[yellowed white/ivory envelope, stamped with Washington 1 cent stamp and cancelled: Military Post Office Soldiers
Mail. Paper tape on the side: Opend by U. S. MAIL CENSOR. Three red red/purple stamps: Military Mail
Censor 9]
Miss Oma Calahan
Farmersville
R. 1. Texas
[paper matches the envelop, good cotton bond. One page has letterhead: 312 with crossed rifles 312 th.
U. S. Infantry, stamped in red: Military Mail Censor 9 HELD UNTIL SAFE ARRIVAL OF STEAMER; THEN MAILED, CENSOR.
Folded in quarters.]
Oct. [date has been obliterated] 1918
Sweetheart,
When you get this
letter, I will have landed in England, in England or some place else. I am writing tonight because I may not have time
anymore. I guess I will have night tonight – that is what time I am not at work. I may not ever mail
this. I won’t until I go on the ship I know. If I have time to write you later you will not get this.
I
wish I could see you once more before I leave, that is impossible, if it were not I would see you.
This is a hard
task, writing a letter to be mailed two or three days from now maybe a week. I have already written you one letter tonight
and told you all that I knew in it. I didn’t tell you that I loved you, did I? Well I do.
I can’t tell you how much in a letter. It will take all of my life after I get out of this to tell you how much
I love you.
Write me ever time you can think of anything to write.
I don’t know if I can write (3)
as often I get over there as I do now or not. I will if I can. You have my address so I don’t suppose there
will e any use of me sending it to you again. I haven’t written you that letter that I am to mail you so that
you will know that I am gone. I may not write it. I will not seal this until we leave and may write some more
before I mail it.
[2 pages, folded in thirds, letterhead with eagle: U. S. Army Camp Dix, N.J.
stamped in red: Military Mail Censor 9 HELD UNTIL SAFE ARRIVAL OF STEAMER; THEN MAILED, CENSOR.]
(1)
Oct.
We are leaving in the morning about two o’clock. I started this morning
but didn’t get any farther than the train. There was three of us picked out to go with the some baggage when we
go to the train. The order had been changed and one of us had to come back. The other boys wanted to go on so
bad that I come back instead of drawing straws with them to see which one of us would come back. I was glad I did, for
I got your letter and pictures. I didn’t sleep very much last night, and will not sleep any tonight.
(2)
I
have that letter written that I will leave unsealed when I board the ship. I will leave this one sealed. The other
one should come right on to you. I thought I would tell you that I am going to mail it to you, if it doesn’t come
you needn’t think that I didn’t mail it. This is a happy bunch of boys tonight. They are not thinking
of what we are going into. They first want to be on the move. I want to move to. I had rather go across
than not get to move at all. Two weeks is as long as we will be satisfied at any place. I didn’t
(3)
didn’t
think I would ever want to get on a train again when I got off at this place and been here over two weeks before I was wanting
to move again
Our Captain made us a farewell speech tonight. He can’t go over with us. He has been
in this Co. four years, and it sure is hurting him because he can’t go. He broke down tonight while he was talking
to us.
I felt good when I began writing you – thought I could write all night. I can’t think of
a thing now but you.
2 a.m. Oct.
Well we are still here. If I get this (4) I have to hurry to
the depot after loosing three nights sleep. There will not be any thing that I will think I can’t do. It
weighs about ninety or ninety-five pounds now. I am glad that we are leaving if we were to stay here two or three days
longer we would have more than we could carry. We keep getting a little more to carry ever day.
From what I
can now learn Siberia is the place we are headed for.
[Gray/green envelope. Written in ink. Stamped in red: passed by base censor A.E.F.]
Soldiers mail
Pvt.
Z. C. Cummings
U.S.aef
Miss Oma Calahan
Farmersville
Texas
U.S.A.
[Brown gridded paper.Letter begins in ink and changes to pencil after 6 lines.]
Nov. 19, 1918.
Dearest Oma,
How are you?
I suppose you are
going to school; if you are not you will be by the time you get this. I wrote you not very long aglo, but I don’t
think ever got out of the place where I mailed it.
We went out for a little hike this
morning, ten miles of it, with a light pack, a light pack is about fifty pounds. It was heavier than that when we got
back.
I am staying in a French town. There isn’t very many people in it,
except soldiers.
It is the edge of the old battlefield. There isn’t but
a few buildings in it damaged. The rest rest of the towns on toward the front are ruined. We made a twenty-five
mile hike coming to this place where we are now. There wasn’t a town or village that wasn’t totally ruined
and we passed through one ever two or three miles.
I haven’t met but one person
that I know since I’ve been over here.
I’ve got to get back and drill
some. Will write you a letter if I ever get to place to write and have time. I don’t think that will be
until I get back in little old U.S.A.
If I ever do get back home, I don’t ever
aim to get out of the yard any more. Well, I may get up as far as your place.
Write me a long letter.
Pvt. Zach C Cummings
Co. D, 39th Inf. 4 Div.
Ame. Ex. F.
[brown craft paper envelop, in pencil. Stamped cancellation: U.S. Army Post Office Yper 746 3 DEC 1918. Faded
base censor stamp. Both envelope & letter are signed in ink with the censor’s signature, perhaps G Withersbey
1st Lt 39th Inf.]
Miss Oma Calahan
Farmersville
Texas
U.S.A.
[2 sheets line paper, written in pencil, folded in quarters.]
November 28, 1918
Dearest Oma,
I don’t think it has been very long since I wrote you but as I haven’t any
thing to do at the present I will write again.
I am sitting at a table ina German beer joint writing this.
No, I am not drinking any. It takes money to that, and I spent (2) the last ‘mark’ I had for a pencil this
eve.
A woman is running this place. I am looking for her to run me out any minute if I don’t buy something.
I come down here this eve and wrote some, and didn’t get run out, so I thought I would take chance on it tonight.
It
is raining to night, has been (3) since Monday. It is getting very muddy round our barracks, barn I should say.
We
didn’t drill today. I will wait until I see you to tell you what we had for a Thanksgiving dinner, it would take
up to much space to tell you in a letter.
I hear that we are going out on another sight seeing expendition about
(4) Sunday. We have already stayed to long at this place. It will take us a long time to see all of Europe if
we stay very long at a place. You know travelling on foot isn’t hardly so fast as on a train or car, but much
nicer as we are sure to get there. And besides we are sure to get there.
I haven’t the least idea when
I will (5) come home.I hope it won’t be so very long before I do.
I’m afraid if I stay over here very
long I might to liking this country and not want to come back. I am already liking the way they get the news.
Instead of having a news boy standing on ever corner selling papers an old man comes along the street (6) ringing a bell and
when a crowd gathers her tells it to them. I guess I will have to learn German so I can get the news. An English
paper is hard to get; and the German way is the cheapest.
I suppose the country around there is beginning to come
back to life again, isn’t it? Maybe I will get back in (7) time to be at the “birthday party,”
that is if you give it.
It is getting late about seven. It has been dark a long time, though, so I guess I
had better get back to the “barracks” and put in about twelve horse sleeping.
Some German prisoners just
came in. I suppose they are on their way home. They seem to like us Americans well enough as they are getting
cigarettes from some of the boys and are chattering with with them.
Hoping I will get on my way back before I have
time to hear from you. (I don’t think I will.)
I am
Z. C. Cummings
Co. D. 39th Inf
4 Div
A. E. F.
