Archiving Wheeling

77 Articles

Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling, WV

Archiving Wheeling is a collaborative community project of the Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling, WV.

Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: November 16, 1917 – Lester Scott

Archiving Wheeling November 16, 2017November 18, 2017 1 Comment 1915 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 11

“Maybe I didn’t have some fun at Petersburg today hallowing at the girls…”

In his eighth letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, writes about how he hopes to be home for Christmas, how he is driving two pairs of mules, a fellow mule driver from West Liberty named Calvin Davis, how fine the weather has been, and a few other odds and ends about everyday life at camp.

Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, where so many Wheeling soldiers were trained. And, like so many of his Ohio Valley comrades, he served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his eighth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, November 16, 1917.

Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: November 5, 1917 – Lester Scott

Archiving Wheeling November 5, 2017November 16, 2017 Leave a Comment 2007 Views

“If you could see this training camp you would not think Germany would last long…”

In his seventh letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, writes, rather humorously, about his adventures in guard duty, including encounters with a soldier who refused to wear his uniform and another who was inebriated. Lester is happy to note that the “mule skinners” finally have their mules and will be able to start driving them. He talks about sending pictures home of the Ohio County boys. He requests “mince pie” and refers again to Minnie’s brother-in-law Dutch Riggle, who has “gained 15 lbs.” Lester talks about a soldier with poor hygiene who is disliked by the other men, and he mentions the liberty bonds he has signed over to his sister, in case anything should happen to him.

Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, where so many Wheeling soldiers were trained. And, like so many of his Ohio Valley comrades, he served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his seventh letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, November 5, 1917.

Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: November 2, 1917 – Charles Riggle

Archiving Wheeling November 2, 2017November 3, 2017 Leave a Comment 2426 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 09

“We was lucky to get in the field artillery. It is the safest place a soldier can get in the army…”

For content, PFC Charles “Dutch” Riggle’s third letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, dated November 2, 1917, is one of the best in this series. In it, he tells his brother James “Abe” Riggle, about how training camp has made him bigger and stronger and how it has changed their brother-in-law Lester into a “brute of a man.” Dutch expresses his concerns about having to go to France now that the “Germans are going after the Italians.” Interestingly, Dutch comments on the 7,000 black soldiers that have recently arrived in camp. Some of them are singers. Dutch has been shoeing mules (brother-in-law Lester is a mule driver) to drive the guns, but Dutch fears the mules will be replaced by motors, which “won’t take much shoeing.” Dutch talks about training (plenty of foot work but not much gun training) and guard duty, and thinks the field artillery to be “the safest place a soldier can get in the army.” Both Dutch and Lester served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division. The infantry and machine guns would be ahead of him on the battlefield, providing some cushion. Dutch says there are three field artillery regiments with six companies in each. He ends by turning to subjects back home, including his hounds, his brother’s potato crop, and coming home for Christmas.

Charles “Dutch” Riggle was drafted into the US Army in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, Virginia, where so many Wheeling draftees and volunteers—including his sister-in-law Minnie Riggle’s brother, Lester Scott—were trained. Dutch Riggle was a Private First Class in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, in France.

Riggle was a farm boy with little formal education who grew up in the hills of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He spelled many of his words phonetically. His letters have been transcribed exactly as they were written. This is his third letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, November 2, 1917.
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Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: November 2, 1917 – Lester Scott

Archiving Wheeling November 2, 2017January 2, 2018 Leave a Comment 1352 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 08

“Think it is a false about the Germans doing so much…”

In his sixth letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, informs his sister that rumors of his illness and hospitalization are “a bad mistake.” In fact, he feels better than he ever has in his life. He discusses a recreational trip away from camp during which many games were played and how all the mule drivers have been moved to the same barracks. He promises to have a picture taken to send home. He doesn’t think he’ll be in any danger hauling supplies but believes the American troops will “scatter” the Germans. He mentions Dutch Riggle, the brother of his sister’s husband, and our second letter writer, who is also at Camp Lee.

Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, where so many Wheeling soldiers were trained. And, like so many of his Ohio Valley comrades, he served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his sixth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, November 2, 1917.
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Archiving Wheeling

From Camp Lee to the Great War: October 29, 1917

Archiving Wheeling October 29, 2017 Leave a Comment 1486 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 07

Lester Scott to his sister, Minnie Riggle: “This is the best bunch of boys I ever was with…”

In his fifth letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, discusses his first five weeks at Camp Lee. Topics include how much he enjoys driving mules (he’s been given a steady job hauling supplies for $3 per month), how taking care of the mules reminds him of caring for his colts back home, an early snowfall in the Valley, Lester’s painful boxing match with Charles Lewis from Elm Grove, the postcards he sent home, and the “moving pictures” he’s looking forward to seeing. The letter is signed “Scotty.”

Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, where so many Wheeling soldiers were trained. And, like so many of his Ohio Valley comrades, he served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his fifth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, October 29, 1917.
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Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: October 21, 1917

Archiving Wheeling October 21, 2017October 22, 2017 Leave a Comment 1495 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 06

Lester Scott to his sister, Minnie Riggle: “I would start to France today if could…”

In his fourth letter home from Camp Lee to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, describes, somewhat boastfully, the details of his rather filling dinner, his eagerness to be sent to France to the war, and his prowess at guard duty. He tells Minnie about how much her brother-in-law, Dutch (Charles Riggle), enjoys being at camp. He then talks about buying liberty bonds, asks how the corn cutting is going, and compares the weather back home to what he expects in Virginia, where there “are no hills to break the wind.” While the other men are homesick, Lester declares himself “very well contented.”

Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, where so many Wheeling soldiers, including Charles “Dutch” Riggle, the brother of his sister Minnie’s husband James, were trained. And, like so many of his Ohio Valley comrades, he served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his fourth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, October 21, 1917.

Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: October 20, 1917

Archiving Wheeling October 20, 2017October 22, 2017 Leave a Comment 1750 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 05

Charles “Dutch” Riggle to his brother, James: “Dear sir…”

In his second letter home, dated October 20, 1917, PFC Charles “Dutch” Riggle tells his brother James about the drilling at Camp Lee, how farming suits him better than Army life, how he misses the sounds of the fox hunts, and how everything is overpriced at camp.

Riggle was a farm boy with little formal education who grew up in the hills of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He spelled many of his words phonetically. His letters have been transcribed exactly as they were written. This is his second letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, October 20, 1917.
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Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: October 8, 1917

Archiving Wheeling October 8, 2017October 22, 2017 Leave a Comment 1682 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 04

Lester Scott to Minnie Riggle: “How are you all…”

In his third letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, inquires about seasonal activates at home, in this case, the annual corn cutting and rabbit hunting. He also talks about the relatively new phenomenon of electric lighting and details some of the drilling, training, and educational activities taking place at the camp. The content of this letter is a good example of a typical American soldier’s letter home regardless of the era. From the Revolutionary War through the present – the familiar is what is most missed.

Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, where so many Wheeling soldiers were trained. And, like so many of his Ohio Valley comrades, he served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, October 8, 1917.

Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: September 30, 1917

Archiving Wheeling September 30, 2017October 22, 2017 Leave a Comment 1591 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 03

Lester Scott to Minnie Riggle: “Dear Sister,”

A World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, Virginia, where so many Wheeling draftees and volunteers were trained. Scott served as a Wagoner (mule team driver) in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his letter home from Camp Lee, September 30, 1917.

Archiving Wheeling Ohio County Public Library Archives WALS Foundation

From Camp Lee to the Great War: September 29, 1917

Archiving Wheeling September 29, 2017October 22, 2017 Leave a Comment 1478 Views

From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle: Podcast Episode 02

Dear Brother . . .

Riggle was a farm boy with little formal education who grew up in the hills of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He spelled many of his words phonetically. His letters have been transcribed exactly as they were written. Dutch, who arrived in Petersburg, Va. on September 21, 1917, sent the below letter home to his brother James following his first week in Camp Lee. Read More