Letter to Aunt Ida - January 18, 1918 and from Robert Frost



Y.M.C.A. Building, Fort Slocum

 

Fort Slocum
Jan. 18, 1918

Dear Aunt Ida:
Just a few lines to let you know that I rec’d your pkge and the bath robe O.K. and surely was glad of the food it tasted good. I havent’ slept in my robe yet but it will keep me warm I know and it’s just what I need.

Bob [Robert Frost?] is here and I am sending this with his letter [see his letter below] I saw him last night where I wrote you but had the letter sealed so didn’t let you know. He has been busy all day getting his uniform and haven’t seen him until tonight. I wrote to Rena [?] Fay [?] this afternoon and am going to write Homer[?] tomorrow.

I expect to go in the kitchen tomorrow for 24 hours but I don’t mind as I have been there before and it isn’t bad.

Sunday I expect to have the day off and I am going over to Ida May.

Hoping this finds you O.K. I remain With Love to All
Ervin

I had my name put in the canteen if I get that I will have a pretty good job and extra money.



Jan 18, 1918
Pte. Robert M. Frost
Medical Dept.
Bar. 51
Fort Slocum, N.Y.

Dear Ida:

I suppose Irvine [Ervin] told you that he met me here. I had looked about for him for a long time before I finally found him in this, the Y.M.C.A. building. I got the third degree yesterday, final examination, it was an experience not soon to be forgotten. This is certainly a busy place with so many men coming and going every day. I received my uniform today, with shoes, stockings, underwear etc.. and post my valise with my civilian clothes back to Andy. Irvine says he is getting so that he likes this place better and he says that he may get a permanent job here. I hope I am not here very long myself, would like to be at camp for training and to find out just what my duties are to be. There is a piano in this Y.M.C.A. building, someone is playing just now and the boys are singing “Over There”.

Well, Irvine has just tapped me on the sholder, am so glad to see him. Now I shall visit with him for a while.

Give my regards to Will and accept same for yourself.
Truly yours,
Robert

Letter to Aunt Ida - January 17, 1918



Kitchen - General Mess, Fort Slocum

Fort Slocum

Jan. 17, 1918

Dear Aunt Ida:
Your letter came today but I didn’t recieve the pkg. but probably will soon.

I have been looking around here on the island for a job. I would like to be stationed here as I hear that the camps are not half as good so if I can get a position in the canteen I will be stationed here and my name will be crossed off the out going list. As I understand it all the camps are crowded and they are not shipping out any more in my branch but I can be transferred to something else.

Don’t worry about me as I am felling fine and I have a good warm place to sleep with a locker to put my clothes in. I also have a new overcoat that is just like officer’s and it is much warmer and it fits me like a glove. I was down to the Quartermasters carrying overcoats to the place where they given out and I run across this one so I carried it up and asked the Sergent if I might change and he said yes, it is made of the finest material with a lining all the down with silk.

Yesterday we started drilling. We have five drills in the morning and in the afternoon we get work yesterday afternoon we carried wood and this afternoon we didn’t have anything to do so I walked around the sea wall and got cleaned up.

We have a couple of cold days since I came back but today was fine just as warm as can be. I was out all day roaming around.

I recieved a letter from Ida today and she seems to like [her job] better than when she started. I am going to try and get over and see her Sunday.

Today the Major came out and explained about the insurance. I am going to take out $10,000 worth that will cost me about $5.00 a month, and if I am disabled I will receive about $57.00 a month and on top of that I would get a compensation of $3,000 a month.

The harbor is all frozen over and it is hard to get coal over here so we are burning wood but the harbor is breaking up now so we expect to get in supplies and coal. We haven’t received any mail for ? day on account of the ice.

I expect to go in the dinning room or kitchen for 24 hours begining tomorrow afternoon but I don’t mind it as I am getting used to it and it doesn’t come so hard as the first fime.

I will let you know as soon as I receive the pkges, and remember me to all the people.

With Love to you All

Ervin

2nd Company

Letter to Aunt Ida, January 13, 1918

 

No envelope.

Stationary reads at top: “WITH THE COLORS” and has a blue and red flag in the upper

left corner and the YMCA red triangle on the upper right corner.

Fort Slocum
Jan. 13, 1918

Dear Aunt Ida:
You are no doubt home by now and have read my letter. We are certianly having some cold weather here now. If it wasn’t for the wind it wouldn’t be bad but the wind cuts right through one.

I am at the Y.M.C.A. Annex and it is about the warmest place I have struck today. They certainly are having some time here. The lady visitors are playing the piano and the boys are singing. They are making so much noise one can hardly here yourself think.

I got a letter from Ida May yesterday and she doesn’t like her job. It is not the kind of work she likes and I doubt if she stays there more than a month.

