Letter addressed to Jeremiah G. Guildin, [of Colebrookdale Township, Berks County], written from St. Louis at the time of the Mexican War by his brother A. R. Guildin
Dear Brother
Besides the inclination to have to write to you, I am happy to state that I am still in good health. I received your letter of May 7, when I was in New Orleans. I left Louisiana the day your letter came. I went on the steamboat Concordia to New Orleans and landed just when the news came from Texas that General Taylor had a battle with the Mexicans. The citizens of New Orleans celebrated by firing two cannon as fast as they could be loaded for half an hour. Next morning men began to volunteer in every corner of the city and next day I went down to the barracks where already 1,000 soldiers were in ranks ready for Texas.
I visited the battle ground where Old Hickory Jackson whipped the British.
I took the steamboat Corinne from New Orleans to St. Louis. It took seven days to go 1200 miles. Passage is very cheap now, only $8 from St. Louis to Pittsburgh.
Wages are getting higher. Many young men are going to Texas as deck hands on steamboats. They get as his as $40 and $45 a month.
When I came to St. Louis I found Levi Need. He is boarding at the St. Louis tavern. He is not coming home till next fall. Maybe he undertook another house to build. He was well all last winter.
The war business makes a great uproar. They are volunteering everywhere. Last Sunday 260 soldiers left St. Louis on the steamboat Convoy. They are about raising 1500 mounted volunteers for Santa Fee and New Mexico. In this town they have a great many already. I don't know whether I shall go yet or not. It might easy be Lv.R--. If not I will go to work tomorrow and may stay here a long while as I like the place.
Write very soon, your brother, A.R. Guildin.
Additional items in this edition include:
Private Daniel E. Reppert, attached to an infantry division, who was previously reported killed in action on July 16, at Chateau Thierry, has now been located in a base hospital recovering from wounds received in action on July 20. This glad news was received by Miss Anna Reppert, 20 West Philadelphia Avenue, Boyertown, from the War Department.
The name of Clinton R. Nyce, son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Nyce, of this place, appears in Friday's casualty list as severely wounded. He is a member of Co. L. 166th Infantry, went over the top with his company eleven times and was wounded on Nov. 9 two days before the armistice was signed in the battle of the Argonne Forest.
A letter was received from Cadet Frederick Spatz in France this week. It was the first his parents had heard from him in seven weeks. He had expected to be sent home before Christmas, but was disappointed. He is alive and well, also happy. Together with two other cadets he is traveling about the American soldiers camps in France and Germany entertaining soldiers with music and song. Training and drilling has been stopped for the present, and there is very little flying done by Americans. He has no hopes of being sent home before next July.
Privates Warren and Walter K. Grim of 607 Aero Squadron, Fort Wayne, Detroit, Michigan, who spent ten days furlough in town to attend the funeral of their grandfather, Henry F. Koch, and also to visit their mother, Mrs. Agnes S. Grim, Second Street left town for camp again.
Daniel Yoder, sailor on the U. S. Shawmut, is visiting his parents Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Yoder. He has not been home for nine months. He addressed several gatherings in town during this week and will speak at the sing in the Lyric next Tuesday.
Stuart Wien, who had been ship wrecked on the coast of France during the war, is home on short furlough. He is now stationed at New York, and is ordered to report there again this Saturday.
Nicholas Kaukarison now in France sent home a pair of French wooden shoes, which are on exhibition at his former place of business here.
Arthur and Raymond Magners, sons of Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Magners, who were located in the state of Washington, were mustered out of service and returned home. Both young men are in the best of health.
Private Paul Wolf, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Wolf, arrived in town having been mustered out of service. He was located at Mason City, Iowa when he entered the army. For some time he was located at a camp at Georgia.
Lieut. Dr. Miller, of St. Clair, a friend of Dr. F. L. Baum, who was located at Camp Greenleaf, Georgia was the guest of the latter for several days. Dr. Miller will locate at Collegeville.
Sergeant Murray Crull, at Camp Dix was taken ill and his wife and his father, Dr. Lewis Crull, went over to see him yesterday.
Walter S. Manwiller, Camp Greene, Georgia, is home on a ten day furlough. He is in the medical service in a base hospital. He has no hopes of being discharged at an early date.
Never before in the history of cigar making were the cigar makers employed at the Otto Eisenlohr & Bros. Inc., so busy as in the past six months. Since June 15, 1918, this firm has manufactured 3,200,000 Cinco and Henrietta cigars for the United States Government. The present order of 1,900,000 was inspected by the revenue inspector for export. These cigars are sold to the boys at $1 and $1.50 a box of 25 cigars, overseas.
The 77 acre farm on which is a saw mill, property of the late Ambrose Stauffer, deceased, was sold to F. Leslie Ebersol, of Elizabethtown, PA and he will take possession next spring. The property was sold for the heirs through the agency of Ammon B. Mensch. This is one of the finest appointed farms in the entire community. The farm house contains 15 rooms and has all the modern improvements.
When the wife of Private Miles Roth, of the 108th machine gun battalion heard last summer that he had been killed in action during the fighting, she mourned for him for a time and then married W. George Smith,. Private Roth has now returned up at his home in Allentown, alive and almost well. It appears that the shell which killed four of his comrades on July 22 only wounded him. The situation is complicated by the fact that Smith, the second husband is also a soldier in France. He entered the service after his marriage to Mrs. Roth, and reached the front shortly before the armistice was signed. Both Roth and his wife view the mix-up with a philosophical air "mistakes will happen," and Roth says he is going back to the hospital in New York, where army surgeons are still treating his wounds. "Why should I make trouble for her?" He says "She's a mighty fine girl, and with me dead, as reported, I don't wonder that some other man was attracted to her."
Sergeant LeRoy D. Stambaugh, of Rehrersburg, whose name is on the official casualty list for Saturday as having died from accident, was the victim of a motorcycle accident at Coblenz, Germany, the Rhine City where the American army of occupations is stationed. He died on Christmas, December 25 according to a telegram received by his mother Henrietta Stambaugh, from Washington.
Sergeant Stambaugh was 29 years of age and enlisted in February 1918. He was sent overseas in September and that his name is already on the printed casualty list is another indication that the casualties are nearing the end and that most of those being reported now have occurred since the ending of hostilities and been due to wounds, accidents or disease. Another Berks death occurred about Christmas time already officially reported was that of Henry Miller, of Reading. This was also due to accident.
Mrs. Millie A Stufflet, daughter of Augustus Youse, of Oley, received word from Washington that her husband, John J. Stufflet, a member of Co. E. 111th Infantry, was killed in action about November 11, the day the armistice was signed in France. Mr. Stufflet was the only child of Victor and Rosa (Dierolf) Stufflet, Reading. He was aged 25 years, and was born in Pottstown. He was sent to Camp Meade by board No. 3, Reading on November 2, 1917, and was sent to France the following April.
Charles E. Behm, of Lobachsville was reported by the War Department to have been released from a German prison camp and arrived safely at Berne, Switzerland. This glad news was received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Behm, who live near Lobachsville.
The young soldier, who is 23 years of age, left Berks County with one of the first contingents of selected men. He received his training at Camp Meade, where he was attached to an ammunition train. He arrived overseas in July 1918, and saw active service on the western front until he was taken prisoner in September.
Submitted by Betty.
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