World War I letter for sale on Facebook tells poignant story

While scrolling through Facebook one day, I came across someone selling a group of 4 letters from WW1, I didn’t know where they were from or if they were even from the same family, but thought it was worth a shot.

The first of the letters was written by a mother to a “Millie”, telling news of her sons on the front. It reads:

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New Richmond Ohio R. #1

12/30/18

Dear Millie and all.

Received your card last week. It made me feel like it would be fine to be out there where the weather is so nice all year, still when I come to think of it I know I surely would miss the snow, I love to see the snow falling, and enjoy the weather when it is only wet enough for snow, a snow storm is beautiful to me. But I do not enjoy the colder weather at all, and am glad to see the springtime. We have had lovely weather so far this winter, must be so good, as spring is very likely to be late to make up for all this nice mild weather we are having thru the winter. Well Millie dear, I’ve been waiting to hear from our boys again before writing to you folks. but it has been a month or more since we have heard from either one. The last time, we received letters the same day from both of them, Stanley was there in the frontlines right in the thick of the battle, he was in a deep dugout when he wrote. He was an automatic rifleman, that is – he belonged to an automatic rifle squad. They had men to carry the ammunition and load their guns for them, so all they had to do was fire the guns. Stanley’s loader was shot in the head by a machine gun shell last Oct. (the 28th) but it proved to be only a scalp would, the mettle hat saved him, but he had to be taken to a Hospital and was there quite a while HIs folks live a few miles back of us, and we hear from them, Stanley told us of it at the time it happened, he wrote two letters after that, the last one was written the 4th of Nov. But we did not receive it until a month later. Oh no I’m mistaken, we received it that same month, (Nov.) but of course, in the latter part. That was the only letter we ever received the same month it was written. We have been looking every day since to hear from him again, and we ought to have had letters that were written since the war ended, Truman was wounded the 18th or 19th of Oct. We never got the exact date. The nurse at the field Hospital wrote me the 20th but he must have been removed to the Base Hospital before she wrote the letter, we judge from the way she writes. Then Truman wrote 8 days after she did (28th) but the letters were only a day apart reaching us. Hers came on Mon. and his on Tuesday, and Stanley’s dated in Nov. came the same day Truman’s did! So you see how slow they are sending off the mail from over there, I’ll copy the nurse’s letter so you can see for yourself just what she said, Truman wrote that his wound was doing fine and the doctor said that he would be up and around in a month. We have been so anxious to hear from him since that. and I’ve been real sick over it, am so run down that I can hardly get about. It is hard to have to wait so long for news at such a time. I will wait for the mail today (we only get one a day.) and if there is any letters will send this by the other mailman in the afternoon who passes on an other route. but if there are no letters – or news, I’ll send it anyhow, and will write again just as soon as we do hear from the boys. Zach hurt his left hand several weeks ago, sprained the knuckles, and hasn’t been able to get his tobacco stripped, but is otherwise quite well. Everyone else is in good health as far as we know. Zella keeps saying she is going to write to Ethel but she never gets down to it, in fact she has not been writing to any of her sisters for a long time, she says she is “too busy”. She does most of the housework the washing, ironing, scrubbing, and has been doing the baking of late, I always consider that my part of the work generly but since I have been so poorly lately she took the baking in hand, she makes as good bread as I do, so we do not miss my baking Ha! Ha!

Here is the Nurse’s letter.

Oct. 20th 1918.

My Dear Mrs. Miles

Your Dear boy Truman wished me to write and tell you he will send you a letter just as soon as he gets to the Base Hospital, he was wounded in the right hip and is doing very, very well, He says to tell you not to worry, and sends you lots of love. I told him today that I thought he would be sent back to the States. His eyes brightened up and he said, “Do you really think so nurse?” So you see you will have your boy back to you, won’t that be lovely? Your boy was such a plucky lad that everybody admired him in the ward. You certainly have a dear lad to be proud of, and I’m sure he will be a comfort to you in the future. Try not to worry for your lad is in very good condition, write him often & address to his company and request them to forward to the Base Hospital at once. You see this is only an Evacuation Hospital and only keeps the boys a few days. Tell Truman to write me once in a while. With ever kind wishes to you, I am Yours Sincerely, A Winnifred Allison. Evac Hosp. No. 4 A.E.F. 

P.S. My address is Base Hospital #116. I’m just at E.H. No. 4. for a while on detached service. W. A.

Isn’t that a nice letter? I wrote her at once thanking her for her kindness. I do not know if she will think she needs to answer me or not, but would like to hear from her again.

Afternoon.

Well there is no mail today so I’ll just send this on so it will not be so long reaching you. It has been so long since we wrote anyhow, it surely can’t be long before we we hear from the boys now, and I’ll write again. We think Stanley must be with the army of occupation in Germany + they are not allowed to send letters I hear. But we cannot account for Truman unless the mail has been lost as we heard it had by a Pier breaking down at the French Port. Love from all, to each one of you Jack sends much love. Write soon. Josie[?]

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Using the name Truman Miles, I found a Truman Ellsworth Miles living in New Richmond, Ohio, who was wounded in action in 1918. That would make the writer Cornelia Josephine Harrison Miles (1853-1924). He was one of several siblings, Truman and Stanley being the youngest. Using newspaper records, I looked up what happened to his brother, Stanley. One result. My heart sank.

Stanley E. Miles was killed in action November 10th, 1918. On November 11th, the armistice was signed, and the war ended. How he died is not known, but the location is listed as France. His family would not be notified until March of 1919. When this letter was written, he had been dead for over a month.

Truman would go on to marry Irene McDowell (1906-1970), working as a machinist until his death in 1967. The nurse who wrote the note, Agnes Winnifred Allison, remained as a nurse until honorable discharge in 1919. She would continue to live a quiet life as a registered nurse in New York after the war until her death.

CiCi Lee is a graduate of Bennington College, currently working on her MLIS at UatAlbany. She enjoys researching WWI artifacts to uncover poignant stories from the Great War.

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