“Minnie I often think to myself that it certainly must be a lonesome old place around their now since all of the boys have left. But I feel that there is a day coming and not far away when we will all be together again…”
In his fortieth letter home to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, says it’s a rainy day but all are in good spirits and happy. He talks with Charles [Riggle] and Tib [Meriner] every day. Tib has been promoted to sergeant. Les would like to hear from their father and is planning to write to him. He’s surprised that Tom [Riggle] didn’t pass the [draft] exam. he thinks Wheeling must be a lonesome place since all the boys are in France. But he feels they will all be together again soon.
Elsewhere on the same day, fighting along the front increased in violence and intensity as the German army made a stand. The New York Times declared, on a full page of photographs: “Win-the-War Spirit Runs High in Labor’s Greatest New York Parade.” And Derek Barton, a British chemist who would win the Nobel Prize in 1969, was born.
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 fortieth letter home, dated 100 years ago today, September 8, 1918.
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September 8, 1918 – Lester Scott Letter to Minnie Riggle
Sunday Sept 8 – 1918
Dear Sister
I will try to answer your welcome letter which I just received and was more than glad to hear from you. I wrote you a letter a few days ago but I havn’t any thing else to do today. I will write again. this is a raindy old day here but we are all in good spirit and happy as usual. I have a talk with Charles and Tib every evening. Tib is Sergeant now. the boys all like him fine. what is Dad doing now? I never hear from him. I am going to write him a letter as soon as I finish this one. I have been looking for a letter from Grace. think I will get one soon. I have been wondering if Frank has ever been called yet. Dutch was telling me that he received a letter from home and they said Tom didn’t pass the examination. I am rather suprised at that.
Minnie I often think to myself that it certainly must be a lonesome old place around their now since all of the boys have left. But I feel that there is a day coming and not far away when we will all be together again.
Well I believe this will be all for this time. I want to write a few more letters. but when you write tell me lots of news. your mail is not censored.
Good By Ans Soon
Wag Lester Scott
Supply Co.
314 F.A.
American E.F.
Via New York
Listen to Episode 58 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 September 8, 1918 episode: “Over There,” Cohan, George M. (composer), Murray, Billy (performer), 1917, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100010567/]
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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