LaRochelle, France

Nov 13 1918

Dear Father:

Received your letter of Oct. 20. Thunder, yes, dad, I've got nearly all the letters you ever wrote. I suppose you are getting the answers by now, though. It takes from 20 to 35 days to get a letter from you. This one came through in 24 days. Yes, I got a letter from Harley the 11th of Nov. He is here in France, probably 50 miles from me. But if he is as hard at it as I am, he is pretty busy. Not much chance of us getting to see each other.

Of course, the war is over now for good. I knew quite a while ago that it would soon be over, but the battle of the Engineers is not over by a long, long ways. You can look for us home any time after the first of the year, for most everyone thinks this Regiment will be among the first to come home.

Glad to know you raised such good crops for that's what the world needs now, and if the U.S. can't furnish it there will be some pretty hungry countries on this old globe before spring. Save me some of that sorghum for I'm coming home by spring. I feel it in my bones, ha! Ha! No, it can't frost here, there's too much fog and rain all the time.

Yes, you might think you would be fixed for winter with a pair of wooden shoes, but if you had to wear a pair some of the zero days, you'd think you was fixed forever, ha, ha. You blamed right it's moving time in France. First for the Huns and then for us to move home. Well, I suppose Allie is as big as a skinned rabbit by now, eh?

What do the people think of the war now. I'll bet they sure had a time in the States. We did over here. Well, I want to answer Harley's letter tonight while I know his address. He doesn't know my right address yet. He wrote to the address I had while on the way over here (Washington Barracks, DC). So you see, he hasn't got any of my letters. His letter was only 9 days coming to me, and of course, would have come in a day or two if he had used my right address. He only wrote a few lines, said he was well and had got a letter from home a few days back. He said the address he had for me Bertha gave him and that he didn't have much hope of me getting the letter but would try anyway. I am going to write him tonight and, if possible, get to see him. So long before you get this letter, he and I will know where each other is and be swapping letters once a week. It's not so bad over here when a fellow gets used to it but, say, the old U.S.A. has got the world beat a thousand times over. That old Atlantic ocean is not so bad and only 6 days wide in peace times. It won't look bad at all when there's no subs to fight. I don't get seasick so I should worry about the old Atlantic. I see her every day or two.

Well, I must close, so write soon and look for news of the 35th Engineers and maybe you can find out about when I will land. As ever,

Private Lawrence McCoy
Co. H. 35th Reg. T.C.
American E.F.