The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-10-28
Letter From An Unnamed French
Soldier to His Father in Paris
Wounded and Left in the Rain Deep He Forced TO
Lean on His Elbows to Keep His Head It, French
Soldier Writes of the Horrors of 81 Hours Passed
in Reflection on Battle Field.

which / find delicious. Upon my ur-
gent entroaty. German consents to
give me glass OF wine from his flask
which he has just filed. | thank
him. That warns me. The Ger
man is going away, wheh he changes
his mind and demands payment for
his glass OF wine. / jabber n little
German. l understand and give him
ten sou piece. the only money
have left. He takes himself off con-
tent.
Some German officers come to talk
to uS. One OF them says TO me:
1T Is your governments fault that
you are here.
They all speak French. note the
remarks of this officer because it ap
pears to me to indicate a curious
mentality
THE third day of this calvary. they
put us in barn on the hay. We have
as yet received no care. l beg the
Germans to take off my clothes.
have been able to snare blanket
which happens to be here l don't
know to whom it belongs, but neces-
sity STILES scruples. They are quite
willing to do what have asked. My
coat. my water-soaked trousers, which
were little less than packages of mud,
arc removed. My falling shoes. my
under-drawers and socks follow the
same route. My feet and my wound
make me suffer. 1 take out my little
pocket scissors. / cut my shirt and
flannel belt free Of my wound which
I have not seen. 1t is distressingly
long. but nothing astonishes me any
longer. after what first aid things In
m 7 a.,
my blanket. have no longer any
thing military except my cap and /
am almost naked. Fortunately my
jersey keeps mo warm. This opera
tion completed / feel q great relief.
They sort the German wounded
from the French. Some hours after
they bring in the sanitary service of
the 203rd which as been taken pris-
oner. TIE French doctors get to work
with first dressings. They make one
for me with tinctLre nj iodine. But
at the moment they are going to put
on the bandage, the Germans take
away the French doctors and the
wounded Germans. We, in our turn,
are transferred to IIibecout.
'Wc are now at the end of the fourth
day OF this exercise. They have warm
ed us that we are prisoners. Tonight
we learn that the Prussians are re-
treating. What is going to happen?
VIII they take us along or leave us
to ourselves? For there are not Lor-
raines in the German army. All
night the troops marcn unuer our win
dow. One hears the noise OF tramp
ing feet and gutteral commands.
Outside OF this dream OF internal
horror which have had for eight
days. am highly hopeful far te anal
results of the war, because 6 am
able to prove one thing, which has
greatly surprised me. confess, That
Is that the replenishing OF supplies
and ammunition is marvellous. We
have never lacked bread. nor meat
nor cartridges a single day. The
service is marvellous,y organized. It
Is one OF the great successes of this
war. 1t Is not as In 1870.
Il have at last slept and in a bed.
have no fever. Only In my sleep
do dream that they are transferring
me and that 1t rains. But this little
hallucination is disappearing.
Il embrace you with all my heart. Z"