(Page 1) KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WAR ACTIVITIES CAMP Aug 14 1918 Dear Cousin Mable as I sit here thinking how enthusiasticly [sic] you search the morning mail for letters from your soldier boy I will add this one to your pleasure. I will be deprived of an answer to this on account of not being able to give you any permant [sic] address. I am still at Jefferson Baracks [sic] but dont know how long I will remain here, on account of my pappers [sic] getting misplaced. I havent yet been examined, as soon as they are found I will be examined and given a uniform and then will be on my way to parts unknown as they never tell us where we are going when we leave here, when I arrived here I was put in a bunch of 70 that being the way the men are aranged [sic], we were called up for examination (Page 2) 2 on Saturday morning and when the pappers [sic] was looked over mine was missing the rest of the bunch was examined and shiped [sic] out of here Sunday and I was told that I would have to wait untill [sic] my pappers [sic] were found so I am still waiting. I have been told that such happening are not at all infrequount [sic] and often causes us to be kept here for several days, but I should worry, all that we have to do while we are here is sleep and eat and take in the sights. There is lots of amusement here in the barrack such as the Y.M.C.A. this is equiped[sic] with thousands of volumes of good books plenty of music such as the piano phonographs, and various other instruments owned individually by the soldiers, it is equiped [sic] with a stage and has a vast seating capacity, it also has a beautifull [sic] ladies restroom with all the convienences [sic], to which the lades [sic] have free and welcome axcess [sic], there is long writing tables (Page 3) 3 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WAR ACTIVITIES CAMP 191 and comfortable chairs and seats, these tables are loaded with pens and ink and stationary which is all free to the boys, it is equiped [sic] with phones by which we can phone any where, but of cours [sic] we have to pay for that, there is electric fans to keep cool by and you can bet they have been kept running at full speede [sic] for the past week then there is open air interntainments [sic] such as boxing and rastling [sic] contests by the boys, and muisical [sic] comodies [sic] given by various opera players there is a big dance hall in the K. of C. building and alway [sic] lots of Girls for pardners [sic] the coons are given the exclusive right to this one night out of the week last night being their night, there is a big (Page 4) 4 amphitheater at one end of the parade grounds, in front of this is a fine baseball diamond where they have some warmly contested games, at 9 O'clock every evening at this place is streched [sic] a canvas on which is shown the very latest and best movies and is usualy[sic] watched by about all the amphitheater will seat which is probbaly [sic] 3000 people, as I have mentioned the parade ground above I will go ahead and give you a slight idea of what the barack [sic] are like as I had often wondered myself before arriving here, they are seated about 10 miles south of the city of St Louis along the banks of the Mississippi and occupy I guess about 6 40 acres I am told that this is one of the oldes [sic] army posts in U.S.A. and was used for these same purposes in the Civil War, and astounding army is maintained here in time of peace, the parad [sic] ground is located in the center and (Page 5) 5 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WAR ACTIVITIES CAMP 191 covers possibly 20 acres, around this is built many big substancial brick buildings from 1 to 3 storys [sic] in hight [sic] the streets and driveways are all macadamized and the buildings are all fronted with wide lawns and broad cement walks, here I must say though that it has been necessary to greatly enlarge the baracks [sic] in size since this great war was declared and there has been many wooden structures added to of original baracks [sic] and besides these there are several hundred tents streched [sic] I am at present quartered in a tent these tents each contain ten cots and accomidate [sic] 10 men we are provided with one army blanket each and have to furnish our own pillows, (Page 6) 6 these tents are strictly water proof, having withstood a 2 hours down pour yesturday [sic] evening the first rain that has fell since I arrived here I would tell you a few things about the mess hall but I wrote Mother and Father a long letter shortly after I arived [sic] here and give a pretty good explanitation [sic] of this in it I asked them to publish it so perhaps you have read it by this time, the sight of big army aroplanes [sic] is a daily occurence [sic] here they come over