Letters From The Boys

As part of The Saratogian’s series of letters from local soldiers stationed in the U.S. and Europe Mildred Dorland shares a letter her brother, Sgt. Walter H. Dorland, sent from France on February 24.

“I am very glad to say that I had a most enjoyable trip, far better than my fondest dreams ever were,” Walter writes, “Of course I am not off the boat yet, but land is not over two feet from where I am writing.”

Two paragraphs later Walter makes a correction. “I made a mistake when I said we were only two feet from land, as we are closer now. We are stuck on the bottom of the river. I just went up on deck and saw that we had pulled out into the center of the stream and stopped.

“I soon found out that we were so heavily loaded that we dragged on the bottom. Perhaps we soldiers will have to get out and walk so that the boat can continue.”

Lt. Robert H. Ledlie is still waiting to cross the Atlantic. He wrote directly to The Saratogian on March 23 from Camp Sevier in Greenville SC.

“The camp is very well located at the foot of the mountains with good water,” Ledlie writes, “The nights are always cold, and the days perhaps like June in Saratoga. There are several different organizations here, infantry, etc., which are being trained in all classes of modern war work, so we are able to see grenade practice, battery practice and trench work. These I am unable to explain to you as it is against regulations.”

Ledlie expected to start out for Garden City, Long Island last week, but transportation was unavailable. From a visiting French officer he learned that his unit will be stationed “from five to twelve miles back of the front line, where the Boche [i.e. the Germans] trains gas and shrapnel, and in case we are needed we will be required to act as infantry; so you see this war is for everybody and there will be no sightseeing parties.”