The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-10-28

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vance seven miles against a hurricane
of German fire, machine gun bullets
and big shells, is not all glory and
exhiliaration even for a United States
Marine. This is disclosed in series
OF vivid pen pictures of the tremen-
dous fighting in which those American
boys participated on the Marine salis
ent written by Major L. Denig, Of the
Marines, to his wife in Philadelphia.
Major Denig and his battalion took
part in the great Allied counter-attack
on the Marne salient, July Is, that
started the Hun backward toward
Germany and began the disintegration
Of the German western front. In that
tight the Marines covered themselves
with glory but at terrible cost in
killed and wounded. The majors let
ter affords an opportunity to see the
fight through the eyes OF a man who
took part in 1t.
"To picture a fight" he writes,
mix up lot of hungry, dirty, tired
and bloody men with dust, noise and
smoke. Forget the clean swords, the
prancing horses and Tapping flags. At
night, gas filled woods. falling trees
and bright, binding flashes-you can't
see your neighbor-that is war. In
the rear 1t is all confusion. The gen.
eral told me Hurry to such place,
all goes well, we are advancing!" His
staff miles away, all clean-one was
shaving, another eating hot cakes-we
had not had hot bite for two days.
AS reached my jumping OF place
wounded men, killed men, horses
blown to bits-the contrast"
After describing the beginning Of
the advance of the Marines to the
fighting line, Major Denig continues:
1--WE were finally, after twelve hours
ride. dumped in a big field and after
a few hours rest, started our march.
1t was hot as hades and we had had
nothing to eat since the day before.
We at last entered a forest; troops
seemed to converge on it from all
points. We marched some six miles in
the forest, a finer one have never
seen. Deer would scamper ahead.
We could have eaten one raw At
ten that night, without food, we lay
down in pouring rain to sleep.
Troops of all kinds passed US in the
night-a shadowy stream, over a half
million men. Some French officers
told us that they had never seen such
concentration since Verdun, If then.
1--WE formed up in sunken road on
two sides of valley that was per-
pendicular to the enemy's front. We
now began to- get few wounded; one
man with ashen face came charging
to the rear with shell shock. He
shook all over, foamed at the mouth,
could not speak. l put him under q
tent and he acted is If he had fit.
Germans Tried to Surrender.
"At $3.50 we.jumped off with line
of tanks in the lead For two "kilos'
the four lines of Marines were as
straight as die, and their advance
over, the open plain in the bright sun
light was a picture l shall never for
get. The fire got hotter and hotter,
men fell, bullets sung, shells whizzed-
banged and the dust of battle got
thick.
"a man near me was cut in two.
Others when hit would stand, 1t
seemed, an hour. then fall in heap.
yelled to Wilmer Captain Pere Will
mer of Centerville, Md that each gun
in the barrage worked from right to
left, then a rabbit ran ahead and
watched him wondering If he would
get hit. Good rabbit took my
mind off the carnage. You think of
all kinds of things.
About sixty Germans jumped up
out of trench and tried to surrender,
but their machine guns opened up,
we fired back, they ran and our left
company after them. That made
gap that had to be filled, so Sibley ad-
vanced one of his to do the Job. Then
a shell hit in machine crew Of ours
and cleaned 1t out completely.
"At 1880 we dug in-the attack
just died out. I found hole or old
trench and when was flat on my back
l got some protection. Holcomb was
next me; Wilmer some way off. We
then tried to get reports. Two COM
panies we never could get in touch
with. Another officer on the right re-
ported he had and could see some 40
men, all told. That, with the head
quarters, was all we cold find out
about the battalion of nearly 800. OF
the 20 company officers who went in,
8 came out, and one, Gates, was
slightly wounded.
From then on to about p. m. life
was a chance and mighty uncomfort-
able 1t was hot as q furnace, no
water. and they had our range to a
ct" Three men lying in a shallow
trench near me were blown to bits.
II went to the left OF the line and
found eight wounded men in a shell