The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1918-05-10

! three hours, expecting 10 be blown TO
bits any second, we finally moved for
ward Just as we left the copse, from
behind US, up over ridge, came
stream of galloping horses.
ITS the cavalry" someone shouted
| but soon | made out limbers and held
guns.
They galloped past us, going ike
| mad. took up position to our rlght,
swung into position. unllmbered, ana
In two minutes were blazing away. IL
| was thrilling sight
Torn by Shells.
In going forward we went around
| the end of the larger wood In front or
US, over ground that was torn to bits
| by the heavy shell fire that had just
preceded, over another edge, across q
valley, and under the crest Of hill.
And here we found the tanks going
over the top of the hill to take up
their position. At this point we were
still about mile from the front line.
At this place / opened up an aid post
under the crest of the hill to take care
OF what wounded came in while we
were getting into position. / looked
back across the valley we had just
traversed.
Shrapnel was bursting in the air,
shells were whiZZing overhead, and our
guns behind me were belching forth
the fire. The noise was deafening.
A railroad ran through the valley
and an engine pulling couple of Nat
cars was going by. couple of sol
diers were sitting on the rear truck
swinging their feet. A shell burst on
the track and only missed the last car
| about fifteen yards. Neither man was
hit and the train went blIthely on.
BY this time it was getting along
toward evening, the sun was sinking
in the west. and finally went down Il
great ball Of fire. At the time, l re-
member, 1 noticed its color. 1t was
blood red and had sinister look. Was
1t my Imagination, or might it have
been a premonition? At any rate, l
shall never forget the color Of the sun
as it set that night at the end of the
first day of probably one of the great
est battles In history. 1t certainly
didn't look good to me.
The drumming Of the guns contin-
| ued, twilight gradually deepened into
night, the signalers stopped their wig
wagging and took up their fash sig
nails, a fog dropped down on us and
put the lights out Of business. and
when we left to 60 forward under the
nS rlyn
ting out their telephone lines-signal-
ers and runners don't have an easy
time.
Shell Dump Goes Up.
Behind us a shell landed in an am
munition dump and it went up with 4
roar; then the rifle ammunition started
going off like a great bunch Of fire
| crackers, and great tongues of flame
| lit up the sky.
1t is reported that the Germans had
| broken through our line an we were
| to counter-attack in the morning. We
| got into positions without single
casualty. / opened an aid post in an
| old dugout and settled down to sleep
until morning. You may think ii fun
ny that one could sleep under such
! conditions, but i had been up since
5 80, had tramped about six or seven
and was dog tired.
SO l settled down on the rough plank
floor and was soon asleep. l must
have been asleep Il couple of hours
when runner came from headquar-
tiers and told us we were to move off
Immediately. looked at my watch and
it was / 80 a. m. on the second day.
We went back to the railroad, fol-
lowed 1t around to position some six
miles to the north OF US, landing there
about in the morning and Topped
down on the floor Of some abandoned
huts to wait further orders. Our or
ders came along about 8 o'clock. We
marched up across the open prairie,
the sun shining, and 1t was really hot.
Just like some of the warm days We
get the last of March at home. In
going forward it was necessary
for us to march seventy-five yards in
front of three batteries of field guns.
There are six guns 10 battery. They
shoot an eighteen-pound shell and
while we were there each gun was
shooting twice to the minute. You
can imagine the racket when l tell
you that the discharge of one gun can
be heard about four miles. In addi-
ton the Boche was trying TO knock
out this battery and he was dropping
his six inch shells little too close for
comfort
Nearly in Trap.
Then l made a lovely mistake.
was to establish an aid post near bat.
talon headquarters and went blithely
on when l met a company commander
and asked him where to go.
Back there about quarter of q
mile" he replied. This is the front
center company. If you keep on In
the direction you are going you are
going up over that ridge and Fritz will
be waiting for you with machine
gun"
So my sergeant and orderly ani
myself didn't waste any time in clear
ing. On the way back found a gallor
can full of water, got into corrugated