That lunch that Ma put up for me I didn’t touch until I got over on the island and I ate the last of it this morning. It certainly tastes good compared with the stuff one gets over here. It was lucky that I did save it as when I got back my mess kit or dishes had been taken so I had time to hunt up a new set.
You might take a chance and send my my bath robe and if I have gone away I will tell them where to send it to.

I expect to get over and see Ida before I get away from here. There was a rumor around this morning that the boys that are here now were going to stay here until Spring and then they were going to ship them to their camps but one can never tell anything about it. There is a bunch going out tomorrow morning.

They have stopped all the shows over as the Hospital is full of boys that have got the Grip so all gatherings have been stopped until this is over. That trip did me a lot of good my cold is nearly gone and some of the boys that had colds when I went away have still got them.

Remember me to all the people up there and don’t forget to send me Horus’s[?] address. Will write again soon.

With love to you and Uncle Will
Ervin

 

Letter to Aunt Ida - January 12, 1918 (dated 1917)

On January 8 President Wilson address the Congress and outlines his famous "Fourteen Points" for achieving a lasting peace in Europe.

[YMCA envelope]
[addressed to:] Mrs. W. M. Parker
5 School Ave., Montpelier, Vermont

New Rochelle, [New York postmark (Jan. 12, 10 AM)]
Fort Slocum
January. 12, 1917

Dear Aunt Ida:

I got back here safe and sound and all my things now safe. The fellows from Vermont have all gone away but I would have missed them anyway as the[y] went Monday morning and [I] wouldn’t of got here until Monday noon.
The trains were late and I didn’t get here until eight o’clock last night, the boats had stopped running so I walked across on the ice. It was safe as there were about a dozen people (women included) walking across. We had a pleasant trip coming over.
I haven’t seen the Sergant yet but everything will be alright as they allow them about ten days before they plan on doing anything to them.
Last night the wind blew so that the building where I slept shook. I never saw anything like it.

Will write you a good long letter tomorrow as I don’t imagine I will have much to do.

Hoping this finds you OK.

I remain with Love to All,

Ervin

January 12, 1917 notes:

Fort Slocum: Between the wars (Civil War and WW1) the post sent troups overseas to U.S. territories and the possessions, such as the Philippines, Hawaii, the Canal Zone, and Puerto Rico.
http://davidsisland.westchesterarchives.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115&Itemid=88e

boats: The ferries between New Rochelle and Fort Slocum. Ervin and others walked across the frozen New York Harbor.

wind blew: The soldiers on Fort Slocum slept in barracks that were basically long wooden shacks that sat on supports that held them off of the ground. So the wind blew all around them.

Letter to Aunt Ida - January 7, 1918 (dated 1917)

The war has been raging in Europe since 1914. President Woodrow Wilson wins the November 1916 election with the slogan: "He kept us out of war."

New York Times article April 23, 1916: "CLOSER NAVY YARD GUARD" tells about how security was increased at all of the forts (including Fort Slocum) in the New York defensive zone. One goal was to safeguard the fleet of ships in the Navy Yard.

[envelope missing]
Fair Haven, Vt.
January. 7th 1917 [Sunday]

Dear Aunt Ida:

You will be surpprised to hear that I am up here but you see I got a few days off and as I hadn’t been here I thought I had better before I got too far away.
I am at Fort Slocum yet and expect to be there for some time as I understand they have the measles down where they expect to send me (N. C.)
Everything has seemed to turn out very good for me and it seems as if everything is for the best. I went over to see Martha while I was down there and stayed all night with the people that Martha is working for. Mr. Phillips that man that she works for took a liking to me and he told Martha that he wished I wasn’t going away that he could place me in his office at $125.00 per month to start with. And when I came back that I should come and see him before I did anything else. He seems to be a very nice man and they think the world of Martha. They said I should make that my home as long as I stayed at Fort Slocum.
I enlisted in the 1st Vt. but am going in as a cook or meat cutter, that is classed as a cook.
I am in very good quarters now and it is very comfortable there the only thing it has been so cold there that the boys have been getting cold and it has caused a lot of sickness I have had a cold but am getting over it now.
All the boys that came with me are now down at the camp in N. C.
I haven’t got much now to write about except that I am alright and I wished I could come up there and stay a few days but as I couldn’t come down here before I went away I thought I had better the first chance I got.
Have Uncle Will send me $20.00 as I borroughed it from Martha to make this trip I have spent more money than I expected as I have had to buy most of my food the way they feed one down there is a sight - as I was feeling mean I bought most of my food.

