“Somewhere in France…It’s is a nice country alright. It’s no wonder the French is fighting so hard for it…”
In his sixteenth letter home (his first from France after fifteen from Camp Lee) dated June 22, 1918, PFC Charles “Dutch” Riggle, a WWI soldier from Wheeling, WV, tells his brother James “Abe” Riggle, in a letter addressed “Somewhere in France,” that the weather is dandy and that he likes France just fine, but he’s not sure how he will like it when he gets “into the scrap.” He says the “trip across the pond” was a long one. Les got a little seasick. The Germans are getting about all they want now. He hopes to finish the war in time to make the rabbit hunt in fall.
Elsewhere on the same day, a horrific train wreck occurred near Hammond, Indiana when an engineer fell asleep, allowing his locomotive to crash into another. The Hammond Circus Train Wreck killed 86 people, many of them circus performers, in one of the worst such disasters in American history.
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 sixteenth letter home, dated 100 years ago today, June 22, 1918.
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June 22, 1918 Letter Home – Charles Riggle to his brother James Riggle
Some where in France
June 22 1918
Dear Brother
I am trying to penn you a few lines this nice eving to let you know I am well an feeling fine an hope you are the same when these few lines come to hand. we surly are having some dandy weather here now. not much rain. I dont believe it is as warm here as it is back in West Va. well abe I like this country fine at the present time. I dont know how I will like it when I get into the scrap but I think I wont mind it much. I hop not any way. we been over here quite a while now. i ought to wrote you sooner but I have not wrote to any body since i came over here only home. ge but that some long trip across the pond. I never got a bit sick on the water but less got a little sick. he is all rite now. I think he like it pretty good here to. it is a nice country all rite. it no wonder the French is fighting so hard for it. well abe I think the germans is getting about all they want now. I havent saw less for a few days. I supose he has wrote you before this time. well abe I wish we could finish this war in time to take a rabit hunt this fall. you know i dident get hunt last fall. we get plenty of chewing an smoking an eating here. we dont get quite so many nic nac as we did at camp lee. well abe dont loose a minutes sleep over me for i am getting along good as ever.
your brother Dutch
good bye
Bat F 314 FA
A.P.O. 7.0.1
American EF
via New York
OK 2nd Lieut
314 FA
Ans real soon
So long
Hello to Everbody
P.S. Ill tell you the news if i ever get home
Listen to Episode 54 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 June 22, 1918 episode: “Castle Valse Classique,” [Europe, James Reese] (composer), [Dabney, Ford] (composer), Metropolitan Military Band (performer), 1916, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100010721/]
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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My Grandfather Early R Looney was at Camp Lee with F Battery 314th. I have a picture of the Battery at Camp Lee. Interested?
Yes sir. Very interested.