The Oskaloosa herald., 1916-05-18

the circumstances. Finally the range
was shortened and the shells began
dropping in the first trench, where /
was. / saw a dozen men mangled by
one about fifty feet from me and
was stunned myself. Right then the
Germans stopped their artillery fire
and charged. 49,.
Our regiment was commended af-
terward for the fight we put up in the
next twenty-four hours. We drove
back the Germans in hand to hand
fighting three times, and when the
dawn of the third day came l looked
about me and it seemed that everyone
l knew lay dead or wounded. OF a
battalion of $500 men just 100 re-
NAMED. I had not been wounded, al
though I had bayCnet thrusts in my
clothes and neat round hole through
fiat built creation.
II afterward learned a great many
Of our men were killed by our own
artillery, our observers having made a
mistake in distance, with the result
that scores of our own lyddite shells
were thrown into the trenches from
the rear If the men had known that
there would have been all kinds of con-
fusion. but as it was we were in a
frenzy of excitement and viciousness
and where shells came from or where
they went was the least of our trou-
bles. We we're busy killing Germans
individually.
Piled High With Dead.
well. we were told to retire, but
the trenches were piled so high with
the dead and badly wounded that We
could not make our way through the
intersectional trenches. footed my
way among the bodies of some of the
finest boys I will ever know, and saw
others gasping their last breath. There
was nothing to do for them.
Even after the engagement two or
three lyddite shells from our own ar
tillery dropped into the outer end OF
the trench. and Captain Joe Davis, who
later died next to me in action, saw
them. He jumped up and tried to get
into communication with the artillery,
but finding the wires ineffective dashed
back, deliberately exposing himself to
the Germans, and told the artillery
chief that his range was short.
THAT Is the kind Of men we had in
the Rifles. When there was something
to be done never saw a man shirk
for an instant.
We'll we we're ordered, what was
left of us, back to Richebourg, and that
was another trick of fate which held
us from death. Two days later we re-
turned to the identical spot to find that
two companies of men who had been
there had been annihilated with the
exception of one man, Rodney McDer-
mott. The Prussian guard had swept
over in the night, and there were no
re-enforcements to back the boys up.
knew how they must have waited for
them. for we were always hearing of
relief and 1t always seemed hours
before 1t came.
eve would be crouching in trench,
knowing from the observers reports
that we were outnumbered twenty to
one, and we would be told that the re.
lief was coming up within an hour
Two hours would pass and we all the
time waiting for the creeping figures
Of the men Of the re-enforcements to
come into the dim light of the night
And then when they did come sneak
ing along in single file through the in,
tersectional trenches it would be
mighty good to hear the first one say,
Northumberland Fusileers; have you
been waiting long?' Just silhouettes,
but the most welcome shadows in the
world.
Sent on a Scouting Trip.
81 had an interesting experience at
Neuve Chapelle on October 29. You
have no idea how little a man in the
ranks knows about what Is going on
around him or whether his army is do
ing we'll or i'll. l was sent with three
other men into Neuve Chapelle to see
If the Germans held it or what the
situation was. The town was afire.
We passed through the stretch where
the big Jack Johnsons' were sending
shells at mistaken range and hurried
along down into the outskirts of the
town. We saw some Of the Wiltshire
boys darting around among the build
ings, and asked them If the allies had
it. They didn't know, but they said
they had seen more Germans around
shooting than should be permitted in
a well captured town. They suggested
that 1t was a good idea to sneak
around for a while until we found out
who the deuce had the town, anyway.
We had an idea that the allied forces
had the upper hand.
1--WE were concealed at the side of a
deserted building when big, tall Ger
man private came slowly along, look
ing about carefully and with gun ready
for action. We were going to shoot
him, but he saw us just as We saw
him, and he stood still undecidedly
We captured him and then were not
sure what We had better do with him.
He seemed to be altogether too decent
a chap to kill somehow. We asked him
who had the town, and he said he
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