December 14, 1917

The Evening Record

CORPORAL SEILHEIMER

.....FINDS MESS SERGEANT

.....County Clerk George Van Buskirk has received the following interesting letter from Corporal Philip Seilheimer, of Hackensack, now with his regiment at Camp Gordon, Atlanta, Ga.;

....."Dear Friend:- Just a few lines to let you know that I am alive. This is some place. We're about 11 miles from Atlanta , and if you go north from here you get into No Man's Land, nothing but fields and woods. This would be a fine place for you as there is plenty of game here- pheasants, rabbits, wild turkey etc.

....."One of your lodge men here is our mess sergeant, and he said he will write you a letter in a few days. He had a good dinner for us Thanksgiving as follows: Roast Turkey, dressing cranberry sauce, corn, mashed potatoes, Jersey celery, pickles, apples, oranges, nuts, coffee and cake. That was a pretty good Thanksgiving dinner, don't you think so. His name is Walter H. Wernsing, of State street , our town.

....."We had a fine trip down here. We left Camp Dix on Sunday afternoon, Nov, 11 at 4 o'clock, and arrived at Philadelphia about 6 p.m. and there was a delegation of Red Cross women waiting for us at the station, and handed us cards, puzzle games, apples, oranges, and sandwiches. It was real nice of them. Then we proceeded and rode through Chester, Pa.; Wilmington, Del.; then through that great peach country, Harve De Grace, Del., and so on through Baltimore, Washington, and through Virginia all night, and awoken North Carolina. At 6 a.m., Monday, we received orders to exercise the boys so the train stopped as Spencer, S. C., and we walked to the next town, three miles, Salisbury , S. C. Then we stepped aboard again and rode all night in South Carolina and arrived at Camp Gordon , Ga. , Tuesday, 3 p. m. We had to walk to our barracks, a distance of two miles with our packs on our back.

....."Well, George, I will bring this letter to a close, hoping it finds you in the best of health, as myself."

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