General Switcheroo - 5/6/1918

Camp Sheridan, Ala.

May 6th

My Dear Mother: - 

Rec. Dad's & Marion's letter today, also one from the Lion Store.

The 148th Amb. Co. received four recruits from Toledo last evening. I do not know who they are.

Wampold's had a fire Sunday morning, it burned nearly all of the upper roof off their house. I was up there for supper last evening. Did I tell you that their little girl was struck in the eye with a stone a couple of weeks ago. They were afraid she was going to lose the sight of the eye. However, it is OK now & the sight is as good as ever.

I met Robt. Alley the other night. He said he rec. your letter & that you asked why he had not written. He said there there are only about 65 prisoners in the stockade at present. Also that he had been kept quite busy. 

I think I told you sometime ago of the departure of Gen. Treat. Sometime this week his successor, Gen. O.O. Farnsworth takes command of the Buckeye Div. He hails from Camp Lee, somewhere in Virginia. 

Nothing else new. Feeling fine & dandy.

Love To All

Howard

General Charles S Farnsworth (near right), Camp Lee, June 1918, Wikipedia

Not sure what the O.O. stood for in Howards letter (operations officer?), but Howard was almost certainly referring to General Charles S. Farnsworth. Around this time, Farnsworth was promoted to major general and would soon lead the 37th Infantry Division to the Western front later that summer. (Spoiler alert!). By the time he retired in 1925, he had been awarded the distinguished service medal, silver star, croix de guerre, and legion of honor. 

I'm unsure what exactly happened with General Charles Treat. We was made a temporary major general as the Buckeye Division's first commander but was honorably discharged and returned to his rank of brigadier general on April 24, 1918. He went on to command the Western department that summer and then oversaw American troops in Italy into 1919.