“I am getting all the wine I want over here. It is cheap here. 60 cent a quart. It wont hardly make a fellow light-headed but it is good-tasting. The whiskey is no good here. I never drink a drop of it…..”
In his twentieth letter home since leaving for Camp Lee, and his fifth letter home from France, dated January 26, 1919, PFC Charles “Dutch” Riggle, a WWI soldier from Wheeling, WV, tells his brother James “Abe” Riggle that, despite being homesick, he is well and hearty and feeling fine. They are stuck in France taking care of 107 horses and mules. Dutch wants to get back to farming by spring. He is getting all the cheap wine he wants but the French whiskey is no good. He still hasn’t heard anything about Les [the family back home received a death notice by telegram dated January 8]. He’s heard a rumor that Les died, and another rumor from Tib Meriner that Les was back at Camp Lee. He’s not sure when he’ll get to leave for home.
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 twentieth letter home, dated 100 years ago today, January 26, 1919.
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January 26, 1919 Letter Home – Charles Riggle to his brother James Riggle
Jan 26 1919
St Vinnermer
Dear Brother James & Boss
hello to you both. I seat my self with the pleasure trying to ansering your letter whitch I received yestard and I was awful glad to hear from you once more an glad to hear that you are both well. well aberham I am the same old dutch. well and hearty as can be an just felling fine. I suppose I would feel better if I was at home. I have been away so long now I have began to think I would like to see you all again before long. while the war was going on I never thought of home then but since the war is over it seems like we done our dudy here and we think they ought to bring us to the states. we are not doing a thing here only taking care of 107 horses and mules. we dont hardely have any drill any more. just take a little exircizes once in a while. well abe I would like to get home by the first of april so I could do some thing next year toward farming. if I come later I supose I can help you and tom a little. any way I am certinly losing money by being in the army but what do I care for that. I am getting all the wine I want over here. it is cheap here. 60 ct a quart. it wont hardly make a fellow light headed but it is good tasted. the whiskey is no good here. I never drink a drop of it. I never saw orvel or Bill here in france. and tell Boss I cant tell her any thing about less for sure. we herd he was at camp lee but it surly is a mistake if he was there. he surly would rite to you an if he was over here I think he would also rite to you. I believe if he was living he would drop me a few lines. He was hurt about the midle of oct I think. him an two other fellows was sleeping under the rashion cart when he was hurt. one of these fellow said he died on his way to the hospiatle an I was talking to one of the men in the supply co. he said captain of that co said less died but I am not telling you this for true news. it might be rong. I hope so any way. I hope that is correct about him being at camp lee. we herd he was there with a arm of. he got his arm broke in 2 places an his leg in one place an also was hit one place over the heart. he was badely hurt I guess but some time a person can be badely hurt an the doctors can bring a fellow on feet again. Tib Merner got the news that he was at camp lee. me an tib got through pretty lucky. we did get hurt once an we was in some pretty hard battles I’ll tell you. I wish I could tell you when I am coming home but I dont know when. it might be soon it might be a good while yet. so I will close for this time hoping these few lines find you all in good spiret when it arrives and also hope Boss will hear from Less. ans soon.
good Bye to all
I remain as ever your Brother
Chas Riggle
Bat F 314 FA
AEF Via NY
Listen to Episode 62 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 January 26, 1919 episode: “Hungarian Rag,” New York Military Band (performer), 1914, courtesy Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/00694028/ ]
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.
▶ To listen to the prior Camp Lee podcasts, visit our SoundCloud page. ▶ To learn about the background of this project and watch an introductory video about the podcast, click here.
