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Letter From Hiram Foreman, Olivia Times, 9-2-1918: Soldiers Letter To His Mother

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Camp Dix, N.J., September 2nd, 1918

Dear Folks:

Arrived safe and sound at our new camp. It certainly is a great change. This is a fine camp comparing to Cody. We are just 35 miles from Philadelphia, Penn. and 21 miles from Trenton, N.J. and 78 miles from New York City. We enjoyed the trip very much as we went through all the large cities of the east and south. I will try and give you the rout we took so if you have a map you can see the way we went.

We left Camp Cody Aug. 26 at 3 p.m. got in El Paso at 7:00 p.m. We stopped there for one hour. I met a couple lieutenants, friends of mine. They were Sergeants in Company B. 136 infantry. When I belonged to Co. B. They took in the last training camp. The Red Cross gave us post cards to send home. Took the Southern Pacific railroad out of there.

Aug. 27th we wake up at 6:30 a.m. The land was rough, but a good grazing country. We stopped at Sanderson, Texas for exercise, got in Del Rio, Texas at 3:45 p.m. stopped for half an hour. The Red Cross girls gave us cigars, apples, cigarettes. Spofford, Texas was our next stop got there at 5:45 p.m. stopped 15 minutes. WE the stopped at Uralde, Texas 15 minutes. The land around here was rough with lots of mosquite frush. Went through Safinal, Texas at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 28 we went through San Antonio, Texas in the night. Went through Rosenburg, Texas next. Here we saw our first large cotton fields. The land looks good around here. Got in Houston, Texas at 9 a.m. stopped her for two hours. Most all the boys went for a swim. The Red Cross gave us ice cream here. The 126 machine gun train was a few hours ahead of us. Their cook can burned up here. They got new supplies from Fort Logan. We also caught up with the second section of engineers here.

We went through Beaumont, Texas at 2:15 p.m. Saw them building about a dozen large ships there.

Camp Cody is 4360 feet above sea level, Echo, Texas was 17 feet about sea level quite a drop. Its 252 miles to New Orleans from here.

We went through Slidal. La. at 1 p.m. We saw another ox team here. Took the Southern railroad out of New Orleans. First large town we came through after leaving New Orleans was Hattiesburg, Miss. Arrived in Maridian, Miss. at 8:30 p.m. Hiked out to a lake for a swim, stopped here three hours. The Red Cross gave us ice cream.

Next big town was Birmingham, Alabama. Got there at 6:30 a.m. stopped there two hours. The Red Cross gave us coffee, also post cards. We changed roads her to the sea board air line. Went through Atlanta, Georgia at 2:30 p.m. stopped here one hour.

The next stop was is Affeville, S.C. We went through Rock Hill, S.C. sometime in the night. Aug. 31 we stopped at Hamlet, N.C. Aberdeen, N.C. was the next stop. Got in to Raleigh, N.C. at 3:45 p.m. we went past the N.C. states prison. The prisoners were playing baseball. We saw Andrew Jackson’s old home at Raleigh. Our next stop was Richmond, Va. sometime in the night. Sunday, Sept. 1st we went, crossed the Potomac river at Washington D.C. We went through a large tunnel under the city. Saw the White house and the Washington Monument. Arrived at Washington at 8:30 a.m. stopped 40 minutes. We went through Baltimore about 10:30 p.m. Passed through four large tunnels in the city. We took the Pennsylvania railroad out of Washington D.C. Went through Wilmington, Delaware at 12:30 p.m. Saw several ships being builds here.

Got in Philadelphia, Pa. at 1:15 p.m. stopped 15 minutes. The Red Cross gave us ice cream and cigarettes here. We then crossed the Delaware River. Our next stop was Camp Dix got here at 3:30. We were on the road for six days and six nights. The boys were all glad to get here. We live in barracks here, and everything is fixed up nice. We are just across the street from the K. of C. building. We haven’t had pay day for this month but expect to in a day or two. I suppose after pay day most of the boys will go to New York or Philadelphia. Trenton is a large city also.

This camp is about three times as large as Camp Cody. How is everybody at home hope they are all as well as I am. I guess I better close for this time. Answer soon.

Your loving son, Hiram Foreman