Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-11-01
MARINES SAVED PARIS.
Continued from Page /
Gates, was slightIv wo,,nIod

ric was Il chahce and mighty uncom-
Portable. 1t was hot rs furnace,
no water, and they had our range to
r.. Three men lying in a hollow
trench near me were blown to bits.
We had machine gun officer with
us, ana at six runner came up and
reported that Sumner was killed. He
commanded the machine gun COM
pany with us. He was hit early i'm the
i,ght by Il bullet, hear. / can get no
details. AT the start ne remarked:
This looks easy-they do not seem
TO have much art Hughes head
quarters were all shot up; Turner lost
IL leg.
"Well, we just lay there all thru
the hot afternoon. 1t YVES great-s
shell would land near by you and YOU
would bounce in your hole.
AS twilight came we sent our wa
ter parties for the relief of the wound
ed. Then we wondered if we could
get relieved. Al 8 O'Clock we got a
message congratulating us, and say
liS the Algerians would take over
at midnight. We then began to col
lect our wounded. Some had been
evacuated during tie day, but at that
we soon had about twenty on the
| field near us. A man who had been
blinded wanted me to hold his hand.
Another, wounded in the back, want
ed his held patted, and so it went;
one man got up on his hands and
knees. asked him what he want
ed He said, Look at the full moon,'
then fell dead. l had him buried and
all the rest that could find. All the
time bullets sung and we prayed that
shcllng would not start while we had
our wounded on top.
The Algcrians came up ut mid
night and we pushed out. They went
over at daybreak and got all shot up.
We made the relief under German
flares and the light from a burning
town.
"rhat night the Germans shcllcd
us, and we got three killed and sew
teen wounded. We moved a bit fur
ther back to the crossroad, and, af-
ter burying Il few Germans, some of
whom showed signs of having been
wounded before, we settled down to
Il short stay.
at looked like rain, and so Wilmer
and | went TO an old dressing station
to salvage some shelter. We collect
cd lot of bloody shelter halves and
ponchos that had been tied to poles
to make stretchers and were about
to go when we stopped to look at II
new grave. a rude cross made OF
two Stats from box had written on
it.:
Lester S. Wass, Captain U. S. Ma
rines, July, Is, 1918.
"rhe old crowd at st. Nazaire am
BordeauX-Wass and Sumner killed,
Baston and Hunt wounded, the latter
nm h., 10Th
through the left shoulder. We then
ed for the night. Dunlap came to
sailor, who got out to talk to few
ter yelled out: Hey fellows! Any
one want to see real live COB
right this way The COB held reg
ular reception. A carrier pigeon
perched on Il tree with a message.
We decided TO shoot him. 1t was
then quite dark, so the shot missed
then heard the following remark,
rs | tried to sleep Hell; he only
turned around; Send up flare;
Call for Il barrage'; etc. The next
day further to the rear Ford was
lowed by with its front wheels on
truck.
eve are now back in town for
some rest and to lick our wounds. AS
rode down the battalion where once
companies $50 strong used to m ..rch
now you see fifty men with kid sec
0nd lieutenant in commando; one COM
pany commander is not yet 81.
After the last attack | cashcd in
the gold you gave me, and sent it
home along with my back pay. /
have no idea of being bumped off,
with money on my person, as if you
fall into the enemies hands, you are
first robbed, then buried, perhaps,
but the first is sure.
"Baston, the Lieutenant that went
TO Quantico with father and myself
and Of whom father took some pic
lures, was wounded in both legs in
the Bots de Beleau. 1t was some
time before he was evacuated and
gas gangrene set in. He nearly lost
his legs, am told, but is coming
out o. k. Hunt was wounded in the
last attack, got his wounds fixed up
and went back in again till he had to
be sent out. Coffenburg was hit in
the hand-all near him were killed
Talbot was hit twice, but is about
again. That accounts for all the of
iicers in the company that | brought
over. In the first fight l03 men in
that outfit were killed or wounded
The second fight must have about
cleaned out the old crowd.
"To picture fight, mix up lot
of hungry, dirty, tired, and bloody
men with dust, noise, and smoke
Forget the clean swords, prancing
horses and Mapping flags. AT night,
a gas-flled woods, falling trees and
bright, binding hashes-you can't
see your ighbor-that is war. In
the rear it is all confusion. The
General told me, Hurry to such
place, all goes well, we are advanc-
ing' His staff miles away, all clean
ono was shaving, another eating
hot cakes-we had not had hot
bite for two days. AS reached m;
jumping off place, wounded men,
killed men, horses blown to bits-thc
contrast.
IIUo .JxyonooJ tap L;lo.,,otar. ,,,;t,,