Пастор из Кирксвилла описал ужасы битвы в Ардонне в письме другу с фронта

As we learned last week, Rev. Claude F. Acree (1885-1967), Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Kirksville, enlisted in WW I in 1918 as a chaplain and was sent to France after his basic training. He often wrote to his church congregation and to friends in Kirksville from France, and some of these letters were published in Kirksville newspapers. One of Rev. Acree's friends was Ralph Miller Pickell (1869-1954) who was a lawyer and police judge in Kirksville before he later started Pickell Abstract Co., which still operates in Kirksville today. On October 28, 1918, Rev. Acree wrote to Judge Pickell. At this time, Rev. Acree was with the U.S. troops at "The Front" which was in the Argonne Forest during part of the Meuse–Argonne Offensive. This was a major Allied operation from September 26 to November 11, 1918, which marked the largest American military engagement of World War I and was a key component of the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive. The Argonne Forest, with its dense terrain and fortified German positions, became a critical and deadly sector of this campaign. Rev. Acree wrote: "If you could see the desolation that surrounds me, pass through the days and weeks of push, suffer and sacrifice with me the past six weeks, you might understand how happy I was to get your letter. Indeed, it was a ray of sunlight in a desolate land. We have been on this front for a month, and it is by far the worst proposition we have ever been up against. If you have been following the papers, you will not have difficulty in guessing where we are. "It's been rather tough on me as I have had to work pretty hard and have been exposed not only to the weather, but the heaviest artillery fire I have had. But, aside from the discomfort and the scare, I am getting on fairly well. "This, once a beautiful forest, is the most desolate, deserted, God-forsaken place I have ever seen. No sign of life. Many wire and shell holes. I saw the largest shell hole the other day that I have ever seen. It was at least forty feet across and twenty feet deep. One marvels how anyone can live through a heavy artillery barrage, yet some escape. There is a science in dodging the shell. "Just four months ago, I landed in France, and I have been in the fray without a break. When I get out of this, I can look any man in the face and let him know he has nothing on me. Ours is recognized as being the best division in France, and I think our regiment is the best in the division. We have been cited twice by the French and two or three times by Gen. Pershing, besides our general had a letter from Col. Roosevelt expressing his appreciation and envy of this, the greatest division in France, or something to that effect. "I saw a piece in the [Kirksville Daily] Express a short time ago about the work at Luvigny [in northeastern France]. The Editor did not know nor did you or anyone else at home, that I was right there. "Saturday, I walked about six or eight miles to get a bath and be deloused. You see, one is all alive and covered with cooties. They are vile and filthy. If anyone had told me I would have lice and be so dirty, I would have smashed his mug for him. But, so it is, and so we have them. When I have a few minutes off, I get my shirt off and hunt for the filthy beasts. The mud has been fierce, but we get accustomed to that so don't mind. "I am living in a small dugout. It's a rotten place to call home, but it affords some protection against the weather. "I had services yesterday. Good crowd, and I enjoyed it. It was on the hillside, and I stood on a small mound, and the men stood all about. "Judge, I am glad I had guts enough to get into this game – pardon the term, but it's the only one we know in the Army. I have had hardships to be sure, more than I thought possible for any one person, yet I am glad to be with these men, and I know as the days go by, I will be even more glad. It's a great game and is a cold-blooded proposition, and it takes a man to stand it. There are many things I could relate if it were possible to speak of them, but it isn't, so I'll wait until I get home. "I wish you could see and pass through some of these things. I know you would appreciate what it all means. I think of you and the good people of the church so often. I am glad you have a pastor and hope all link up with him, and if it is best when I come back, I'll go elsewhere. Yet, I have had my heart so set on coming back. But, what is best for all in general will suit me best of all. "The people of Kirksville have meant much to me and you. Mr. Selby, Mr. Seaver, and numerous others have been as brothers of mine. I hope the war ends before long. "I rejoice with you in all the successes of the church and always remember you in my devotions. I am so proud of the little service flag that Mrs. Selby made and which hangs in the church for me. Write to me when you can. – Lt. C. F. Acree" Chaplain Acree served 12 months overseas in the U.S. Army and attained the rank of Captain. After the war, he returned to Kirksville and resumed his pastorate of the First Baptist Church. On December 24, 1919, Rev. Acree married Miss Maida Aleene Cole at the home of her father, Dr. W. A. Cole, in Dubuque, Iowa. At the time of their marriage, Maida was taking a special course at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. She would for many years serve as a pianist for her husband's services. In January 1927, Rev. Acree conducted a revival service in Casper, Wyoming. In February 1927, he accepted an offer to pastor the First Baptist Church in Casper beginning in the summer of 1927. At this time, Rev. Acree was President of the Kirksville Rotary Club and had made plans to attend Rotary International in Belgium in June 1927. He fulfilled this obligation and also visited the Holy Land while he was abroad before moving to Wyoming. A few years later, Rev. Acree became pastor of the Thousand Oaks Baptist Church in Berkeley, Calif. In 1933, he was called from this pastorate to again serve in the U.S. Army as District Chaplain for the CCC camps (Civilian Conservation Corps), to be "in charge of the moral and spiritual welfare of some 5,000 men." The CCC camps were a government work relief program during the Great Depression. It was a major part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program to supply jobs for young men. It relieved some of the difficulty of the joblessness of the Great Depression by using conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by the federal, state, and local governments. After serving 5 years at the CCC camps, in 1938, Rev. Acree purchased an "auto court" in Winnemucca, Nevada, which became a popular stopping place for travelers between Salt Lake City and San Francisco. He returned to the Thousand Oaks Baptist Church in Berkeley in 1949. Rev. Acree died in Berkeley, CA, on August 25, 1967, and his wife, Maida, in 1981. Both are buried at Golden Gate Mausoleum and Columbaria in Kensington, Calif. They had two daughters, Mary Aleene and Elizabeth Jean, and a son, James Cole Acree. © Copyright 2026 by Blytha Ellis