Sincerely, Joel C. Swisher

Dear Folks,

This is a good day for resting and sleeping but a poor day for Easter bonnets as the rain came down quite lively this A.M.

Your letter of Feb 15 was received couple of weeks ago. I was glad to get it as it contained quite a bit of news. You mentioned that my previous letters contained very little of myself, and that you wanted to know more about me and about my work.

I am six months older than when you saw me last and in many ways that much wiser. My days go something like this—5:30 get up; 6:00 breakfast; 7:00 go to work; 11:30 quit work; 12:00 dinner; 1:00 go to work again; 5:00 quit work for the day and take our daily wash of face and hands; 6:00 supper and after supper read, write or go to the Y.M.C.A. and hear a band concert, see movies or boxing and wrestling matches, according to what night of the week it is. 9:30 lights go out or as they say in the army “taps”. Some of our daytime is taken up in walking to and from work which is from 1/4 to one mile away and with lining up for meals, 250 men in single file line means the ones near the tail end stand in line for a few minutes—naturally. In the morning before breakfast we have reveille formation to which everyone gets up on time and goes to bed on time. My work six days out of 7 rain or shine, Sometimes when there is something especially urgent on hand we work on Sunday but then we get a day off during the week. We have oiled clothes and rubber boots to wear when working in the rain.

We have good rations, considering the distance from our source of supplies. For breakfast we mostly get bacon and fried potatoes or oatmeal and sugar, or sometimes hash. For dinner mostly beef, boiled potatoes, gravy, carrots or turnips. For supper our menu varies between stew, hash, salmon, macaroni, beans or rice. Bread (white and good tasting) and coffee go with every meal and sometimes butter or molasses. The army cow does not give milk except on state occasions.

Now as for my work—It is very much the same as if I were at home working for Tipp Deaver. Sometimes carpentering, sometimes putting in concrete. When we came here there were only 6 barracks in the camp and nothing else. The ones that were here before us lived in tents. Now there are barracks for several thousand and stone roads, bath houses with hot showers, barns, and electric lights in barracks. About 3/4 of all this has been done by our company since the first of Jan. Near the camp construction work is going on in a scale that would be a wonderment to people in the states if they could see it. Most of the latter work is being done by other companies and regiments. Unless a person sees this kind of thing it is hard to realize what is required to put a large army in the field. That is why too much cannot be expected of our army on short notice.

I hope this finds you both well, also hope the censor does not feel required to cut out too much.

Lovingly,
Joel