Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1917-11-08
FIRST AMERICAN
BLOOD SPILLED
AMERICANS, CAUGHT IN ISOLAT-
ED TRENCH, FIGHT HAND
TO HAND.

With the American Army at the
Front, Nov G.-Thcy were making
ready today to bury in the hallowed
soil Of France the first American SOL
diers to fight and die to make tbs
world safe for democracy.
Three of them died, five others sus-
tanned wounds and IL are some
where behind the German lines in this
first encounter-and today every man
making ready for the battlelne
awarded to them supreme commenda-
tion that in their fight they sustained
the best traditions of the American
army.
They were outnumbered, this little
detachment of Sammies. The fact
that they fought against ovcrwhelm-
ing odds and were hopelessly cut off
from reinforcements, did not deter
them in striking back with all their
power.
|
In the narrow trenches, where there
was no room for rifle shots, the
Americans fought with their clubbeu
guns, their tayonets, their knives,
their cntrenct.ag spades-even their
hands. Tl.,,.J AID the sudden glare
of exploded shells s..o.ved occasional
rapid pictures of strug sling groups
one or two American soldiers sur
rounded by sordid mass Of Germans
"a whirling maelstrom of arms and
hands and kicking feet, flashing bayo-
nets, shouts. muifled yel.s and the
sounds of pan wrung from the wound
ed.
This was the story as survivors told
it. The Americans did not have u
chance against overpowering masses
of the enemy. The fact that they
didn't have chance didn't make them
stop fighting, however, until they had
literally been smothered under the
Germans.
The small American detachment
was in a front line II lench. The usu-
al desultory artillery fire suddenly
rolled to an intense rumble. The en-
emy put down heavy barrage of
sl-ells completely round the single
unit. Then big party of Germans
American wounded estimate them
at 210 in all-sudden,y swarmed
over.
German Attack Superior.
The German raiding party was COM
posed of picked and veteran "shock
troops"-specialists in attack. They
charged in powerful rush The
American troops had just entered
this particular bit of trench They
fought back like wildcats until literal
ly smothered in the weight of superio,
| attacking forces. Then the German,
scurried back to their own lines, drag
ging their own dead and wounded with
them, together with their American
. prisoners.
A young reserve lieutenant with the
detachment attacked was puzzled,
Immediately after he brought his men
into the trench, by the sudden accel-
Grafton of artillery fire. He decided
to consult his superior officers and
started carefully weaving his way
back. He struck the German bar
rage. 1t knocked him fiat, but he re-
covered, and second time tried to
press along. Again he was flung
down by exploding shells, and for the
third time he dauntlessly went on.
Then he was completely knocked
out" by narrow shave from high
explosive she'll
After the German raiders had re-
turned to their lines the lieutenant
was found unconscious He was re-
vived later and told his story. Today
he was iE the base hospital, recover
ing from Lie shell shock.
Smelling Began Suddenly.
"The shelling began suddenly"
said one of the wounded Sammies
"a few minutes later / turned around
and saw big German standing in
the trench beside me. Tho next
thing l knew he shot me-"
The whose American army ir
France, realizing that the first casu
altics were those of an ordinar,
trench raid. nevertheless was boiling
with imp-tience today to get reveng,
on the toches.
The American dead will be buriet
with military honors in little Amer
ican cemetery nelr the camp. Min
v,s~avai,s Io,,r,af