here from Scott field which is located across the river at Bellville Ill [sic]. there was one lit here on the parade ground at 8 O'clock this morning and at noon there was 20 manuvering [sic] over our heads, there is about 8,000 men here on average now they are comming [sic] in and going out at a daily average of about 25 car loads, they are seldom kept here over 4 or 5 days and are fully equipt [sic] when thay [sic] (Page 7) 7 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WAR ACTIVITIES CAMP 191 leave here, we are given two pair of heavy army shoes, 6 pairs of socks, 2 suits of under-wear, 2 pair of kaki trousers, 2 wool shirts 1 hat, 3 towels, 1 blouse, 2 heavy wool army blankets, 1 pair leggins [sic], 1 comb and hair brush knife, fork, spoon, cup and plate, we are told to have our own shaving out-fit, and pillow and are allowed to take as many towells [sic], handkere-hiefs [sic], socks, underware [sic], of our own as we see fit and are allowed to buy and wear our own shoes if we dont want to wear the ones they give us, many prefer to do this as the heavy army shoes are so tiresome when we are alloted [sic] our clothing we are givin [sic] a large sack made of heavy duck about the size of our ordinary potatoe [sic] sack (Page 8) 8 at the top of this sack is a heavy cord which answers as a drawstring to close the sack and serves to cary [sic] it by, ever thing [sic] we are given and allowed to take with us is placed in this sack, we then take our suitcases and civilian clothes and other things that we are not allowed to take to carry and house the privilages [sic] of sending them home or selling them to the Goverment [sic] if we prefer the latter there is a Goverment [sic] buyer who pays a fair price for them, this is a great life to live and one has many things to learn and meets with all kind of men from all parts of the good old U.S.A. there is two fellows in the tent next to the one I am in that was examined monday when the uniforms was handed to the them they threw it back at the officer and said they would not put it on, when asked why they said it was against their religion to kill and would not wear a solders [sic] uniform, they were forced (Page 9) 9 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WAR ACTIVITIES CAMP 191 to put it on, but this morning come out of their tents with their civilian clothes on, then the fun comenced [sic] there has been a bunch around their tent all day threatning [sic] them with everything such as hang them take them to the river and many other things I realy [sic] believe they are pro-Germans and I have been told that the officers has gaven [sic] them just so long to put on their uniforms or face a court martial which would mean either being shot or go to prison for at least 20 years for such an offence [sic] as this there is at least 20 soldiers in there [sic] tent now some of them trying to reason with them to get them to put on their uniforms and others cursing them but (Page 10) 10 up to the present hour they have stood put and absolutely refused to put on their uniforms if I find out what happens to them I will tell you in my next letter, I have been in St Louis twice since I arived [sic] at the baracks [sic] as long as we are waring our civilian clothes we can pass in and out of the baracks [sic] as visitors just so we are here at our tents from 6 to 9 in the morning and 1 to 3 in the after-noon I am associating with a little fellow who lived in St Louis before comming [sic] here, he visited me to go to the city with him yesterday afternoon, after arising at his sisters [sic] home where he was going to get some clean clothes we were immediatly [sic] invited to stay for supper to which agreed to do with out [sic] much persuading, we were served with the finest of fried chicken and many other good things to [sic] numerous to mention after which (Page 11) 11 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WAR ACTIVITIES CAMP 191 they wished us all kind of good luck and thus we returned to camp none the worse off for our trip now Mable I will send you my address as soon as I have arrived at camp I will allso [sic] ask that you show this letter to Mother and father and if you consider if [sic] of enough interest you may have it published for the benifit [sic] of other friend who might like to hear from me as it is impossible for me to write to them all, Boost for the good old U.S.A. and dont forget to write to the solder [sic] boys From your cousin Roy Croson at Jefferson Barracks. (Page 12) [no text] (Page 13) KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WAR ACTIVITIES ST. LOUIS, MO. AUG 15 830 AM 1918 U.S. POSTAGE 3 POSTAGE 3 FROM Roy Croson Jefferson Baracks [sic] St Louis, Mo. Miss Mable Croson Kirksville, Mo c.o. H.I. Crosons store (Page 14) W.W.I.59.47