The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-09-03
HOW AMERICANS FIGHT
Paeaces of the War as EXPIRES
Privates-A from Iowa.

Raymond Carroll, correspondent OF
the London Times, with the Ameri-
can army lin France, under date or
July g. writes to the newspaper ne
represents as follows:
Behind the iron screen OF the thun-
dering guns of the advancing Franco
American units husbandry and agrl-
culture were resumed on Tuesday IN
the devastated area south of the line
Seringes, SerSy,
and Roncheres. The Germans during
their seven weeks stay in the dis
trict failed to profit from the abund-
ant Weld of the surrounding fertile
valleys of the Ourck and Marine
rivers.
The harvesters following close
uoon the heels of the American sol
diers presented a remarkable picture.
cutting wheat and oats from fields
filled with fresh graves Of soldiers,
unburied bodies of horses, and debris
Of the retreating enemy, such as
broken bits of heavy artillery, ma
chine guns, helmets, and empty smell
cases. In the course Of an extensive
kite-shaped tour Of the entire region
/ saw hundreds of peasants, men ana
women, picking beans and digging
potatoes from the rolling landscape
pitted with shell-holes. Some were
at work mending broken-down vine
yards, others were propping up the
torn limbs of orchards. A French
farmer. upon reaper said: j,
1--WE have to thank the good LORD
and the brave Americans for this
good chance to gather our crops"
His entire family wife. two daugh-
tiers, and three small boys, were
binding up the sheaves and loading
them upon great two-wheeled cart
all this within sound of the cannon,
under the shadow of our observation
balloons, and occasional combats be-
tween airmen.
Passing forward into the region Of
desperate fighting, l found that the
Americans had left the town or
Sergy, which was taken for third
time and held on Monday, and were
arriving in the direction OF the small
village of Nesles, some distance to
the east Of the town OF Seringes,
which we captured late on Monday
afternoon and held through two ter
rifle counter attacks by the Prussian
guard OF Monday night
| got the following account Of the
advance beyond Sergy from cor
poral of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
I'VE took up the fight at 9 o'clock
on Tuesday, advancing without artil-
lery preparation down the side OF
a bowl-shaped valley. The Germans
held the ridge of the upper side, their
machine guns raking the wheat fields
Intervening | took my men into the
shelter of clump of trees, and from
the upper branches picked off the
German gunners. Then we rushed
the ridge and captured it,
A private from Birmingham, Ala
bama, won distinction with another
private in the final attack upon Sergy
by bringing in his machine gun and
all the ammunition from an advanc-
ed position after the corporal and
four other men OF the gun squad had
been injured. Then he went out
alone and carried back to the Amer
lean lines his wounded lieutenant.
The battle conrnues all along Inc
American from; those Of our men
who drop fall with their bayonets
pointing towards the foe, whose re-
sistance has greatly stiffened with
the last "a hours.
The red men fighting for the uni
ted States in the French forest pre-
serves between the towns north or
Chateau-Thierry gave an impressive