(Letters): Small Archive of letters and Newspaper Clippings About the Death of Alfonzo Leonhardt Mauney, a U.S. Solider during World War I.

Humphreys, Virginia, 1918. Unbound. Near Fine. Small archive of four letters, one envelope, and a newspaper clipping about the death of Alfonzo Leonhardt Mauney from Spanish Influenza in the fall of 1918. All items near fine with light edgewear. The envelope is addressed to Mauney when he was at the recruit battalion training camp in Humphreys, Virginia from his friend A.V.A., "How are you enjoying army life, by now fine, I hope. Say, are you still sleeping on the floor and bathing in the woods?" One letter to Belle, Mauney's mother, from a friend reads, "You don't know how my heart aches for you in this sad hour. Oh, I was so shocked when I got Ethel's letter telling me of A.L.'s death...I can only refer you to the Heavenly Father for comfort for he alone can heal our wounded hearts," showing concern but insensitively writes, "Now you all must not grieve any more than you can help for we all have to answer the same call sooner or later". There is a typed letter from the training camp in Virginia addressed to Mauney's father saying that the remains of his son should arrive the next day, dated October 12th, 1918. The newspaper article writes that Mauney was well-liked in the community and had been only training with the camp for two months before passing. At the end of the clipping there is a printed poem written by one of his classmates, "He has gone we trust into that bright home, where sorrowing and parting can never come, where wars shall cease and friends untie, and training be given by Our Captain of light. Our future lives no one can tell, whether failure or success there does dwell, how each will spend his future day, we can't just now certainly say."

A small archive of letters to a soldier in training who passed away before his time.