Weekly journal-miner., 1917-11-28
STUDENT OFFICERS WITNESS
 FIRST ARTILLERY BARRAGE
Lyle Abbott, of Prescott, Just Commissioned as First Lieutenant, Graphically Describes Strenuous Touch Of
 Warfare Experienced at Camp Stanley, Texas.

taChmCntS Of braves Crcpt forward , with wire cutters and opened ways for the attack They worked quick
 for zero time was approaching, when after glancing at the glowing dials of their wrist watches, the platoon com manderS would mass their men in the
 fire bays and command, "Ovcr the Top"
 At last it came. Five minutes after s. Exactly on the second, our six trench mortars beloved and six huge star shells burst over No Mans Land In the ghostly light the earth belch- ed up its horde Of dark crouching fig urcs Bayonets Up! At a slow dou- . blc time, the men took platoon col , umns and sped through the gaps in i the wire Somewhere in front, the section commanders hisscd "Skirm- ishcrs!" their whispers piercing the night like dagger thrusts The clump- ing of heavy trench boots was stillcd as the lines formed and slowed to a
 walk. By now the enemy scntrics had l perceived us. There was sharp cracklc of muskctry and pause, and then along the enemy front line there
 broke loose a wholesale hell of rife fire They had guessed our attack, and had masscd reserves in their firing bays Their machine guns swept our Hanks. Our men dropped by the score, put out by the white clad um- pires, who directed the attack.
 We could not get forward with such
 losses. Desperate, and determined
 not to be counted out by the umps, the attacking lines hit the ground. In a jiffy. covering dctachments crawlcd forward and took up the fire, adding
 to the already dcafcning noise, the din of half a thousand more rifles. l Behind them, the main line unstrap- ped spades and picks and the dirt began to fly. Under fire and losing men constantly, the attacking bat talion burrowcd like molcs Tn 30 minutes, the ground, which had been broken by dynamite to represent shell craters, had been marked by long narrow black line of a new trench, i nearer to the enemy by 200 dearly bought yards. Into this impromptu carthwork, the assaulting lines wrig- glcd. Sand bags were filled and laid along the parapct. and over these, the men took up the ire.
 By now, the noise of battle had become continuous. To the steady cracking of the rifles was added the intermittent crash of the mortars and the bang of the star shells as they burst overhead and lighted the scene
 Smoke like the smoke of thousand 4th of July celebrations settled over the ground, making the embryo soldiers cough outragcously and weep and curse, while they gruntcd and per spircd at their labors.
 Not a move was wasted. Every man seemed to have acquired some of that spirit of team work that is the basis of American success. One man dug and the next man fired. It was my special fortune to have gone into battle armed only with a pistol and an arm load of hand grenadcs-usc- less at the range we were using. So, my bit was done with d pick and the lid of mess kit The hard rock miner has it pretty soft in comparison with the Sammy who Jugs only % inch pick and gets a ohore out in No Mans Land with the bullets cracking overhead and the IT, F. shells throw ing bits of dirt, comrades and such like over him.
 Back m our supports, the word had been passed for more ammunition. Soon a score of carriers arrived, each Juggling gunny sacks full of blank cartridges. They crcpt along the line, filling each riilcman's hat. The battle
 was to continue. Over there, where the enemy rifles were making com tinuouS stream of fire al the lip of the front trenches, the hubbub began to' swell. Instead of the front line dc lenders and their auNiliaricS. we found ourselves opposed by the entire regi-t mcnt, which had been routed from quarters and rushed to the firing line, contrary to the orders of the scnioi ;n.tructor. IL did not simulate real battle conditions. he said, for in nc case will one army put all its men in. the fire fight. It must keep some for, the shock of bayonct charge. But. the men were there and were firing. Our side had arranged merely for d | regulation attack, and VIC had our snp- ports behind Us, where they should have been. II was not our fault. then. that we were licked Fritz" had dis regarded the rules of the game again. and rather than sacrifice the few re- maining men of our battalion, our commander ordered retreat, being careful io tell Us that in France it's. never done. When you arc cut off, you dis in and fight II you are out numbered and overwhelmed. its too bad but inc word retreat or even re- tire k forbidden.
 No umDirc SAW our drtJchucuf a