Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-15


always had two officers with the freight
ing themselves Mitn. stolen w.ne. mat
was the way. they made war.
After resting ourselves well we had
to rcto!n our battalion. and started
back about o'clock in the morning;
We had TO crawl over dead men. bodies
Of horses. and piles OF wagons cannonS
and automobiles that covered the battle
field. You Jould not walk upright
w WI hn, expos!nE yourself to death.
me dead made my flesh creep. /
thought that perhaps in AN instant
myself might be rs ono Of these poor
corpscs, unknown and aforementioned
Toward $50 we reached the crest q!
little hill. We made a large; for the
enemy. and bullets began to NY. We
saw before us troops falling back. com
ing in our direction. Imagine our sur
Prise on finding ourselves suddenly in
che midst of the First Battalion instcad
or the Second. On questioning them
we found that the Second Battalion
was now on our left; When We
r,a.t,s, the, them ! asked copnanher
by the railroad. Schmid, said to me:
You have heard that the Germans
with kluck were only twenty kio-
has failed. and "" have TO retreat IL
this keeps on. will he over. for
our lesses are fc.' We stayed
every moment to b. made prisoners
IF it is our fate that we should
quickly fall into the hands Of the
stay together. oh, why didn', I study
more French in SCHOOL,"
We stayed in that place ali day The
French artillery fired behind us, and
around us. destroying everything. sad
our position became intolcrablc. The
strctcher bearers did not know where
10 go first. the wounded were crying
lad In
raise their handkcrchie-s on tne end OF
their guns as q sign that We would sur
render. But the French had no faith
signal with n bullet, which often Killed
the man who held the sign aloft.
Ever one was demoralzcd To calm
The men. the superior officers told them
tina; we had retreated only as ii meas
ure OF security. but no one believed
I" erumble loudly before the officers:
Yes. YOU have sung too soon about
your Paris. Here are those French
row; and they are. giving us blow
We'll never forget"
Finally. on September S, about
O'clock in the evening. We escaped
from the deadly claws OF the French
We received the order to commence to
retreat but the orders were no.
definite, they contradicted each other
one tire We went in one. direction. at
another lime in another. II we finally
found place whore we could get a
little rest. suddenly the order would
come to evacuatc il. This uncertainty
OK the officers ezasperatcd the men.
OF them refus>~ to go further, and
stayed where they were. giving them
selves up TO fate.
On the 9Th OF September. about
O'Clock in the morning. our regiment
received the order TO become the rear
guard OF the division. and to send out
patrols composed OF trusty men. The
greater part OF the rear guard was to
occupy the southern part OF the forest
or Sommeilles until further orders.
KEDOR'S COURAGE" WAS
CAUSE or LAUGHTER
The rain had stopped and the sun
stoned officers installed themselves as
comfortably as possible by the side OF
gravel pit They brough, us coffee
and would have almost forgotten the
recent happenings II it had not been
mat French she'll suddenly burst
war had not ended. Lieutenant Kedor.
who was sitting down on the edge of
The sand pit; his legs hanging down,
bottom. ovcrturn!ns our coffee.
The doctors. quick l am wounded"
DR.. Wolkewiz and two attendants
came running. but he was able TO raise
himself up alone and began TO feel
about his body and said: IL thought
that r. piece of that shell had hit me-
hut. thank God. see tina; il amounts
10 10 nothing and ] ain safe and sound.
We all laughed at the courage of this
nero, who went on speaking TO the
commander. Il have had wonderful
escape. That machine made such IL roar
IN my ears / thought ] was finished.
Lucky that the aim was not better"
me commander replied: Since the
day OF mobilization. kedor, have not
laughed so heartily. The whole bat
TALON VIII roar at you too. I will not
say whether il is your hcroism or at
your acrobatic turn" Kedor. who was
these words and began to look FOR a
quarrel with the soldiers. But when
ne cried or started TO give orders,
every one made fun of him and cried
Quick. the doctors. | am wounded"
To end the business. Commander
Schmidt sent orders to the kitchen for
Soon we continued our retreating
movement. Artillery regiments OF
klucks army passed on the gallop on
the road, and hanging on TO the gun
carriages were crowds of foot soldiers
who could march no more. but did not
want 10 fall into the hands OF the
French.
In the villages through which we
were rushing there was now no longer
any question of mistreating the inhabi-
lants; Some one shouted TO us, and
asked II We were looking for the road
TO Paris. Schmidt. for whom T trans
lated this question, said nothing. bur
shrugged his shoulders.
AT 6 o'clock we reached Hans. where
we were TO GO into cantonmcnt with
the whole Eighty-cighth and Eighty
s sew Regiments. the Sixth uhlans
streets were so nllcd with cannon and
wagons that il was impossible to pass
through them. The officers shouted and
commanded the soldiers. but they went
as they pleased. AS | went To get the
brigade orders. | saw Lieutenant An
spach, OF the Third Battalion, who in
suited SUI ID an uhian who had in passing
furious. shouted 10 him in reply:
shut your mouth. you braggart YOU
have found your courage, now that the
French arc long way off. Get out,
you coward, or you'll get hit again"
Anspach turned pale and marched
off. AS for me- pulled the collar OF
my coat up around my face and passed
by unreCognizcd. for I knew the men
had no respect for their superiors now.
The night PISSED qIietly for the IiIen,
but as for liz, We were kept busy be-
cause OF orders and counterorders.
We left Hans the 11th Of September
at o'clock in the morning, dcpioycd
as skirmishers, and we pushed back to-
wards the east, digging trenches be-
tween Hans and Sommc- TOurbr