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June 3, 1917
June 10, 1917
June 17, 1917
June 24, 1917
Letters to Eva, June 1917
Dear Mother,
I'm writing this afternoon from the Y.M.C.A., which is considerable
of an improvement over the bunk. And I notice, too, that there
is plenty of reading matter here, which I believe you asked about
once.
The week has seemed shorter than the earlier ones, probably because
of the holiday we had Wednesday. We have had drill in marching
movements two hours every morning except Friday, and Tuesday
when it rained so hard. More of our drill is now in formations
at the firing line - how to deploy from the column of march into
the skirmish (firing) line (called extended order drill) and
how to advance the firing line during engagements. The drill
before this week has been more of what is known as close order
drill - marching movements used when not under fire; and we still
have almost half the work in this close order drill. We have
had the usual half hour of physical drill every morning, and
a half hour of bayonet drill. The last hour and a half of the
morning & afternoon have been as before, conference and study
periods. We are surely getting crowded to the limit on this theoretical
work; I wrote Eva that when I got back to teaching, I was never
going to have any more mercy, or worry as to whether lessons
I assigned were too long or hard, and that when students objected,
I should have as a byword, "Why, when I was at Plattsburg,"
etc., etc. - which should silence all but the keen ones who brought
up ancient passages about considering the lilies of the field
( a reference to the past). The first hour of each afternoon
we have had signal work and there are two codes we are working
on now; the first code we learned was what is known as the semaphore,
in which certain relative stationary positions of the arms indicate
certain letters, and as it is based on a system, it wasn't hard
to learn, but it takes a great deal of practice to learn to read
a message fast. The new code we have been taking up this week
is known as wig-wag (if I referred to the other in my earlier
letters as wig-wag, it was a mistake); I should call it a visualization
of the International Morse telegraphic code. For instance, A
in the telegraphic code is .- (dot-dash) - in the wig-wag signal
it is inclining a flag (held vertically in front of body) to
the right 90[degrees] and back, and then to the left 90[degrees]
& back. A dot is going down & up on the right side, and
a dash is going down and up on the left. There is a definite
number of words we shall have to be able to send and receive
in a minute in each code, as part of the qualification for our
commissions, and of course we are trying in our practices gradually
to work up to the qualifying mark. We practice this signal work
in a large pine grove south of the camp, each squad practicing
apart from the rest.
Each squad, beginning this last week, has had to furnish the
platoon leaders and guides in the various drills and exercises
for one day. The company is divided into four platoons, each
one with a leader and next under him a guide; the 1st lieutenant
of a company is the leader of the 1st platoon normally, and the
2nd lieutenant, of the 4th platoon; the six sergeants of the
company are the other two leaders & the four guides. Our
squad had its turn Friday, and I drew by lot 4th platoon leader
for my job. As on Friday we had a two hour's hike instead of
morning drill in the close & extended order movements, which
made it somewhat easier. But I had to conduct the physical drill
and bayonet exercises in the morning, and rifle exercises in
the afternoon for the platoon, so had a chance at some experience
in giving commands, describing things to be done, in general
acting as a leader - which is of course the idea in having all
the men in the company, one squad a day, act in the various positions
I spoke of.
Last evening there was an entertainment, very enjoyable for the
most part, outside Co.5 barracks for the New England regiment.
They have a piano in Co.5, which was of course an important part
of the entertainment; and there was usually one man from each
company who was a good singer or reciter or who had some tricks,
or was a good comedian that furnished the entertainment. Between
times the piano furnished music for the whole audience to sing.
They expect to have these get together affairs every Saturday
evening, and I guess every one will look forward to them.
Today Tom Beers and I indulged ourselves in a table d'hote dinner
down at the New Cumberland, in town, and you can't imagine how
wonderful it seemed - even to the real table, real chairs, real
table linen and china. We had chicken soup, roast turkey and
roast pork, mashed potatoes, corn, apple charlotte, strawberry
shortcake, and ice cream. Anyone can be excused from mess Saturday
night and Sunday morning or noon, and so we planned this little
party. How ordinary baloney tasted at supper! I hate it anyway,
and don't believe I shall ever like either it or frankfurters.
