The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-07
Troopers Letters
From the Front

LONDON. October 6.-Lettcrs from
the front, arriving now in London, sent
back by the troops In the trenches to
relatives at home. give some interest
ing sidelights on the war.
young officer. who has seen the
whole course OF the campaign from
the landing OF the British troops.
writes:
II wish you would try to make the
people In England understand that
they should be most exceedingly thank
full that they are living on an island
and not In the midst of the dreadful
things which are happening OH the
Continent. Do enforce upon the public
that England must fight this thing out.
and must conquer even IL II has to
spend the blood OF Its young mon like
water. 1t will be far better that every
family throughout England should
have TO sorrow for ono OF Its members
than that England should have TO go
through similar ordeals to those which
continental countries arc suffering.
The sight OF old women and men
fleeing from village TO village; young
mothers with babies In arms, with tn eli
few personal effects ON their backs, or,
In some fortunate cases, with their
goods and chattels surrounding the aged
grandmother slowed away in an old
farm cart. drawn BY mag too vener-
able to be OF service to the state; this
Is what one has seen daily. Picturei
to yourselves our night marches with
burning villages on all sides. set fire to
by German shells-and the Germans
have been rather careless whether
their shells struck fortified and de-
tended positions or open ones In some
cases the fires were caused Intentional
~ by marauding patroIs,
DO not Imagine that things are not
going we'll with us. We are all salts
ned and confident OF the end. but. at
the Same time, the only possible end
can be gained by sacrifice on the part
OIL those at home only. All is we'll
with me personally: have a busy time,
but IT Is most interesting work"
Coldstream Guardsman. writing OF
the fighting near the forest OF Com
piesne. compares the sight of the Ger
final crowd at the Crystal Palace
You couldn't miss them, Our bull
let's plowcd into them, but still they
came for us was we'll intrencl ed
and my rifle got 60 hot l could hardly
hold 1t. was wondering II should have
enough bullets, when nal shouted
Up. Guards. and ut EN- The pe.t sec
ond he was rolled over with n nasty
knock on the shoulder. He Jumped up
and htssed Let me get at them His
| LANGUAGE was bit stronger than that.
! When we really did get tho order to
e.. L
tell you. They crinRe1 at the bayonet,
but those OH our left wing tried TO yet
around us. and, after racing as hard
RS we could for quite 800 yards, we cut
up nearly every man who did not run
| away"
Referring to the cavalry. he writes:
You have heard Of the charge OF the
Light Brigade. 1t was nothing TO our
chaps. ! saw two OF our fellows who
were endorsed. stand back to back and
slash away with their swords. bringing
down nine or ten OF the panic.stricken
devils. Then they got hold Of the stir
rup straps of a horse without a rider
and got out OF tho melee. This kind of
thing was going on all day.
I'm the afternoon l thought we
should Ill get bowled over. as they
came for us again in their big num-
berg, Where they came from, good
ness knows; but as we could not stop
them with bullets. they had another
taste of the bayonet. MY captain, q
fine fellow. was near to me, and as
ne fetched them down he shouted:
Give them socks. my lads How many
were killed and wounded. don't know,
but the field was covered with them"
Driver w. Moore, of the Royal Field
Artillery, who Is now In the London
Hospital. gives his experience of the
lighting at Mons. The letter is ad
dressed to the superintendent of the
training ship Cornwall, Of which Driver
Moore, who is not yet twenty years OF
age, Is an "old boy" He was wounded
in the log by piece of shrapneI. He
said:
ut was Sunday night when wo saw
the enemy. We were ready for action,
but were lying down to have q rest,
when orders cape to stand at our posts
II was about a. NJ. on Monday when
VIC started to fire; we were att all
day till II. NJ. when we started TO
advance.
Then the bugle sounded the charge,
end the cavalry and Infantry charged
Ike madmen at the cueny. Then the
we held at bay till Wednesday, when
the enemy was reinforced.
Then they came on to Mons. and BIZ
mat time we had every man, womanI
and chiia out of the town. We were
situated on hill In a cornfeld, and
we could see all oyer the country. 1t
was about p. NJ. and we started to
let them have a welcome by blowing
up two of their batteries In about five
minutes Then the infantry let go, and
then tho battle was In full swing.
I'm tho middle OF the battle n driver
got wounded and asked to see the colors
Gefore he died, and he was told by an
officer that the guns were his colors.
He replied: Tell the drivers to keep
their eyes on their guns. because II we
lose our guns we lose our colors'
Just then the infantry had to re-
Tire. and the gunners had to leave their
guns, but the drivers\were so proud OF
their guns that they went and got them
out and we retired to ST. Quentin. we
had a roll call. and only ten were LEFT
out of my battery. This was tho bat-
Cornwall boy) lost his life in trying to
get the guns aWay.n tl. slu. 49,