Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-07-02
PICTURE OF THE FIGHTING
Texas Lieutenant Writes About the
Action "Over There

Texas Lieutenant Writes About the
Action "over There"
No accurate mental composite pic
ture of life and action upon the west
ern front can be framed either by the
man who is several thousand miles
removed from the scene or by the SOL
dier who is on the fighting line. ac-
cording to the statement of Lieuten-
ant William J. Tucker. who has been
in service in France for several
months. In n letter just received
from him by his father. George Tuck
or OF Gilmer. Texas. Lieut.. Tucker
says:
What puzzled me most when ] first
went up to the trenches. quite lit
tie while ago. was that at the very
mouth Of the boyaux. and within easy
rife shot of the Boche trenches, there
resided civilians--women and some
little children. They went about their
daily task with gas masks strapped
across their shoulders. This was a
|
dicr did not well understand. These
intrepid civilians refused to be driven
from their ruins Of homes. I had not
thought of myself exactly as coming
out of the trenches. with gas mask
nj the alert, and walking across the
street to purchase souvenir postals.
And the uncanny accuracy OF the
artillery. That is something most Of
us had thought about. But we have
come to find 1t is surprising how
many shells the very best of artillery
can drop very close by without hitting
the right spot. And it is terribly an
moving to think that with as many
places there are to hit where you arc
not one of. these shells might strike
where you are.
"Onc Of the best laughs / ever en-
ioycd was from looking over n shclled
area through my glasses and seeing
the Hun drop two shells nearly every
two minutes against one of our bat
tcrics' which his avions had located.
The way they wero plowing up the
ground In front OF the guns was de-
lightful to behold. The great joke
was the battery was only some nicely
shaped timbers. which protrudcd out
Of the 'emplaccmcnts' quite ominously.
There was another time. not long
ago. when I wandered over beautiful
hills and splendid woods. which gave
some evidence that the Boche lighter
pieces could reach me with case but
from morning until night I did not
hear n single shot fired. Here I was.
lust hack of the trenches. but with
nothing but the occasional patch Of
| suffering trees to remind me that ]
was doing duty in the first line
trenches. There Is where the imagi-
nation mistakes. The splendid things
of comfort and earthly protection arc
usually on paper.
"Thc American soldiers beat back
n riding party last night or the
Americans on the blank sector drove
the enemy from his first line Those
headlines give you an idea Of what
the American soldiers did. and the
writer tries to tell you something of
how magnificent the boys from home
acted and how ANONYMOUSLY the
enemy was defeated. He has told you
all he has been able to obtain from
headquarters about the working OF
the machinery. 1t Is often impossible
to secure the information and ito de-
scribe the human side. y
when the American sol1ie1s bs$
back The RAID ,perhap ths.
goxnd accurate 17ol the setitry wi
rS and the gov. entrance whi
,seess pro- ... 20
'"e otn' ''->seIl De ~
protecting cosefhg Of earth. and wa.
while he lay Mt his post was hit by n
rather heavy E. H. And he doesn't
learn that days afterward in his ltit-
bag somewhere they found a letter
addressed to his mother and relatives.
He told them he was glad to be over
here and that If he ever had to 60
he hoped 1t would be while he was on
the job at little better than ordinary
duty. The correspondents don't know
about that letter and how the brave
lad seemed to have some presentment
that he was approaching real danger.
and wrote ever so tenderly and
wanted to be forgiven for the slight
est trouble he had ever caused them
But that Is one OF the true sidelights.
as you might learn II you knew the
parents of Corporal Hughes.
You sec through the lines of the
printed article the Americans diving
the enemy from his own line, but they
can't make you sec the hell Of she'll
fire that was falling about those men