Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-04-15
CAPTAIN HORTON
WRITES LETTERS
Captain Of Company to Which Fifty
or More Hamilton County Boys
Belong Writes From
Western Front.
HE TELLS OF ENGAGEMENTS.
Writes Of Burial OF Captain McHenry
and Eighteen Other
Brave Lads.
HE TELLS OF ENGAGEMENTS.

"We held them, green as we We're,
they couldn't start to come through
our lines" This is the message Cap
tain Arthur Horton, company COM
mander of the organization to which
fifty or more Webster City boys were
assigned on being transferred to the
old Third Iowa regiment for immedi-
ate service in France, has written to
his wife in Creston, Iowa, from cover
there" Several letters from the cap
tain of Company C, 16Sth infantry,
follow:
March S.-"Back from hell" back
here where it is quiet, back where
can sit and think of you every second
without so much roar and crash. You
understand why l have not been writ
ing every day, don't you? BY the time
this letter reaches you, you will know
what has been happening. We buried
Captain McHenry and eighteen more
brave lads from our battalion yes
terday, all from companies other than
my own; through the grace of God
we were spared.
/ was first into the firing line and
relieved after my time was up and
brought back a few hundred yards.
It happened that the Germans did
not try to break through until after
we had come back which accounts
( for our safety. We were, however,
out in all of it, thousands and thous-
ands of shells bursting around US.
the air so charged with sound that
it swayed one to and fro and the
earth rocking like mighty rocking
chair. Poor Mac was caught in his
dug-out. was in an old quarry not
far behind him at the time. a crossed
under the hell Of noise and death sew
eral times. Every step was with al
thought of you and what might hap
pen to us both if fate should so de-
cree, but have so often said, The
kaiser can not make bullet good
enough TO separate you and /.
Mac always said he would get
bumped off the first time he was in
action and his prophecy came true.
But We held them Dorothy, green as
we were they couldn't start to come
through our lines. aSf
: March 9.-Wrote you yesterday af-
ternoon. Said would write again last
night, but when night came l was so
exhauster that l simply had--to go to
bed. You see up to last night l had
been on my feet forty-eight hours and
had walked fourteen miles to get
here, my troops having gone on ahead
Of me from the trenches. feel glori-
GUS this morning. had twelve hours
of good sound sleep and feel fine and
dandy! again. You will know from
newspaper account that We have been
on the Lorraine front. We had Won
derful privilege and that is that we
now have the right to call ourselves
Americans. l only wis.,: that / was
gifted III literary way SO that
might describe the stolid bravery of
our troops and their utter disregard
for danger. They fear nothing and
are now sharpening up their bayonets
and getting their guns ready for the
next test with the Germans. We were
subjected to the most violent two
hours bombardment it was possible |
to give us.
The noise of exploding shells was
so intense and SO rapid that it sound
ed like one long unbroken clap of
violent thunder. Yet although it was
our first experience, l did not see a
man who wavered. The French have
simply gone Wild over the way we
held the Boche Because when the
fun started they threw up their hands
in horror and said, I've did not have
show to stop the Germans" and
Immediately made full preparations |
to stop them ten miles back of our
line and just think, not one single |
German. got through. Our losses were
nothing compared to the Germans
and they were old seasoned troops |
while we were only greenhorns All
along the American front the Boches |
have been trying to start something
and everywhere they met the same
reception. We are now back in a lit
tie French village where it is quiet
so the men can rest an6 get cleaned
up, after which We will probably
train for several weeks before get
ting into it again.
I haven't seen a paper for days ana