Write me at 2nd company, Fort Slocum.
With Love,
Ervin

January 7, 1917 notes:

Fair Haven, Vt.: Ervin was probably visiting his mother and stepfather, Addie and Andy Frost.

Fort Slocum: Occupied David’s Island., which is located in the Long Island Sound. It is only 80 acres.

David's Island: "After the war (Civil War), the U.S. Government acquired the island outright for the construction of a permanent administrative and support facility for the New York Harbor Defense posts, Forts Totten and Schuyler, which served to protect the northern approach to New York City at the west end of Long Island Sound." http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/front/davids.pdf

Measles:“In 1917 the measles, complicated by bronchopheumonia, was the first cause of death among soldiers especially in the camps in the south, especially those made up of southern recruits causing admissions and deaths." Annual report of the Surgeon-General, U.S. Army, Part 2, pg. 787-788. By United States. Surgeon-General's Office.

1st Vt. The First Vermont Infantry was a National Guard outfit. The NG was made up of citizen soldiers who kept regular jobs but were called up as needed.


cook, meat cutter: A New York Times article in 1916 stated that every branch of the armed forces was having trouble finding bakers, cooks, and butchers.

Letter to Aunt Ida - December 18, 1917

Ervin enlisted on this day at Fort Slocum, David's Island, NY.

Upper left of envelope has red inverted triangle with YMCA in the center. Under this logo

reads: “WITH THE COLORS”

New Rochelle, NY postmark (6-30P, DEC 20, 1917)

“Fort Slocum Military Branch” Postal Slogan

Stationary reads at top: “WITH THE COLORS” and has a blue and red flag in the upper left corner and the YMCA red triangle on the upper right corner.

Stationary reads at bottom: “HELP YOUR COUNTY BY SAVING. WRITE ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS PAPER”

To: Mrs. W. M. Parker

% Mr. Fallon[?] School Ave.

Montpelier, Vermont

Fort Slocum

Dec. 18 - 1917

Dear Aunt Ida:

You no doubt got my last letter by this time. I said that I would let you know when I made a change but I have been busy every minute. We came over here last Sat., and I have been standing in line waiting for different things such as numbers, examinations, vacanations and ect., I have not got my uniform yet but expect to very soon. Most of the fellows that came with me have been sent away then went this morning.

I am sleeping in the barracks now but they are not the best that ever was. We have a mattress, pillow, and two blankets. I am writting this letter from the Y.M.C.A. They certainly are great places. We have a large room here and it is crowed full all the time.

I would like to here from you very much but I don’t see how I can until I get located somewhere. I came very near coming home last Saturday but I thought as long as I had got this far I might as well go through with it as I would have to go through with it again later. There are about 5,000 men on the island now and as many more over in New Rochelle.

You may look for a package from me in the next day or two as I expect to send home some clothes.

You may write me a line to General Delivery Fort Slocum if you send it right away and I will look for it. If I am gone they will forward it.

With Love, Ervin

Leter to Aunt Ida - December 13, 1917

No envelope

Stationary reads at top: “YOUNG MEN’S HEBREW ASSOCIATION 171 WINYAH AVENUE NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. TELEPHONE 1062”

New Rochelle, N.Y.

Dec. 13, 1917

Dear Aunt Ida:

I passed my Exam., at Albany this morning and tomorrow I have my finale at Fort Slocum.  We are staying here as the barracks at the Fort are filled and running over.  It is supposed to accomadate about 4000 and at present they have 11,000 over there and about 3000 here in New Rochelle.  We are placed around in private families and such places as this.  They say that about 10% of the boy[s] fail in their finale Examination  Out of the five that came with me one has been sent back that was Chiquette [?] the one that worked at pines Uncle Will will know who he is Myers[?] Tuttle has been seperated from us but I expect he is in town somewhere.

At this place where we are they are having entertainment’s from some of the leading stars 12 Acts in all and they are going from one place to another it is very good.  They also pay for all mail and pkges that boys want to send away

I pass the Examinations very easy and expect to get through without any trouble.  I was very lucky to get in as I just squeesed in on the last examination at White River.

We are having plenty to eat and a comfortable place to sleep I will let you know what the plans are.

One young fellow that I like very well was seperated from us tonight but I expect to see him again as he is in my Company.  We think quite alot of each other he is only 20 and I expect he will be lonesome tonight.

Coming down from Albany, we had a very pleasent ride we had a special car and in it there was 100 men.  When we got off the train we met a bunch of fellow from Cal. Phil. and Springfield going out to their respective camps.

Some of the boys are having the times of their lives and if they were sent home it would break them all up but I don’t feel that way as I have had more of this transporting around than they have.

    When we get into our camps it will be much better.

Will write you again soon and let you know all

With love,

Ervin

Keep this as I don’t intend to keep a diary.