St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-06-29

~ WOuAGCAs
This night we slept in an. open field.
At Eve o'clock me next morning we
marched again until four o'clock in
the afternoon, when we were given q
rest.
1t was about ten o'clock In the eve
ming when we received orders to ad-
vance. We all ready to proceed
when another order came for US to re-
main at u bivouac overnight. Dur
ing the night we heard laundering OF
cannon which became more violent.
The battle Of Neuve Chateau, which
had continued from August % to Au-
gust "A. 1914. had begun.
At four o'clock on the morning Of
August % we resumed our march. At
Neuve Chateau the French army had
encountered the Fourth German army.
First there was, as always, minor out
post and patrol fighting. BY and by
larger masses Of troops participated,
and as we took our part In the battle
on the evening of August q, the fight
had developed into one of the most
s~anguinary Of the world war.
When we arriyA the French occu-
pied almost three-quarters Of the town.
The artillery had set the main part Of
Neuve Chateau on FIRE and only the
beautiful residence section In the west
ern part Of the city escaped at that
time. All night long the house-to-
horse Hnhffnr 0ontSrxrol hYr% xyHan al
noon Of August % the city was in Ger
man hands the enormous cost to the
Germans could finally be determined.
Residences, cellars, streets and side
walks were heaped with dead and
wounded. The houses were In ruins
empty shells, in which hardly anything
remained unchanged that was of any
real value. Thousands became beg
gars In n terrible night. Women and
children. soldiers and citizens e "
ing where the pttiless shells and bull
lets had hurled them from life into
deaths dark void. True impartiality
reigned in the killing. There was a
Belgian woman lying next to a Belgian
baby which she had borne from house
to street. Close by lay a man of I'M
certain years before an empty house.
Both his legs were burned to the
knees. His wife lay on his breast and
sobbed SO pitifully that her grief could
not be endured. Most of the dead
were entirely or partly burned. The
cries Of agony of the animals fighting
in~cineration were mixed with the
groans and sobbing Of the wounded.
But nc one had time to bother with
them. The French were making an
other stand outside the city In an open
field. AS the enemy vacated the town
the Germans made an error which cost
them hundreds OF lives. They had o c
cupied the entire town so quickly that
the German artillery which shelled a
part Of the city did not know Of the
change in the situation and threw
shells into the ranks Of the infantry.
Finally our soldiers were compelled to
give up some Of their gains by the
pressure of our own rs well as the
French fire, but regained this ground
afterwards. Strangely enough, the
residence section previously mentioned
had not suffered seriously. All the
houses few the Red Cross and were
used as temporary hospitals.
Here it was reported that Belgians
mutilated German soldiers. Whether
this were true, or only a rumor, similar
to others being constantly started by
German soldiers. / cannot say, but |
do know that on August "a, after the
French had retired, 1t was made
known through an army order that
German. soldiers had been murdered
there, and that the German army could
not leave the scene of these outrages
without first avenging the victims.
IT was ordered by the commander
of the army to level the remainder Of
the city and to show no mercy. AS we
took a short rest from our pursuit of
the enemy and looked backward clouds
Of smoke to the eastward showed that
the order had been executed. A re-
manning battery of artillery had re
dueed the city to ashes.
= I1G EISlilEi- III itddS q Sluhd
side the city and resisted to the ut
most, but they were outnumbered. It
was simply impossible to resist the
pressure of the German war machine.
When the German columns, with fixed
bayonets, attacked to the accompani
merit of their blood-curdling yells
which, like their steel, penetrated to
the bone, they resembled in every re-
spect American Indians going into ac-
ton, fiinging themselves with blood
curdling yells upon their enemies.
After a three-hour fight many French
men gave themselves up as prisoners.
With uplifted hands they sought
mercy.
At last, on the night Of August %
and "a, the enemy's ranks were thrown
into confusion and they retired slowly.
I was in the first detachment which
pursued them. To the right and left
of the road, in the field and bitches,
were dead and wounded.
The red p~antaloons of the French
showed brightly on the ground. The
field gray of the Germans could hardly
be discerned.
The distance between US and the re-
treating French became greater. Our
soldiers became happier ove the out
come of the battle and seemed to for
get their past h%ardships. The eorpses
which filed the roads and bitches were
forgotten amid the jokes and songs
on every side. The men were already
accustomed to the horrors Of war to
sucb an extent that they ~unconcerned-