The Washington herald., 1914-11-09
FEW TAKE MANY
ON BATTLEFIELD
Major Recounts Capture of
Forty Germans and Howitz-
ers by Ten Men.
MISTAKEN FOR REGIMENT
weird Ride Through Black Woods
Taken to Seize Guns and Only
Bravery Prevents Death.
,ecisi Cabls 70 me washington Herald.

specisi cabIs 70 me washington Hezaid
London Nov. &-The major of a Brit
ish field artillery battery, in a letter,
gives the following account Of the cap
ture Of forty Germans and two machine
guns by nine men and a trumpeter:
I'VE got the. order to go on and Join n
battery under Col Carey's orders We
came en- route under heavy shrapnel fire
on the road. gave the order to walk,
as the horses had hardly any food for a
couple OF days, and also I wanted to
steady the show. I can't say quite en-
joyed the 'swank' of walking along at
the head with old - behind me, espe-
ciaIly when six shrapnel burst right in
front Of US. We got there just in time,
rushed into action. and opened fire on a
German counter-attack at short range.
destroying the lot as far as could see.
I'VE then moved slightly to another
position to take on a valley, down which
they were attacking. and were at it the
whole day, firing about 800 rounds into
quantities of German attacks and coun-
ter-attacks- They cannot stand the
them they turned and bolted back to the
wood. 1 got on to their trenches, and
one shell dropped in.
p Din of Fire All Day.
Il was enfilading them and they tore
out Of the trenches, and so on, each
trench in turn, and fell in hundreds Also
through the rangehnder, Cox saw I'd hit
a machine gun and they had abandoned
1t and another. So it went all day, shell
and bullets humming around, but only
one Of my stan horses hit Our infantry
advancing and retiring-others advancing
and coming back-Germans doing like
wise, hellish din of shell fire, and me
pouring in fire wherever I could see
them.
AT last got six shrapnel into a wood
and cleared a heap Of them out and got
into them with shrapneL 1t is awful
The sergeant-major put his hand up to
his head and said, oh, sir, it's terrible
That seemed to settle them, and at last
We saw the infantry advancing to their
positions without resistance. Now was
my chance. determined to get those
machine guns II could, as otherwise the
infantry would. So left - to COM
mand and got the strumpeter, sergeant
major, and six men with six rifles, and
went forward to reconnoiter' as I re-
ported to the general, after had gone.
1T was a weird ride, through thick
black woods, holding my revolver ready,
going In front with the little trumpeter
behind and the others following some
way in the rear. We passed some verv
bad sights, and knew the woods were fun
OF Germans, who were afraid to get
away on account of the dreaded shell |
nre. We got in front of our infantry,
who were going to fire at us, but Shout |
ed Just in time.
At last We came to the edge of the
Wooo' and In front Of US, about 300 yards !
away, was little cup-shaped copse, and
the enemy's trenches with machine guns
q little farther on fen sure this wood |
was fun Of Germans, as had seen them /
go In earlier. I started to gallop for it
ana the others followed Suddenly about L
nifty Germans bolted otu, firing at US.
I loosed oftmy revolver as fast as I
could, and - loosed on his rife from
the saddle They must have thought we.
were regiment Of cavalry, for, except /
a few, they suddenly yelled and bolted.
stopped and dismounted my lot to fire |
at them, to make sure they didn't change L
their minds. / held the horses as I l.
couldn't shoot them like that myself.
! then suddenly saw there were more
in the copse-so mounted the party ana
galloped at it, yelling, with my revolver
held out
las we came to it, 1 saw it was full of
Germans, so 1 yelled hands up and
pointed the revolver at them. They ALL
chucked down their rifles and put up
their hands Three officers and over
forty men to ten of US with six rifles and
a revolver. I herded them away from
LneH rlnes ana named them over to the
Welsh regiment behind u.s. 1 tore on
with the trumpeter and the sergeant-ma-
iOr to the machine guns
AT that moment the enemy's shrapnel |
The Germany infantry who'd got away,
and our own howitzers, thinking we were
hostile cavalry, opened fire on US. We
couldn't move the beastiy things, and II
was too hot altogether, so we EaIlopec
back to the cup wood and they hailed
ihrapnel on us there. waited for a lun,
md mounted all my lot behind the
pushes and made them sprint as gave
he word-to gallop for cover to the wood
where the Welsh company was.
There I got -, who understands
hem, and an infantryman who volunteer
d to help. and, and ran up to the
Aaxims and took out the breech mechan-
sm of both, and one Of the belts and car
led away one whole Maxim We couldn't
manage the other.
The Welsh asked what cavalry we
we're. I told them we were the stan Of
he - Battery, and they cheered US, but
aid We were mad We got back very
Ilowly on account of the gun, and the
men wild with excitement, and we have
sot the one gun complete and the
mechanism and belt of the other.
The funniest thing was the little trum- 4
'eter, who swept a Germans helmet on q
lis head and waved it in the air shout {
ng: I've got II" wild with excitement. g
lie is an extraordinarily brave boy"