Gilpin observer., 1915-07-15
Died like HEROES
Two Companies Hold Position
Five Days Without Relief.
Only Handful Of Wrecks Left Of A.
saulting Party With Mission to
Capture chapel-They Cap
tured u.

How two companies OF French in
fantry took a chapel defended by Ger
man trenches and held their narrow
strip of captured ground for five days
under a continual fire from German
artillery is related in letter pub
lished in the Figaro Of recent date.
The letter was written by the officer
commanding the party. who was one
Of the handful who remained when
they were at last relieved The ap-
palling gruesomeness Of modern war
fare is told in thrilling phrases in this
recital OF heroic act. Parts Of the
story have been elided by the French
censor. but enough is left to give
graphic description. It 10 as follows:
There was much agitation upon the
plateau. The order had been given to
my major to take the chapel at all
costs. My company had the honor OF
being designated as the attacking
company. and am sent to reconnoi-
ter the point Of departure
The chasseurs who man the
trenches from which we are to leave
look at us with interest, because we
are going to give the final blow. and
because everyone is sure that the
chapel has been mined and that the
storming company will be blown up
with it.
Il give my last orders, then the
whistle signal and we start OF on the
run For two hundred yards. a great
distance In an attack OF this kind.
We run through shell holes at points
deep as a mans height. We take
three trenches that are not heavily
defended. But by the time we arrive
at the chapel half the company is
down behind US. for we made the trip
in the cross fire OF three machine
guns.
MY sub-lieutenant. a cashier of the
Bank of France in times Of peace. but
q Non on the battlefield. at the head OF
ten men. jumps into the little trench
that surrounds the chapel and drives
out the German sections. We have
taken the chapel. but II has been q
hard task: then my lieutenant signals
instant's hesitation he leads his COM
pany behind mine. through the cap
tured trenches He joins me and is
killed Just as he shakes my hand.
take command Of his company as well
as mine. and throughout the night q
savage struggle takes place
The positions we occupy are in the
form OF spoon. the captured trenches
form the handle and the chapel the
large end. Through the trenches am.
munition and food are sent to US, as
We are being attacked on three sides,
The next day. seeing that they
could not drive us out by assaults and
not having been able to blow US up.
for the precaution had been taken to
cut all electric wires which the shell
explosions revealed. the Germans be.
gan bombarding. All their artillery
In that neighborhood was concentrated
upon the small space we held. and !
humbly pray to God that may never
again Hnd myself in the midst OF such
q hell
Huge shells burst among the liv-
ing and the dead uninterruptedly: we
breathed only a thick and nauseous
vapor Everything was burning. every.
thing was whistling all about us. The
retnforcements that were sent In to
me melted away and ! was obliged
to send again and again for more men
to add to the handful Of heroes whom
have the honor to command
I'VE could no longer get supplies.
and for more than twenty.four hours
We had to go without food or drink.
What a sight! When. both day
and night. hands and feet slip cease.
lessly upon unnamable things which
once we're human bodies; when OF
these things one has before one the
thickness Of four men. one realizes
how small one really Is in the scheme
Of things, and It restores religious
Ideas to the most skeptical. For five
days that continued. and for Hve days
my colonel. who was watching the
oombardment Of the chapel, kept say.
ing to his star oflcers: How can
you expect a company to hold out in
mat belly II 10 not possiblei