Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-11-27
HONORS LEADER
Continues from Page One)

nick out the division for a special STRAIT
ing and the boys were seldom with dry
feet or clothing. They built their own
Quarters and constructed their own
roads.
Gen. 'Castelnau told me that after
all his experience in this European war
he was convinced that the greatest
trainer OF the allied troops was the
boche himself. That was my opinion
exactly. When the French commander
asked for a few battalions from our di-
vision to go up to the front line for
training l protested. 1 said: I cannot
send few battalions.- must send the
whole division. and he accepted
Then Gen. Edwards told of the Yankee
baptism of fire on the Chemin des
Danes. They were given a sector where
the French had lost mere men in three
years Of constant fighting than on any
other part of the front. "A French
guard commander told me when we took
over the sector that when the boche
wanted to bolster up ,his morale all ne
had to do was to lay down a barrage
and take our whole front line garrison.
He said We were entirely helpless. The
advantage of the ground was all with
the boche. and even the French cour-
age and dash were unavailing against
the barrage and special shock troops
sent at them. In this sector. then, they
put our green troops. We had not been
in line two days before the boches
came over to feel it out They laid
down their barrage and sent over their
ct, L,,& L,,
rage lifted those green boys in the
front line had jumped over the top and
did not wait for the boches to reach
them. They got to the Boches first and
with cold steel drove them back to their
own wire entanglements. This put the
boche on his mettle and he sent a SEE
cial detachment of shock troops to
teach these green Americans a lesson.
He put down barrage more severe
than before. But the men had their
instructions. When The barrage lifted
they ran back to their second line. The
boches jumped into the first line
trenches expecting an easy cleanup
They were massacred by the
counter barrage which we immedi-
ately put down. After that the
Boches tried our nerves with gas.
For six and nine hours at a time
they drenched us with gas, and after
you have worn gas masks for
hours you are perfectly willing, in
deed you pray. that you will be
gassed. I followed a detachment Of
those poor eassed men to the hos
pital. Although they were suffer-
ing horribly they were still game to
the core. l asked them What is
your opinion of this first experience
They answered We pray we can get
well and give those Boches the med
icine they need 1 never heard one
squeal Even during our brief rest
period when 70 percent Of the whole
division was afflicted with influenza
or pneumonia not one complaint
came from the Yankee lads
Gen. Edwards then told of the
first raid made by the division. A
detachment of the 101st Infantry.
with French comrades on either side
went over the top behind an all AM
erican barrage. He detailed the dif-
ficulty Of laying down a barrage and
training troops to follow it exactly.
Those Yankee boys" he said, knew
all about it without training They
even stuck their heads into the bar
hage. They were not content 20
! lean on it. When they reached their
! objectives they used rifles insead Of
bombs. l have great faith in rifles.
Il had told them when they got int >
a hole they were to use their guns.
They were not to depend on bombs as
the Allts had been doing for the last
! three years. The French generals
thought we were crazy. After this first
raid they came to my headquarters and
told me that hereafter they were going
to drill their men in the use of the rifle
the handling of which they had forgot
ten until we crazy Americans came and
taught them how.
From the Chemin des Danes the 26tn
division was shifted over to Seichprey.
where they took over Is kilometres 20
relieve the first American division and
| one and a half French divisions. For
their gallantry in holding this sector
| against repeated attacks by shock
troops as well as the landwehr. the di
vision was cited and oomplimented by
the French general The 104th Regiment
was decorated with the Croix de Guerre,
the only American regiment, to the best
OF my knowledge. to be thus honored.
We had not been in this sector long be-
| fore we owned No Mans Land. al
though the French said in all the
months they had held that sector the
boche cad been supreme"
Gen. Edwards, pausing in his chron-
illogical narrative, said: 1T is my firm
opinion that the fighting qualities Of
these green troops Of ours FASTENED
Hindenburg and Ludendorff in their de-
cision to launch the grand smash to
separate the English from the French
| armies
1T is my opinion that the qualities
shown by our unframed troops so
frightened the German command
that they staked everything to win
the war before thousands of these
bearcats acme across" In soldierly
fashion he picked out regiments, bat
! talions and small units who had es-
pecially distinguished themselves
Frequently he was halted by the
deafening outbursts of applause tf
the mothers fathers and sweethearts
Of the soldiers. He ended his MARIA
ton with a thrilling story of the
battle Of Chateau Thierry. The
Yankee division. he said, won new
honors there and won decorations
from Tho French commanders T,bsy