The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-03-09
Names of the Soldiers Who
Were Decorated by Premier
CIemenCeau.
Two OFFICERS AMONG Them
Correspondent Who Visited the. Field
of Battle Saw Evidence of Hot
iehting-German Gunfire
Evidently Accurate.

German raiders north of Toul on Fri
day morning were given out for publ
cation by the censor today. They are:
William Coleman of Charleston, Bud
dy Pittman of Brooklyn, Joseph y.
Candy of Chicago, David Alvan Smiley
of st. Louis, William e. Norton OF
Jonesville and - Patrick of Detroit.
Through an error in cable transmits
sion, Patricks full name was not
given.
Two are lieutenants, two others
sergeants, and the remaining two are
privates.
Correspondent on Battlefield.
On Monday morning visited the
scene Of Fridays fight A hard snow
storm was raging and many of the
marks of the struggle were obscured,
but at the same time the snow afforded
us protection from the Germans. The
Boches are always watchful and ready
| In clear weather for sniping opera
tions, machine-gun firing and the use
| of trench mortarS.
The scene of the struggle was clear
| ly defined by unmistakable evidences
! of a concentrated bombardment. The
shell craters, Overlapping each other,
pitted the ground like photograph of
the moons surface. Three OF them,
Y eac4 = = feet deen were already
| partly filled witt water from melting
4 snow.
The trench lines were badly blasted
and 1t was nearly impossible to pick
1t out at places.
The dugouts were demolished by di-
rect hits from shells Of big caliber,
probably ten inches.
Enemy's Fire Accurate.
A German battery recently spotted
/ this sector with disconcerting accuracy.
Many dugouts were unscathed, al
though several We're caved in when
shells or minnenwerfers exploded near
by, casting up tons Of earth.
Many trees were uprooted or blasted
as though struck by cyclone.
Equipment was scattered everywhere,
although much Of 1t was hidden by the
snow.
Several concrete machine gun en-
placements of the ''pill-box" style
weathered the hurricane of fire, and
ammunition dugouts escaped also.
Soldiers with rifles at hand, their
heads protected by steel helmets, and
gas masks strapped to their chests.
worked with picks and shovels reor-
ganizing the positions. Wood for the
construction of duckboards, concrete
and rails of steels were brought up to
reinforce and strengthen the works.
Occupied Old Trench.
There was one long-disused trench,
of soldiers took refuge from the shells
to organize their resistance and coun-
ter-attack. 1t was Uttered with
cartridge clips, torn gas masks and
twisted helmets. Nearly all the Ger
man equipment had been carried off
for souvenirs.
Through the snow we could see
great gaps torn In the barbed wire
and holes were the deeply planted
posts had been torn by the German
guns and "hell boxes" Rewriting was
accomplished with the greatest diff
Guilty, owing to the activity of the Ger
man machine gunners.
Found Many German Dead.
France, March 5.-More than forty
five German dead, air of whom had
been killed in the German attack
west of Toul on Friday morning, were
counted In the American entangle
ments and in mo Mans Land" today
The Germans had been shot down
while returning to their own lines, af
ter being routed by the American sol
diers. German parties tried to ap
proach to carry off the corpses, but
were driven off by machine gun fire.
Arrangements for Burals.
;, The Americans plan to bury all th'
dead In their own territory. 1t is nov
learned that the German dead left II
the American trenches were buried
separately from the Americans. Th'
simplest military ceremonies marked
the interment. Investigation showed
that one German had been bayonette,
to death, but the American who killet
him evidently was killed himself, al
none Of the men alive claim to hav,
done 1t.
Another German had been killed b,
hand grenade. The balance had beel
slain with rifles or automatic pistols