The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-28
well GET THEM CRY
WOUNDED FREHcHNEN
Men Weep With Rage As They IRE
Led From Battlefield to Hospital
Station. - 2 g

IdrlS March 2T.--An officer wounds D
cd at Verdun in an article published
by the Figaro, describes with great
'orce the feelings of the French soi-
dier in the greatest. battle. OF the war.
He tells of TIE trip Of the wounded
from the front TO the division Dress
ing station. In part. the letter readss
The order comes at last. The
wounded win retire
The attack on our side is intensi~
wing, while theirs is diminishing.
CONTINUED achievements are
coming up to US calm, silent.
I'VE grope our way TO the reer.
in groups. limping, scramb bling, toward
Fleury, where there is AN aid stat
don. And as the SUPPORTS come
swinging by with their occasional muir
murs of pity and comfort in their
broad provincial petots we rage be-
cause we are no longer fiji for. work.
An officer. commandment tmajor1
Is left with us Wounded in ahe head
and right leg. he did not want to be
carried off He limps along leaning
on the arm or The pllgna ci0us Sergeant
r.. of the French line
& has received his third
wound. He is crying with rage. He
is ono Of those nervous men who shed
ears when they are fighting mad. He
las been crying ailSe baby ever SINGS
the fight started. Now. helping the
officer along, he IS repeating. to him.
self: Wen get hem. the - -
---' Wen get them"
and the Commandant begins to re-
peat It: Wen get themv wall get
them"
THE phrase dins into our madden
( ed exhausted brains until we can
think Of nothing else, and II Is a
litanv that we chant as We stumble
along that painful road to the .ambu-
lance statior--at every step the
crumhle, Wen get them,'
Near us along the road. the
columns of infantry are trHnTpfnE by,
and despite the hellish roaring OF the
guns despite the red stains OF our
bandages. stains that to them are fore
casts Of the future they pass with
I CHEEKY words
shells Show Faces
4 THE fashinr of the shells show rs
their faces. One reads more Of envy
than pity on the faces or the younger
rlen. the older ones, who know what
I It all means eve us with energetic
chances, decided stern looks that
signify. We win avenge YOU
I EXHAUSTED, tho commandment halts.
and we, too halt with him. A sub
lieutenant who passes salutes him and
I with II strAag accent of the fau-
hourrs. respectful. but proving that he
/ tas risen from the ranks and won
/ his grade on the battlefield, saas:
/ Don't VERY. mon comf1andarf; they
won't get by"
! And the duh murmur runs through
the ranks Of the passing 'piou pious
They won't get hy''
/ Then we who can fight no longer.
land who see the fresh troops hurry
ling into the battle, burst into tears.
/ all of us. Our nerves are in a, jangle;
we weep because we no longer are
worth anything AZ fighting men: we
weep to see the entire PLAIN In flames:
we weep to see verdun burning. And
/ neverth eless, our confidence Is UNI
broken-'They will not get by
"The way IS long and tlresome, par
! t'culrrly when each instant we HAD
to crouch as a shell whistles by ana
dodge the shrapne1. Fleury is but =
hundred metres off now. Still the
| temptation is strong, despite the rain
Of shrapnel, to cast one last glance
! down there Down there where
! the battle without limit Is raging. 10
! he'll unclaimed We strain our eyes.
/ What we cannot see under the Vault
Of fire that tears the night we see in
our minds eye. and now that we ars
/ ro longer fighting. the scene IS one or
/ horror unparalleled.
I I'VE live over again the ightz-the
tcomrade whose brains were dashed
/ out beside us: the butehery: the hui
! man limbs that few into the air as
! ghe shells exploded; the flesh ana
1 Mood that rained upon us: our
shra pnel that reaped its horrid crop;
! the machine guns with their dry ia. Ia,
Ia ta,-ta,- tar-;tad- -haronetsr -cl!ckn-
/ ing toyousty as we piled them"