I'll have to admit I like beans already, also macaroni, so you
see I'm improving some.
I'm afraid that the laundry won't get to you until tomorrow morning,
but hope that won't be too late. Don't feel that you must get
sweet chocolate and things to send every time; naturally I have
enjoyed them very much. But any rule on eats that exists must
be very liberal in its interpretation, for men have been getting
all sorts of things, even cakes & pies; so if you want to
send me some cookies or crullers anytime I guess there is no
danger of their being thrown away - even if they weren't having
the pies, &c, surely cookies wouldn't be on any different
basis than nabiscoes. But don't feel that you must send me anything
unless its convenient, because I guess I'm in no danger of starving.
The shirt didn't seem to have shrunk any.
If by any chance you got a package with honeysuckle from Eva,
it was at my request. The honeysuckle vines grow in marvelous
profuseness around Hemlock Manor, and I wish I could see them
when they were out. Next best to that, I asked Eva earlier in
the spring to send some home to me when they were out; and then
I was up here and couldn't have them. It occurred to me that
you would enjoy a bunch, and I in writing a couple of weeks ago
asked her if she would send them, providing they came out in
time. I'm afraid its too early for them, and as she went up to
Philadelphia this week, if she hasn't been able to send them,
she won't be now. I thought I would speak of it, in the remote
chance that you had gotten them. She forgot to tell me whether
she had finally been able to or not.
With much love to you & all
Sylvester.
[ Included in letter. Flora was also called Tot. There is
a letter about them visiting Sylvester
in Pleasantville, NJ. -- David ]
Mrs. Ophelia Vanderslice Barton
announces the marriage of her daughter
Flora Stieberitz
to
Mr. Albert Ernest Binks
Saturday, May nineteenth
nineteen hundred and seventeen
Rye, New York
Dear Mother,
Your letter reached me Thursday afternoon, one mail before a
formal announcement [see above] came from Bridgeton, that they
had been married in Rye, N.Y., on May 19th. Probably you received
one, too. I suppose undoubtedly it was an exigency of war; that
if Binky were drafted, or entered an officers' camp this fall,
with the possibilities which such action involves, they would
be together this summer anyway - and she wouldn't feel right
about staying at his house all summer without their being married;
or just that they would be married for that time anyway, if anything
should happen to him in the war to separate them permanently.
I hope it doesn't cause a lot of unpleasantness in both families.
I hope naturally to hear much better news of Ralph this week.
What more do you hear from Ralph Savage?
You have probably gotten my trunk and other things by this time,
and I hope they arrived in satisfactory condition. I guess you'll
think I've got an awful lot of clothes; they'll be enough to
last for some little time, I imagine - until, if ever, I order
my lieutenant's uniform. There should be, besides my dress suit,
that heavy blue suit a couple of years old, a dark gray winter
suit, a light-weight blue suit with a thin white stripe, and
that gray stripe suit I bought something over a year ago at Ashley-Babcock's
- there's a lot of wear in the last named as an old suit, but
if there is somebody special it would be of use to, I don't care
if it's given away. They have stored my other things in the high
school building under the good care of its excellent janitor,
Mr. Lake; there couldn't have been a better arrangement.
There is some printed matter held for postage for me at the Pleasantville
P.O.; I have written them to forward it to Cromwell. I haven't
the slightest idea [if] its anything I want here, but if you'll
just tell me what it is when it comes, I'll let you know if I
do need it.
The laundry came this noon, and I suppose it's been trotting
around the camp somewhere. It rained today so that I couldn't
wash out my clothes, and I guess I'll try to make them do until
Thursday and then send them home.
I heard from my Psychology examination this week and am glad
to say I passed it at 77; not a very wonderful mark, but I'm
thankful enough I passed it. We don't hear from our examinations
here, unless we hear all at once this week that we can have our
honorable discharge, to which poor examinations might be a contributory
factor. I just asked one of the boy's how far it was to Saranac
Lake and he tells me it's about sixty miles.
This week the work has been varied some from previous ones. The
first hour in the morning has been occupied with the usual drill,
mostly in close order this week, and in battalion formation.
