In 1918, Pvt. Harold Clark (1894-1963) was a new draftee in the U. S. Army during World War I from Lyme, CT. He was a rural, young man drawn into a world of places, types of people and cultures new to him, lonesome for home and the “beautifulest” place on earth, near the Connecticut River. He wrote to his former teacher and friend, Hester Warner from the Brockway one-room school on Joshuatown Road, Lyme, CT.
His letter from Camp Gordon, Georgia (presented here as he wrote it) provides details about the army training camp, his work training mules and horses, the backgrounds of his “chums” from all over the United States and his reaction to Army life. His comments on the poverty, child labor and lack of schooling in the area of the base seem by contrast to reflect his appreciation of life as it was in Lyme.
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January 1918, Contonment Hospital, Camp Gordon
My Dear Friend
I recived (sic) your kind letter and Have written one but thinking you did not get the other I thought I would write again.I am in a remount down Here. I like being around mules and Horses. We have 260 work mules that draws nothing but feed for the corrals. We have several thousand Head of stock in the corrals now. Last month we issued sometimes Three Hundred Head a week to the different companys (sic). At present I am in the Base Hospital with measles.
My work when I am to my post is acting corporal. I Boss the stable crowd. We get up at five in the morning and feed the stock then eat Breakfast and line up for roll call
Our place is used as a scholl (sic) to learn others to handle mules. I Have a saddle mule to ride when I like and she is the fastest mule in camp. I go over and give the M.P. a race in camp Gordon. They know me so they don’t arrest me. most of them were my Bunk mates Camp Devon. The ward I am in there is four – the same camp with measles.There is an epidemic measles here. Just now we have some men in fort McPherson yet from measles.
We had a real Christmas dinner. Our food is much, much better than it was and is what you call fine now. On our way down we stopped at Washington and was going up to see Woodrow but didn’t Have time.
I Have lots of chums Here. Some come as far as Frisco. They are most of the middle class with good breeding and manners. I went down to Atlanta with one boy Home and He stopped at a big nice Looking House and rung the bell and I said I guess you have made a mistake but his mother came to the door and we went in everything was in style. His mother was a widow. We spent the evening in nice shape and returned to camp and His mother has plenty money but Her son out in the remount is yet a private and works Hard for his Bread.
The Drafted boys work better than anyone could guess under the conditions. The women come to the remount and hold little times but I am getting too old to mess up with partys(sic) so I go down to the House and go to bed.
I am lonesome for my Dear Home in Conn Hills and the Dear Old river. If I ever get Home I want to live and die there beside beautifulest (sic) river on earth. I Hope to be Home by fall for good. I don’t know as I will or not but I am in Hopes.
Where this camp stood it was cotton fields eight months ago and the cotton was in bales. now it is where Barracks for forty thousand men stand between the rows of stalks.
What is Herbert a doing and Bob? Has he caught many rats this winter? The fields are so poor the rabbits are very scarce here.
Say Het you would be Horrified if you Had seen the kids down Here. They think more of making a field of cotton then they do of sending their kids to school. There don’t seem to be any compulsory school Laws Here at all. You can see kids 9 to 13 driving mules on the state road every day they Haven’t any schooling at all and the colored Have to Hire their own or they don’t get it.
Well Het, I guess I have said enough for this time so I will close. Hoping to Hear From you soon. I remain your Sincere Friend Harold.
Transcribed by Rhonda Marchesi
He was writing on stationary labeled “On Active Service with the American Expeditionary Forces” with a YMCA logo and Amerian flag.
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