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A letter from a Sullivan Co. boy. John O McConnell.
Green Castle, Mo.

Camp Merritt, N.J.
Jan. 4, 1919.

Miss Stella McConnell
Dear Sister and folks at home,
I just received your letter so I will answer it the first thing I do, I was glad to hear you were well 
but sorry to hear that little Gilbert was sick. hope he is better by this time I am feeling fine, just 
a little lame yet, but guess I will soon be all right. I was shot in the back part of the right leg, 
just above the knee. The bullet didn't hit the bone, but it hit the nerves, numbed my foot and I had 
no feeling in

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it, but it has about all come back to it right feeling again. Then I took the rheumatism in my ankle. 
I think I would be allright if it wasn't for that, it left my ankle a little stiff and makes me limp 
a little. Then I took the "flu" so all of it to-gether keep me in the Hospital quite a while but I was 
lucky at that, it sure was a bad old war.

I will give you a little of my experience while I was in France as I have never written you much about 
it. We had about a month training after we got to France, then we started

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for the front at Chateau Thierry. Then on the last of May. I guess, if you noticed in the papers, you 
read about that drive. Well, we didn't mind it. We were on the river, Yanks on one side and the "gerries" 
on the other. So we held the line.

Both the Yanks and the Germans hauling up ammunition every night getting ready for a drive. On the 
14th of July the square heads started it. They put a ten hour barrage on us. How war really began. 
I mean they started for Paris, so across the river they came. but all our big guns was handing

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it right back at them. When day light came they had their bridges made, so here they came, We waited 
and let them come until we thought we had about what we could handle, so our artillery put a barrage 
on the river and blew up their bridges. So it was good bye Germans. We put in our bridges and crossed 
the river. We ran them until the first of August. Then we got a rest. Well this is enough war for 
this time.

I was in two more drives, but I won't write it all this

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time. There are none of the boys with me that you know. I was afraid they all got killed. We were sure 
in some fight the day I got hit; that was the 6th of October. You have no idea what us boys went through, 
I didn't want you to know while we were in it. They were many as poor boy that didn't come home. So I 
felt myself lucky when it was all finished and I got back in as good shape as I did. I don't know just 
how long we will be here, but don't think it will be long. They say we will

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go to Camp Dodge, Iowa, but we don't know for sure yet. 

Send me Evert's address so if I go to Funston I can find him. I like it fine now. Nothing to do but 
eat and sleep. but I would like to get home and see you all. 

How is Mother and dad and uncle standing the winter? You didn't say anything about in your letter. 
I hope you all stay well

It is some pleasure to write a letter now, with out having some joker reading it before you send it. 
They didn't censor your

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letters, but they sure read all that we wrote before they left. Well I think I have written enough 
for this time. You must write to me often and tell me all the news. I will write again in a few days
from your brother
John O McConnell

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W.W.I.117.47