Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-11-06
YANKS DIE WITH
FACES To ENEMY
Valiant Spirit of Fallen Men Is
Typified in Attitudes of
the Dead.
TROOPS EAGER FOR BATTLE
Ever Crouchine Forward With Their
Faces Toward Germany, I'M
patient to Make World Safe
for Humanity.

Chaplains of two Yankee
regiments that stormed the slope above
the Ourcq river came YEARLY back at
shutdown from the task of burying
their dead. They We're two men spir
itually uplifted and their eyes We're
shining as they made their brief but
eloquent report.
In all that battlefield" they said,
that every one of those boys died
crouching forward"
That short dramatic story-a patri
otto eulogy that was an epitaph for
American heroes-came first under my
eye when, after a three weeks journey
of 1900 miles, l reached Paris.
Faces Ever Eastward.
Stories of the valiant American
spirit are old. Yet the proud words of
the chaplains were tremendously i'm
presSive. They interpreted the spirit
of America on the fighting line in the
same terms as had seen it among the
fresh troops in the convoy across the
Atlantic in England. in the French
port and in the trip across France
troops yet tolface the Hun.
Thousands were in that convoy And
their faces were ever toward Germany.
They We're grim faces of serious-m mind
Ell, silent men during the tedious ocean
trip-silent, strangely. until actually
on French soil
Then they underwent change The
curtain of solemnity seemed to lift.
The frown of impotence at delay was
gone and, in contrast to the silence in
which they had received the homage
of British crowds, they sang rollicking
war songs, laughed and cracked jokes
and replied with Yankee roar to the
chorus of welcome French crowds gave
them.
Their faces were away from the set
ting sun as they waited in the French
port for the trains to take them to
France. Their eyes gazed iongingly to
the east, and they eagerly strained for
ward as if to hear the far-off boom of
the guns.
Every one of these Yankee soldiers,
fresh from the homeland was crouch
ing forward-as did the heroes the
chaplains told of-with their faces to-
ward Germany.
A complete division. commanded by
an American major general. disem-
harked. And it was just one unit. one
convoy of the unending stream that
Uncle Sam is sending across.
chafe at Long Wait.
The only worry was whether II
would be a long wait before it was.
their turn lat bait against the Hun.
Submarine rumors hadn't frightened
them on the way across the ocean.
They had drilled daily, as best they
could in the cramped ships area. They
had taken daily exercise TO keep them
healthful and fit. And they had stood
guard, in turn, with eyes peeled for
submarines-mostly hopeful that one
would turn up just for the delight of
seeing an American destroyer bomb it
out of all usefulness.
There was a boat drill daily on the
convoy; each man answered roll call
in his allotted place beside a lifeboat.
And constantly, save in sleep. each
man had TO wear a life preServer
strapped about his chest and back.
Now they're at the end of the long
Journey-in France along with a mil
lion and a half fighting men from the
United States. They're showing early
that great American splrit-crouching
forward, with their faces toward Ger
many. impatient to make the world
unsafe for Huns.
It's a pity Kaiser Bill couldn't have
stood on the dock at that French port
when they landed-'ust 10 see them.