Sincerely, Joel C. Swisher

Dear Folks,

I was assigned to my company today. We have been given all of clothes except our pants. We are still wearing the ones we had on when we enlisted. We were given a rubber raincoat called a poncho. It is worn very much like a cape. We have also been given overcoats. The ones we had at Ft. Slocum we had to turn in when we left there. The ones they gave us here are blue and were made for the Spanish War, but were not worn. They are blue with brass buttons while all the rest of our clothes are some shade of olive drab. I know they were made for the Spanish war because mine was stamped with the date 1898.

They certainly make the drafted men work up here. They drill them hard and when they are not drilling they put them to work with a pick and shovel and make them build roads around the camp. They drill the enlisted men pretty hard but don’t put them to the hard work.

There are very few rifles here. Mostly the men drill without anything. Sometimes they carry long wooden sticks. It certainly looks funny to see them practicing bayonet charges with these clubs. What few rifles are here are of the same pattern as the British rifles.

We can buy ice cream and candy and all those kind of things here in the camp. They are sold at army stores. There are several of these stores.

Do you folks realize I haven’t heard a word from you since I left? I had a short letter from Edith while at Ft. Slocum. But never a word from you.

Lovingly,
Joel

If there is any mail for me come since I left, please send it on.