Sincerely, Joel C. Swisher

Dear Folks,

I wrote to you while on the boat but there is always a possibility of mail not getting to its destination so will write to you again while I have plenty of time on my hands.

We had a perfect trip. Could not have struck a better sea if we crossed 100 times, I was never the least seasick. When we came ashore we took a little railroad trip so got to see this section of France pretty well.

It is damp here but has not been very cold yet. The grass is still very green altho the leaves on the trees have turned. In sheltered places flowers and roses are still blooming. The country we passed through was quite hilly but pretty. It is cut up into small fields of about 2 or 3 acres which are separated by overgrown fence rows. I didn’t see any crops in the fields except what I took to be sugar beets. I saw quite a bit in grass. Sometimes I saw cattle pasturing. They looked like Holsteins and Herefords but were very scrubby looking. The horses I saw were of the draft type but were not as large as our draft horses. They also looked as if they had not wintered well. Along the rivers I saw rice fields that looked as tho they had just been planted. Their fruit trees are small and have never been trimmed since the day they were planted. The fruit shows it. The timber has all been cut off but occasionally I saw a hillside covered with oak bushes. All of the houses are of stone and are quite old. Some are in very good repair but some show their age. They have slate roofs and tile chimneys. The houses are either white-washed or painted. I can’t make out which it is. I saw a few barns and they looked like the houses. Also saw thatched sheds and hay stacks.

The French RR’s are quite interesting. They are broad gauge otherwise they are much like the L.O.S.⁽¹⁾Lancaster, Oxford and Southern railroad The freight cars hold about ten tons and have wheels with spokes in them and one end for the brakeman. The engines are brass to a large extent. The passenger cars are divided into 4 compartments running crosswise and hold about 8 people to a compartment. There is no aisle running thru the middle like in our cars but there are foot boards running along the outside. The cars are of three classes. The first class compares with our Pullmans, the 2nd is like our day coaches and the third class is very common.

Well, I hope my relations don’t compare my letters. They will find them very much the same because after I tell of the country there is not much to say.

I expect this will reach you about Xmas so I hereby send you Xmas greetings and New Years best wishes.

Lovingly
Joel C.S,

Censored by
Jos. W, Timmons Jr
2nd Lieut. U.S.A.