Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31


his experiences from the time he
landed in France. This brief history
or diary" as Lieutenant Johnston
calls it, is most interesting from be-
ginning to end, and the full letter is
printed below.
November 25, 1918.
Dear Father
Understand that now we can di-
vulge the pent-up news that is in
our minds and which has been ac-
cumulating for months, that might
be of interest to you and the folks.
want you to read this letter to
all, including of course, Charlotte
and George. 1t is a brief history or
diary that l have hastily made from
memory.
Will start in with my first ex-
perIence with the Fourth Infantry.
Get your maps around you and To-
cate the different points of interest.
Landed at Brest, France, boarded
train, travelled very uncomfortably
for three days and nights in a box
car and, eventually reached and bill
leted in the little village of Session.
taines per Juzencourt, Haute-Marne.
Drilled and hiked about that place
for six weeks and entrained for the
front amid great rejoicing for we
were all anxious to meet the Boche.
We took up a holding position along
the Marine River the month of June
up to July Is from June 1st, that
is one month and a half. July 18th
as you know is the day the Boche
dropped his terrible barrage all
along the front on his last big push
for Paris. AS you know, it was
called the second battle of the
Marne.
We were located in a village two
miles from Chateau Thierry, Bles-
mes by name. 1t was my first bap-
tsm of fire, outside OF snipers taxi
ng pot-shots at wa and | can say
it was a little rough on all of us
with shells, machine gun bullets, iiy-
ing about. and dead, dying and
wounded lying about and to top it
all the Boche gave us four and one
half hours of gas.
You know they were stopped at
the Marne ana there we counter
attacked and started an offensive
of our own on July 20, crossed the
Marne by Chateau Thierry and fol-
lowed the Boche for eight days
which seemed like eight months of
hell, very little food or sleep. Mont
st. Pierre and Ka Chamelle, were
the last towns we captured when the
first sergeant and 1 were ordered to
report at Langres officers Training
School.
Heavy Losses
The losses in Company X alone
were 1O6 officers and men and that
was the average for the whole regi-
ment, that is, nearly one-half were
casualties. The biggest t'l OF lives
] saw n shell take was six killed and
eleven wounded, seventeen casualties
in all from one shell. Happened to be
about IS yards away from wnere tie
shell dropped in the midst CT these
men. That, father, is only one of
the horrors of war, in hundreds, that
1 have witnessed and yet being in
the midst of it all, have come
throughout without a scratch, cut
side of being gassed a little. Those
sights will never be forgotten and
it seems worse now than it did then
as we expected to see men fall
around us, without thinking much Of
it.
Well to go on? I went to school,
came out with gold bars and slipped
to the 313th Infantry, of the Sew
enty-ninth division, a Baltimore put
fit, 1t Is called "Baltimores own"
arrived at the Headquarters, October
10th. where they placed me with
Company 1 for duty, where I re-
mained and did a few stunts, one of
which was to patrol mo Mans
Land" one dark night. Look on our
.rvf11 Rr
namems, Tresayaux, Fresnes, Ben
zee, Maubeulle. That was the front
line, or sector. the regiment held
at the time 1 joined it.
The regiment was relieved the
night of October 25th and marched
to Rupt. Relieved by the 130th In
fantry, 3Srd division.
1 was then detached from duty
with Company I and attached to
Battalion Headquarters to act as
Acting Adjutant. On October 81,
Major Janney, in command of the
battalion, took command, had of
fcers' meeting and picked me out
as his adjutant. At $50 p. m, we
started to march from Rupt to Ver-
dun, the famous city and arrived
there at 4.30 a. m, October 2S, was
surprised to hear that the Boche still
dropped shells in the city, which was
verified in a few hours by our own
ears. Didn't have the opportunity to
tour the city but what l did see
was all ruins except the Citadel
which stood the shelling and when
you see that place, you can well
imagine 1t TO be impregnable. The
French as we'll as the Boche paid
Il an ri INT nf hn
cemeteries. October 29, we
left Verdun at $50 p. m. and
to Bois Delolime. We left
Bois Delolime at p. M, November
2, and marched to Cote De Roches
and left there at $50 p. m. Novem-
Der 8, and marched to Bois Brabant
in support to front line. November
8. we left Bois Braband and marched
to Bois d'Ormont.
From the 3rd on We were under
heavy shellfire continuously and paid
the price in human lives.
Heavy Fighting
November Sth, we left Bois dor
mont and marched back to Cote de
Roches, arriving at 7.3O a. m. We
left Cote de Roches on November 8,
at 4.30 p. m. and marched to Molle-
will Farm, arriving at IL p. m, then
received orders to take up a posi-
ton two miles farther on in the
woods, where the Boche received a
warm reception from us.
November IL, we left this posi-
ton and marched back to Bois dor
mont with orders to attack at $50
a. m. At IL o'clock the hostilities
ceased and then yon know the rest.
From the outline of our move
ments it appears that we did moth
ing but move, but we held the front
line most everywhere we went. 1t
seemed that we would be taken from
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