The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-12-19
Soldiers Letter.

OF November ith:
DEAR Mr.. PECK: Sometime
has elapsed since | last wrote
you, but the NEWS is reaching
me regularly, and has followed
me to the Front.
After a few quiet weeks of
training in the farming districts
Of France, We came to the Front
on the 25 of September to take
part in the big drive that started
on the following day. Coming,
as we did, from a quiet French
town, and plunging into one Of
the worst battles Of the war was
some experience. We are at this
minute under fire; but of course,
not firing at this minute. | am
sitting in a small wood.and-pIast-
er shack. The time is A o'clock
in the morning, and | am writ
ing by the dim light made by a
tallow candle partly concealed in
a Hun helmet, to keep the light
from shining through the many
holes in the top and sides of the
shack, and thus making a target
for the aim Of some willy Hun.
In our old school readers we
used to read about cannon to
the right of them; cannon to the
left Of them" but if the author
of that poem were writing to-day,
he might say batteries to the
right of them; batteries to the
left of them," instead of cannon.
II know he would wind up by
writing a whole stanza telling OF
our monster guns that bark al
irregular intervals and bite great
holes in the earth several leagues
back of the Hun lines. Lordy
how the Huns do hate those big
guns They are trying by every
means at their command to gel
them-first by shell fire, and ther
by airplane-hut all to no good
further than affording air bat
ties of almost hourly occurrence.
| shall not attempt to describe
a battle. It's something tina
can't be done. Too terrible, il
all it's conditions to be accurately
described by pen. 1t would bC
like trying to describe the glow
of a sunset, or the hidden emo
tions of pent up feelings. Nc
one can ever know just what 9
terrible battle means without go
ing through the actual expert
ence.
The feeling of fear that takes
hold of you as the first rain Of
shells begin to drop around yol
and explode with terrific vic
Ilence, soon vanishes. Ever
though, some of your comrades
have fallen, you find that yol
have not been hit, and somehow
or other, you do not expect to be
Then an indescribable eXcitemen
and determine ton to crush t
death the foe, makes you forge
all danger, and you throw your
whole being into the fray. AS
the hours pass, you settle down
to a quiet contemplation of the
events taking place, and work at
the game as though you were
working by the day and not by
the lob. And so, whole days and
nights have slipped away almost
before we knew it-and we have
emerged from one of the most
terrific bombardments of mod
ern times. Of course the Huns
did not break through cur lines,
and we knew they wouldn't.
On the first of this month VIC
launched another big drive. For
hours the air was full of explod,
ing shells, and the earth trembleC
with the vibration caused by the
belchlng fire OF our great guns
but, the lines of the Huns begar
to weaken, our boys pushed for
ward, and soon the Huns were
showing their heels and our boys
are keeping them on the run.
Although we are victorious
there is much about the game
that is not play, Before the bat
tie, there are long, long hours OF
suspensive waiting, as we were
in position to hear what we coulC
not see. 1t was work, work
work day and night-night un