A battalion consists ordinarily of four companies; so each platoon
of the company has been for purposes of drill a company of the
theoretical battalion, and we have gone thru the various movements
executed by the battalion. Different squads have furnished the
company commanders (captains) and guides for the day, and the
men have been observed very carefully, more so than we were the
day we were platoon leaders in company work. I rather hope squad
15 gets another chance at this the coming week. From 8:00 to
10:30 every morning since Wednesday we have had, under the head
of musketry training, position and aiming exercises with the
rifle, sighting drills, and gallery target practice. From 10:45
to 12:00, and from 2:00 to 4:00 have been conference periods;
from 1:30 to 2:00 we have had signal work, and our physical drill
the last thing in the afternoon, 4:00 to 4:30. We have drilled
every morning with our full packs on our backs, but are getting
used to the burden, I think. The hardest morning with them was
Tuesday when after the hour's drill we had a two hour and a half
march; the feeling of relief on taking the pack off when we finally
got back was one of most ecstatic pleasure. Half of our study
and conference periods are now devoted to a textbook called "Small
Problems in Infantry" and as the title might indicate, is
fairly interesting - in so far as one can look at the art of
making war from an academic point of view. I don't imagine, however,
that they teach us much about the kind of warfare our armies
will meet, if they have to go over to France.
Captain VanHorn (the regular army officer in command of our company)
told us to not pay too much attention to newspaper reports about
the weeding out of men, and inferred that the reports had been
greatly exaggerated. There will, I presume, however, be some
men discharged from this company during the coming week. This
week will end the first month of training, in which all at the
camp have had purely infantry instruction, and at the end of
the week the men will be divided into infantry, cavalry, artillery,
and engineer companies - all men who are to be weeded out will
be advised of the decision regarding them naturally before the
reorganization takes place. Everyone - in the fourth platoon
of the company anyway, seems rather worried about the weeding
out - and some say they've gotten to the point where they don't
care; so what talk there has been has not had altogether a salutory
effect. Naturally no one wants to be weeded out.
It's been hard to find just what the government's intentions
in regard to the training camps has been, and I think they must
have undergone some change. I wrote you what Col. Wolf said the
first day we were up here, and had supposed that was definite,
but a notice from the Adjutant General of the War Department
posted yesterday on all the bulletin boards has compelled us
to revise our ideas of the outlook on results for individuals
undergoing training. After reading the notice, a long one, over
several times, I have gathered the following: 1) The best qualified
from each company will be selected for officers in the regiment
which the training company represents (that is, the 4th Co. here
would furnish officers for the 4th New England regiment in the
draft armies); although there will be some regular army officers
with each regiment. 2) Others who qualify for reserve officers
will get commissions (lieutenants) and are likely to be additional
officers for the draft regiment their company here represents,
during the training period, and be the regularly constituted
officers in later draft armies; also are likely to be temporary
officers in the regular army. And evidently the qualifying standard
is going to be very high; for 3) Men who show promise of being
competent with additional training will be encouraged to enter
the next training camp (starts Aug.27th) - the number of these
is expected to be small, and to include almost entirely men of
exceptional merit who had no military experience before coming
here 4) Those who have not "demonstrated affirmatively the
fitness and efficiency necessary in an officer", "who
have merely survived the training period" will be discharged
at the expiration of their enlistment. 5) There will be a second
camp starting Aug.27th, lasting until Nov.26th, after which officers
will be obtained by promotion from officers or men already in
service, either regular army, national guard, or drafted forces.
Now where this leaves me and a great number of men, who like
me, have had little or no military experience, I don't know -
or rather I find it hard to understand why it should leave us
where it seems to - from the third paragraph. Why should men
without experience have been encouraged to enter and accepted
in considerable number, and then only the best of those get -
not commissions at once but encouragement to enter the next camp?
Probably it's not quite as bad as it looks; I imagine there are
some without previous experience who will really get commissions
in August, but there's nothing to indicate that from the notice.
It all makes it seem a long time before I'll be of any use to
the nation. Well, we'll just keep plugging, keep our eyes &
ears open, and see how things go.
How do you use that Carbona cleaning fluid so that it doesn't
fade things? I tried to take an ink spot out of my breeches,
and succeeded chiefly in making a light spot around it.
