The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1915-10-27
LETTER FROM WAR FRONT.
A Very interesting Personal Letter
Direct From the Battle Front
in France.

the trencheS at Ine war IrOnt.
France.
| September Ia. 1915,
| My dear Mr. Duplantier;-
Your interesting letter at hand.
Was very glad to hear from you.
/ am answering ir haste as We
leave in a couple of hours for ar
unknown destination. We have
been for several days in the village
of x and enjoyed ourselves very
much as we were "au repos". My
regiment is attached to the Moro.
caine division, and yeterday we
were reviewed by the President OF
the Republic.
Wonderful sight it was to see all
those troops pass in review at one
time. There were nearly twenty
five thousand men in the line
The division alone mentioned is
considered as one Of the best in
France having participated in all
the great battles of the present
war and always having given q
good account of itself. | don't
know where we are going to meet
the ''boches" the next time, but
we have ''hunch" that we have a
h of a time in front of US, for
great preparations have been made
to chase them out of France
/ suppose you would like to
know what l have done with my
self since arriving in this country.
Well, have been very busy. for
we have been on the alert ever
since September. Although we
have never attacked the enemy or
taken the offensive as they call it.
we have been very busy for they
have attacked US on several occa-
sions. On January the goth they
shelled the trenches lof~ my Reg't
remember that day particularly
we'll for it is estimated that fully
5. 900 shells dropped in or about
our trenches alone The lombard
ment was for the purpose of pre-
venting US from going to the re-
lief of the Reg't occupying the
trenches next to US They sue
ceeded in that purpose but the
latter regiment gave them all they
were looking for and just cleaned
them up" This fight took place
lonly about 700 yards from where
was and did not FIRE single
shot and we were waiting for them
to come at Us. from another direc'
tion. Although the infantry at.
tacks only lasted Is minutes there
were terrible losses on the German
side, for they failed to pierce the
trenches and their reserve was
caught under the fir e of the us "
At the trenches of - we were
for two months only two hundred
yards from the enemy's trenches,
and their chief pastime was tt
drop trench bombs on top of US,
and as they contained about 81
pounds of high explosives, we used
to think 1t was rather exciting 1--WE
Ibid not mind moving to healthier
IocaIity). What ! liked about the
German trench mortars is that the
shell makes kissing noise before
larriving, SO 1t gives US chance tt
dodge into our holes. i am SC
used to making the disappearing
act that can get into my shelter
quicker that a prairie dog gets
into his
There are very few Americans
in the French army. don't sup
Ipose that there are over fifty. In
the beginning they were plentiful,
but under one pretext or another
they managed to get discharged.
| supposed they found the climate
too "hot" for them All those
who remained are fine chaps aDc
have done credit to the nation they
represent. can mention two or
three especially. One is at pres
ent Lieutenant and the other {
sergeant The Lieutenant is nam.
ed Sweeney and comes from "Fris'
CO.. and the Sergeant Is Morlat
| from California also, but of Los
| Angeles. Sweeney started as a cy
lclist and rose rapidly as he is ar
lex-U. s. officer. Morlae pickec
his experiences like myself he en-
listing in the U. s. A and serving
| in the PHILIPPINES He also wal
| in Mexico, serving under Villa
He is very bold and If he does moi
Iget killed expect to see bIm wear
| the MedailIe MiIitaire. You seen
to be under the impression that we
ldon't get the news from the out
lsIde. Well, we do. The mail il
delivered regularly to US. even in
1.-THE trenches / receive papers
from London. Paris. N. o., SC
know pretty we'll what's going or
in the rest of the front The commits
sary is we'll handled and We are
very we'll fed ] have never suffer
ed from the lack Of food
I have been in Alsace and thai
part of the country did not make 8
good impression on me AS sooT
Jas you cross the frontier you no
tice the difference for the popula'
tion is not at all friendly. TheS
| try to make you believe that they
are of French descent but theil
$50 uare hauds" give tfem away
/ had the good fortune to ses
Mulhouse, and the day the French
decide to bombard 1t they can de-
stroy it in few hours as it il
within range Of the field pieces
land is situated in the hollow of /
Izf1-.- kko E~o4nf. f,,,.@1f4,x.ss,rs all III.