Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-12-27

the steel deck, but was able to crawl |
on to the turret door. Just as I was |
about to enter the gun was fired. That |
particular charge happened to be de-
fective. The shell split and caused a
back fire and the cordite, fire and gas
came through the breech, which the
explosion had opened.
It must have been a piece of cordite
which did it, but whatever it was, it
hit me in the right eye and blinded it.
The ball of the eye was saved by the
French surgeons and looks normal, but
it pains me greatly sometimes and
they tell me it will always be sight
less.
| was unconscious Immediately from
the blow and from the quantity of gas
which I must have swallowed. This
gas did me a great deal of damage
and gives me dizzy spells often to this
day. I do not know what happened
during the rest of the engagement, as
did not regain consciousness until
three days later at sea. But heard
in the hospital that the French super
dreadnaught Jeanne dare and the
light cruiser Normandy were in it as
we'll as ourselves, though not at the
time was wounded, and that we had
all been pretty we'll battered. The
Cassard lost 96 men in the engage
ment and had 48 wounded. Some Of
our turrets were twisted into all man
ner of shapes and part of our bow
was carried away. One of our lieu
tenants was killed in the engagement.
I was told that both the VERT and
. the Kaiserliche Marine were sunk in
this engagement. I have seen pictures
of sailors from the VERT who were
prisoners at interment camps.
When we arrived at Brest the
, wounded were taken from the ship in
StretcherS and after we had been rest
, ed for about fifteen minutes on the
= dock put into ambulances and rushed
q to the hospital. On the way those who
, could leaned out of the ambulance and
! had great time with the people along
the streets, many of whom they knew
o for the Cassard was Brest ship. And
> Of course the women and children
yelled, "Vive la France!" and were
: glad to see the boys again, even
though they were badly done up.
: Some of our men We're bandageG
e all over the face and head and it was
q funny when they had to tell thei1
!. names to old friends Of theirs, who
o did not recognize them. AS soon a:
Y one of\the Brest people recognized {
e friend off he would go to get cigarette:
a and other things for him and some o.
b. them almost beat us to the hospital.
e do not know, of course, just wha
the surgeons did to me, but I heart
d that they had my eyeball out on m.
$. cheek for almost two hours. At an.
r rate they saved it. The thigh wound
e were not dangerous in themselves AM
II if it had not been for the rough treat
q ment they got later on they would b.
quite healed by this time, I am sure
n really think I got little extra al
r tentiol in the hospital in many ways
t, for the French were at all times an2
It ious to show their friendliness :
1t America. Every time my meals wer
It, served there was little America
is flag on the platter and always larg
IN American flag draped over the bed.
Id had everything wanted given to m
es at once and when I was able to, a
" the cigarettes I could smoke, whic
were not many.
ed While I was still in bed in the no.
or pital I received the Croix de Guerr
d. which I had won at the Dardanelle
n The presentation was made by Lie1