“P.S. Boss don’t you worry while me and Less is gone, for we will be back in about a year from now. Ha Ha!”
In his fourteenth letter home from Camp Lee, Virginia, dated May 6, 1918, PFC Charles “Dutch” Riggle, a WWI soldier from Wheeling, WV, tells his brother James “Abe” Riggle that he’s as well as ever and having a good time eight miles from Camp Lee on military police duty. They are guarding an electrical power plant, a waterworks, and a bridge across the Appomattox River. It’s a dandy place to fish. The plant supplies electricity and water for Camp Lee. It’s “90 degrees in the shade,” but they have a swing to jump in the river. He says Les [Lester Scott] is “driving mules every day.” If Charles Gettings is sent to Camp Lee, Dutch wants him to look him up. He’s still with Tib Meriner, a “dandy good fellow.” Dutch supposes Walter Toland is showing his courage now in France. He thinks we’ve got a good Army of a million men in France and even though they are not fighting much now, the Germans will get licked soon.
Just a few days prior on May 2, 1918, British and French military leaders argued at a meeting in Abbeville over the entry of U.S. troops into the conflict. American soldiers were arriving at the rate of 120,000 per month, but as Charles Riggle noted in his letter, very few were yet involved in fighting despite the ongoing German Spring Offensive. General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), resisted giving the Allies power to command his troops. Pershing reached a compromise, allowing one third of U.S. troops to join the effort by July. The remainder would benefit from more training. These decisions would have important repercussions for Wheeling PFCs Charles Riggle and Lester Scott and their comrades in arms.
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 fourteenth letter from Camp Lee, dated 100 years ago today, May 6, 1918.
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May 6, 1918 Letter Home – Charles Riggle to his brother James Riggle
May 6 1918
Camp Lee Petersburg Va
Batery F 314 FA
Dear brother
I received your letter a few days ago all rite. was glad to hear from you again. i am siting in my tent this hot aftern trying to ancer your letter. i am well as ever an having a good time. we are about eight miles from camp lee this week doing some miltary poloice dudy. there is only 22 of our bat out there. i think we will go back in to camp Sunday. we are gurding the eleric power plant an a big bridge across the athematick river. it is dandy place to fish in the river. our tents isent a hunder feet from the river. we are only 2 miles from Petersburg. i walk my post last night an i am not doing any thing today only swinging. we have a dandy swing rite here an also good water to drink. we gurd the waters works to. this plant furnish lights an water for camp lee. it was 90 degrees in the shade here yestard. that pretty warm for may isent it. i supose you are thinking about planting corn pretty soon hant you? JR seems to be pretty slow about getting his oats sowed. Ocie an miss conord was down but i dident get to see them. i am well aquanted with dave an tom. one of them is in suply co oen is in hdq co. less is driving mules ever day. he is well an looking good. i saw him Sunday morning before i came over here but i dident have time to talk to him much. i dont think he knew i came over here. there was about 50 men transfered from Bat F last week to 319 inftry. they was very near all new fellow. 4 or 5 old fellow went with them. they had dave condered up but they wouldent have him on the count of his fingers being of. tell Chad getting if he come to camp lee to hunt me up for i surly would like to see him. has Chas Milliken went to camp yet. garret blake surly will hate to see frank leave him. well abe some times i think i would like to be in france. i have been in one place long anoug to suit me. gee but this is going to be a hot place here this sumer. me an tub merine is still to geather an il tell you he is a dandy good fellow. i supose Walter Toland is showing some of his braveness now in france. we surly got a good army over there now. I hear we got a millian men over there now but i dont think they are fight very much yet. i think the german will get licked before long. well abe news is scarce an i am to lazy to right. i will quit hoping these few lines will find you an boss well.
as ever your brother
good Bye
Chas E Riggle
PS Boss dont you wory while me an less is gone for we will be back in about a year from now ha ha
Listen to Episode 47 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 May 6, 1918 episode: “Junk Man Rag,” Roberts, [Luckyeth] (composer), Victor Military Band (performer), 1913, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100010646/]
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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