WWI U.S. Army Soldier Letter-Camp Lee, Va- February 15, 1918

Original multi-page handwritten World War I soldier’s letter dated February 15, 1918, written from Camp Lee, Virginia, during the rapid expansion and training of the U.S. Army for service in the First World War.

Addressed to “Dear Katherine,” the letter provides an excellent firsthand account of everyday Army life at Camp Lee. The writer discusses receiving vaccinations, describing how the men were lined up and given their shots and noting that additional inoculations were still to come. He also mentions fellow soldiers becoming ill or fainting after receiving their vaccinations, giving the letter particularly interesting medical and camp-life content.

The soldier writes about camp conditions and military routine, including being moved among units, inspections, uniforms, barracks life, and preparations for departure. He states that they expected to leave sometime the following week and mentions paperwork being completed, suggesting his unit was preparing for another assignment or movement.

Other subjects include correspondence from home, friends and family, food, hunting, weather, and the ordinary concerns of a young soldier separated from loved ones. One especially interesting section describes the extremely muddy conditions around camp, with the writer remarking that the mud was roughly six inches deep in places following storms.

The letter also appears to reference his assignment to Company A, 305th Engineers, an important detail that may make further research into the writer and his wartime service possible. The 305th Engineers were associated with the U.S. Army’s 80th Division, making the unit reference worthy of additional research before sale.

Written entirely in period cursive on multiple folded sheets. The pages show expected age toning, folds, handling wear, and minor edge wear but remain quite legible overall. An excellent piece of original WWI correspondence with unusually strong content relating to Camp Lee, vaccinations, Army training, unit movements, inspections, and daily soldier life in 1918.