one of the villages, and, by the way, they are very accurate in their shooting. Just after dinner last Tuesday, enemy shells started to drop within a radius of a mile around our village. A shell can be heard in the air before it hits its object. There is a distant boom sounding far away. It grows louder. Then there is a sound similar to that of a sky rocket. When the shell hits, it bursts with a loud report, scattering shrapnel about. One shell dropped within a flock of our cars in the village street. I picked up a piece of shrapnel about fifty feet from our cars as large as a base ball. As a rule the people are on their guard and all the Ambulance drivers wear steel helmets, also gas masks, for the latest thing contrived is the gas shell which hits and gives off deadly gas.
We have carried many German wounded who are well taken care of by the French. One of the enemy talked quite a little with us, saying among other things that the poor German people are sick and tired of the war and pray daily for peace, but the rich Germans are the opposite. The poor fellow had been wounded by a French shot and had crawled for three days and nights into our lines.
The French people think the Americans are about the best people on earth. They certainly do treat us very fine and are willing to do a great deal for us. One could almost see a wave of good feelings sweeping through France when Our own Boys landed here. And let me say right here that Old Glory floating over a GREAT MANY of our troops looked might good to us on French Soil, for "It is up to America now."
Hope you are all well and happy back there on peaceful and plentiful Greenwood Prairie. News from home is most welcome.
Most sincerely,
B. E. Sylvester
P. S. P. S. Style in paper and ink are lacking in a time like this, Mr. Mack. Byrl.
Letter
Sunday July 22, 1917
"Somewhere in France"
Dear Sister Nettie,
Just received your welcome letter and the "smokes." The cigarette caused a "riot" in camp as they are the first American ones to arrive. Some of the men having expected tobacco for several weeks were all eager to know how they were sent, etc… Thanks for yourself and Fay (NOTE: Fay is Nettie’s husband who was a doctor in St. Paul) for sending them. Nothing could have been quite as pleasant. Fay guessed the brand all right.
Our section has been out here at the front for two weeks now. We have seen all kinds of work. Being busy day and night. Was not in Paris when the troops arrived so it would be impossible for me to locate the Doctor’s boy you spoke about. The movements of our troops here are kept a secret. The same way as they are at home. Our section is working with one of the best divisions of the French Army and in a locality which am sure is familiar to you. We have several young French doctors here who certainly know their work. We are located at a rush hospital in close touch with the trenches. The wounded receive their first real aid here. Every wounded man that comes in receives an injection to prevent lock jaw and, in serious cases, medicine to tide the mess over is given too. It is our work to carry these men as quickly as possible to different base hospitals according to the nature of the wound. Where they are operated on or not as the case may be.
During the past week many French and "Boche" wounded have been brought in. Our car alone has carried one hundred thirty-two. Once certainly learns all there is to know about night driving in this work. We eat and sleep whenever we get a chance, which is not often. After the people here have had three years of the same thing, it gets to be a business rather than a short undertaking. We had one rather funny case. A man came in, was apparently all in-put on a stretcher and when we took out

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