The Ralph Stambaugh Letters
From LibraryWiki
The following is a timeline compiled from the letters of Ralph Stambaugh.
- 1911
- Ralph is living away from home
- Late 1917 (Many of Ralph's early letters are not marked by date)
- Ralph is drafted into the armed forces. He is first stationed at Petersburg, VA at Camp Lee. Early on, he mentions his ears, and letting the Lieutenant know about his hearing problem. It could affect his position and location, however, they find nothing wrong with his hearing which had previously failed the regular army exam.
- He misses his family but lets them know he "cannot receive visitors in the barracks, there is a mob of people in here and wouldn’t be able to tell if there is a German spy."
- Ralphs learns how to run a four ton Packard Truck. His job involves bringing bread all over the camp which was seven miles long and five miles wide.
- He also regularly says thnings like “Nothing but kids I don’t believe our captain is old enough to shave, he has got so strict I never saw the like. I don’t think much of it”
- Ralph bought three liberty bonds, $150 worth.
- With delayed distribution of uniforms, the men at Camp Lee are doing drills in a dusty land in their regular suits.
- Ralph regularly tells his family what he would like sent to the camp but says “I don’t want my Kodak for you can’t take any pictures inside of camp.
- He finally receives a proper uniform, but complains about the lack of leather leggings.
- “Second dose of typhoid sent into you makes you feel miserable.”
- Taking off driving job and made acting corporal
- Scored a 95 on the mental test (questions such as is “the sky is: green, black, blue, purple,..”), “so you know there was not much to it.”
- On Halloween, Ralph expects to be transferred to the South for target practice on December 15th and mentions going to Richmond to see Barnum and Bailey’s Circus.
- Fought with Captain after he said Ralph would be a corporal. Ralph said he "would come out on top and was going to be made Capt. of the Commissary."
- Begin to limit bread, which Ralph is running a freight for, and then is put on route for the mail for the camp.
- Ralph is surprised by the uneducated men in his company and recalls writing a letter for a man that could not read or write, which he says is a shame
- Ralph mentions receiving rifles to his sister, some got a Winchester, others, “an old Krag Jorgenson” “Bet your bottom dollar I did not (volunteer to go to France).”
- During time in the militia, made sharpshooter, and the Sergeant told him he would make better in the army, using the newly issued Springfield rifles.
- December 20, 1917
- Transferred to Camp Greene, Charlotte, NC. Ralph is very unhappy with the state of the camp. Also mentions he does not want to go to France with this bunch of men.
- “I am in the regular army now, but I would rather go to France tomorrow morning than stay here…this camp has no YMCA that I can find. We are quarantined for a few days.”
- Quarantined for 12 days to play it safe. Says he will probably be a home guard but would rather go to France than stay there. Tells his mother that during examinations he told the doctors he was deaf, but it was no good to get him out of work, rather there are a bunch of cripples there from Camp Lee, wrote wanting to go back there.
- Said the men would get “doped” again for typhoid fever after one man got mumps.
- Hopes the peace talks will go through so “he will be turned loose”
- December 31,1917
- Will use the Southern [line] to travel from Charlotte to Washington DC
- January 1918
- Gets the job of guarding a man that shot a lieutenant at Camp Greene in 16 hour shifts (4 on, and 2 off) Would like to get transferred to driving a truck again with Alex McCarthy, an acquaintance from home.
- January 14, 1918
- I would like to get on the good side of him (Claud Garrison) to take a bath. Water is scarce as frog’s hair around here. I ain’t had a bath since I left Camp Lee.”
- January 19, 1918
- In a letter to his sisters, Ralph says ““Too bad about your furnace smoking drop the pup down the chimney that would clear it out I think. Maybe [he] would like it.” He is also glad to hear men are scarce in Washington, so he can work while on leave.
- January 28, 1918
- Ralph writes on the envelope “Fever-104, Resp-42, Pulse-122” He has taken on a new job driving to the remount station. While driving during a sleet storm, got congestion of the lungs and was not expected to live. But he covered himself with six blankets, had a good sweat and woke up on Monday feeling fine.
- February 2, 1918
- Ralph asks “are you people starving to death by the way the papers read they don’t allow you all very much everything is going to the army well we sure are getting enough to ear and that is saying a whole lot.” In the same letter he says “The boys around here seem to be committing suicide three soldiers have been found dead along the railroad tracks they shoot themselves no body seems to know where they get their ammunition…” and “say what is good for a frozen toe. I have got a frozen big toe. Will it drop off if I let it alone”
- February 4, 1918
- “I heard in this mornings paper that Austria had broke with Germany and that Germany was in revolt that sounds pretty good to me for I believe the German people are going to kill the Kaiser by himself so we won’t be needed I so but it is hard to tell now. I don’t believe this outfit is ever going to France but it is hard to tell now.”
- February 5, 1918
- A note is put on the bulletin board that they will be going over to France. Did not think he would be sent over. Might be transferred to Camp Mead or Camp Merritt, New Jersey
- “I would like the trip to France, but I hope the war is over the day I get there.”
- “Told to buy towels, toothpaste, and tobacco, because we can’t buy them over there”
- Begins to worry a little about going overseas, and wishes his dad could accompany him, saying there are men much older than him, so he could enlist.
- February 7, 1918
- Finds out his camp is definitely going overseas, “They say we go from here to Camp Merritt [New Jersey]…from there we go across. I would like to come home first but unless I can get a hang on Virgil and some coin I don’t think there is much hope.” Thinks they will leave very soon. But is hoping for a disability discharge since his name is read with the “cripples” also has hopes that he will remain with the Remount Station and be transferred back to Virginia at the Culpeper Remount Station.
- February 8, 1918
- “I want to make the trip and I don’t believe that the submarines are going to get all the troop ships and let us hope they won’t get the one I go over on.”… “I kind of like the idea if we get across the pond. Don’t you wish you had my chance just think I will have gone to Europe when I get back the school teachers won’t have anything on me…”
- February 16, 1918
- Discovered he would not be able to go home before leaving and said “whatever you do don’t worry for I can take care of myself.”
- February 18, 1918
- “I am not feeling very cheerful for I have about given up all hopes of getting home before we go across…We expect to go to a disappearing camp in New Jersey…”
- February 19, 1918
- Ralph said he would write before going overseas on the last postale contained in the archive.
Letters sent to Ralph
These letters were saved on account of their return with a stamp reading “DECEASED verified by STATISTICAL DIVISON H.A.E.F”
- July 24, 1918, a letter from George Stambaugh
- George hears from the newspapers “great song and dance for a couple weeks abut they way the Americans are walking all over the rivers on the dead boches (offensive term for Germans). He also mentions that they have not received word from Ralph since June 10th, they eagerly await word about his work in the Army Supply company.
- August 4, 1918, a letter from Alice Stambaugh
- Alice goes over all the family business such as getting all the woodwork varnished, getting electric lights installed in September, and only being rationed 2 lbs of sugar month (making fruit butters becomes difficult for this reason.) But the family is worried since they have not heard from Ralph is so long.
- August 5, 1918, a letter from George
- He recalls that Congress is tinkering with age limit laws to increase the army size to five or seven million and jokes, “Why not bridge the pond (Atlantic) and just march across sat the same time theygo over the Rhine.”
The Rare Books and Manuscripts Library encourages patrons to examine this collection. If you discover important details or may have information related to this soldier and his company, please note it below:
