The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-10-26
LETTERS FROM
SOMEWHERE"
IN # r A nee
FROM ARTHUR HARTLEY.
Company "a" 18th Inf,
France, Sept. goth, 1918.

v
certain one but tell you everything
possibly can (Which won't be much.
There is one letter that want to
especially mention, the one with, the
card in It, and with the money order
in 1t from Mr. Finney. 1t reached mo
nearly two months later when was
wanting letter most We were just
on our way to the fight. Not much
of fight. you understand but still
we were running a little risk. The
way feel now believe there will
be at least 100 more birthdays for
me. The fresh night air and the
daily hike keep a man healthy and In
the best trim possible. The money
from Mr.. HFinney was also very well
come as 1t reached me about half
way from a payday. While it was
nearly two weeks before had a
chance to spend it, when I did was
very thankful that had such kind
friends back there. Will write him
another letter which hope will reach
him. < -..s.,,;; ~. s.s+:ss-,..-. .,,
, About those socks A pair of socks
last us about two weeks. sometimes
we have to make them do for two
months, sometimes it is impossible
for them to reach US with such things
as cloths, but when we do get them
they are new and clean. ! don't know
if the socks get are from the Red
Cross or not though ] don't believe
they are. They are all government
issue. They may some Of them come
from the Red Cross The boys be-
hind the lines. on soft jobs. coffee
cooling" jobs we call them, may get
them which suppose they do.
Today the sun is shining that not
so long ago shone on the Huns IN
this yer place. We are on captured
lend or rather retaken land but SOU
yenirs are scarce. When bunch OF
soldiers once get on captured land
there is not much that can be sent
or kept. left. Nothing that can be
carried around. There are plenty OF
German hand grenades but who wants
to carry around a. real live German
hand grenade? Not ]. .yE
Did your. get that letter where
told you about our drive? Well,
haxes seen another advance upon the
3&HiY. this time we were not in the
dit line of wave. as 1t l. called.
stayed back with the Kitchens where
" had our office located l saw the
beautiful fireworks display that al
ways goes before an, attack. kne"
at what hour the attack was to start
so lay down and went to sleep wait
ing for the barrage to herald the
morning. I was afraid THE Germans
might shell, the place where. we were
and as we had no dugouts to go into
wanted to. be awake when the thine
started:
In the early morning i was awak-
ened by a heavy jar as though there
he'll been a large powder lit off. II
was JUST one OF our smaller guns
close by my shack only Finch gun.
The jar pushed. me over on one side
of my bunk. then another gun went
loft on the other side and threw me
back again. Then the other guns
l'b9oxe loose. The sky was single
blaze of light and the air solid
| sound. Back of US you could hear
| the big guns so off with single
BOON" then in front of US up clos
er to the line the smaller guns began
their barking until the mingled sounds
were just like thunder storm. only
louder. L just closed my eyes and
said, There they co. could see
them as at a single command they
scrambled out Of the muddy, slippery
trenches and started on their journey
OF conquest. l saw them going in
columns as far as the eye could reach,
each a happy confident man, laughing
and Joking at their own expense as
one would slip aud cover himself with
the filthy mud. Slipping and stumbling
with their faces lighted by the burst
| ing shells in front of them. I could
see once In a while one falling. but
with a plying glance his comradc
would pass on with one more score
to settle with the Hun. Suddenly. I
woke up aware Of the fact that it was
late In the day and there was work
which had been left behind to do.
The guns were still busy and short
distance north the boys still fighting
forward. ISmadc-me a little sorry l
wasn't there to fight with them as I
had been in our other advance. l
knew I was missing lot Of fun and
excitement. But my work was Just as
dangerous as the front line work. The
Germans guns could reach us while
they mover fire upon the line advar,-
cling. They had the machine gun
bullets TO face which are mighty
hard thing 10 50 against.
Soon tho kitchens were ordered up
farther US tho troops had chased the
Huns so fur back that they could not
feed them from where they were. All
day We hikcd behind the wagons.
Then Il Roy had been with US he
would no longer be ashamed OF mules.
They did better than horse ever
:. could, You could see them strain and
pull their harness trying to move
the heavily loaded wagons from the
miry roads and the deep shell holes.
They just put their shoulders little
deeper In the collar and pulled until
their tongues hung out of their
mouths, but they moved the wagons.
All along the road going UP you could
ksee a dead horse or mule. some Amer!
fican. but mostly German. They had
all died doing their best. ours trying
to get the guns up and IN position to
throw their steel into the fleeing
Huns; theirs trying 10 carry the guns
from the. reach ot the advancing
TROOPS.
! When We Nt\last reached the place
we were sNpposed 10 stay we had
orders 10 move on The men had
chased them stt,i farther away, For
/ two days they had kept them on the
1 run without rest ar food. When We