The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-10-30
Louie DCSCHAMPS LIKES
THE Army AND FRANCE
LETTER TO HON
II. S. DESCHAMPS
Dear Uncle Ralph:

received your nice lcLter on yeStor-
day and was truly glad to hear that
you are all living and doing well. Even
at that you haven't a single thing on
me, because / couldn't wish to be any
happier. Of course, at times we have
some pretty hot engagements, but af-
ter every one we get a short rest
back behind the lines, and that's what
we are doing now. We have been in
to it good and proper, and we are out
recruiting up and getting a little
rest. And what do you think? While
the boys are out in billets, barns,
tents, etc, l am in nice little cozy
room, with real bed and nice white
sheets. Sergt. Wilkie is with me and
we certainly are enjoying it, but the
bad part is that it won't last but a
few days. Then we will have to get on
the war path again. But we get
everything out of life that is possible.
The people are just dandy to us, and,
! man, the prettiest girls you ever
talk to them Well, it's me. or
course we have to show them lot,
but they are easy to- learn, and some
how | don't get near SO impatient
with them as | do with some Of my
recruits. But even with all of that,
shan't forget the dandy girls who are
| across the old Atlantic.
You mentioned me telling you some
of our fights. Well, that's hard
| job. While | remember it all very
well, it is difficult to write, but will
attempt to give you an idea of our
business in this game.
This is not one Of the real fights
because l would have to write all
night, but this is only the job for
the night before You see
usually we know just when we will
90 over, though not always, but this
! before that we would attack at day
break, and l was aware of thu fact
| thai there were couple of machine
gun pests out on oIr flanks, that
| would give us H when our Barragc
opened up, SO | reported that to my
| officer, and among us we decided to
| get rid of them, and he led the patrol
out assisted by me. We leo a patrol
! of about twenty men, SO we first
went after the gun on the left flank,
and went around it. crept up close
| enough to hear them talking, anl
we found out just where they were,
! and just how they were protected. so
| reported back to the gang and they
| put Lewis gun into position ready
to fire at q minutes notice, while we
went up. Well, | throw couple Of
hand grenades over to them, and
heard a few groans after th2 explo-
sion. So then four of us rushed in and
! covered the dead and wounded with
bayoncts and rifles. My flash light
! showed me that five Of tacm were
! wounded, and three OF The poor devils
not even scratched. So we took the
| three that were unhurt as prisoners
| and made them take a wounded man
| each to the trench under guard OF two
men of our patrol, and with the
other bunch we proceeded to our next
objective, which proved to me Il snap
They were not using their gun, but
were waiting, | understand, until the
ration party started in before they
would start. So since they were no.
! firing they only had one sentinel on
post and the rest of them were siown
I in the dug-out. The Lieutenant and
crawled up until we could see the gun
and could also see the one sentinel on
his job, looking over the top. Thank
goodness, he didn't see us. So we went
back and planned for two men to
jump into the ditch and stick him with
bayOnet and two more would take
charge Of the gun, while the main
body in my charge handled the dug
out. So all of us worked together.
] threw a gas bomb into the dug out
We knew they were in there because
we had heard them talking, and with.
in two minutes after the bomb explod.
ed, three men walked out with their
mltts in the air. Naturally we
thought that was all, but our curiosity
got the better of us, so the lieutenant
must go in and we with him. He had
flash light, and just as he darkencd
the door he got bullet through his
arm in which he had the light So we
backed out and gave the dirty scoun-
drcl hand bomb for his supper,
which ended him forever. Upon exam
inaticn we found him to be a German
officer and was standing the gas with
his gas mask on, so we carried him
in with us, and his boots didn't fit me.
but | took them and one of the Of
ficers has them now.
The Lieutcnant's arm was hurt
pretty badly, but he is back with us
now, and is all O. X.
This little job only lasted about
forty-five minutes, and we were back
in our trenches able to tell the boys
that they need not worry about those
guns. We sent back for the two
wounded Germans, but one of them
had gone, since he wasn't hurt so bad
ly as we thought, and he must have
hobbled away.
These little things help to break the
monotony Of the trench.
nnnff about