October 1, 1917, Peach Bottom, Lancaster Co. Pa.
Posted by Joel C. Swisher on October 1, '17
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Dear Helen
I sent you a letter last Wednesday but do not know whether it reached you or not. In case you did not get it I will explain. In it I asked if I could come over and said I could come as late as Tuesday evening.
After I sent it I found that Tuesday would be too late. My notice to appear will be sent about the middle of this week. As I am going to enlist I must do so before my notice is sent.(1)Joel was in a hurry to enlist rather than be drafted. Although he had claimed a “Religious Scruples” exemption when he registered for the draft, he writes in a later letter that he chose to enlist into a noncombatant role in the Corps of Engineers rather than be drafted and have to prove himself as a conscientious objector. See Conscientious Objectors in World War I. That means I must go Tuesday some time. Fearing that my letter may have reached you and that you had written that Tuesday evening would suit you I thought I had better write.
I didn’t have the letter finished when the mailman came past here last Wednesday so I gave it to a passing team to mail at Conowingo. Since then I have been wondering if he ever did it. In case he did not mail it I suppose you never got it. If you did not get it, this letter is unnecessary. Fearing that you had gotten it, and that Tuesday had suited I thought I had better write.
As I will not see you I hereby bid you farewell. I hope the war will not reach you in any form.
Sincerely,
Your friend
Joel C. SwisherNotes
Notes ↑1 Joel was in a hurry to enlist rather than be drafted. Although he had claimed a “Religious Scruples” exemption when he registered for the draft, he writes in a later letter that he chose to enlist into a noncombatant role in the Corps of Engineers rather than be drafted and have to prove himself as a conscientious objector. See Conscientious Objectors in World War I.