Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-18
Southern Lad Led Party
Connecting Yankee Lines
Daring and Bravery Shown il, St. Mihiel Battle.
Motley Array Of Prisoners Was Taken.

until a junction with the other troops
was effected. Just ahead was the
forest of Montague, which is cut by
single road. -.+
Go Around or Through, Problem.
"It was a question whether to get
lost trying to move through the
Woods in the dark or go around. taxi
ing a chance of leaving the Germans
behind u.s." said the general directing
the operation. I'VE decided to take
the road through the woods. Patrols
were thrown out on either side to 60
through the underbrush. A battalion
the machihe-gun battalion Of Maj.
(deleted), marched at double quick
down the road. The men had been
fighting all day and had had nothing
to eat except the reserve rations car
ried on their backs.
"They cheerfuIly started on an all
night hike down the black road bor-
dered by trees. making it seem like
tunnel. There was drizzliug
rain. The glow from the burning
town ahead was growing brighter.
The crack of dead twigs under the
at the side. the rumble of artillery In
the distance and the crackle OF gun
fire dramatized the midnight march.
The men talked but little. occasionally
smoked cigarettes and trudged wear
lily but resolutely forward into the
unknown. Before 2 o'clock in the
morning the town was reached, but
only terrified refugees hiding in dug
outs were there. An hour later
Smiths patrol emerged from the OPP
posite side of the town and our line
was complete" s
Motley Array Of Prisoners. 2
- ich
occurred during the hurried advance
of the Americans produced . motley
array of prisoners. In addition to
Germans, Austrians and Poles cap
tured in the fighting, there were lib
Grated Italian and Belgian persons
in the area on the roads and at other
tasks The Austrians were the most
bedraggled outft among the captives.
Sergt Joseph Coffey, q railroad man
from Erie. led patrol which comoed
a portion of these woods and brought
in more than $50 prisoners Soma
were in hiding and others were
patiently waiting capture. Few at
tempted to fight, though the woods
were fringed with machine gun Pits
prepared for resistance.
One Man Captures Fifty-Three.
Private James E. Macla. a man Of
Italian ancestry from Johnstown. N. Z.
played lone hand through the woods.
bringing in prisoners singly and In
groups until he had fifty-three.
Privates James Carly and George
Proctor. observers who were not sup
posed to fight, were traverstns the
woods when they found an observe
ton point where they stumbled upon
forty Germans, including an officer.
The privates. though carrying only
pistols, boldly ordered the officer to
surrender. which he did, whereupon
they marched in with the entire
After 3 o'clock at night. before
the attack started, German patrol
captured two Of our men and dis
covered, from the two days rations
and the extra ammunition carried.
that the long projected attack e X w "a.
same night the German corps COM
mander issued printed IL order ds,-s spseif yo
what units were to hold the line. The
German sergeant who captured tn.
two prisoners. was himself captured
and explained what had been done:
! A copy Of the order was In his pocket.