Evening star., 1917-11-17
LIVELY FIGHTING IN SECTOR
-~ HELD BY AMERICAN TROOPS
Casualties Increase as Artillery Forces In
France Exchange Shots-American
Batteries InAict Damage

pedtionary forces. 1t is an old story now.
but the Alabama lad has only just now
recovered his strength sufficiently to talk,
with his doctors permission. On that
perilous night he was corporal of party
ing post beyond the trenches. The other
four were ordered back when the inferno
of German artillery fire suddenly broke
loose. Today, propped up in the hospital,
his back pillowed on cloud of cotton. his
head bandaged until 1t looked as II he
were wearing white foot ball head guard.
his face covered with patches, cuts and
bruises, and his left leg stiff from wounds,
he talked
'I don't know what happened to the
others back of me-" he said. Il suppose
they ran to cover when the hail Of
steel broke loose. l hung on to the
minute the wires were cut and made
useless. but l decided to stick to my
post. anyway. Shells were bursting all
around me. and though I crouched as
low as possible in the little pit. could
not escape flying rocks and pieces Of
shrapnel. My steel helmet was dented
and bent. my face and hands cut and
my body bruised by flying rocks I
denly the fire stopped"
Pausing. the wounded boy lay quiet
until he recovered his breath. nurse
came up and held a glass of water to
III,
Then l could hear the Germans COM
ing. I could see them plainly in the
darkness moving across no mans land.
They were shouting orders and talking
stand word of it. Once lived three
wears next to German family and
tried to learn the language. I certain
ly wished that night that I had.
Then rfad a the Il fighting in the trenches
toward my post. I 1eveled my rifle
on the parapet and let fly and all four
dropped I don't know whether they
were hit or merely fell to dodge the
bullets. At the same time 1 heard a
whizzins In the air. An explosion be-
hind me lifted me off my feet and
threw me on my face. My back seemed
to be on fire and I knew that had
been hit by grenade thrown into
the pit.
Though my wounds hurt awfully. I
figured that the only thing to do was
to lie quiet. Then I saw a German COM
ing down the communication boyau
into the pity He was the biggest man
l ever saw. He had thick black whis-
kers. | had my arm over my head and
could Just see. him under the edge of
and ste stepped on nv e ee eeoushf me he dead Sad
stepped on my back I would have
yelled. He picked up one of our blanket
rolls and beat 1t toward the German
trenches"
The young corporal lay helpless and
bleeding until daylight when he was
picked up and carried to the emergency
station. He was too badly battered to
be moved farther back
And 1T has hurt like hades ever
since" he concluded. making even the
nurse smile. All make the same plant
as they lie on the hospital cots. A dis
couraging feature is that our army is
unable to reward such young heroes
with medals and decorations such as
they would surely receive for similar
acts if they belonged to the lighting
forces of other nations. A cold chicken
and bottle Of champagne, sent to him
from the general hospital, were the
most tangible rewards he received. He
ate the chicken and saved the wine