In the U.S., the several states ratified the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, establishing the prohibition of alcoholic beverages. It took effect one year later.
The League of Nations was founded, and, at Versailles, the treaty was signed that formally ended the First World War. Afterwards U.S. President Woodrow Wilson embarked on a cross-country speaking tour to garner support for the treaty and put pressure on the U.S. Senate to ratify it, and wound up suffering a stroke in October that would leave him disabled for the rest of his life. In the end the U.S. never ratified the treaty and negotiated a separate peace with the Central Powers.
As for Grant Willard, 1919 was a momentous year. After being discharged honorably from the U.S. Army in the spring, he returned home to pick up the pieces of his life and start a new one. In September that year he and Dorothy Houghton were married in her hometown of Amber, Pennsylvania, and set up house in Minnesota.
Dearest Mother:-
A little mail came yesterday – the first I have received, outside of one letter from Dot, in a couple of weeks. I drew two letters – one from Marion and one from Zella Devitt. There must be a pile of mail for us somewhere. I thank Marion very, very much for the draft she enclosed. It has gone into Morgan Harjes & Cie. with the rest of my funds to be saved for a rainy day, which I hope is not far off.
Day before yesterday the Chief of our Service, Col. Jones, was in Mainz and told our Lieutenant that he could assure his boys that they would be on their way to the States within 3 months. And that those who wanted to stay over here would be given that opportunity. The latter don’t apply to me in the slightest degree. The former, on the other hand, hits me right between the eyes. Three months isn’t so very much longer. Col. Jones’ statement is the most authentic report we have had and I certainly hope he’s right. I had already sent a letter into headquarters requesting a furlough to the States for the purpose of continuing my former occupation. If it had been granted I figured that I would have been sent back to Allentown and be mustered out there. However, the Colonel said that such requests would not be granted, that he would O.K. them readily enough but that General Pershing was refusing all such requests. So I shall probably have to come back a soldier and will have had no opportunity of touring around over here.
There doesn’t seem to be much argument in favor of my refusing Dad’s perfectly good offer to join him in business when I come back. I think if Dot were convinced that I’m not to be pulled along through life on the coat-tails of my Dad that she would be quite as keen on the proposition as I am. I’m pretty sure she can be convinced. Your letters to her have helped. I’m trying to do my level best from this side. So I have formulated the following plan: immediately upon demobilization to make a direct hit on Ambler, there to get acquainted all over again and to make a regular lover’s fool of myself. It may be a period of three weeks or so before they throw me out during which period Dot and I will, undoubtedly have been very busy. Then I’ll come home, work like a trooper, pick out a shack or pitch a tent somewhere in Mankato or vicinity for Dot and myself. Then when everything is running smoothly and when agreeable to all concerned I shall pile out to Ambler and then to the time of Mendelssohn’s wedding march we shall come dancing back to dear little Mankato – the happiest pair that ever went through a hell of torture together, unscathed and unscarred. Was?
On Tuesday, January 7, Horn Snader and I went in my car to Coblenz for food supplies. The day broke clear and cold, the road is as smooth as a floor and moreover my car was running like a charm. What more could be desired for a 90 km drive down the banks of the historical Rhine? It was indeed a memorable trip, this beauty of which I couldn’t begin to describe to you because my pleonastic abilities have never been properly developed. Ask Carolyn and Alice – they can undoubtedly much more about the entrancing qualities of the Rhine than I can. I am enclosing a few pictures of some of the things we saw. When we passed the Loreley I looked so hard for the beautiful sirens that we mounted a rock pile in our “flivver” and had to be pushed off. Horn said that the only sailors he could imagine as being lured by the sirens we saw would be a crew of drunken Longshoremen.
Coblenz is a maze of Americans. I never saw so much elaborateness in my life. Every unit seems to have an insignia of some sort worn somewhere on every article of clothing. The M.P.’s which decorate every corner, highway and by way are all dressed up like a parade and address one as though he were the dust on his shoes. A poor, inexperienced ambulance driver has a tough time in Colbenz. (I was addressed several times.) Due to army red-tape and penurious YMCA men it took us eight hours of constant prevarication and running from headquarters to headquarters to get one fair sized load of provisions for our outfit – enough to last a week. We came home by our distemper. Why should we have to pay exorbitant prices for foods, clothing, reading and writing material already paid for by you people in the States and intended to be distributed among the American soldiers on this side? The Red Cross gave us our share of everything they had in stock – jam, milk, cigarettes, chewing gum, clothing and reading material. By “our share” I mean the usual army rations for 50 men to cover a definite period of time. What did we get out of the tremendous store house of the YMCA? Half a dozen packages of biscuits, one package of this writing paper and some magazines. We got all of this only after arguing with the main office for an hour and when we finally got it they wanted 30 some odd marks for the lay-out. Can you beat that? Horn said, “I didn’t come 90 km to buy goods which my family has already more than paid for,” and picked up the box and we walked out leaving the wide-eyed and very much shocked little triangle man scratching his bald-pate and pondering over Horn’s harsh words.
I’m afraid you would accuse me of being very unpatriotic if I should go on enumerating our Coblenz experiences. The Americans are handling the whole situation in their territory so differently from the French and English in theirs that it’s hard to understand it all. Judging from articles in US periodicals I should say that you people have a far greater understanding of the underlying principles of this war and the proper solutions for its resultant problems than has the American Army of occupation. I like the trend of thought and reason in the Literary Digest articles under the title of “Feeding German.” I wish the French knew more of how you people at home feel. As it is, they are becoming quite vexed with us. I don’t know how the English feel. We have fallen once for German poisonous propaganda. Wasn’t it sufficient to teach us our lesson or are we going to fall again? If we can’t agree with the French and English on the solution of Germany’s problem then it is sure a sign we haven’t learned our lesson and high time for us to pull out of Europe and leave it to those who know.
There has been a call for cars at the hospital to take sick prisoners down to the train so I must leave you now.
Am feeling fine.
Much love,
Grant.
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