“I lay down besides my mules on a sack of straw and went asleep and my darned jackasses turned around in the road and broke my [wagon] tongue out…I think the leaders must of scared at me snoring…”
In his thirtieth 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 that he was glad to get the money. His mules were so startled by his snoring they broke his rig while he and Charles Lewis were hunting cedar trees. He fell asleep on his post, an offense he could be court-martialed for, but he’s confident no one will tell. They were two miles behind the rifle range when bullets splashed water on the men and one nearly hit Charles. He hopes Charles Miliken gets drafts because he “has a yellow streak up his back.” But not Charles Gettings.
Elsewhere on the same day there was heavy fighting both north and south of the Somme, a British Calvary advance in the Middle East with Ottoman Turks defeated and prisoners taken, and at Doullens, France, the British and French agreed to appoint Ferdinand Foch as an Allied Supreme Commander on the Western Front.
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 thirtieth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, March 26, 1918.
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March 26, 1918 Letter – Lester Scott to his sister, Minnie Riggle
March 26, 1918
Camp Lee, V.a.
Dear Sister,
Rec’d your letter yesturday and was glad to hear from you and was also glad to get the money. havnt spent it yet. we are having grand weather down here now. I suppose you are moving by this time. wish I could be up and help. Charles Lewis and I were out in the country about five mile today after cedar trees. there are going to be trees set out all over the camp. now I layed down besides my mules on a sack of straw and went asleep and my darned jackasses turned around in the road and broke my tung out and I never knew it was broke until I went to turn around. I think the leaders must of scared at me snoreing. Lewis said there was a truck passed me too. we were about two mile behind the rifle range this morning and some of the bullets splashed water on the boys that were grubbing the pines. one hit right beside Lewis in the ground. Behind me there was nothing there but cedar trees in a short time. oh yes I forgot to tell you that I could be tried by the court martial for sleeping on my post. but no one will know it only the ones that were on the detail and believe me there is never nothing told on one another here. I happened to have a extra tung with me so I put it in and went on. I guess we will not go to the embarkment camp until next week. we will only be gone five days. I think it will be great sport. will haft to come back to camp for subsistance every day. I was surprised to hear of Charles M. being put in class one. I dont like to wish any one bad luck but would like to see him come to but wouldn’t like to see Charles Gettings come. I figure that Milliken has a yellow streak up his back. tell me if you have heard anything from uncle sam when you answer.
well as it is about time to roll in I will close for this time hoping to hear from you soon.
Good Night. Good Luck.
your Brother
Listen to Episode 41 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.
Jeremy Richter is the voice of Lester Scott. 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 for March 26, 1918 episode: “Castle Walk,” Meacham, F. W. (composer); Dabney, [Ford] (composer); Prince’s Band, 1914, http://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100010714/]
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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