Southern Field, Americus, Ga., Sept. 3, 1918

Dear Sister;

I arrived here this morning, and am pretty tired tonight but am going to spend a few moments writing.

You do not know who lucky you are to be up there where it is cool. It is just suffocating here and my clothes are wringing wet all the time from perspiration. I spent nearly all day taking trade test. I heard that they had about 14 motorcycles to be overhauled and repaired and that is what they wanted us for, because every Tom, Dick and Harry has been riding them and none of them had been through the school or knew who to fix them. It looks like we had a good, big job ahead of us.

This is a new camp and as far as sleeping quarters and eats are concerned it is almost as good as the Overland building.

They say that this town of Americus is about 10,000 inhabitants but about 8,000 are colored and 2,000 are white. They say if you go to town once you don’t care to go again, but I think I shall try it Sunday.

The fellows that are here now have been here for four months and we are the first ones to be shipped in and none have been shipped out so I think we are due to stay here the rest of the winter.

We got off at Atlanta, Ga., about 9:00 o’clock last night as we had to lay over a couple of hours and I will say that was the worst looking town I have ever been in. There was not a single street light burning. I asked some fellows where I could find a good restaurant where I could get a lunch and I went there and they had the dirtiest place I have ever seen. It would be classed as Minneapolis’ poorest.

The scenery around Chattanooga I will say is the most beautiful I have ever seen. There are some places in Tennessee that you could not hire me to live in. I have often read about those backwoodsmen in the mountains but I never realized what kind of a place it was until I saw them. They live in little tumble down huts on the side of a hill. When we went thru there they stared at us as if they had never seen a soldier before. I don’t believe they know the war is going on.

I wrote mamma this afternoon and gave my address as Care of Y.M.C. A., but I found out later where I belonged.

Well, I must close and go to bed as it is getting late.

With love, Harold South Field, B. Squadron, Americus, Georgia.

P.S. Tell papa, I received the cigarettes before I left St. Paul and thank him for them. We cannot buy Camels any more as they are being shipped overseas. Harold