Evening star., 1918-10-27
u. S. MARINES AT THE MARINE
BASIS OF GRAPHIC WAR PICTURE
Maj. Denie in Letter to His Wife at Phila-
delphia Mentions Part Taken in Battle
by Lieut.. Col. Holcomb of Washington.

Details Of the participation Of the
United States marines in the counter
attack Of the allies against the Ger
man forces on the Marne. July Is, are
ward by Maj. Robert l. DeniS of the
United states marines to his wife. who
lives at 2131 Porter street, Philadel-
phia. and which has been forwarded
to Washington for the historical flies
Of the Marine Corps.
In addition to giving . graphic pic
ture of modern war the letter cites an
instance of German treachery in using
airplanes painted with the allied col
ors in their unfair methods Of aerial
warfare.
The letter also establishes the fact
that the marines who helped to stop
the German drive on Paris, at Bel.
!eAu wood, early in June. were honored
by being brought forward from this
sons, for participation with . crack
French division in the great counter
attack which started the disintegra-
ton Of the German front in the west.
Mentions Col. Holcomb Of D. G.
Names that became familiar through
the fighting in Belleau wood are men
prominent in the allied counter attack
Lieut.. Col. Thomas Holcomb of
Washington. D. c.: Lieut.. Col. Benton
W. Sibley. Lieut.. Col. John A. Hughes.
took a prominent part in the fighting
when the Hun was blocked in his drive
on Paris. The letter follows:
''The day before we left for this big
-
between fleet Of German planes and
a French observation balloon, right
over our heads. We saw five planes
circle over our town, then put on,
what we thought afterward. q sham
fight One of them. after many fancy
They were all painted with our colors
balloon. one ole kept Sne right sea' on. near The hs
other four shot the balloon up with in
cendiary bullets. The observers
jumped into their parachutes just as
the outfit went up in a mass of flame.
'Ths next day we took our positions
at various places to wait for camiohs
that were to take US somewhere in
France, when or for what purpose we
did not know. Wass passed me at the
head of his company-we made a date
looking fine and was as happy as could
be. Then Hunt. keyser and q heap of
others went by. 1 have the battalion
and Holcomb the regiment. Our turn
To enbuss did not come till near mid
night.
Get Under Way.
We at last got under way after a
few big sea bags" had hit nearby.
Wilmer and 1 led in a touring car.
We went At good clip and nearly got
ditched in q couple of new shell holes
Shells were falling fast by now and as
the tenth truck went under the bridge
q big one landed near with q crash
and wounded the two drivers, killed
two marines and wounded five more
We did not know it at the time and
did not notice anything wrong till we
we had only eleven cars all told. We
found the rest of the convoy after A
hunt, but even then were not told of
the loss and did not find it out till the
next day.
we were finally. after twelve
after, few hours rest. started our
march. 1t was hot as Hades, and
we had had nothing to eat since the
day before. We at last entered a
it from all points. We marched some
six miles in the forest-a finer one
have never SENDER would scamper
ahead and we could have eaten one
raw. At 10 o'clock that night, with
out food, we lay down in a pouring
rain to sleep. Troops OF ali kinds
passed US in the night--a shaJowy
stream, over a half million men. Some
French officers told US that they had
never seen such concentration since
Verdun, if then.
Reach Ration Dump.
'.The next day. the 18th Of July. we
-
troops. trucks. etc. and came at last
and ate our heads of for the first
time in nearly two days. When we
left there the men had bread stuck
on their bayonets.- I 1ugged a ham.
All were loaded down.
Here I passed one of Vase lieu-
tenants with his hand wounded. He
was pleased as punch. and told us the
drive was on, the first we knew of it.
company bringing prisoners to the
rear. They had B colenel and his
staff They were well dressed, clean
and polished. but mighty g1um look
ing:
of the forest near q dressing station.
where Holcomb again took command.
This station had been big. fine stone
farm. but now was complete ruin
wounded and dead lay all about. Joe
done up-his helmet had saved him.
The lines had gone on ahead. 50 we
we're quite safe. Had fine aero bat
tie right over US. The stunts that
those planes did cannot be described
Late in the afternoon we advanced
again Our route lay over an open field
covered with dead.
Cavalry Comes Up.
I'VE lay down on a hillside for the
Soma confnpAd n