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Judson W. Dennis
Sergeant, Company L, 119th Infantry
American Expeditionary Forces
March 18, 1892 ~ October 17, 1918
"Oh! They should not grieve about their sweethearts or sons so. They ought to be proud that they have a son or sweetheart to uphold Old Glory, the red, white and blue. I will stand and die by her..." Judson Dennis May 6, 1918
Monday May 6, 1918
Dear Mother,
How are you all by now? I'm just fine and all o.k. Well Mother, we leave camp tomorrow (May 7) for New York, N.Y. We will spend a few days there. Our captain told us yesterday that the ship on which we sail will land us safely in France. Now Mother, I don't want you to be uneasy about your soldier boy. We will not be gone long. I think we will go through safely and someday return to our Land of the Free. We will be gone about two years I think. But we are going to win the victory though we are not a mob. Nor are we murderers. We are a band of peace makers and we are going to right the wrong.
How is Minnie and the kids? I wish I could have heard from you all once more before I crossed the waters but I guess the next time I will get to hear from you I will be somewhere in France. We have certainly been having a big time in camp for the past few days. Mothers and sweethearts and friends have been coming to bid their sons and sweethearts and friends their farewell goodbyes. The most saddest sight I never saw in my life as has been here this week. Oh! They should not grieve about their sweethearts or sons so. They ought to be proud that they have a son or sweetheart to uphold Old Glory, the red, white and blue. I will stand and die by her.
Well, Mother, tell all my friends I'm now ready to sail for a foreign country and that we are going to win the victory before we return. Give them my best regards. I will write you as soon as we get to New York. You need not write until we settle in France.
The captain said that we would stay long enough for them to show us the big City of New York and then we will go from there to Hobo, New Jersey where we will embark for France. We have a long, long voyage before us, but I hope we will have a pleasant voyage.
I'm your son-
Corp. Dennis
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Judson W. Dennis was a 24 year old farm boy from Model, Tennessee in Stewart County. He was an unmarried farmer and raised tobacco on land he shared with his brother, Tom. From his letters home, we know that he owned a mare, Old Annie, of which he was very fond. We also know he had many friends and was very fond of his brother Tom and wife Minnie's two little girls, Hazel and Helen.
Judson corresponded with his mother Minnie Dunlap Murphy of Granite City, IL and his brother, Thomas Milton Dennis of Tip Top, TN from the time of his departure from Tennessee in Sept. 1917 for Camp Sevier in Greenville, S.C. until days before his death in France in 1918. Following, in chronicological order are those letters, transcribed by his great-niece, Jan Dennis Philpot. Because of the materials with which he sometimes had to write, as well as creases in the paper, it is sometime difficult to make out all he is saying. In these few cases, a ? appears where this is unclear. Following his letters is a transcription of the telegraph informing Tom of his brother's death, as well as a letter from a soldier friend of Jud's who was with him at his death.
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