Camp Merrit, Dumont, New Jersey
November 29, 1917
6:30 p.m.
Dear Sister:
Will now write you a few lines. We arrived here about ten o’clock this morning. We sure had some trip. We left El Paso at 1:30 in the afternoon last Saturday. We came to New Orleans and layed over three hours. The Red Cross ladies treated us to sandwiches, coffee cake, chewing gum and cigarettes. They also gave us magazines to read. Our next stop was Atlanta, Georgia were we stayed 2 1/2 hours. We looked around town a while and then pulled out for Washington D.C. We passed through several big cities in South and North Carolina and Virginia. We arrived at Washington about seven o’clock last night, but didn’t stop long so we didn’t get to see much of the town, but the Red Cross gave us sandwiches, cake and coffee.
Then we passed through Baltimore and Philadelphia, but it was late at night so we were all asleep. The Red Cross at Philadelphia put candy, postcards and cigarettes on the train for us and it was given out to us this morning after breakfast.
I tell you the Red Cross is sure all right. A person has to be a soldier to realize the good work they do. The Y.M.C.A. gave us cake and pie, cookies and grapes and apples for our Thanksgiving dinner so we are feeling pretty good. We are in good barracks here and have spring cots and mattresses to sleep on. The barracks are two story. I sleep upstairs, but I don’t know how long we will be here as we may go across the pond soon. When we were traveling on the train we had a cook car, a baggage car, seven pullmans and two boxcars with our equipment.
Well, I guess this will be all as I have several letters to write this evening. Answer soon.
Your Bro
Robert E. Schalles.
address—Amb. Co. #.1.
American Expeditionary Forces
U.S.A.
P.S. We are only 14 miles from New York City some of the boys have gone down there tonight. There is a little snow here.