Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-10-23
Advancing Foe Had Surprise OF
Life When He Found Ameri-
cans in Line.
GRAPHIC STORY IN LETTER
Tells ef Our Troops Heroic Resist
anee in June-Held by Many Off
GERS 10 Have Saved Paris
From Huns

Thierry. IN which American divisions.
Including the marine brigade. took
pert. early In June. was made public
recently By the navy department. II
j. Ia the fern Of long letter from an
effieer 81 the marines TO Major Gen
eral Barnett. commandment of the
corps. and(the story told Is Of peculiar
significance. as In the opinion OF many
officers here u was the stand Of the
Americans along this line which saved
Paris.
The name Of the writer is not dis
eiozed The Americans were rushed to
the line In motortrueks 10 support the
hard pressed French. ON June l the
H8arins brigade deployed In a support
Position. the battalion commanded by
Maj Thomas Holeomb hurrylng into
tho lire a. tire men climbed out Of the
trucks. The Germans we're coming on.
snd June ? the French dropped back.
passlnr through the American lines.
we had Installed ourselves In a
house IN La Vote Chatel. q little viii
lage between Champlllon and Lucy-le-
Bocage." the letter says. "From one
side We had observation % the north
and northeast They came out on a
wonderfully clear day Ia two columns
across q wheat Geld. We could see the
tso twin brown columns advancing IN
perfect order until two-thiris Of the
columns. Ne judged. we're IN sight.
Zee Slowed Up BY shrspnel.
The rife and machine gun FIRE was
inrezsant and overhead, shrupnei was
bursting. Then the shrapnel came on
the target az each shot. The white
patches would roll away, and We could
see that some Of the columns were still
there. slowed up. and IL seemed perfect
suicide for them 20 try.
Then. under that deadly IRE and .
hHrrage % rife and machine gun firr
the Boche stopped. Il was too much
for any men.
That men should Ere deliberately
and use their sights and adjust their
range be says. ~Was beyond their ex-
perience. II must have had telling
effect on the morale II the Boche Tor
II was something they had DOT counted
on. As a matter Of fact. after pushing
back the weakened French and then
running up against stone wall of d.
Tense. they were literally up IN the
air and more than stopped. We found
that out later from prisoners. for thu
Germans never knew we were In thu
front line when they made that a..
tack. They were absolutely mysfifed
~ the manner In which the defense
siiffened up. until they found that oui
truOps were in line"
The letter tells In detail ~ the days
Of lighting that followed Il describes
daylight charge against a machine
gun host and Of scouting raids up tu
June 6. when the whole brigade swung
forward 10 Straighten out the line. This
action resulted In the capture Of Bel
leau wood.
Hlt Three Times. stiiI Fought on.
Major Sibley's battalion Of the sixth
marine regiment led the way here. with
Holcomb In support. The woods wers
alive with enemy machine guns That
night word came hack that Robertson.
with 20 men Of the Ninety sixth com.
puny had taken BOureScheS, breaking
through heavy machine gun barrage
Ia enter the town. Robertson. fighting
with an automatic 10 either hand. vas
hit three times before he would allow
himself 20 be taken 20 the rear.
Speaking Of individual acts Of hrav-
cry the writer says Duncan. q com
pany commander. before he was now
ed down had his pipe In his mouth and
was carrying a stick" Later be- adds,
DENTAL Surgeon Osborne picked up
Duncan and with hospital corps man
had just gained some shelter when a
shell wiped all three out"
Private Dunlavy. killed later. cap.
tured an enemy machine gun 30 Bour-
esches. which b. turned on the foe
with great effect. while az another
point Young Zimmerman charged
machine gun at the point Of the hayo-
net and sent In II prisoners NJ q clip"
When the enemy made q stand a.
one point In the woods Sibley's bat.
tnhon was Withdrawn and for an hour
and fifty minutes American and
French batteries hammered the wuad.
Hughes, with the Tenth company. then
went In. and his first message was
that the wood had been cut 10 mlnoe-
meat. overton. leading the seventy.
sixth company. finally charged the
rock plateau. killing or capturing every
gunner and capturing all the guns.
with few casualties.
the Eigh,y-second company lost all
its officers, and Major Slhley aud his
adjutant. Lieutenant Ballamy. reoTgan.
lied IT under IRE and charged a ma.
chine gun nest al the most critical time
In all the fighting.
~ wonder II ever an outfit" the let.
ter said, went up against a more des-
perate job. stuck to II gamely. with.
out sleep, al times on short rations
with men and officers going OF IKE
flies. and ] wonder II in all our long