The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-26

long as we live, for it has been a glori--
GUS success from beginning to end. All
our detectives were won i'll the fore
noon of the first day, and the second
DAYS objcctives carly on the second day,
with very large number of prisoners
to our credit We left many dead on
the ground and more wounded were car
RED back by their retrcating comrades
of course As for ourselves, this was
all accomplished with the very minimum
/ Of loss. Our casualties have been re-
dicuously low. and but few were killed
We are still going and no one short of
the commander in chief knows where or
when we are to stop, but the Huns are
on the run and ono would almost think
that we might be scheduled for Berlin.
However. of course we have had enough
experience now to know that somewhere
they will stop and then, then there Will
be slaughter Our own division has been
in from the first and has accomplished
all that il was supposed to do so we
tmav be withdrawn at any time and not
see the final stand. They are using us rs
sort of shock division now, so we don't
remain in long after making the at
| tack and following it up to IA stand.
!
other portion of the line to hit another
| blow, no one knows
OF course YOU have had all the news
of the Chateau Thierry affair. Yc gods.
That was some scrap and Linn. il would
have done your heart good to have been
there and participated. | wouldn't have
missed it for the world. 1t was a dir
Ity. bloody scrap from beginning to end,
I Il,
or another and always and ever going on
through wheat fields that in places were
red with blood The artillery fire for the
most part was at point blank range and
not indirect, and the machine gun fire was
murdcrous. And under such circum-
stances, in the wet and mud and without
food or water in some instances. our
boys carried on in fashion that almost
lmakes a man weep to think of il.
Never in all my life have | experienced
anything which has so fortified my be
lief in man my confidence in the Amer
lean soldier and my love of country a
did this affair. | tell you, Linn, they arc
simply wonderful Boys who didn't
amount to thing at home. smack OF
the cream of the world and are unbeat
able. They 60 i'll yelling like Indian,
and they 90 through III the same man
ncr During that affair | was in a for
, ward position, one where | had an oppor
tunitV to see much of the whole affair
and do not stretch the matter on,
bit when | SAY that when n fellow wen
down and remained down for one minute
YOU might know that he wouldn't &c
up again.
In almost every instance they wouI,
come up like jumping Jacks and 20 for
+ ward unless mortally wounded. SOM
went forward who we're so full of hole
that they looked like sieve when tho,
came to the operating table later, an,
, of course practi cally all of these died
Z Eut. Linn, they died "A glorious death
, and they went knowing full we'll tina
they had done things which it is no
given to every mortal to do They near
/ Is all went with smile on their lip
and most OF them showed their inter
est and the place where their ever.
thought was by asking about the las
, thing that happened on the line. ! say
more than one turn over and click in aft
or being told that the Huns were ST.
, in full retreat. and actually they SCENE
comfortcd and as If they were just 20
ing off TO sleep. | know YOU will thin
our bows in this way. for no good sol
der should toot his own horn. but tc
, you ! haven't stretched the matter on
t bit and to say that this division j. SEE
= ond to none in existence is not boastin,
4 its the truth. And il i the truth no
g so much because of it, officers. but b,
. cause il Is made UP OF men who don
: seem 10 give damn for ANYTHING, wh
/. fight because they lovc excitement an
Q who cannot remain still long because ,
+, the monotony of it, Their enduranc
;. IS wonderful and simply reflects the 81
= vironmcnt in which they were brougl
y up.
. We lost a good many men up thci
!. and practically al had friends laid ava
Q in the wheat fields under their lit
. wooden crosses. lost one officer an
/, IA very dear friend who had been edo.
II To me for many weeks He got his
# a machine gun barrage and don't thin
4 he ever knew what struck him The oil
Q Ger wa, struck in the forehead BY a on
l. pounder 80 Of course he never worrit
.. much. Both were Gnc fellows and "
70 miss them greatly. In this ~rrapc "
"a have been lucky 80 far but there is Ii
j. tie telling what tho morrow will hrir
J. forth. II i, something none of IL worl
| about low Is We have sort OF accu
N toned ourselves To it and do not a
= low anyone 10 speak of such matte
Is Il We can help it. Every man knows VIII;
u his chances are and Yet practically e
II cry man thinks he i surely going to
n the exception and is going home "a
al and sound.
y ! cannot begin to tell you with hu
re much interest ] read and rcrcad We
&c letter and ! most sincerely hope that
v may receive more from YOU in the f
rs turc. II does a fellow good to get me
l. sages like this from home and To knc
X that men are Interested in what he
is doing and what is happening 10 him
g. think that all of us over here are con
Of mcncing to realize lust how fully o
country is awake, for the number
T. troops in France rs given ont from tn
re to time make lIs all wonder at the spp
a. with which they are being brought ov
90 snd we are growing more proud ~ 4
r. country aud its contributions to ii
| do -