“I want to come home either well, or if I get killed, I would just as soon be planted in France…”
In his tenth letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, dated March 10, 1918, PFC Charles “Dutch” Riggle, a WWI soldier from Wheeling, WV, tells his brother James “Abe” Riggle that they are losing their captain, probably because he is being sent overseas. Just as Les Scott reported the day before (see podcast 37), Dutch believes they will keep the mules and not be motorized (with trucks). They’ll be heading to the artillery range on the James River. Dutch is looking forward to it. His battery beat the rest in firing practice, shooting 5,000 yards. He has a little chat with Les almost every day. The weather is warm and “dandy,” and more concrete roads are being built. Dutch thinks if the war isn’t over by July, “we will go over and try the Germans a crack.” He’s going to send a shell home for “old Boss” [possibly his sister, Minnie Riggle] to keep as an ornament.
Elsewhere on the same day, Günther Rall, who would become a prolific fighter ace for Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe in WWII (credited with 275 wins), was born, and the British hospital ship “Guildford Castle” with 450 wounded soldiers on board, was torpedoed by a German submarine in Bristol Channel, but made it to port.
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 tenth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, March 10, 1918.
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March 10, 1918 Letter Home – Charles Riggle to his brother James Riggle
Camp Lee
March 10 1918
Dear Brother JD Riggle
hello. recevid your letter a few days ago an was surly was to hear from you again an more than glad to hear that ever body is well out there. well abe these few lines leaves my hand to let you that i am well as could be an still felling good. the old army is pie for me but i am sorrow to tell you we are going to loose our captain. he leaves the first of the week. i dont know where he is going. i supose to france gee but i hate to see him go for he is a good fellow. i guess this regement wont be moterised after all. that what i hear now. if not we will be getting a lot of horses in rite away. it take over a hunderd horses for a battery an a hunderd an ninty four men. they will haft to get some more men to yet. this regement is going out about 18 miles from camp the tenth of next month to the artierly range on James river an camp there for one week. gee but i will injoy that. we will sleep in our little tents up there. well abe i saw less to day. he was on a bread wagon. less is all rite now working ever day. me an less general has a little chat ever day. well abe our batery beat the rest of the baterys in firing practice. made more hits. we was shooting 5000 yrds. i got a letter from G.W. kimbel today. he has rented him a big farm $300 rent. he said Bill an Joh nWaters has been examen an Bill pass but Jon didnt. he said Gail wasen’t dead in this letter. building concrete roads is about all the work that is going on here now. they are going a lot of that at the present. we are having awful nice weather here now. warm an dandy. the roads an ground is dried up. i was to the vaudeville thursday night at lake mont. it is a dandy good show. we havent got payed for the month of febuary yet. i supose we will the first of the week. they dident pay last month till the 12th. well i wrote so much since i came here. i havent got much to rite any more. ill bet that was a big funeral of Bill R wasnt it. i hate to hear tell of a case like that was. i bet Isaac an his morther did wory a great deal over his death. i want to come home eather well or if i get killed i would just as soon be planted in france. i think if the war hant over aganst July we will go over an try the germans a crack. i am willing to go any time now. i am going to send one of those shells home rite a way for the old boss to keep for a orniment. is your hens begain to lay any yet. i bet eggs is a good price now hant they. i will bring this letter to a close. for ever your brother
CE Riggle
Btry F 314 FA Camp lee Petters Burg VA
PS has Chas gettings been examin yet
Listen to Episode 38 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 March 10, 1918 episode: Music: “Medley of Southern airs,” Fred J. Bacon, banjo, 1920, http://www.loc.gov/item/00694032/]
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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