The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-01
"Uncle Charley" Leads One
Company in Argonne
Forest Battle.
JUST LIKE PHILIPPINES
Reappears in Torn Uniform
After Passing Through
Machine Gun Hail.
~ RAYMOND G. CARROLL.
Special Cable Despatch 10 Tnr Sun and the
Psbhc Ledger.

Special Cable Despatch 10 Tnr sus and the
Psonc Ledger.
Copyright. 1915; oil rights reserced.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE,
Sept. 30.--An American Major General
whom will designate as Uncle
Charley" because OF his advanced years
and kindly manner is just now the talk
Of the Pennsylvania troops who cleared
out the Bots de Fremont. small Sec
ton OF the Argonne forest.
On Friday he arrived at the front Just
as tho attack was ready to start against
the German machine gun nests in the
thick woods. Uncle Charley" walked
up to one OF the Colonies and surprised
him almost out of his boots by saying;
II guess I will take charge OF one COM
pany myself" Enemy shells were fall
ing around and the nasty spatter OF
machine gun bullets was everywhere.
The attack then started, and after a
brief time tho German positions were
cleared. There was much concern about
Uncle Charley" but in due time he
made his appearance at regmental head
quarters "whew!' he said, ruefully
surveying his torn uniform and spattered
boots. THAT took me back to the old
days in the Philippines"
On Saturday he was out again with
his troops, this time near tho village Of
Exermont. Just before It fell into Amer
lean hands. Enemy airplanes were
rircling overhead and one Of them few
dangerously close to where Uncle
Charley" was standing with a party Of
western Pennsylvania officers.
Seeing that the fier was about to re-
peat his trick. the Major-G sneral seized
a rifle from a nearby priv ,e and began
blazing away at the plot. He didn't
cause the machine to crash. but the avi-
ator didn't come back. so 1t is fair to
presume that "Uncle Charley's'' marks
manship frightened him away.
| t"Uncle Charley" mentioned by Mr.
Carroll In this despatch. has been identi-
fed as Major-Gen. Charles II. Muir. In
command of the keystone Division
composed Of Pennsylvania Guard regi-
ments, officially listed as the Twenty
| eighth Division. and called by Gen
Pershing the Iron Division" In recog-
milton OF It's magnificent fighting around
Chateau Thierry.l
Corporal Drives on Altman.
On the same day Corporal Richard
A. Williams, Topeka. Kan, was re-
pairing some telephone wires on top OF
| q thirty foot pole when suddenly there
was a sprinkling OF machine gun bull.
let's around him Looking up from his
work he saw that German airplane
pilot was trying to pot him. He
scrambled down the pole In two catches,
seized his rifle, and was soon perched
or har t,,,A
pared to give battle. In few minutes
the airplane returned and for several
minutes there was n lively duel. the
aviator eventually giving up in disgust
Lieut. Col. Reubin c. Garrett OF Kan
sas City was standing with French
liaison officer when an enemy airplane
descended with machine guns trained
on them. Instantly the French officer
threw up his hands and fell forward
full length on the grass. Garrett, think
ing he had been hit, rushed toward him.
but was met with this from the French
man: 60 away. I'm playing dead.
You'd better do the same" As Garrett
was without weapon. save HIS low
powered army revolver. he considered
|, 1t the part OF wisdom TO follow the
! Frenchman's instructions. So for the
next several minutes the pair OF them
lay face down In the grass and weeds
waiting for the German to leave, which
he did shortly.
Even Filters Wore Gas Masks.
Concerning our own airmen, they did
surprisingly fine work In this battle. par
ticularly from low attitudes. Some Of
the work was SC near the ground in the
German back areas that the fiiers had
to wear gas masks for protection against
the fumes our artillery sent over.
All praise to the military police who
kept the roads in our rear cleared dur
Ing the progress OF the battle. 1t was a
terrific Job and one that had to be car
ried on under the most adverse circum-
stances imaginable. At certain cross
roads there was q jam of traffic the like
OF which has not been witnessed since
our mon landed In France For ten
miles in both directions there was
thick jam Of supply wagons. ammunition
trains, ambulanceS - every conceivable
kind OF conveyance.
AZ several places tho roads had been
mined by the retreating Germans and
great holes forty feet deep and twice rs
wide as the road Itself had been torn In
them Engineers were summoned and in
an incredibly short time they had these
holes filled in or bridged.
! was less than hundred yards south
or Varennes when the horn OF an ap-
preaching automobile reached our ears.
1t Is the c. c." said a military police
man. I'VE will never be able to get him
through" Well I knew that mammoth
hole In the roadway Just beyond. Two
| columns OF traffic had become mixed
here and II was frightful, unimasinable.
| But like an electric spark the word went
down the line that HE was coming.
Gen. PershinE Appears.
Instantly drivers Gew to their mule
teams and chauffeurs 10 their trucks,
The lines that had doubled, contrary 10
| all rules OF the road. suddenly became
single lines again. Huge trucks that
had wcdged themselves crosswise across
the road uysteriously Strengthened out.
Men Jumped to the wheels Of wagons
that had mired In the sticky clay and
In a jiffy they were high and dry
Presently three covered motor cars ap-
peared, and as II by miracle there was
| ribbon OF road for them At the cross
roads they stopped and FIRST saw n
dapper little sid get out, stepping his
| way carefully through MOUNDS OF mud.
Then ! saw q tall, heavily built Amerl-
| can General get out or mis- car, He stood
for minute. giving orders to those
around him. Presently he got back In
his car, the military police worked fran
tcally few minutes and tho two col
umns or traffic began to move. with room
enough between them for the passage Of
the three covered automobiles.
The man In the forward car-he VINO
had climbed out to give ordsrs--was Gen.
| Pershing
varennes Itself II a derelict town.