Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1918-06-07

NttdNuVuts NuHt W wv N'iWNh'
said they had been told that the
Americans were not trained, but
that they had found the Americans
could shoot
7 With the Americans on the Marine,
June 6. Thursday Fighting with
machine guns mounted In the win
dows Of Chateau Thierry Americans
today held tho crossing of the Marne,
They outshot and outgamed the ene-
my.
we had the time OF our lives. "
said some OF the men In this battle
who came back for rest I'VE had
heard that trench warfare was dull
and uninteresting- but this is the
life"
Many OF the Americans were green
at the business. but they shared with
the veteran United States marines
the glory OF stopping Germany's adj.
vance at the Marne.
/ For three days the battle was mos,
bitter. The Marne runs through
Chateau Thicrry. dividing the town
One side was held by the enemy:
the other side was held by the Am
orleans and French. After two days
OF constant travel the American re.
serves arrived nj the greatest battle
In history. riding In Fords Within
two hours they wesc In the thick OF
II, Their guns we're dumped from
the Ford wagons and hastily mount
ed In the streets and the houses OF
Chateau Thierry. Then for three
days they held the bridge aud pre-.
vented the Germans from getting
pontoons across.
Despite our withering fire. tho
enemy came on repeatedly from the
other side OF the stream Our ma
chine guns we're going constantly.
oflcers aided In picking OF the
boches with their revolvers Then
the enemy mounted machine guns In
the windows on their side OF the
river, right opposite the Americans.
and opened fire. One group OF AM
orleans had guns In an old mill. di-
rectly over the water. and bochcs
were Just across. For two days they
fought, trying to dislodgc each 9TH
er, German bullets whizzed into the
windows and pumped into the walls
OF the room, but the Yankees shoot
Ing nnally won. lnnlcting heavy cas-
ualties and silenclng the German
guns.
Our guns In this mill also com.
manded wheat field al the edge
OF town. through which the esemy
repeatedly attempted to advance. At
times as many as nine waves Of skir-
mlsh lines were visible In this field.
As the American guns opened fire.
every German would duck out Of
sight In the wheat then slowly. line
by line. their heads would appear
then their shoulders, as they tried
to resume the advance. and the bull.
let's again whipped amidst them, re.
duclng their numbers They endeav.
ored repeatedly to reach the river by
this means. and each time they were
driven back
Meantime the hottest fire was
poured in on the Americans. The
enemy held hill 204. overlooking oui
positions, and made the most Of the
situation. but the Americans stuck
Those guarding the bridge maintain.
ed sweeping hail OF bullets at III
approaches and prevented the bochef
from crossing until II had beer
blown up. then they poured In Q
stronger FIRE, preventing enemy en-
gineers from throwing across thell
pontoons.
Automobiling past batteries flrinl
at the Germans through endless lines
OF supply trains and the other vas
moving units necessary in open war
fare. the correspondent heard tht
story of the machine gunners' flgh
from men and officers who we're II
II. They were all laughing as they
! told their adventures. The major
i ity OF them were apparently recruit
, ed from the region of Plttsburg, ant
, included everything from clerk tt
: mill hand, but now they're thu
J fightingest fighters on the MarDe.
Lieutenant John Bissel, Pittsburg
who graduated ahead Of time las
: year at West Point. has received thu
3 French war cross. He crossed thu
} river with a machine gun detach
, ment and for two days and nights
saw nothing but fire. The eneml
was all around him and his men ant
guns, SO they we're completely Gu
, of from the main American forces