Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-10-19

began. BY s A. NJ. their left flank
had been completely checked without
the necessity of u counter attack.
An hour later the Negro unit was
ordered to move to the left, where
the fighting was still ut is height.
and Il counter thrust 10y our. side ap-
pcarcd advisable. The companies were
oblidgcd to make their way southwark
undcr shellfiro almost; as severe as
the preparatory bombardmcnt they
had just undergone. They marched
in little widely separated groups,
creeping along four almost parallel
roads.
As | watched them hiking along
with shells cutting capcrs wherever
| one looked" the Lieutenant Colonel
| confided, II was willing to have The
war end right then and there. We'll,
they got through and into their new
! nnc, III immediate reserve without
II single casualty--luck again."
More Of the same kind of good for
| tune followed. The enemy suddenly
| ceased to struggle in this sector and
so the proposed counter attack was
| called off. Circumstances made it i'm
pcrattvC, however for the Americans
to go into the firing line again. For
|
| the heaviest artillery hammering the
| world has seen; for four more they
| had stood by to repel boarders; for
another four they had marched across
country, stiU under terrific shell
fire; they were, dog-tired and with
out food or water. Yet they moved
| into line without Il whimpcr- and
! again luck served them well. They
| had an insignificant percentage Of
| casualties, while the French troops
! hey relieved hiking rcarward over
| the same path, suffered severe losses.
| furthermore. the sector rapidly be
| ca1llc so quiet ratiOnS and supplies
were brought up the same night.
| Tho sector DID not remain quiet
| long OF course. Next day in fact. It
| walked to brisk activity, for the French
| had already begun the series of lit
| tie rushes in which they drove tho
Zoe back to his line OF departure
| that IS. out OF the advanced trench
element he had boen permitted to
occupy temporarily. The tactics EN-
p'oyrd called for local attacks by az
! salllt. groups little larger than pa
| trois, Ono Of these groups would
| char&c Il certain German ccnter of
resistance and in savage hayonct fight
ing clcanc 1t OF BOchcs, whose tcnac-
ny had been weakened by the dispir
| ltlng failure of their colossal push.
| Ihcrc was always sharp fighting go
ing on on Il small scale Trenches had
| disappeared. hlottcd out by the artil
lcry of both sides. and barbcd wire
| WAS unknown. The enemy constantly
| sought to smother us with gas. and
| daily the Negroes spent four and five
| hours in their masks.
| Il dislike this mask intensely" 70
| marked Private Casey Jones, the Col
| oncls cook after telling mo about
| wounldnt have sold it for million
| dollars"
The Germans "sprinkled shells
around most proD,iscuoiisly," as ono
| youngstcr put it, during all this per
iod. They were particularly busy
| with their IT'S, using them to SHINE at
individuals which is seldom done by
artillery. Big-calibre projcctiles tore
up the areas Immediately behind tho
hiring line. One Krupp $50 killed 3
Mon and thirty-siN horses and wound
nj wv" men and six horses. I have
never heard Of single shell doing
so much damage before.
| On August z the regiment captur-
cd It's first prisoner. The German had
! leaped at Private George Chapman
| IN the course Of night patrol en-
counter George managed to wrest his
| adVcrSary'S rifle from his grin and
| then my excitement being quite con-
| Siderable as he explained to his
| lieutenant afterwards, he threw the
| weapon aside and fell upon the Bochc
with his fists. The latter was game
| and good boxer, so that George had
| quite a tusslo before he could count
his opponent out and drag him back
a prisoner.
ONLY ONE MAN "MIssING."
| The night OF August II was me-
morable because it witnessed three
raids in the Negroes sector, one stag
| ed by them and two by the Bochos
| Our boys penetrated a mile or so In
to the enemy lines. but found nothing
| for their trouble. The Germans made
n prisoner in their second raid but
| there is good reason to believe he
| died from the severe wounds he had
received before they could get him
back to their trenches. He is the only
man the regiment has had to report
as missing"
| Shortly before the Negroes were
| relieved and sent into repose, for the
| first time since the middle of April
| there occurred the ARRAY I described
| in an exclusive cable dispatch
to the World on August 90, in which
| Serg. William Butler distinguished
| himself by killing four Germans, NOR
tally wounding their officer, putting
a dozen others to rout and liberating
| thereby a white officer and four Ne
| gro privates whom the Boches were
| carrying off into captivity.
New York Age.
l WANTED--A Good IinotyDe Opera-