I have had two good letters from Lucinthia and have just answered
them both today. I'm certainly glad you finally took the trip
to Wellesley, and that you liked it so much. All of us at the
camp here had to register and send our cards either to the mayor
of our city or the sheriff of our county; I know mine arrived
O.K. for I received my certificate back last week. There was
less trouble than I expected over it. In Pleasantville I never
found anyone in favor of it, here everyone is; they take it as
a matter of course, that the only way to do the business. Discussion
is of course no longer in order; it's the way the country is
to be armed, and we all hope for a result from the war which
will make discussions as to the manner of raising armies needless
in the future.
With much love to you and all
Sylvester.
Dear Mother,
I am writing, or beginning to write, anyway, while out on a walk
with Mr. Short, this morning. We have walked down a mile and
a half or so from the camp to the grounds of the Hotel Champlain,
which cover all of a large round hill sloping down on the east
side to the lake shore. The hotel is on the very top of the hill,
of course, and commands a magnificent view of the country for
miles and miles, with mountains for background on most all sides.
The grounds are mostly wooded and the trees are splendid ones,
particularly the tall stately cedars, finer than any I ever saw.
I found a yellow lady slipper by one of the roads this morning,
the first I ever actually found myself. Just at present I am
sitting down on a settee on the porch of a boathouse on the lake
shore, while Mr. Short is enjoying a cigar.
Well, I'm still here, I'm thankful to say. Friday evening the
whole New England regiment gathered in the gymnasium and listened
to a fine talk from Major Stewart, who is in charge of the regiment
while training. He touched on the matter of removals and the
various possible results of the training period for us as individuals
in a way that was somewhat reassuring. He said that no one would
be discharged until the end of the period except for physical
disability, obvious unfittness for the service, or if at his
own request. And at the end of the period there will be about
45 from each company, the best qualified, put in active service
as regular officers in the first draft contingent; all others
who are qualified will get their commissions and probably be
used as additional instructors for the first draft contingent,
being regularly constituted officers in the next or later contingents;
a few will be ordered to train another 3 months, as not yet qualified
but giving promise; and a few will be discharged from further
training or service. All that is somewhat more hopeful than previous
dope for the previously inexperienced man. And the more I had
thought about the Adjutant General's notice thru the week, the
less seriously I had come to constru that third paragraph which
seemed to give me no more hope than a second training period.
Perhaps that will be the result for me but I don't believe it's
the most I can hope for, and naturally not the most I can work
for. If that is what I get, I'll be all the more glad that I
was in the first camp. Some of the companies have had a physical
examination this last week, which has eliminated about ten men
per company; we were to have ours Friday but it was postponed,
presumably until tomorrow. I don't see how I could lose out on
this.
Our work this last week was practically the same as the week
before, the first two days, except that all the conference periods
were in the afternoon, and the signal work and physical drill
in the morning. The last three days instead of gallery practice,
we had a little practical work in patrolling and outpost work
in the field. The company was marched out into the woods or country
somewhere, and a few men would be delegated to exemplify different
aspects of the work; and Captain VanHorn gave us talks usually
both before and after the men detailed went out, embodying the
various principles and directions involved.
Yesterday morning the shifts were made into the different branches
of the service, and infantry men from the other companies above
the 9th filled up the places vacated in the first 9 by those
going into cavalry, artillery, and engineering. That means that
I'm still in Company 4, but the personnel of the company is somewhat
changed from what it was. After the men from other companies
assigned to Co.4 had gotten their belongings in we were all lined
up and reorganized; and reassigned to new bunks according to
the squad we are now in. I still have an upper but it's on the
other side of the aisle and in the corner of the 4th platoon
room - the best bunk in the room, because there is more shelf
space than anywhere else; before I was about half way down the
4th platoon room. Church and Mr. Short of the old squad are in
my present one; but Church isn't in the bunk below me this time
& some fellow by the name of Burke, who has just graduated
from the University of Vermont, formerly of Co.16, is now my
"bunkie", and seems like a very pleasant chap.
I'm glad Ralph was able to pass the physical examination satisfactorily,
and certainly hope his stomach won't be unruly while he's in
the service. I suppose he will be called out to begin training
July 25th. Do you know whether Troop B was dismounted or not?
