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A remarkable collection of correspondence and photographic postcards documenting the experiences of Private James H. Moreland, a U.S. Army soldier from Louisiana who served with Company F, 114th Engineers, American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.), in France at the close of World War I. The archive includes thirty postcards, two of which have handwritten corespondence on verso from Moreland to his mother and sister in Elizabeth, Louisiana, U.S. Army postmarked and dated 1919, Additionally, several photographic postcards depict the devastation wrought by the war in France, including the main battles of WWI: Argonne, Verdun, and other towns in the Meuse region. Additionally, the collection features a newspaper clipping from June 1, 1918, recounting the experiences of another American soldier in combat. Moreland s writting provide firsthand testimony of the postwar conditions in France, describing destroyed towns and the everyday life of American troops stationed in the country. In one card to his mother, postmarked January 29, 1919, he writes: "I will send you a card for a change. This is a scene of a town that was destroyed. We been through this one and through this street. There are lots of towns in just the same shape." Another postcard, sent to his sister Minnie Moreland on February 2, 1919, shows a war-torn structure and includes his commentary: "This is a scene of one of the buildings where we are quartered, but this one is occupied by the officers. We are having a fairly good time now." These brief but evocative messages reflect the soldiers attempts to reconcile the destruction around them with their daily routines in occupied France. The photographic postcards provide stark visual evidence of the war s destruction. Several depict the ruins of Clermont-en-Argonne, a key town in the Meuse region that suffered extensive damage during the Battle of the Argonne Forest in 1918, part of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive the largest and deadliest battle in U.S. military history. Images of Verdun, site of one of the war s longest and most grueling battles, include buildings reduced to rubble, such as the Hôtel du Coq Hardi, a well-known establishment bombarded during the war. Other images show bridges and rail lines vital military infrastructure either destroyed in the fighting or under repair by engineers like Moreland s unit. One card titled "Clamecy Arrivée d un Train de Blessés" captures a train of wounded soldiers arriving for medical care, a reminder of the war s heavy toll on both soldiers and civilians. A newspaper clipping from June 1, 1918, included in the collection, offers another soldier s perspective on the fighting. The article, titled "Somewhere in France," recounts a letter from Corporal W.J. Payne describing his harrowing experience in battle: "Well, I am still here but can t tell why. It is a mystery to me. No doubt, you have read of the American drive and you may want to know what part I played. I was in it, and a mighty thick part of it, too. My company went over the top and was there with the goods." He details fierce combat and the resilience of American forces: "We put up a good fight and blocked five counterattacks within the next two days after the drive. The boche have done enough to get the boys mad, and they sure had better watch out when we get another rap at them." The inclusion of this clipping alongside Moreland s letters highlights the dramatic shift from active combat to the postwar occupation period experienced by U.S. forces in France. An extraordinary primary source archive, offering insight into the aftermath of World War I from the perspective of an American engineer stationed in France. Moreland s postcards and letters, combined with the haunting imagery of France s war-torn towns, provide valuable documentation of the war s impact on both soldiers and civilians. A rare and historically significant collection.
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