Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-03-05
SOISSONS BATTLE
VIYIDLY DESCRIBED
Its Desperate Character Reveal.
I'd in Simplicity of Epistle of
French Private- Soldiers
Prepare For Death.

Paris, February 27.-Ths following
letter from French private describes
the desperate battle Of Scissors. The
simplicity of it, and it's sincerity, re-
veal the character of this fighting,
more vividly than could be written IN
official dispatches:
My very dear Yvonne:
Thanks to God am still here and
my health is good. AS every one ex-
pected, the days of sacrifice have come
1 know my Yvonne is strong in spirit,
and that she has no false illusions. So
that you may understand am going
to tell you frankly about the terrible
days OF the Sth and 9th.
LAS told you, we were at N
from the evening of the first of Janu-
airy. Happy and calm, we enjoyed n
well-earned rest. On the evening of
the 9TH an unexpected order comes
along: Everybody to be ready, with
out haversack, and with 200 cartridges.
"At about,5 o'clock in the evening
off we go across s. and get on the
plateau, the rest of the night being
spent in the grottoes. Here we are
then we fixed up;we have got to attack
and take the German trenches.
THAT night did not sleep. BY the
light of my little lamp arranged my
small affairs, and was not alono in
this work. Nearly the whole company
felt the need of writing and of self
expression. Between the comrades
there was a gripping of hands, and we
comforted each other. Eight O'Clock in
the morning comes. Our artillery
opens fire and for an hour sprinkles
the enemy's trenches with more than
1000 shells. During this time our own
battalion gets into the trenches. The
German trenches are only fifty metres
away. The artillery comes to a dead
stop; it is now 9 o'clock.
First Line of Trenches il Quickly
Captured
but our commandant, O man with
soul, wants to profit by the menta,
effect which our artillery has pro-
duuced on the Germans. He orders the
charge to be sounded, and darts for
ward first, followed by the two COM
panles. In twenty minutes the first
line of trenches was captured. The
line example given, but it cost him
his life, and his adjutant was killed
by his side.
"Our losses in the attack were not
very large. But the counter attack oil
the Germans was inevitable. 1t was
then that the ninth and tenth conpan-
les came into action. 1t is ten O'Clock
at night. The order comes to occupy
the captured trenches. Until 81
o'clock in the morning the positions
are strengthened. The crumbling
trenches are dug out, and we get rid
OF the corpses, German and French.
"All Of a sudden great cry is rails
ed by thousand voices:
The Bosches are coming on at the
charged
ooh, dear Yvonne Oh, the horrible
vision, the horrible carnage!
Everyone has understood, and knows
that he has to defend his life. AT
every turn Germans are killed; the
bayonet works. They are impaled. For
my part l saw red. Death scared over
my head, nd did not think about it.
The edge of the trench is liberated
But how can ! describe this scene to
you, and how is it that am not mad
1t is terrifying; the crying of the
wounded, the shouting of defenders
and assailants. AT last the Germans
fall back. The lieutenant proves him
self worthy Of his task; in clear
voice he orders volly firing. But the
'Bosches' reply, and they come back.
crawling on all fours. How many of
us fell under the bullets!
Nothing But Heap of Corpses in
Corner
"In the corner there is nothing but
heap of corpses. There is the smell
of blood. The screaming of the wound
ed tears your heart out. But all that
puts us in range. In volleys we keep
on firing. Dawn comes to deliver US.
The enemy was thrust back. Oh! How
our dead we're revenged! Over the
parapet of the trench in the field one
can only see corpses, corpses which
are going to stay where they lie. This
savage war does not allow the burial
of the dead.
"About midday the German. renew
their attack. This time we can see
them advancing in close order. With
grip on our rifles we wait for them,
for they were too far away to be fired
at. they are going to swarm upon
us, but we shall defend ourselves.
Suddenly our seventy-five begins to
vomit, the German column having been
signaled. All! Fine work! The shells
are we'll directed and fall into the
middle of things-arms, legs, bodies,
bits of men were scattered about.
Thanks to our artillery, we were saw
ed this time.
"But they are obstinate devils, those
'Boches.' At about o'clock in the
evening they began another attack,
but it was feeble, and our shells stop
ped them. At z o'clock we were re-
loved.
"We return to N the same even
ing. For two days of the battle had
eaten nothing. Like most of us, ]
had horrible stomach pains and fever.
"Today all ones nerves are relaxed
am dazed to find myself here, alive
1t is true that my confidence had not
Abandoned me. The hand-to- hand
| fighting, which had feared so much
had come, and l had survived.
"Most of my comrades had stuck
the enemy on their bayonets. l, fol-
some reason not to be defined, had not
brought myself to do this; but every
time my lucky aim foored the mar
who leaped at me. More than twenty
times in ten minutes this incident was
repeated. Every time my eyes was
| ,,ol- ko 10 L4I