Ernest wrote me a few weeks ago that he understood they were
going to be.
The little letter you enclosed was a peep from Mrs. Heath's third
son.
Mrs. Winch closed out Sunshine Villa because she had bought a
dry goods store formerly owned by Mr. Wilson's mother-in-law,
known far and wide in Pleasantville as Ma Frambes. I heard from
her last week and she says she is in much better health.
I was glad to get Ralph's and Aunt Sarah's letters this week;
I suppose Tot has arrived by now in Cromwell. Perhaps I might
get a chance to stop a day at Saranac on my way down in August;
circumstances might make it possible for me to go over and spend
a Sunday.
I wrote this last page after returning to camp, and now am waiting
for dinner call which can't come too soon, as the walk, about
six miles, has stirred up a ravenous appetite within. I hope
the mess will be a good one.
With much love to you and all
Sylvester.
P.S. I am ever so much obliged to Aunt Lucy for that mammouth
piece of chocolate; I never saw such a huge cake, and apparently
it was part of a still larger one.
Don't bother to return the two pairs of balbirggan underwear;
I had Carey send them to me when it was cold in May, but have
no use for them now; only wore them because I was short on the
others.
S.
Dear Mother,
This week I passed what I presume to be the last possible obstacle
to staying thru the whole course, the physical examination, unless
I get held up for obvious unfittness some fine morning. I was
recorded as having slight flat feet, but not disqualifying; this
wasn't a thing that was looked into carefully at all in the examination
I took in New York. At the end of the camp, if I get a commission,
there is another physical examination to take. I should think
the doctors would be tired to death with inoculations, vaccinations,
and physical examinations for 5000 men. By the way, I don't believe
I mentioned the fact that I was vaccinated a week ago yesterday.
We have now started target practice on the range, which will
continue for four weeks, every other working day. The range accommodates
36 targets, up against an impenetrable imbankment. Only one company
is on the range at a time, and is divided up so as to have an
equal number of men on each target. At various distances, parallel
with the line of targets, there are stakes marking shooting positions
at that distance for each target, and then there are enough frame
desks for a scorer for each group. We shot from the 200 yard
line Tuesday, and the 300 yard line Thursday; tomorrow we shoot
from the 500 yard line. Each man gets ten shots, five of the
from the lying position, and five from kneeling or sitting -
at least it was this way last week. To hit the bull's eye counts
5, a space around that, 4, further out, 3, and still further,
2; beyond that is a miss. There is a trench in front of the targets
where one company is detailed for one day to indicate to the
scorer & the man firing, back on the line, what each shot
has made, and the scorer (one of the group firing) records it,
and when the ten shots are made, the total is made up, and the
sheets are turned in when the practice is over. I forgot to say
that the men in the trench in front of the targets show where
the bullet has hit by means of disks on the end of a long handle,
long enough naturally so one's hand doesn't extend above the
trench. A white disk means a bull's eye, and is put on the part
of the bull's eye the bullet hit; a red disk is a 4; a cross
is a 3, and a black disk a 2. I haven't made any bull's eye's
yet. My score the first day was 26, and the second only 20, but
I only had eight shots the 2nd time, having acted as scorer,
and being the last to shoot. The company is allowed just so much
time, and when the command "cease fire" is given, not
another shot may be fired. It's very hard for me to hold the
rifle steady with my left hand; I'm not afraid of it, and as
sufficient proof for this can give that I never in our aiming
exercises of the first month got so I could hold it steady -
naturally I hope the shake will wear off as soon as possible,
and in the lying down position I think I have gotten it somewhat
steadier than I did have it. The bull's eye is 8 inches in diameter
for the 200 and 300 yd. shots, and I believe will be 20 inches
at 500 yards.
The alternate mornings, when we're not at rifle practice, we
have gone out, three companies together, for field work, - practical
exercises in disposition of troops for advance guard, rear guard,
& outposts - it's been this week; we have maps of this whole
region for use with the exercises. We are given supposed situations
and frame orders from that & act out some, then have conferences
out there, in which anybody is likely to be called on for their
solution. This next week I believe we are to have some map sketching
to do, and with my wonderful ability at free hand & mechanical
drawing, both, I imagine I'll be a shining light.
