The Washington times., 1917-02-26
PRIVATEDUMONT, 81,
HONORED BY FRANCE
First Soldier to Enter 0ouaou-
mont Gets Legion of
Honor Cross.

WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES
Feb. 3 Cby maiD Paul Dumont, who
was today, decorated with the Cross
of the Legion OF Honor for being the
first soldier to enter Fort Douaou-
mont on October 70, when it was re
taken by the French, has the added
distinction of being one of the young
est soldiers on whom the decoration
has been conferred. Dumont is just
twenty-one years old.
Aside from being the first soldier
to fight his way into Douaoumont
Dumont captured as prisoners the
German commander and his entire
staff, consisting of captain and two
lieutenants. together with twenty-five
German soldiers.
Legion of Honor Extended.
the Legion of Honor, founded by
Napoleon in 1904 as a recompense for
services rendered to the state, began
to be given to common soldiers. il
having in the past been reserved
usually for officers.
Dumont is one OF half q dozen ordi'
date in the present war.
His exploit, together with the un-
usual recompense, came as a logical
sequence to his entire military career,
which dates merely from the begin
ming OF the present struggle. Wnen
hostilities broke out in August, 1914,
Dumont was just eighteen years of
age. He had been born just outside
of Paris and had spent most OF his
youth at the capital.
He succeeded in being accepted as
volunteer and was at once given
a few months of military training a.
an engineer. On October 81. 1914,
he was sent Il the front with the
Moroccan division, and soon had had
his baptism of fire on the Aisne. In
quick succession he participated in
checking the German attempt to cross
the User, and in the subsequent
heavy fighting about Ypres.
Period of Rspose. 80
The brilliant part played in these
engagements, together with the
heavy losses sustained, won the divi-
sion a brief period of -repose which
was spent in the ArgOnne.
A few months later, however, found
them back in Flanders and here Du-
mont won his first citation and the
Croix de Guerre by exploding Ger
man mines about Eieuport, after a
hard hand-to-hand fight with the
German defenders.
From Flanders the division was
transferred to Nerdun where Dumont
participated in the hard fighting
about Northomme. Still later his
division was sent to the opposite
bank of the Meuse. There Dumont
won his second citation in the recap
ture of FIeury in August, 1916. -.
His latest opportunity to distin-
guish himself came some two months
later in the assault on Douaoumont.
Although only a mile from the fort
when his section leaped from the
trenches. the condition of the inter
vening ground was such that 1t took
over two hours under a terrific shell
fire to cross it.
First to Reach Walls.
Dumont and four men of the same
section were the first to reach the
walls OF the fort. No officer was in
sight, so Dumont himself assumed
command. An opening was made in
the casemate, and with Dumont in
the lead, the FIVE men entered, fight
ing their way down the long corri-
doris with bayonets and hand gren-
AIDES, and stumbling at every step
over the bodies OF their victims.
Arriving at the post OF the Ger
man commandant, the five men beat
down the door and leaped inside with
their Erenades and bayonets poised
ready to infiict instant death at the
slightest show of resistance.
The German captain at the side OF
the commandant made a sign to indi-
cate that all were unarmed and ready
to surrender. Standing guard over
them with grenades ready in his
hand, lbImont sent back one of his
men to find his own captain.
With the arrival of the latter Du-
mont formally turned over his pris-
oners, the count OF noses showing not
only the German commander OF the
fort with one captain and two lieu
tenants. but twenty five soldiers, all
of whom had surrendered to an intre-
pid common French soldier of twenty
one.