The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-12-27
CHESTER ESkEY
TELLS OF WAR
FORMER WE'LL KNOWN LOCAL
NEWSPAPER MAN WRITES In
TERESTNG LETTER
YVES In Some OF The Hottest OF Battles
But Is stu Alive and Enjoying
Good Health.

NONi AShAtA'
The following interesting letter. re-
cerved by tho Wheeling Intelligence.
from Chester y. Eslicy. son of DR.. Leon
ard Esk"y and former we'll known en-
nioyr If the Nrws and intelligence.
advertising department.. will BE- OF sP"-
"lal interest /" his many friends her..
Mr.. Eskcy won Il commission as n leu
trnan, and since hcrnG in Europe ha9
soon some interesting sights along the
battlefront. having h::cn in Some Of the
real scraps along the firing line. H;s
letter is as follows:
Irnncr November IL.
Wheeling Intclliccnccr.
Dear fri"ndS:---E Each tim" that my good
divISnrn mas returned from tn" front |
have promised myself that l would
writ" To you and boast Il bit OF it's
lighting fitness, but the way Of soldier
Is busy one. paved with intentions.
First OF all. when ON" returns from the
line. thcrr is u sulphur bath. The pro-
cess IS painless but long. (Thcsc baths.
you may believe me. are not administer
et1 for tho soldiers nervcs.) Then,
there orc numerous drill orders and
twenty other odds and ends which
should have been attended to Up
There" but passed In the rush. may
MS we'll confess, too, that these little
French villages with thrir old churches
and famous chatenus, their manure piles
and crooked rnadwayS are ever interest
inE and demand All hour or so. Moreover
thn Madnms arc SO gracious. If you
have chocolate for breakfast. which, by
thr way is very good in France, II re-
qurcs thr remainder of The morning for
tho customary "McrciS" and due con-
sId"raiinn IF French hospitality always
genuine and abundant. Finally. when
tho division is nicely settled and tho
last trench mud has been brushed from
your boots and you are about To balance
accounts with tho world. General Foch
has meantime, decided that Jerry needs
punch 4; n Vulnerable point which hr
has located. perhaps near Montfaucon,
perhaps nj 81. Mihicl. Tho division
moves and forward. The division has
boon rested One sometimes wonders
how. hut the order reads: The ----th
division hna returned from the front I
linz" etc" and orders is orders.
FIT now that II is finished. il you Will
indulge me- will tell you something
Of what my natural prejudice forces m"
10 term the Bcsl Fighting Division in
France
Tho Third division Is indebted for It's
FIRST baptism of fire to that famous md
now badly defeated army Of the Crown
Prince. On tho night Of July li-l3. our
guns were laying \ counter preparation
fire on tho cncny's line. W" opened At
ten n III. This had been our scheduled
operation for five nights previous. W."
had boon been suspicious oT thr enemy.
m"llgcncc reports for past weeks
t showed heavy travel nn all roads north
OF III" MarH". Captured prisoners stat
Cd that m nttack was imminent. More
over there had been Il marked d"Cr"Ls"
in enemy artillery fire. ll"inie %as say.
ing shells II was eleven o'clock. l had
hr"r adnIrnE Tho flash Of our guns
md tho trHet' IF fireworks which w"r"
displayed ~ n solo rctcrt, when. sud
denly all the guns which Krupp Ind
manufactured for tn" Princes Pets 10
that date opened wld" and raincd steel
forgot -m"-EotS over III" Marine and into
our lines. TIL" division was holding IL
sector extending from cast Chateau
ThicrrT 70 half n kilomrtrr west Of
NarHnno<. The hCmhardmrnt lasted for
six hours During those hours tho towns
Of M"zy. BrazlHs and Varcnn"H beam"
= heap OF stones. Thr T1nis d'AiErrmont
became shamh!cs. Thr surrounding
barvaEn lifted and tIa Germans began
rHrrr n,rarS.
9n> .Tr,I,fr ~r,>sseh the river In MI
mcrouS places by means Of pontoon
bridges. On our right 81 FrNnch division.
aIrNahy weary from too hard fighting In
forced "a fall back. Our right sector
was held by tho 3Sth infantry. Their
righ, flank thus exposed TN" rNtr"mn
right battalion va" withdrawn TO the
heights hch,nd NnrHrnCs Thor" th'y
rrt IN" enemy. Tho Germans who arc
ono of cur PRISON camps. Th" left and
center fought quiz" rs hravoIy. TN"
%nth infantry accounted f"r five hundred
prisoners. Tho toll from machine gun
fire. which in many instances WAS di-
r'Ctrd an columns crossing the river in
close formation. has never hccn "Sti-
mated. Tho Fourth and Seventh infnn-
Try. 'hn extreme l"Gt sector wcr" not
; hra.iiy "rcaE"d IN ia" inta! attack.
Tho Third division WIS ;hc pivot NJ
This now German offensive which aimed
N swinging IN" line south and wost Of
Chateau Thicrry Success hero would
have paved The way for 4 Formidable at
tack on raris. Nffrr 1wn days nf hard
fighting the enemy was driven com
nIrtc!y back. both 10 cur front md on
our flank. Then. hogan IN" counter Of
fcnsivN in llasin with rhr French
which ''rarrifG "H and on" Ia stop fin
ally for i TTathi"g Spnc" ut IN" Ncslcs
Tn" German army carried out It's rc-
treat with &hllrul rcarGuarl action.
Masters with3mach'n" guns cv"ry ktl"-
meter oC ground was we'll dcf"nd"l
Forced back they wore" but in as bloody
fighting as American have engaged
Iaulsonnc. L. charmed. rranqucltr
Farm. Cnhan and L host Of other strong
points are places for rilermagr here
after. When the Ncslcs river was
reached. after au advance OF 40 kilo-
motors III" Third division was relieved.
Then that famous order was issued.
'"rhr First American Army will attack
ana r"duc" IN" ST. Mihcl sector. We
w"r" placed in reserve. Tho First Am
"rican army attacked on III" night Sep
tcmhrr ! and G. Tho S.. Mihicl sector
vas reduced in thrcc days. German
morale 1T This time was notiCrahly
cracking Persistence was slight The
enemy surrendered in large numbers
aud ahandnr"d rn%itinuS held rs untnl,r-
abb" for fuur years Through this rnun-
try il was our Tlrasur" "a r"lcas" hun
drcdS sc civilian population Hf;"r four
years If German kulrur. and blood and
iron.
Following this surcrss tho division
was Shunicd about from IN" shell torn
villaE" to another Cor several w"okS.
Mighty GENTS were happening every
where. First tn" Eri!sh did il. then
the French. tn" Eorhc was on the run.
But this was on h" Western Front
proper. Thar south lin" which ran from
Metz through N"rdun aud west. long
sine" made famous by tho French in
nine months gallant defense against al
most continuous onslaught nv the enc
my. was IN Il" the seen" Of the next
smash. and ours.
Tho Third division attacked on a line
which had boon established with open
ing Of tho "ffcnsiv" IN this sector
through TN" efforts Of thr 10Th division.
w" tool; up position Just north Of Mont
f1u"nn. From III" first Of October until
tho tw"niY-s.Xth ~" division attacked
NOR" than twenty times. "" progressed
along IN" west bank - III" MruSc n AN
average rai" Of half = kil"m"i"r per dny.
Tn" "n"inv had rN""ivod repeated orders
- hold III" lnr mt all cost. \ break
her" would mean. What has alrcndv har-
1rnrI lp q