I've struck three rather interesting coincidences in names the
last week or so. First, I was walking back from the dispensary
after vaccination and got into conversation with a fellow I'd
never met before, whose name happened to be Connolly. There is
a Yale'14 man, Gerald Connolly, in camp, but I'd gotten it into
my head his name was 'Gene; I asked the new Connolly if he was
by any chance a brother of 'Gene Connolly, who was Yale'14, Zeta
Psi, and here in camp; he said he had a brother 'Gene, but he
wasn't here, but was a Yale man '12 and a Zeta Psi man. Then
I suddenly remembered who his brother was in 1912, and that the
other Connolly here was Gerald. All a rather complicated tangle.
Second, my new bunkie's name is J.Francis - nothing particularly
strange, of course, in being the same as Dr. Calef's. Third,
there is in this company a Sylvester B. Bubier, so that I almost
opened a letter from his girl the other day. I knew there was
an S.B. Bubier here before I knew our first names were the same,
and I was surprised enough to find that. His middle name is not
Benjamin, however, I found out by inquiring, but Breed.
| [ Note from Joanne Wilson, West Palm Beach, FL: The following gravestone comes from the Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale amd shows S. B. Bubier's final resting place. ] |
|
|
The wedding announcement you forwarded last week was from George,
better known as Judy Worthington of Cleveland. It brought back
to me a very mushy letter I was ordered to write some six years
ago, in running week. It was the same girl that Judy had made
me write to at that time, too, so he must have been very constant.
No Yale men whom I know were dropped. I haven't gotten to see
many of them outside of the company; just a chance meeting here
or there from time to time. I met Jim Rogers of New Britain (
a grandson of that Deacon Camp) the other evening and had quite
a chat with him; he used to have charge of a department at Landers,
Frary, & Clark and I knew him quite well. He was either a
Williams or Princeton man, I don't quite remember. I just happened
to run across Deke Hastings of Hartford who is visiting up here
today, this morning. Burke, my new bunk-mate, is A1; he is one
of the kind that is naturally very funny, and I haven't laughed
so much since I came up here, as I have this past week. The new
squad is much more congenial than the old one; the only two of
the old squad still in the same squad with me are Church and
Mr. Short, whom I found more congenial than any of the others
in the old one. There is a young Wesleyan fellow in the squad
by the name of Neeld, from Hartford, who, by the way, went to
Middletown last week to get his degree. He is a Fraternity brother
of Sears Pruden, and thru the latter he is quite well acquainted
with Amy Walsh, but not over infatuated with the lady. The rest
of the squad are Briggs and Linnehan of the University of Vermont
and Tomlin of Norwich University. Burke, Briggs, & Linnehan
are off until Tuesday, getting their degrees over at Burlington.
I was mistaken about Mrs. Heath's boy being her third son; it
was her third child, but second son. The second child was a girl.
You had never told me before about Geo. Warner's new boy.
You can tell anybody that wants to know I like this life that
I'm enjoying myself all right - if you want some variations,
you can add that it probably would never be my first choice for
a summer vacation.
I sent home my own pair of breeches to see what could be dome
with them. I was going to wash them myself, only I couldn't iron
them, and I'm planning to have those for best and wear out the
government breeches at work. They were filthy enough; I never
realized how much so until I looked at the seat the other night
- ever since I've been more careful to look at the mess hall
benches before sitting down to eat, as I presume that's where
the most of the spots came from. Thank you for the chocolate
and crullers, and Aunt Sarah for the stamps. With much love to
you and all
Sylvester.
[note enclosed with the letter]
I wrote Father this week for a little money to tide me over until
payday, whenever that will be. We are assured it will be sometime,
and I think we will be paid up to June 1st by the end of this
week With our first pay we will get refunded our transportation
but I can say good-bye to any money I spent on uniforms. We've
been expecting pay daily all month - have a delightful little
song to the tune of Glory, Glory, Hallelujah ( as we have already
signed payrolls as receipt)
All we do is sign the pay roll
" " " " " " " "
" " " " " " " "
And we never get a cent.
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