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I wish I could read the letter from Alma to which Will was responding here.
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Fort Terry, Plum Island, N.Y.,
September 7, 1902.
Dear Alma,
I have not been able to send check before as I had not received notice that my pay had been deposited. I now enclose check for twenty-five pluncks and trust that it will not find you in jail. I think the letter with the check must be in on my desk as it ought to have come about the day I left.
We are all very glad that the cruel war is over,for we were on duty out there on the beach for six hours and forty minutes every night,and the nights are pretty cold here even with an overcoat on. It was very tiresome as there was no way to amuse ourselves in the daytime except to sleep and throw stones in the water. I went in bathing two or three times but the water was very cold and the bottom was composed of stones about the size of your two fists. This was very hard to walk upon when there was any sea at all. The fishing over there is no good in the daytime. I put out a night line and the first night I caught a young shark about four feet long. I was told that he was a sand shark and would not become a man-eater, so I put him back after letting the bull-pup play with him a little while. The next night I put the line out again and in the morning when I looked for it the line was gone. It may have been a big fish but I suspect that it was one of the Connecticut National Guardsmen. About a week ago I caught a blackfish weighing two pounds and two ounces. That is the best I have done in the way of catching good fish.
All this nice uniform which you have been reading about will have to be bought from the various dealers. It is going to cost a nice lot of good money. Everybody is kicking about it. The Engineer uniform was changed only last spring.
We had more than a little fun and trouble with the Connecticut National Guard companies. They are coast artillery and had the battery we built and two six-pounder R.F guns in addition to guarding part of the beach as infantry against landing parties. Two or three times a night we would hear firing up their way. Someone would think he saw something and he would give the alarm by firing three shots. The rest of the camp would generally turn out then and blaze away too. Of course we had to investigate so that we could help them in case they needed it. Once they fired several shots at a Sound passenger boat and another time they fired on a fine private yacht. This was with their five inch guns so they probably would have sunk them as both boats were very near. They all came from around New London so they ought to know a navy boat when they saw it. It is no wonder that the men get to seeing things for I believe the officers kept the men up all night. One of their Captains told me after the second night that two of his men had gone crazy from overwork. I don’t know whether there were any more after that or not but I know that one of the Lieutenants had to be sent home bound up as he became violent.
Our men got along all right as we kept but half of them up at a time. The others slept right near the guns.
We expect to leave here about Wednesday.
With love,
Will.
September 7, 1902.
Dear Alma,
I have not been able to send check before as I had not received notice that my pay had been deposited. I now enclose check for twenty-five pluncks and trust that it will not find you in jail. I think the letter with the check must be in on my desk as it ought to have come about the day I left.
We are all very glad that the cruel war is over,for we were on duty out there on the beach for six hours and forty minutes every night,and the nights are pretty cold here even with an overcoat on. It was very tiresome as there was no way to amuse ourselves in the daytime except to sleep and throw stones in the water. I went in bathing two or three times but the water was very cold and the bottom was composed of stones about the size of your two fists. This was very hard to walk upon when there was any sea at all. The fishing over there is no good in the daytime. I put out a night line and the first night I caught a young shark about four feet long. I was told that he was a sand shark and would not become a man-eater, so I put him back after letting the bull-pup play with him a little while. The next night I put the line out again and in the morning when I looked for it the line was gone. It may have been a big fish but I suspect that it was one of the Connecticut National Guardsmen. About a week ago I caught a blackfish weighing two pounds and two ounces. That is the best I have done in the way of catching good fish.
All this nice uniform which you have been reading about will have to be bought from the various dealers. It is going to cost a nice lot of good money. Everybody is kicking about it. The Engineer uniform was changed only last spring.
We had more than a little fun and trouble with the Connecticut National Guard companies. They are coast artillery and had the battery we built and two six-pounder R.F guns in addition to guarding part of the beach as infantry against landing parties. Two or three times a night we would hear firing up their way. Someone would think he saw something and he would give the alarm by firing three shots. The rest of the camp would generally turn out then and blaze away too. Of course we had to investigate so that we could help them in case they needed it. Once they fired several shots at a Sound passenger boat and another time they fired on a fine private yacht. This was with their five inch guns so they probably would have sunk them as both boats were very near. They all came from around New London so they ought to know a navy boat when they saw it. It is no wonder that the men get to seeing things for I believe the officers kept the men up all night. One of their Captains told me after the second night that two of his men had gone crazy from overwork. I don’t know whether there were any more after that or not but I know that one of the Lieutenants had to be sent home bound up as he became violent.
Our men got along all right as we kept but half of them up at a time. The others slept right near the guns.
We expect to leave here about Wednesday.
With love,
Will.
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We are all very glad that the cruel war is over
This seems to be just the manoeuvres, especially since he’s quoting from the song “When this cruel war is over”.
two six-pounder R.F guns
This seems to be Driggs-Schroeder rapid-firing guns.
This seems to be just the manoeuvres, especially since he’s quoting from the song “When this cruel war is over”.
two six-pounder R.F guns
This seems to be Driggs-Schroeder rapid-firing guns.
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