I pray it is so and have it over that we may get back so the son may be with their mothers again for the mother is the dearest thing in the world to all for when she is gone, it seems as this world has closed its door on you. Well Mrs. Good write soon for I do not know just when we are going now. So I will close with love to you.

Yours Truly

Corp? Y. Alley (?)

Prison Guard

Camp Sheridan

Montgomery Ala

c/o Dir. Stockade

Well, obviously this is not Howard. The writer's handwriting (and quite honestly, preference for run-on sentences) was much more difficult for me to read, and I couldn't even really be sure of his name. I tried to see if there was some sort of special mom / adult orphan pen pal club during that time. I only found a reference to a French program that quickly turned from matronly godmothers to harlots and spies. 

Regardless, I found it very sweet that Effie was donating her time to write and apparently inviting this young man to her garden at a later date. It sounds like she met him at Christmastime when she visited Howard. It makes me wonder if he was one of Howard's friends - maybe it helps to have friends in low places like the stockade? However, the fact that he never mentioned Howard in his letter makes me think that this may have been some sort of organized way to build morale with the soldiers. 

Loading Up the Mules - 5/16/1918

Same place

May. Thurs.

My Dear Mother: - 

Rec your photograph yesterday O.K. Thank you very much. 

We are almost ready to leave. Our mules will be turned in, in a a couple of days. Lt. Peabody says that we are to load our property on the train about Sunday, and as far as we can learn we will probably be sent to Camp Lee, Va. & will embark at Newport News. 

We will have to work nights in order to finish our packing. 

Feel fine.

Love to All

Howard

Unloading mules from the train into pens at Newport News

In another adventure in "things I never thought I would Google," I learned all about how Americans supplied most of the mules used in the war effort, including in support of British and French troops. I found photos that showed mules being loaded onto railroad freight cars and a video that mentioned there would be 16 horses to a car. The same video showed them being walked individually down the gangplank of ships. As they were marched down the quays, it looked like they were harnessed together five mules wide while one person tended them. 

Counting the Days until Departure - 5/15/1918

 C.S. Ala

May 15th

My Dear Mother: - 

Your letter received yesterday and Marion's the day before. 

We are head over heels in our work of getting ready to leave. Just how many more weeks, (or days) we will remain here, we do not know.

They did not place a quarantine over the entire camp, so we can still go to town. 

The strap on my wrist watch became rotted from perspiration so I bought one of those web (cloth) straps for it. Will get it tonight. 

Well dinner is being served so will go to eat.

Feeling great.

Love to All

Howard

1918 Elgin U.S. Army Black Star Dial Trenchwatch

The watch above may very well have been the same model that Howard had, although we can't be sure. The Elgin Trenchwatch was sold at post offices or military bases. Wrist watches may seem like a regular part of life in this day and age, but Howard was most likely wearing a watch because he was a solider. According to Wikipedia, the military made the practical switch from pocket watches to wrist watches at the end of the 19th century, but the civilians who wore them were mostly women who considered them more as bracelets. That all began to change as World War 1 made wrist watches among military men more common place. Watchmaker H. Williamson Ltd. said in 1916 that, "It is said that one soldier in every four wears a wristlet watch, and the other three mean to get one as soon as they can." By the time Howard wrote this letter, it would have been standard for most soldiers to wear a watch, which helped the general public see wrist watches an manly. 

Rumblings of Troops on the Move - 5/12/1918

 C.S. Ala.

May 12, 1918

Dear Mother: - 

I have not received a letter from home for several days. Also, have I not written any letters the last couple days. Here is the reason. 

This Div. is preparing to move. The first brigade is expected to start moving sometime within the next week or ten days, and with it are to go four Camp Infirmaries. I think I shall leave with them, as I am in one of the first four C.I.'s. The report is that the Camp Infirmaries are to move the latter part of this week. I shall drop you a wire as soon as I learn definitely about our departure. We have been very busy packing our equipment & labelling our boxes, etc. with "American Expeditionary Forces."

I had supper last evening at Wampolds, as the camp goes under quarantine again today. 

We expect to get our oversea physical exam the first part of this week. So unless something happens, I shall not be in Ala much longer. 

Mrs. Wampold fell down some steps at the Mont. Red Cross Bldg and injured both arms, she has been in bed a couple of days & expects to be able to get around in a few days. I think you owe her a letter for the kindness they have shown me (M. Wampold, 42 S. Montgomery St.)

We have turned in our overcoats, woolen coats & trousers, woolen underwear, heavy woolen socks & comforters to be packed & cleaned for our use next winter. 

Furloughs were stopped several days ago. The 112th Engineers were 2 1/2 days out on an eight day hike & were ordered to return under a forced march, so I guess something is going to happen soon. 

I am all ready to go and don't think I could use a single thing from home, unless it would be a little money. 

I never felt better in my life. 

Love to All

Howard

112th Engineers, Dec. 1917

This one gutted me. In the five-year-gap between this round of letters and the last, my little boys have grown into young men. The thought of Howard being only five years younger than my oldest son and preparing to go to war is stomach-turning. All of that, and I know that there is a happy ending where Howard comes home safe from the war to marry my great-grandmother Leona. After additional research for this post, I also learned that Howard would have been among the last in his division to be sent to battle. Regardless, poor Effie would have felt powerless and terrified, just like millions of other mothers across the U.S. and Europe.

This is the first mention of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), which General Pershing commanded starting in 1917 along the Western front. I'll be honest - up until now, words like division, brigade, infantry, etc. were all just nebulous military words. As Howard gets ready to head into battle, I thought it would be helpful to educate myself about Howard's place in the army. Hoping I got this right!

• The Ohio National Guard was one of only a few states whose national guards formed a complete division. The 37th Division was therefore nicknamed the Buckeye Division.
• As the U.S. entered the war, the Ohio National Guard transitioned from the old-school organization of regiments into one of Pershing's "square" divisions. I believe that Howard was a member of the Divisional Troops, which were the last in the battle line behind the 73rd Infantry Brigade, the 74th Infantry Brigade, and the 62nd Field Artillery Brigade, completing the "square". 
• The 112th Train Headquarters and Military Police were likely in the same brigade of divisional troops as the 112th Engineers that he refers to here on the hike. 
• According to letterhead in previous posts, Howard was a part of the 112th Sanitary Train, which was the last group of troops to be formally sent into battle.
• Howard served in the 148th Ambulance Company alongside the 145th Ambulance Company, the 147th Ambulance Company, and the Field Hospitals.