Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-19
Have VISIBLE EVIDENCE
Won T|RP|Tz WAS WRONG
German Civilians Sec Several Miles
OF American Field
Artillery.
GUNS PASS TnRoU.iH CoBLENI
I'iIth and Seventh Regiments Occupy
Ehrenb,citstcin Ontht HAS
Some Insignia Painted on Wagons,
Which Arc Very Significant.
n,. DAMON nlNNoN.


ny DAMON RiNNo>.
& WITH THE AMERICAS ARMY OF
SoCcUpATloN. CoELENZ. December II
8 lDciayedl. --Thcre passed over the
s Rhine to-day several miles OF coScn'
reasons why Germany couldn't Win the
war Two regiments OF the greatest
held artillery i'll al; the world rumbicd
through the streets o. Coblrnz ard
hcross the tcctcring pontoon HridSe 70
Ehrcnbrcitsl They wer: the fifih
show Ii Was something the Germans
could we'll understand. because 1t rep:
resented military force TO the min
Thcy stood along the sidewalks
Watching with eyes iair!N outSinS II
would have been interesting to read
&Ihc Bocho mind as 81" at..: gun Went
past their sinister mV h;". r'otr"'~
inS ,p from 'hg he SarnnS wh" Watched
could nairatc personal experiences with
I Tho F'ifty.-seven,h Battalion At the
tho l5S shorts-ihe bulldogs OF bat;
L tic. Until recently they Were spl"tchcd
with camoufiase but when the march
Ito the Rhine was commenced the
> Fifty seventh reprinted all its equip
mert anew III gray.
II was bright morning. as bright
mess goes in this region. when the ar
stillery column hit The ridge. There
was but a glimpse OF the sun showing
TO cross. its horns s!enmins in n.
vague sunlight. 1t KEEP; up humping
tune every yard OF the way over Long
after the old bridge was swaying under
The wheels of the guns tho fortified
hills of EhrenbrSi's,ein We're stu
back across the Rhine.
EMOTIONS TOO SACRED
TO WRITE ABOUT
AZ the head of the column, huttcr-
ing bravely in the morning breeze were
90 In rcd n mi
blue, with the blood-rcd standard OF
the artillery flowing along beside them.
1t was like sign from heaven. 1t
made one thank the Lord he was an
American. 1t made ones heart swell
with emotions too sacred to attempt 10
Good old fat padre joyce one OF ;he
chaplainS of thr regular army. who
was With the field guns for years. bat
that he had been denoted to looking
after the spiritual interests at the ma
( chine gunncrS. stood with us on the
Coblcnz SIDE OF the bridge watching
the march.
Old Padre joyce once advanced tho
jocosc theory that the only real hope
tor an artillerymau il TO bapiixe him
and then shoot him, hu; he loves the
field gunncrs as a child loves its dolls.
Joyce. lie began putting NJ with pride
jas the Seventh approached. He used
TO serve with the seventh.
Here's the real Mick outfit" he
announced. Then for the next hour he
was kept busy answering mods and
verbal salutations from heImctcd driv-
ers, bobbng past on shaggy leaders
and shaggier wheclevs ana from can
noneers marching at the tails OF guns.
There goes Murphy he said. Tia,
Sll i a. G Fry us aS "sF Hello mn5G4
The story 9f-1Helio. Pred,
military salute Padre Ioyce's salute
has no. equal in all the army. 1t
starts starts from his hip, and reaches up
scratching himself. Blu, he knows The
guns.
he declared As III" Fifth sac tss H"IH Tie
4 seventh ;n i.ooN AZ them"
s oil the men in the two regiments are
Veterans. They wear their steel hats
cooked sidcways--as only men who
{ and they ride along like mch sitting
on top OF the world They regard
Weir German nndience qnizSiGally.
!. Most or the drivers wore big uuids OF
tobacco in their checks. after the man
ner OF men who associate with horses
4 They delivered themselves OF streams
And precision.
They. were mainly youne men with
God: How good they locked as they
rode through thiS old hostilr town
this morning with sullcn Germans
plis 80 wanacr o ;isy n' fs 'i had E'5.
dorT for telling thcni tho Americans
could never get men across the sea
There was one German woman op-
posiie who stood hareheaded for tw"
inc wheels OF passing guns splattcrcd
mud on her skirt She never changed
expression. She seemed to study
Z every gunner and every gun infinitely.
one marching artiilerynan went by
!. WIN small boy on each side ciinEing
q 10 his belt, Our guns We're drawn with
neaNE Frtnch horses with short tails
some of the French stock dragging
3 American artillery hay" been so short
S Snman nen: sos,e iHs' me W%nia Siys the
them Their hair grows amazingly
long.
The Fifth ana seventh had brushed
3 up their steeds Tor this occasion Fol-
s lowing the guns came supply wagons
q pulled in many cases by SIX and eight
x big. tat mules, too
Every ouif; in The army has some
insignia painted on its wagons and
morning has for its trade mark tho
& pieturn o, German helmet with Il
& olE axe sunk IN itS crown, The audi
Mule skinners' neercd from und.v
canvas can02pies a. IN. PEOPLE like
8 ming the, horizon for Indians they
keyed their conversation with the
+ mules TO low pitch while passing
through the city for fear some Ger
Rlish.
sst Rolling kitchens went along with
B. their fires blazing and potatoes steam
ing. All ,nis went right through the
y heart OF the town ana over the river
@ After II cIInc long rcmount outfit
SSwith new horses and mules. Then .
Eiregimcnt % infantry Irampcd across
Ssthe bridge. Then regiment OF cnei-
#neers with It's transport
'-CplpnZ ral
@that Won Tirpitz and I.udendorff wcr"
sinlstahtn eve" more ti"m they had
~ While the Americans we're crossing
Gsone bridge two French divisions were
sscrossing another bridge in a different
|Npar; OF the town