The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1918-11-07

was mailed as soon as we landed, so
you can see did not forget you and
the many enjoyable evenings which |
had in your company at Augusta and
also those dances. ! wish | were there
now instead of hearing those cannons
go off outside and the noise of machine
guns. but the sooner we beat the Hun
the sooner we will get home again.
| will give you little account Of
my travels over here. We passed
through England from the north to
the south, but we never struck London
which | regretted very much. | saw
Liverpool and Southampton and lot
of the other towns but never London.
We went into training at Camp
Meucon and around August Bird we
went to the front. We passed Chateau
Thiery and then to Courville and we
had many artillery duels with the
Germans up there and | had quite
few narrow escapes, but thanks to the
good Lord ! am kicking yet and not
pushing up daisies. We left Coulville
around the Bird Of September and went
by the Hob Nail Express for II days.
Every night we moved until it got to
be a nightmare for nearly every day
it rained and between sleeping on wet
ground and in wet blankets we were in
misery, but what was the use of COM
planning. We were not going to do 1t
all the time and every cloud has a
bright lining, and at last we reached
our destination ard you bet we were
lot Of glad boys. We walked pretty
nearly every night from five to eight
miles with packs on our backs and one
night "a miles. That walk will not
forget in hurry. Some of the boys
lust laid down from exhaustion and
with nothing around them and went to
sleep although it was very cold and a
stiff wind WIS blowing. Well, we at
last reached our destination and it was
some place. The Germans and French
did not believe in fighting on that
sector and thert had not been a battle
fought there since 1915 and you ought
to have seen some of the dugouts.
Electric lights and some Of the officers
even had their household furniture in
them. We had dugout which was a
little damp but there was bi@ open
fireplace in it and you bet we kept
that busy and then we attacked the
Germans. 1t w23 a surprise attack as
we kept hidden so none Of their planes Z
could see US and on September 23rd 4
we let them have it. Imagine 300 to
400 guns going at once and you can
think Of the noise they wohld make
and they kept it up for 10 hours. The I
next morningsour doughboys went I
over the top and chased the Germans /
about y kilos and then we advanced. /
Maybe we were not sorry TO lose our
good homes, but anyhow we came up
about eight liiloa and then again open
ed fire on them. We captured one Of
their dugout cities. They had houses
built u it out Of fire proof brick and
they were here to stay, but you ought
10 see what our guns did to some Of
hem II YVES awful. In one Of the
iugoUts Q German was trying to get /
,ut when a shell hit it. II crashed IN
ind you could see his arm and part
If his head out Of the opening but
hat was all and he was some dead
ier3nan and believe me they are
.ommon sight around here. They were
wing around everywhere They Ger
ainly laid some mines 10 the roads
md fields and now and then when we
we're advancing away they would 81 in
he air. They were in 80 much Of 2
lurrv to retreat that in one place
where they had about 10 mines they
lad q sign up stating 20 and ID the
onfusion and hustle they forgot q
axe it down. Their mistake ! know
aved quite few Of our boy We
ave to be very careful not 70 touch
nything when they retreat for some
lines opening door in d place will
II on a mine and they are explored
efore We venture near them. How I
yer, when we got in our position it {