Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-11-22

midnight so Il didn't see it. ] don't
know just where the Alleghanies start,
but West Virginia Was all hils-that
ia they called them ills-hut they look
| like mountains to e. and the further
we got the larger the hills. When we
got towards the es t side the people
where we stopped said they were
mountains and they sure looked it. We
travelled in the val ey most of the way
across the state and went through
twenty-six tunnels, twenty one of
them were all in string. the longest
one was three-fourth of a, mile long
1t was some sensation going through
the first ones; everything was dark %
pitch. We went through one and came
to small town and had to 60 through
another to get out. We crossed the
Ohio river at some town but / have
forgotten its name. 1t is q pretty
river. We started for the top of the
mountains at some eastern Virginian
town-some railroad system here, trip.
pie tracks. We were on the middle
one with two engines ahead and one be.
hind, and they were all q granting.
The engines were al very large, hav-
ing twenty-four drive wheels, and
through this country I saw oil wells,
iron and coal mines, and big blast-fur-
mace factories galore, and of all the
shacks for houses, and darndest look
ing towns and people, I saw women
working on the section, too We start
ed going down the mountains about
dark so I can't say any more about
that country. We went through Wash
ington. D. c., in the night, so they
said. didn't see it, but I have my
name in for a pass, and hope to be
there for Saturday and Sunday. If I
60 to Washington I will tell you about
it in my next letter. ill.,
Under date of Oct. 18th, Lieut.. Colo
mel w. E. Dunn, wrote the following
interesting letter to his parents con-
corning the then imminent German COL
lapse.
Events are moving rapidly for us
along the whole battle front. I am
very glad to get into action in COM
mand of . splendid regiment of regu-
lars. As I write you one battery of
this regiment was organized from my
old battery in the Seventh. Each Of
the other batteries was organized from
other batteries of the Seventh. So all
the old non. commissioned officers in the
regiment knew me, and also quite .
number of the officers have served I'M
der me in the regular service. So feel
very much like being tack in the old
regiment.
We are well back beyond the Ger
man second line of defence. In this
place the enemy has his defenses or
ganized about twenty miles deep be-
fore his greatest fortress in the east.
When we capture this place the wsr,
will be won for he cannot then keep rs
out Of Germany. 49,
have six captured German batter
les we have taken in the last five days.
Four;of the batteries are in good con-
dition, 50 that we are using them
against the Germans, using their own
ammunition and even their narrow
guage railway to run it up the to guns.
Today in reconnaissance of the ground
we have won, to determine on the To-
cation of our batteries as we move for
ward. I came on the elaborate COM
mand posts, concrete dugouts. etc., of
the regimental commander of . regis'
ment of heavy artillery. One battery
of heavies had been abandoned just as
they were trying to get them away. All
the firing records of the regiment were
abandoned. guess they knew they
would never need to use them again
from that position. So we took them
and our officers are now using
them to compute the firing data for
targets back in Germany.
We have just gotten the news that
the German armies have abandoned the
Belgium coast and tonight we are CIV
ing IN enthusiastic party. My regi-
ment is lighting up the sky with their
guns and furnishing hundreds of good
reasons to the Germans every minute
why they should also abandon this
place. The heavies alongside Of me
are shaking the earth with the fire they
are putting on. All in oil we have the
Germans on the rum"