Macon beacon., 1918-11-15

american boys who journeyed 1t thos
july days when they started forwor
IN the face Of murGerOus machine on
''re 10 smoke the Boches out oe tn
stronghold that assured their footin
IN Chateau-Thlerry.
| climbed over graves and shel
holes, through underbrush and pas
Isolated bits of barbed wire entan
clements Into the heart of the woods
where the Boches had their dupouts
Ana at every step of the way, diff
cult 10 traverse even now when If In,
been trampled over and cleared OH,
since the battle, I wondered Mt III,
courage Of the boys who had faced
hidden machine guns and unknown
horrors lurking in the shadows. A
human jawbone lay at the doorway ot
hunting lodge which had been des-
perntely contested for and from the
underbrush near by protruded the boots
OF an unburied Hun.
a group of dugouts off to the right
was well concealed by rocks and un-
derbrush and I peered down into sew
eral of them. The openings were
just big enough to permit mcp. to
wriggle through on his stomach and
INSIDE was n little straw and perhaps
Il battered helmet or rotting pos
mask. A good hole for dog, IL the
uog wasn't partlcular-but the con-
Quoting officer with me assured mo
mat dugout of that size was used
TO accommodate five men during
Dombardment or barrage. When the
barrage was lifted the men wonld
come out and 90 to work again wifi,
their machine guns.
we saw lots of dugouts, however,
from which the Germans nevar
emerged The opening had been filed
up with earth from exploding shells
ana the sanitary troops that came
through after the battle were spored
the trouble Of burying those men
Many OF the shell holes had slcklv
sreenlsh hue, the mark of gas which
poiSohs even the earth, and around
o'hers We're mounds of empty car
'ridSes showing they had been used ms
Seilliprotection for machine gunners.
Wrote Themselves Into Fame.
Nhen the Germans entered Chateau.
lhierry in June, they reached The ,nex
Oh triangle, the other ends of which
We're at Soissons and Reims. They
held the city for 80 days and were 60
intrenchcd that the French
"llu American troops who retook tho |
city did 1t by outilanking movements
instead of direct drive which wou,d
nave cost many times as many lives
Inc marines of the American d,v,.
s'ohs which turned the scale of the
hShtlng, wrote themselves into fame
ny taking Belleau woods. Tho otbar
troops of the divisions, eager for q
S''niiar chance of distinguished serv-
zee were allowed" to take Voux ~.
rectly to the west of Chateau.
winch became the pivot point for the
'ViSSors that squeezed the Huns from
'ne 'ne clty' American artillery battered
me village to bits and then tho ipfor.
,rvmen' armed with maps which bod
'eeh ufaWn by an old stone mason of
'he village, marched in and corralled
ne Germans who had taken refuge In
he cellars.
A'e mason knew just where the col.
arS OF the village were locotnd no
cause he had built them, so thot rho
'.e"hup after the artillery prepa.
atoh WaS quickly done. And tho i,+-
1t town is now rebuilding with o,ro,
1t lies on the main rood
rom La Fere to Chateau.Thierrv So
NE people are drifting back ond os
We passed through | saw corn,rt.r,
'uu plasterers at work making housns
'"o''aoIe a group of red,fezzed Mo-
ocean soldiers We're clearing ont :
'u'tyaru' and further down tbe rood .
we're l'alanS repairing shell holes
Another turn and we were IN IN.
ny i.SeH' crossing the substitute fnr
~ 'r,... i"IaouS stone bridge over tho /
larhe mat the French were ten vaars
Il 'he building, but which tha ,n"r,
aus blew up in ten minutes - nia
cE , tne German advance ost 1nna
'''0'o On up to a hilltop from