The sun., 1918-08-03
The American Soldier OF 1918.

Tne American SOidier oil 1915.
Seringes is a name that will not
fade in the annals of American valor.
As In the already familiar stories Of
other engagements where the test
has been direct, where the conflict
between our troops and the best the
German General STAFF can send
against them has been specially To-
Called, where the men from this
side of the Atlantic have been
matched against the flower of the
Prussian and Bavarian forces In
comparison of fighting wits rs well
as Of fighting courage and physical
prowess. the result Is such ms to give
Information to the enemy.
This information has been badly
needed in Berlin and elsewhere, and
II would have been immensely use
full long ago. The contemptuous opin-
ION of American military efficiency
entertained by high German author
ity was sufficiently disclosed before
the United States entered the war.
Nobody knows better, and nobody
has told more impressively how low
that opinion was than Ambassador
GERARD in his chronicle of experience
near the Imperial German court and
In the representation Of that expert
ence which with Mr.. GERARp's con-
sent and patriotic cooperation has
been submitted to the American pub
lie IN the remarkable series of mo-
tion pictures now widely exhibited
throughout this country. Millions Of
our people have thus been enabled to
visualize the downward movement
Of the eyellds and the upward move
ment Of the lower facial muscles. the
mention of the American soldier TO
the technical and critical experts of
autocracy and militnrism. Perhaps
they were theoretically warranted in
their judgment in advance of the
demonstration; but their prOgnosis
was not the less rotten.
Now read again these paragraphs
from the story of Seringes. and re-
member that the narrator Is telling
It not from the American point Of
view of natural admiration for and
confidence in our hitherto untried
soldiers. but with the impartiallty Of
m alien If allied and friendly oh
server. 1t is the judgment of the
French or British or italian witness,
not our own judgment Of our own
American boys:
THE Americans after three days OF
70 and fro fighting through villages had
lea med subtlety and were determined to
have a real fight to a finish. They con-
sequently withdrew as II retiring from
Seringes and the Germans crept down
from their high ground convinced they
had their opponents beaten. Additional
German troops came pouring in until
the village was occupied as 1t never hat
been before.
But as the new occupants began to
organize their defences they found that
three sides of the village, and it was
not long before they discovered that the
Americans, while Withdrawing from the
front of the village, had commenced an
encircllng movement on both sides. thus
forming a ring almost completely
around It.
Then came tragic fighting. The
Prussian Guard had voted not to sur
render and their opponents were Just as
anxious to see the thing through. It
was an sffair of small arms, but the
Americans proved to be better shots
and slowly picked off men here and
there.
Then the Americans began to ad-
vance and slowly their encirclng ring
closed about It, AS the ring drew closer
and the defenders saw their doom APP
preaching they redoubled their FIRE, but
still the Americans came on unfaiter-
ingly, like a storm or the unavoida able
stroke OF fate.
when the Americans reached the
precincts of the village their fire ceased
and with one wild yell they closed with
the foe, The fierce uproar suddenly
gave place to a strange silence as ma
grappled with man. Only the clash OF
steel on steel and the groans OF the
stricken could be heard
THE Issue was never in doubt for an
instant. At this kind Of lighting the
American is more than equal to any
PrussIan, Guardsmsn. and in a little
more than ten minutes all was over.
Except for a few German prisoners,
every German in the village had
brsathed his last. Such was the final
capture Of Sernges.
This was classic fighting Indeed
man against man and the better to win.
There was no call for quarter. The