“This surely is going to be the longest war we ever had. It surely has been some bloody fighting but I think the Germans is getting licked every day…”
In his thirteenth letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, dated April 22, 1918, PFC Charles “Dutch” Riggle, a WWI soldier from Wheeling, WV, tells his brother James “Abe” Riggle that he’s been at Camp Lee for seven months yesterday, and it feels like he might never leave. He thought sure he’d be in France by now. He was at the supply company with Tib Meriner to see Les [Lester Scott] and hear some music. Les had a borrowed fiddle that Tib could play some. He saw Bill Wallace, who is in the infantry. Dutch wants to know if Chas Gellings has been called yet. He saw where Chas Milliken was. The camp is full of rookies. They walk the fifteen miles to Dutch Gap, rain or shine. It rained so hard last time the fellows’ shoes were full of water. Yes, Dutch knew Jesse Bond Hewitt [a Marshall County boy who died of pneumonia at sea on March 19, 1918, after training at Camp Lee]. He was “a pretty good fellow” and Dutch’s good old friend. The people of Marshall County sent down a powerful bunch of tobacco. Dutch got twenty packs. There are about 100 Marshall County boys in the regiment. Dutch wants to know if James has broken the colts and started farming this spring. Dutch sent home a shell so James could see how those guns jar a fellow. Dutch thinks this will be the longest war we ever had, even though the Germans are getting licked.
Elsewhere on the same day, Baron Goto was appointed Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (ethnic Armenians, Georgians, and Azerbaijanis) declared independence and went to war with the Ottoman Empire. Future Major League Baseball star Mickey Vernon was born.
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 Battery F of 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 thirteenth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, April 22, 1918.
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April 22, 1918 Letter Home – Charles Riggle to his brother James Riggle
Bat F 314 FA Camp lee Va
Monday April 22 1918
Mr JD Riggle
Dallas WVa
Dear brother
received your letter a few days ago all OK an I am trying to ancer it this eving. well abe as these few lines leaves my hand they leave me as well as ever an still in bat F. it seems like we are never going to leave camp lee. we have ben here seven months yestard. when i came down here i low we would be in france by this time. me an tib merner was over to the suply co yestard eving where less stays an had some music. less has a fidle borroed from a feloow here. tib merner can play a fidle some. less is well an looking good. now there is a little talk of the boys getting a nother furlo. if they do less ought to be able to get ten days. he talk like if he got a chance to come he would come. i dont know wheather i would come again or not if i get a chance. yes I saw bill Wallace here last Sunday. me an tib was runing around with him. he is not in the arterly he is in the inftry. Has chas gellings been called yet. i saw where chas millken was called. they surly are going to train a bunch with soldered this sumer. this camp is sticking full of rookies now. that what we call the new fellows here. that was the rainiest day i ever was out. it rain all the way on us. it is fifteen miles an we walk all the way. it dident hurt a one of us to get wet. The fellows shoes was full of water when we get in. i think we are book up for dutch gap the first of the month again. surly is a dandy place to camp out there. yes i knowed Jessie Bond hewitte. he was in our for five month he was a corple in my second. he was a pretty good fellow. me an him was good old friend. he was well an hardey when he left this batery. the people from marshall county sent down the prowful bunch of tobacco last week. i got twenty 10 ct pack for my share. there is about 100 Marshall County boys in this reg. i surly aprecheate a gift like that. yes i think we will be here till fall. any way abe go over some Sunday an help TR to learn to run that auto for i would sooner to have it run a little as to set around. how are you getting along with your colts this spring. i supose you have got them broke good by this time. are you farming much this spring. you ought to do all you can handel for ever thing will be high this year yet. have you ever saw that shell i sent home. when you see it you will have some idie how those gun jar a fellow. this surly is going to be the longest war we ever had. it surly has been some bloody fighting but i think the germans is getting licked ever day. well abe i cant think of any news now.
i rote a letter to gold last night. i got 3 more to rite yet. one to GW cimble 1 to CB 1 to Bill R. an I will close fore this time hoping these few lines will find you well an injoying your self fine.
as ever your Brother
Chas E. Riggle
Good Bye
Bat F 314 FA
Camp lee Petersburg Va
Listen to Episode 45 of “From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle”
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From Camp Lee to the Great War: The letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle” is brought to you by Archiving Wheeling in partnership with the Ohio County Public Library (Wheeling, WV) and the Wheeling Academy of Law & Science (WALS) Foundation.
Vince Marshall is the voice of Charles Riggle. The letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle were transcribed by Jon-Erik Gilot. This podcast was edited and written by Sean Duffy, audio edited by Erin Rothenbuehler with music courtesy the Library of Congress.
[Music in April 22, 1918 episode: “Hail Columbia ; Star Spangled Banner,” 1914, courtesy Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100010368/]
Many thanks to Marjorie Richey for sharing family letters and the stories of her uncles, Lester Scott and Charles “Dutch” Riggle, WWI soldiers from West Virginia.
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