April 28, 1918 --George Sherwood Reaches Camp Merritt, Last Stop Before France

 

 

Camp Merritt,[1] April 28 – ‘18

Dear Home Folks:

            As usual this will have to be short and sweet for several reasons.  In the 1^st place I must straighten up the Major’s bed and quarters a little more so my time is limited.  Then there isn’t much I can tell as we don’t know much of our future plans and can tell less.

            We got here about noon today and by 2 P.M. I had both Major Roth’s quarters and mine in a habitable condition.  So quickly does one learn adaptation in the Army.  We have barracks very similar to those I described at Jefferson Barracks.  Both houses also similar but not quite the same. 

            When I get some supper (pardon me, dinner) into me I’ll feel O.K.  Think maybe I’ll hunt up the Liberty Theater.  Well, I’ve at last seen some of “Little Old New York” and had a dandy view of “The Goddess of Liberty” from the railroad yards.  Also went under the river in the tunnel.  We were in a boxcar of light baggage to so got the benefit of all the gas and smoke on the way through.  It surely was a wonderful trip in many ways. 

            There is only one flaw and that is I cannot hear from you.  I don’t even know how much of this letter may be censored out or when it will be sent on to you.  There is no telling how many hours, days, weeks, months or years we may be here. But don’t worry when letters stop for awhile. 

                                                            Goodbye and love to all

                                                                        George 
 

These PHOTOS OF CAMP MERRITT edited from above panorama for detail.

Copyrights not renewed according to Library of Congress link

 

---

[1] On average, the troops spent one day to two weeks before being sent to Hoboken to board ships for the European battlefields. Granite memorial dedicated in 1924 is inscribed in part that it “marks the centre of the camp and faces the highway over which more than a million American soldiers passed on their way to and from the World War, 1917-1919.”   [It appears likely that George Sherwood was only here a few days and that if he did board the USS George Washington within a few days that the photo referenced in the transcription of his Feb 1, 1919 letter may actually have been taken when he was on board the ship! KSL]  http://www.bergencountyhistory.org/Pages/campmerritt.html  for more information concerning Camp Merritt; photo from -  http://www.bergencountyhistory.org/Pages/campmerrittphotos.html