The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-06
Thought Were Threatened
With Death From Hand
Grenades or Surrender.
PERSHING SENDS
IN BRIEF REPORT
Says German Artillery Had
Cropped Heavy Barrage,
Cutting Men OFF.
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, Nov. 5.-American
troops captured by the Germans in
the trench raid on the morning Of
November 3rd probably were trapped
in their dugouts and forced to SUR
render or be blown to pieces with
hand grenades without 3 chance for
their lives. This is the only explana-
tion which occurs to army officers
today, lacking any details Of the fight.
General Pershing's brief report
merely stated that the German artil-
lery had dropped heavy barrage fire
about a sector of the trench, cutting
the men, off from help. No explana-
tion Of the light casualties is given
and the twelve prisoners was givei..
The fact that one wounced German
was captured, it was indicated that
the trench had been reoccupied by
the American forces. Here il the
official casualty list:
Killed.
Private Thomas F. Enright, sister
Mrs. Mary Irwin, Pittsburg.
Private James B. Gresham, mother
Mrs. Alice Dodd, Evansville, Ind.
Private Merle d. Hay, fataher Har.,
vey D. Hay, Glidden, Ia s.-ss7 1
Wounded.
Private John j. Smith, brother =.
d. Smith, Ludington, Mich.
Private Charles j. Hopkins, brother
James w. Hopkins, Stanton, Tex.
Private Homer Givens, father VIM.
F. Givens, Cloverdale, Ala.
Private Geo. l.. Box, father Jas. I.
Box. 700 North Grady street, Altus.
Okla. -
Private Charles L. Orr, mother Mrs.
Sarah Regnell, Lyons. Kas.
Captured or Missing.
Sergt. Edgar M. Hanley Burton,
father Geo. B. Haly Burton, Stony
Point, N. c.
Corporal Edwin H. Haines, mother
Mrs. Elizabeth Haines, Route No. 4,
Woodward, Okla.
Corporal Nicholas L. Mulhall, moth
er Mrs. Bridget Mulhall, Jersey CITY.
Private Herchel Godfrey, fatller
VIM. c. Oberst, Chicago.
Private Vernon M. Kendall, father
Sam Kendall, r. F. d. No. 2, Roll.
Okla.
Private VIM. P. Grigsby,. mother
Mrs. Lizzie Grigsby, Louisville, KY.
Private Frank E. McDougal, father
r. L. McDougal, Maryville, Mo.
Private Daniel B. Gallagher, father
Neil Gallagher, Blocton, Ala.
Private John P. Lester, father VIM.
Lester, Tutwiler, Miss.
Private Harry Langhman, mother
Ada r. Langhman, Chicago.
Private Dewey D. Kern, mother
Mrs. Eva Tilton, Collins, La.
Private . Reckon, cannot be
identified.
The list was accompanied by the
following announcement:
: "The War Department has received
a dispatch from the commanding gen.
eral of the American expeditionary
forces which states that before day
light, November 3rd, a. salient occu
pied for instruction by a company
of American Infantry was raided by
Germans. The enemy put down
heavy barrage fire, cutting off the
salient from the rest of the line. Our
losses were three killed, five wounded
and twelve captured or missing.
"The eneny's losses are not known.
One wounded German was taken
prisoner"
Whether the men killed and wound.
ed received their injuries In hano-
to-hand fighting with the raiding Ger
man infantrymen or were struck
down by sharpnel IL not known. A
single shell, scoring a direct hit in
the trench, might have caused all the
But it will not explain,
however, the surrender Of the re-
manning II.
The general practice Of trench
raiding all along the front, however,
seems to offer a possible explanation.
It has been customary for French,
British or German raids to be car
ried out with an intense barrage fire
used to isolate the small sector Of
the enemy line which it was planned
TO invade. AS An additional protec-
ton for the raiders, the artillery fire
has covered a far wider portion of
the front than that constituted the
real objective of the raid. The OBJ i
ject Of the fire is to conceal from
the defenders the exact point of at
tack until the raiders arrive there.
Presumably, the American trench