Aug. 1, 1918
Dear Mother -
I haven’t received any papers that you said you were sending me, but I hope to receive them soon. An old maid by the name of Maria Savin that lives next to Mrs. Shortell sent me about a dozen of the Ansonia Sentinels newspapers. She is a very kind old lady. I used to have a lot of fun with her when I was in Ansonia and she got my address from Mrs. Shortell and sent them to me. In one of the papers it had the list of men that were in the service of Uncle Sam that were entitled to vote in Ansonia. Dis you receive the pictures I sent you and how did you like them? It don’t look as though I am starving, does it? I never felt better in my life. I hope you and Father are feeling the same. I received a letter from Aunt Mary and Aunt Jane the other day but owing to the shortage of time I haven’t answered. I am sending you a clipping of a New York paper about our division. I don’t know whether you saw it or not. We have just come out of the lines after a very successful trip. It certainly is wonderful to be in the lines and hear our cannons put a barrage into Fritzie’s troops. It is just like a thunderbolt which lasts maybe for hours or so, just one continuous roar. It makes a fellow rather shaky at first, but we get used to it after a while. The last three days we were in the line it either rained or it was so cold that we had to be very tired to get to sleep but generally we are tired enough when we get a chance to sleep. I won’t know how to get in bed when I get home. I’ll probably forget myself and go up and sleep in the barn or the woodshed or else think that the brook is a trench and go along looking for a dugout. We get used to sleeping anyplace we happen to stop, for instance lay down on an ant hill, or a stone pile in woods, in bushes, but it all goes to make a strong healthy soldier. Yesterday, I had a very good bath, the first one in almost two weeks and also had my clothes deloused and I feel about ten pounds lighter. Our cook is cooking doughnuts for us doughboys and they taste pretty good especially with the appetite we have in the army. Well, I have got to get on the job, will write soon. Hoping to hear from you soon. I remain,
Your Son
