Camp La Beholle, near Verdun January 12, 1919
Dear Bess:
Last evening was a glorious one even if it was raining. A mail brought me three letters from you dated December 13, 16, 18, one from Fred, two from Mary, and one from Miss Maggie. I am so glad you are out of danger from that awful flu. You've no idea how uneasy I've been since hearing you and Mary had it. We over here can realize somewhat how you must have felt when we were under fire a little. Every day nearly someone of my outfit will hear that his mother, sister, or sweetheart is dead. It is heartbreaking almost to think that we are so safe and so well over here and that the ones we'd like to protect more than all the world have been more exposed to death than we. I am hoping that the worst is past and that from now on we'll never hear of it again. It seems that war and pestilence go hand in hand. If it isn't the Black Death it is something equally as fatal. We hear that the poor Russians are dying by hundreds and the damnable Hun is murdering himself for pleasure. I suppose it will be some time before we have a golden age of health, peace, and prosperity such as the ten years before 1914 were.
You certainly do get plenty of conflicting rumors. When we first came up to the Verdun sector about October 17 the whole 35th held the front for which we were the Artillery support. On Nov. 8 the infantry of the 35th were relieved by the "Wild Cats" or 81st Division. The "Cats" had no Artillery and we were attached to them and when an advance was ordered here on the 9th our artillery went forward in support of the 'Cat" infantry. We were attached to the 81st for about ten days and then returned to the 35th although we have never moved more than 5 miles in that whole time. My brothers never went forward on the last drive but sat still and fired right where we were. The "Cats" never did get beyond the range of my gun. "C" "E" and "F" went forward about 4 kilometers but moved back to their old positions on the 12th. On the 17th we moved our guns back to our horse lines and we've been here ever since. I'd just about as soon have gone to Germany as to sit here as we have. We don't know now what we're going to do but we hope we are going home some time soon. You need not be uneasy about my reenlisting or staying in the army if I can get out. Of course if the emergency still exists I'll be perfectly willing to go in again and do my best but it doesn't (and I think it doesn't), I want to go home and quickly. I have dependents you know and I hope to take on another right away so they can't hold me on that account.
Morgan tells me that I have an excellent chance of falling into something real good when I return. I hope so. If I can be as lucky with my finance as I've been with the military I guess that everything will come out all right.
Salisbury says that all you need to do to win at poker is trust in the Lord and hold four aces. They call him Bro. Salisbury and he says that he's going to take Rodeheaver's place with Billie Sunday when he goes back. He's sure a card. I'll bet he's got more German property than all the Brigade put together. His religion of course is a joke because we call him Baalzebub. You can't help but like him though and I believe his men are crazy about him although they know that they're sure stuck if he catches them at anything. He was telling me the other day how he made a preacher vote for him because he happened to catch the preacher coming out of the Gaity one afternoon. I'll bet he did it too.
I do hope you are well and all right by this time. Be sure and write when you feel like it. I love you
Always, Harry