WITH THE FOREST REGIMENTS IN THE FIELD 



AFTER eight months in France, Henry S. Graves, 

 Chief Forester of the United States, returned to 

 tell us of the Forest Regiments : 



"They are working to win the war. Nothing else enters their 

 thoughts. I can't say too much for the spirit of the officers and 

 the men. We are going to unify our every effort and do our 

 part in the inevitable victory for freedom." 



And there is ample evidence to testify to the truth of 

 what the Chief Forester has said. American saw-mills 

 in the pine and cork-oak 

 forests of southwestern 

 France are feverishly 

 working to turn out timber 

 for use at the front. While 

 our troops go over the top, 

 the forestry engineers labor 

 at top speed to furnish one 

 of the most important sin- 

 ews of war, planks and 

 beams for the manifold 

 purposes of the battle line. 



A letter written by Pri- 

 vate Charles Grodeski, part 

 of which is here quoted, 

 gives a vivid picture of 

 what the men of the forest 

 regiments are doing in 

 France. 



"We remained in a tempor- 

 ary ca np here (in France) 

 about ; month, during which 

 time it rained almost continu- 

 ously, mt we kept on logging 

 just th.: same, for you will re- 

 member that we were outfitted 

 at camp there for all sorts of 

 weather. Since moving to our 

 permanent camp things have 

 taken on a big hum and I dare 

 say we could show you some 

 wonders around here accom- 

 plished during the short time 

 we have been in France. 



"We have cut and shipped 

 some hundreds of pine pilings, 

 ranging from forty to sixty 

 feet, which were used in build- 

 ing the docks where the ma- 

 jority of the American troops 

 will land. We have one 20,ooo 

 capacity mill running night and 

 day, and it has been running 

 for more than a month, and 

 it is very seldom that the mill does not overrun its stated capacity. 



"In addition we have four small French mills running night 

 and day of small capacity, probably of the size common 

 around the Potomac. We are just about ready to start our 

 large mill of 40,000 capacity which will run three shifts of 

 eight hours each and I can assure you that every one's inten- 

 tion connected with this mill is to make it the largest pro- 

 ducer in France. As a record is kept and posted weekly there 

 will be no little interest taken in pushing logs through to the limit. 



"We have a small railway built from the French railway, some 

 three miles distant, up to both mills and also a railroad built 

 back into the forest some distance which will be pushed into the 

 interior as logging requires. In short, if what we produce here 

 is going to put the Sammies across the Rhine and finish up this 

 mess over here you can all prepare to read soon where they have 

 crossed over, for we are not going to let anything interfere with 

 pushing things to the very limit." 



THE TENTH ENGINEERS. 

 By Bugler W. P. Winsladr, Co. C, 10th Engineers (Forest) 



You can talk about your regulars 



Your infantry and such, 

 And how they're going to do such wondrous things; 

 But when it comes to doing things 



You've never done before, 

 You can hand it to the Tenth Engineers. 



We came in from the highways, 



From the forests and the hills, 

 From the valleys and most everywhere I guess; 

 And we started throwing guns around 



At military drill, 

 In a way we'd never handled guns before. 



Then we came across the water, 



Landed here in Sunny France, 

 We landed in the mud and rain and slush; 

 And after, when the winter came 



We labored in the snow, 

 And all expressed their thoughts of Sunny France 



To add to all our comforts, 



We had naught but bully beef, 

 With hard-tack pudding as a special treat, 

 We slept in mud, we ate the mud, 



And we drank the mud besides, 

 That is, when we couldn't get vin blanc and such 



We built a fine big saw-mill, 



Right here among the pines, 

 And it made the natives stand around and stare 

 It was everything American, 



With 'lectric lights and all, 

 And it sure looked good to every fellow here. 



Now we're cutting up the timber, 



And we're handing out the goods, 



And we feel as if we're doing our own share; 



And if by leaving all behind, 

 We help to win this war, 



We won't be sorry that we ever came. 



American Forestry quotes the following excerpt from 

 an interesting letter received from Captain Arthur C. 

 Ringland, of the Tenth : 



"The December issue of American Forestry announces the 

 organization of the Lumber and Forest Relief Committee to 

 provide comforts for the men of the Tenth and Twentieth Engi- 

 neers (Forestry). Colonel J. A. Woodruff, commanding the 

 Tenth Engineers and those battalions of the Twentieth Engineers 

 now in France desires to express his deep appreciation for .the 

 interest shown in the welfare of the men of his command. These 



men come from the logging 

 camps and mills of every lum- 

 ber producing state, and from 

 the personnel of the United 

 States Forest Service. This 

 nationalism in organization is 

 making for the best of effort 

 and will I am sure be reflected 

 to the good of the lumber in- 

 dustry when the men return to 

 civil life. For another thing 

 these men will bring back deep 

 impressions of the thrift of the 

 French people and their con- 

 servation of national resources. 

 For example, one battalion is 

 now engaged in the logging of 

 a planted fir forest that runs 

 as high as fifty thousand board 

 feet per acre !" 



From Lieut. C. W. 

 Smith, Chaplain of the 

 Twentieth, this letter has 

 been received by the Treas- 

 urer of the Fund being 

 raised for the welfare of 

 lumbermen and foresters 

 in military service: 

 "My dear Mr. Ridsdale : 



"No doubt you received in 

 due time my receipt for the 

 money given for use of the 

 Twentieth and Tenth Engi- 

 neers. I would like to write you 

 a word of thanks. What as- 

 sistance this money will be to 

 me no one can know as well 

 as I. I greatly appreciate this 

 fund, and on behalf of the 

 Regiment send to you and the 

 splendid body of men you rep- 

 resent our hearty thanks. 



"The money has been de- 

 posited in the 'Farmers Loan 

 and Trust Company,' Paris, 

 France, to the credit of 'Wel- 

 fare Fund Twentieth Engi 

 neers, United States Army,' 

 C. Walter Smith, Treasurer. . . . 

 "Very soon the many needs of the Companies will drain heavily 

 upon the fund. I will send you report and vouchers, about once in 

 two months, or more often if possible. Any further money you 

 may receive for this fund could be sent direct to Paris to the 

 credit of the fund, as stated above, and notice sent to me. I do 

 hope there will be a considerably larger fund on hand before 

 next winter sets in. . . . 



"Wish I could write you a long letter recounting our experi- 

 ences thus far, but too many matters press me now. As soon 

 as we get caught up a bit I will write you a real newsy letter. Be- 

 lieve me, the men are splendid and deserving of all the foresters 

 and lumbermen can do for them." 



The many friends of C. W. H. Douglass, of Syracuse, 

 will be glad to know that he has been commissioned as a 

 first lieutenant in the Signal Corps, Aviation Section. 

 Mr. Douglass, until recently, Assistant Secretary of 



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