Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-05-31

afternoon. when We saw our men re
firing over a ridge in front OF us Keep
ing up a continuous machine gun ant
rife fire, and we beat 1t back to an
other village and opened another posi-
About 10 o'clock on the morning o
the fourth day Lord Thyme. my col
onel when | was with the battalion
stumbled into the shack where ] wa
sitting. He looked like ghost. HI
had lost his hat, his face was covered
with four days beard. the sweat ha'
Traced tracks in the dust from TIT
forehead to his chin. His sleeve wa:
torn and bloody and he had cash II
his arm where he had been struck b!
a piece of flying shell case.
MY God, doc. are you here" h
said. You got out just in time. Th'
battalion is all gone. The sunken roat
Is filed with dead-mostly Huns
damn 'em. The line broke on the right
we were surrounded. and at the las
we were fighting back and back. Onl!
80 Of us got away"
Germans Break Line.
So we knew the Boche had broker
through TO our right and our left, AM
II was n question OF how long II woult
he before we. too. were surrounded
but we wanted to stick it out as loni
as we could.
But not more than an hour later :
medical officer rushed in from one o.
the battalions and between gasps fol
breath told us the Germans were OF
the edge of the village. had shot hin
through the sleeve with n machine
gun bullet luckily that was alD ant
for us to beat 1t.
Let me tell you We did. | threw
lmy knapsack and made the frs
hundred yards In nothing fiat and thcr
settled down to n walk because ! wa:
so out Of breath couldn't run an!
further.
The incessant scream and crash ant
bang OF the shells kept up and TIT
rat tat tat of the machine guns never
ceased. The village Immediately be-
hind us was n seething mass OF bricl
dust, smoke. famc and bursting shells
We were told on our way back that {
stand was to be made behind the VII
lage. so we circled around 1t and tool
up a position about half-mile behint
it At n cross roads.
| Unfortunately for us, n six-inch bat
tcry came into action about so yard:
from us and, aside from the harrassint
effect of tho terrible noise. battcric:
are always unpleasant neighbors. a!
they invite shell fire. We stopped here
until about 10 o'clock at night. whcT
we were ordered to retire.
Carry Wounded Back.
There was no way OF getting ou
the wounded that we had collected. 81
the stretcher bearers carried them OF
their stretchers for six or seven miles
In fact, we all helped. and when W.
arrived Mt our destination ut 4 o'clocl
in the morning of the fifth day w
were all in.
| I could hardly move, but after 1--WE
bowls Of hot tea and some hare
.., ~ turned In. or the soor nr>e -si~f,
like n log for four hours. when W.
moved to another place and opened ;
dressing station.
On the way n German nirplanc camt
down and crashed near the road. bn,
neither the pilot nor observer were
hurt. They were n couple OF rather
neat looking lads about 19 years old.
And so II won't for three days more
open dressing station. retire (somc-
times on the rum long marches. very
little to eat. except what we foragcd
from abandoned camps and dumps
dog tired, sleeping when and where
we could, and finally the division was
relieved. We now saw our first civil
ians, and last night slept in bed
II wasn't much OF n bed, and the mat
tress was full of bumps. but to get m!
boots off my sore and aching feet. to
stretch out and know l wouldn't be
routed out in Is minutcs-wcll. yo,
couldn't have bought that bed from
me for 500.
| Transferred to A..E. F.
Did you ever read Robert w. Scr
vices description Of the retreat from
Mons. Well, that's the way felt:
Tramp. tramp. the grim road, the road
| from Mons to Wipcrs:
| I've hammered out this ditty with
me bruised and bleeding feet:
Tramp. tramp, the dim road
We didn't ave no pipcrs-
A bellies that were 'oller was the
drums we 'ad to beat.
The ninth day. sitting around the
fire in our mess after the best dinner
we had had In days. the commanding
officer handed me some papers and
said, Here is something that will in
tercst you, Petit. want to say We
shall be sorry to lose you"
And this is what It was: "Lieutcn-
ant Roswell T. Petit. NJ. r. C.. is re-
lieved from duty with the British
army and will proceed to the a. f. f..
where he will report for duty"
leave for Paris in the morning
This has been long tale. but the hall
Of 1t hasn't been told. ! hope | have
not strung It out too much.
have just been informed that al
my kit had to be burned to prevent II
falling into the hands Of the enemy
shall probably want you to send me
some things from home. but will see
what | can get here first.
Your son,
| Roosevelt.