The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-26
BLUE AND GRAY MEN
(. IN WORST BATTLE
New Jersey Divisions Heroism
3. ct Ormont Wood Just
= Learned by Friends.
s0METHING WENT WRONG
Slaughter Was Terrific, but
= Division Carried and
Held detectives.

{. ---
News OF the sad but glorious stand
made before ormont Wood. Just north
Of verdun. In the closing days of the
war by the now famous Blue and
Gray Division. was distributed through
out suburban New Jersey yesterday.
when more than $4,000 letters reached
the homes Of relatives OF men Of the
badly battered i14th infantry. announc-
ing that they had been through "the
worst slaughter OF the war"
Something apparently went wrong
fniscarried, one OF the officers wrote
but exactly what Il was could not be
determined from the mass OF conflict
ing accounts OF the regiments terrific
HSht against apparently heavy odds.
The fact stands out. however, that the
1Itth received perhaps the most
s,ruelling punishment to befall any Of
the American units that delivered the
final crushing blow to tho German
military machine.
,. One Of the letters, whose recipieA
refused to make known the names0f
the writer. or even to permit passages
frsm Il to be quoted. stated that his
letter said the l14th on one occasion
was left for seven hours without ar
uilery support whatever happened.
che regiment lost heavily, the letters
revealing clearly that some OF Its COM
panies were reduced to as low as 60 to
20 mon The normal strength OF a
company under the present regula-
lions 10 $50.
Wen Glorious Victory.
:. Despite the terrific punishment, the
Nf9tth drove forward through the Ger
man defence for a glorious victory
end. with the rest OF the Blue and
Gray Division. has been cited by both
the French and the American COM
manders.
y The i1tth Infantry Is composed Of
separate companies which made I'D the
old Fifth New Jersey National Guard
Regiment. II was sent to Camp Nc
Ciellan. Admission. Ala, at the start Of
the war. and was trained there as the
nucleus about which the rest of the
oivision. composed principally Of Ma
$tonal Guard troops from Southern
States. was built. II was this union Of
lighting men from the North and the
Houth that gave the division Its name
Its ofYicial title Is the Twenty ninth
Division.
Perhaps the most picturesque de-
scf4ption Of what happened was con-
tanned In the letter received from
Lieut- Grover p. Heinzmann. It came
to his sister. Mrs. James p. Parber
Passaic. "On October 49," Lieut..
Hcinzmann wrote, "our regiment went
into battle and something miscarried.
with the result that there are only a
few Of US left to tell the tale. Com
Yeny B suffered the worst of any. with
company D a close second.
The dead and dying were strewn
nll over the field. How escaped no.
body knows. az machine guns and
cannon were belchinG death and de-
obstruction. as well as airplanes shoot
.ng at US. I stopped TO bandage the
wounded and the Germans shot them
again, one OF the men lying across my
lap when he was shot
Worse Than Chateau. Thaerry.
"All Of the Generals, both French
and American, calm II was the worst
slaughter Of the war. but perhaps not
as large an offensive as some of the
others. II was worse. according to all
the military authorities. than all the
Chateau Thierry and st. Mihiel fight
Ing put together. After the battle I
bad fourteen men left. Company B
lost one officer and fifteen men killed.
one officer and fifty-seven men
wounded and thirty-two missing"
When the Hath Infantry went into
the fght before the wood II was get
ting its first real taste OF flghting.
This fact was revealed by the copy
OF a general order issued by Major
Gen. Charles F. Morton November /.
Gen. Morton is the commander Of the
Blue and Gray Division. The order
vas enclosed in a letter sent TO Mrs.
Alice Gallagher by her son. Private
John Gallagher Of Company L of the
Hath. whose home lie at sos Passaic
street, Passaic.
Now that It's part in the action
north Of Verdun is finished" Gen.
Morton wrote In complimentinR his
tGen. "the commander wishes TO take
occasion 10 express his deep apprecia-
ZION OF the skill and endurance and
courage shown by the officers and men
t- tAIS uiElSIOii' lIICluulIB DOtn SLdn and
Inc. This was the first real tight OF
cur division. Gassing OF our troops
vas easily accomplished (this BY rea-
con OF the Character OF the terrain, the
iutter explained. with the heavy woods
and hills through and over which the
Ilen had to night their way.)
Held All obiectives.
~At the end of the night we not
only had gained all OF our detectives
but held them. We advanced more
than eight kilometers through the en-
emy's trenches. took 2.100 prisoners.
2 cannon. 200 machine guns and large
quantities OF military property. and
had the pleasure OF seeing two hostile
divisions withdrawn from our front
one OF which was the best the Ger
mans had On many occasions can
tlred prisoners stated that our attack
vas so rapid and our nrS so effective
that they were overwhelmed ana had
nothing to do but TO retire or sur
render"
Further Testimony OF the punish
nent inflicted upon the Hath was
--eQntained In letter received frol
Capt Fred e. Rohrbach, Company A
whose home is In Passaic. THE only
officers left In our battalion OF the old
firth" he, said. ARE myself, LIeuts
Clarence Shut. Passaic: William Pick.
hardt. LODI: Grover p. Heinzmann.
s,..sal1. KiSnaImap Un,aota -, =,