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Harry L. Swink

of the

1st Territorial Volunteer Infantry Writes Home

Harry Swink's discharge certificate from the 1st Territorial Volunteer Infantry

The following letters were written by Harry Swink of the First Territorial Volunteer Infantry. Harry L. Swink was born in Illinois on April 1, 1878. When he was twenty years old, on July 2, 1898, Swink enlisted in Company M of the First Territorial Volunteer Infantry . Following the war, in about 1906, Swink moved to the town of Swink, Colorado, where he married in 1908. In 1914, he and the four members of his family moved to Bakersfield, California, where they lived for 31 years. In 1945 they moved to Vallejo, California, where he died on November 10, 1946, at the age of 68. He was buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

Two letters that Harry Swink wrote to his sister during the war were saved by his family. The letters reflect the challenges many soldiers faced in camp - boredom and homesickness.

The Letters:

Letter 1: This letter was was written while the regiment was stationed at Camp Hamilton and was written on paper supplied by the Army and Navy Christian Commission, which was part of the Young Mens' Christian Commission. In the army camps, these organizations provided facilities (usually a tent) and provided tables and paper for men to write to their families. Swink used the paper, but the tables were lacking s he describes below.  Interestingly he lists the regiment as the "1st Oklahoma Volunteer Infantry" but the regiment never received that designation as men serving the regiment also came from areas outside of Oklahoma Territory.

"Camp Hamilton, Ky

Oct 4, 1898

Dear Sister Pearl

Well, Pearl, as this is all that I can think of this time, I will close, hoping you want [to?] do me like you do And [?] Answer Soon,

                 Harry L Swink"

Letter 2: Letter 2 was written while the regiment was stationed at Albany, Georgia. At the time of his writing the letter, the Spanish American War was actually already over. The war had ended on December 10,  1898 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

"Albany, G.A.
Dec 20 1898
Dear Sister Pearl
              

I received your welcome letter sometime ago but clean forgot to answer it. I have been out on a march to Blue Springs, which is about thirty (4.5) miles from here. It took us two days to go there. It is a fine place. The water just boils right out of the ground and is so warm that you can go in swimming any time of the year. You can not hardly sink in it as it will boil you right up to the top. We stayed there one day and had a fine time fishing and swimming. I got a letter from _____[?]. He said they had a bad accident, said one of the boys was fooling with a gun which he didn't think was loaded but it was and when he pointed it at one of the boys and snapped it, it went off, hitting the boy right behind the ear and going clear through his head, killing him instantly. Well, Pearl, news is so scarce that I don't see how I am going to write a very long letter.  I went to [a] show the other night. The name of the play was A Bachelor's Honeymoon. It was a real good play. You want to write and tell me what you do [at] Christmas and what you get. I guess this will be the first Christmas I ever spent away from home. I would sure like to be there to eat turkey with you. It has been raining so I did not have to drill this morning. The ground is so sandy that it is dry in about half an hour after it quits raining. Well, Pearl, mess call has sounded, so I guess I will go or I will miss my dinner.  Hoping this will find you well. I remain
        

Your Brother.
Harry L Swink"

Art Petersen, Art - Transcript of the Swink letters, data on Harry Swink and a copy of his discharge.