The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-09-25
Thrilling Stories
From the Front
ny ROBEDT ELSrON.

LONDON. September ci-Modern
war machinery. especially the trc-
mcndous long range OF the guns makes
fighting nerve -rackinG. according 10
the wounded back from France, he
cause the soldiers, for the most part.
cannot see the enemy
Among the last contingent of wound
ed arriving in London ia IL lance cor
poral of the Connaught hangers. who
gave the following pcrsonal impress
sion OF the lighting.
The disconccrting thing in battle
nowadays IL thatsyou may he Hghtinr
Tor hours on end and never AZ much
us see an enemy to graplc with We
lay for ten hours in the trenches last
Saturday. with rifle fire dropping
around us like raindrops In hcay!
shower.
The roar OF. tho guns was always
there like. tho thunder that you hear
In "A big storm. ana YOU could sec one
long line Of little white puts Of smoke
away In the horizon every time the
Germans nred. beyond that, you
couldn't sec anything. and " was only
IN odd sting in the arm or leg or head
FROM bullet that made you realize
you were in battle.
1T is u big tcst OF mems frmncss
for soldering II they can put up with
that for whole day without losing
their nerve Wc had been nghting for
three whole days before we set eyes
on German. though we were under
fire all the time. After that we saw
them more frequently at close quar-
ters. and then We had plenty OF hand
to-hnhd lighting
The rangers were very lucky. in
deed to get off 80 lightly as they did
FOR wc were continually harasscd by
the German cavalry AMI artillery II
one point We were annoyed 40 much by
u battery Of horse artillery that kept
coming too close that the men were
obviously getting tired OF II. ana at
last we got the order to go for ihcm.
We crept up slowly 10 where the bat
ter! WAS posted, and when within a few
hundred feet We sprang To our feet
with "A yell and swept down on the
Germans before they had time TO look
around. They couldn't stand IL and
!led. leaving their guns behind them
Later. the enemy began to press for
ward in such strength that we could
not hold our ground. and so we fell
back. after destroying the guns as
best could
'rhc way tho Germans sacrifice their
men for the sake OF making an impress
sion is appalling. One position on our
left that we would have fullen back
from In any case because it was doiui-
mated by a battery which We could not
locate, was advanced against by the
German Infantry under Il heavy frc
They came on In one long never. ending
stream. while our rifle and gun !lrc re
hideous gaps through their ranks. the
Red Gross men say that in front of
that position alone 1900 dead and
wounded were picked up after the hight
was over our loss was not moro than
! twenty Of all ranks.
What We are all wondering Is how
long the Germans can keep up this sort
Of thing. ] have seen our cavalry
| throwu into confusion merely because
the horses shield at the heaps of dead
bodies they had to tread over when at
tcmpts were being made TO clear our
front Of the advancing Germans"
In letter to his friends at Bristol.
Sergeant T, Cahill an Irish soldier
serving with the cXpcditionary force
says
The Germans give us no rest night
or day. and those Of Us WHO have come
through 1t Will never forget 10 our dy-
ing day what il is to have TO fight here
The Rcd Cross girleens, with their pur-
~ faces and their sweet ways. arc as
good men'aS most of us. They are not
supposed to venture into the firing line
at all but they get there all the same
and devil the one OF us burst turn them
away.
''rhcrcll be lots more fighting here
before we get through, but YOU may
he sure well come out right In the end
The French are lighting hard All
around us with grit and go that will
carry them through. Have YOU ever
seen little man fighting Il great big
hulking giant, who keeps on forcing
the little man about the place until the
giant tires himself, and then tho little
one. who has kept his wind, knocks him
over" That's how the lighting around
here strikes me We are dancing about
round the big German army here, but
our turn will come.
The Germans are now up to all sorts
OF tricks TO hide their batteries, and
much Of their effect is due to tho fact
that shells drop about your ears when
pyou arc least expecting them. IT is IL
favorite trick TO keep n battery well
masked for hours. and then when our
infantry arc deploying. within range,
without tho least notion OF what is
coming, the German shells begin to fall
round like the autumn leaves. That's
very trying to tho nerves, or was at
first, but we are now getting used to
It,"