“What has become of Cleo?”
In his thirty-fifth 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, says he’s done some excellent firing at rifle practice, hitting four bulls eyes from 100 yards left-handed. Then he got seven out of ten hits right-handed. They have to shoot different distances from different positions. He shoulder was sore the next day. He got 18 out of 60 total shots in the bullseye. Les is unsure if he’ll get that furlough. Les now has a helper who has to do whatever Les tells him. He talks too much. Les says Jim is welcome to wear any clothes he left behind. Les wants to know what has become of his girlfriend Cleo.
Two days earlier on May 16, 1918, the U.S. Congress passed the Sedition Act, which prohibited “any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States … or the flag of the United States, or the uniform of the Army or Navy.” A serious challenge to the First Amendment, the Sedition Act was repealed in 1921. Elsewhere on May 18, 1918, British planes made air raids against German towns and a TNT explosion at the Aetna Chemical Co. in Oakdale, Pennsylvania killed 200 people.
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 thirty-fifth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, May 18, 1918.
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May 18, 1918 Letter – Lester Scott to his sister, Minnie Riggle
at Camp Lee
May 18 – 1918 – V.a.
Dear Sister,
will write you a few lines this eve to let you know I am well and hope you are all the same. have been looking for a letter from you for some time. expect I will get one tomorrow. well Boss, we are having some very warm weather here now. we was out for rifle practice Thursday. I did some excelent firing. the first five shots I got four bulls eye, 100 yards. I was firing left handed. you know that is just opposite from the way we have to shoot here and the captain stopped me. the reason of that is you cant shoot fast enough rapid fire. But I did nearly as well right hand. got seven hits the first ten rounds. we had three ranges. One 200, one 300 and one 100. we haft shoot in different positions. kneeling, standing, prone and lying down. Sacks and I had up a bet. I won the money. think I am second best yet. havint had rapid fire yet. if I could of got a little higher % I would of made first class. Believe me I had a sore shoulder the next day. would like to explain how the targets are arranged but would take to long. this is the shape. the bulls eye is 4 inches in diameter. I got 18 bulls in 60 shot. the target is 8 ft square. I think fix the dutch when I get over but I am afraid I will get tired of waiting. there are going to be four more of our old boys transferred. they didnt pass the O.S.S. examination. had slight ruptures. one of them are the fellows that Jim said looked like hook Simms. he is a fine fellow. we have a bunch of new fellows now. I dont know wither we will get another furlough or not. if not I will come back some time anyway. they cant get us all. I think Bill Riggle must be mistaken about the boys coming home to help on the farm. there were some of our boys tried it. us drivers have it soft now. have a helper. he has to do what ever we tell him. I have a good fellow. But is most to windy. well I suppose you and Jim are planting corn now. it is time at least. have you ever got the trunk yet. say Boss if I left any clothes that Jim can wear tell him to wear them but I forgot to tell you before. how is dad getting along. tell him I would of ans his letter but didn’t know where he was at. does he have any driving horse now. we lost one of our horses. got his leg broke. I saw a run off the other day. the horses run through a new ware house that was going up. one of them hit his head against a post and broke his neck. they were civilian horses.
well Boss it is time for lights out so I guess I had better quit. will write more just as soon as I hear from you again. think we will go back on the range next week. we will haft to have a good bit of training yet. what has become of Cleo?
will close hoping to hear from you soon.
From The Kid
Good night
Good luck
Listen to Episode 49 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 in May 18, 1918 episode: “Hungarian Rag,” New York Military Band (performer), 1914, 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.
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