The first seven chapters of this book are letters received from Russell A. Kelly, age 21, volunteer in the LÉgion ÉtrangÈre. The letters, many of which were published in the New York Evening Sun, were sent to his parents in New York and have been retained in exactly their original form except for the omission of strictly personal matters.

The last communication from him was a military post card mailed June 15th, 1915. After the severe engagement around Souchez on June 16th in which the Second Regiment de Marche of the First Regiment of the Legion suffered severely, he was officially recorded by the French Minister of War as “missing,” with the added statement that his name would be carried on the list of missing until a search could be made in the internment camps of Germany.

Exhaustive efforts have been made to locate him. All information that has been obtained as to his fate is given in Chapter IX.

When it was learned in New York that he had enlisted, he was informed that Germany had, prior to the war, objected to the Foreign Legion as a military body, and had stated that LÉgionnaires who were not French citizens would be considered as non-combatants and not entitled to the rights of the other soldiers of the French army.

He was accordingly advised that in the event of his capture to give no information as to his citizenship; but to communicate with Ambassador Gerard. He answered that he would follow those instructions.

Chapter 2534 of the laws passed by Congress March 2nd, 1907, makes the taking of an oath of allegiance to a foreign king or state an act of expatriation for an American citizen. But as Russell did not and was not required to take an oath of allegiance to France, he continued, after enlistment, to be a citizen of the United States of America.

Acknowledgment is made to the New York Evening Sun for permission to print those letters which appeared in that paper.

J. E. K.

New York, May, 1917.