The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-10-16
from IfsE BATTLE FRONT,
visid Description of Battle In Which
Meut. David Loring Was Killed.
(From Wilmington, N. c., starr

(From Wilmington, N. c., Starr
a most vivid description of the war
fare that is being conducted on the
western front is given in the follow
ing letter from Sergeant Harold Hub
bard, Company C, 115th machine
gun battalion, which is commanded
by Captain Thomas Cause, to the
folks at home
81 have thought of you all today
and so just must try to write a lit
tie bit to you. Things are somewhat
more quiet tonight and maybe l can
manage. to sandwich this note IN be-
tween the artillery firing. Sometimes
7 start to write and IN the midst OF
my writing there are so many guns
firing that my candle Quivers, door
either blows in or the chairs and Ia
Bile begin to walk SO when I get
through I have to round up my words
almost as rounding up so many cat
tie.
sarhere are so many things hap
pening all the time that one most
feels lost when one begins to write,
but at any rate we always ind Tune
TO think Of loved ones and it makes
one determined to fight his way to
Reriin. and in so doing is assured OF
his homeward journey, which Will be
a great day in every soldiers life.
zone incident I too well know
about, was net so many days, Or
rather nights since and twas more
ike an awful nightmare than real
ity. but was in reality only an occur
enee. In my last letter to mama ]
told in detail all about this happening,
but anyway it was the night my sec
ond lieutenant was killed and two OF
my best privates were wounded dur-
ing an artillery engagement. l SPEAK
Of them being mine for Lieutenant
Loring was my platoon commander
and the two men were members OF
nv platoon. There was a steady rain
of big shells and although it was aW-
fully dangerous, we did not think so
much of it until one of the slightly
wounded men came into my dugout
announcing the tragedy. He was
bleeding freely from a neck wound
so my section sergeant attended 10
him while I rushed out to the scene,
carrying a private with me. Lying
about II feet from big shell hole
and not over so yards from my dug
out I found the lieutenant and the
other private. The lieutenant was
n1osrta.fy wounded, and with shells
dropping close on everyside I hardly
knew what to do with the two Door
unfortunate men. With the help or
Private Sneeden we managed to move
orr lieutenant to safer place back OF
avery large tree. BY this time Ser
geant DeVane, who was attending tc
the other man, arrived on the scene,
sol ran as fast as I could and bor-
rowed a stretcher from a nearby ar
tinery crew and Immediately car
ried the men to a Red Cross dressing
station where everything possible was
done for these wounded men, but oui
dear lieutenant had done his bit and
so his was the supreme sacrifice.
sr you have ever seen anybody IN
really helpless condition and in
great danger, then you may be able tc
picture q wounded soldier far from
home, and lying out in the blackest OF
nights wounded, dying and shells fall
ing everywhere Well, this was how
i found my comrades and may be
permitted to say that they did not
aalore, for I also suffered with
them I just felt that was so slow
"a to do anything to help them, but you
see. minutes seem like hours at such
q tine. In all it took us only Is min
ufes to give these men first aid and
carry them to dressing station, but
was simply given out, after it was al!
oyer, and felt much older the next
day, bat T am feeling better now and
am again ready for anything.
ssEche very next night another one
of the privates was wounded and it
locked as it shell was numbered for
us all, but luckily he was the last
enc, and now we are all O. X, anG
with new determination to win
whatever the cost.
To-day I have been peering through
"a. o. at once beautiful city, ano
40 artist or even camera, could halt
dosjustice IN rejecting such an awful
tragedy. What was once thriving
Guy, ana WGtl 1OIt1ASO, IL WdS SOli-
siaered, "a city of good schools, anu
enterprises, beautiful streets and gar
dens, now lies as it were one big
graveyard. Not a single building is
left standing, and nothing but ruin
as fara as you can see, and not liv-
ing creature stirs anywhere. K
makes you shudder to look at it.
Sometime ago I walked irto a little
shop to buy some tea-cakes which
were. displayed in the window, ane
after talking to the shopkeeper a lit
tie, came to find out that he had lived
in this very city and owned lots o:
property there. He told me grea;
many things of the crushing of his
home town and of the awful loss OF
life before all the people had haG
time to evacuate.
Now, my dear ones. it is some
thing like a. m. so will close, ant
just this, then I'm through. Don't be
deceived by all kinds of rumors. bur
when you are sure Of facts, believe
Ia, No