The Washington times., 1918-05-03

THE first division OF Americans
who arrived in France early in June
OF 1917, have won an enviable repu-
tation among the allied armies, being
| classed with the famous COldstream
Guards of Britain, the Princess Pats
| OF Canada, the Blue Devils OF France
and the Prussian Guard OF Germany.
/ was the statement OF Private :. {.
MowTer, one Of PershinEs fifty sent
] here TO boost the Liberty loan, in
| speaking at the newly dedicated Y.
/ NJ. c. A. Liberty hut at the United
| States Marine Barracks at Quantico.
SO daring and effective has been
| the work OF these men that the
Huns have christened them the
| Brown Devils and in every In
stance. and there have been a full
dozen of these, where they have
mixed things up with Fritz at close
quarters, the Kaiser's baby killers
have turned tail and run"
GIyeH Vivid Description.
Private Mowrer spoke to an audi
encs of about 900 marines who had
gathered to hear an account OF the
conditions "oYer there" from the lips
OF a man who had lived and fought
IN the lEOuN llhN lFGuGheAs MS nv
ture OF trench life was vivid.
In describing the life OF the Ameri-
cans-he objects TO the term sam
mies"-he said: The men at the
front are fat. sassy and happy; they
know exactly what they have to do,
and though every hour of the day Is
frsught with peril and discomfort.
they go ahead apd do their grim
work with precision and cheerfuuess.
"If you want TO know what IT Is
like in the front line trenches" said
the speaker. "just imagine going out
into one OF the bitches which you
have dug for training purposes, filling |
IL waist deep with mud and water
and standing there for twsnty-four
or fOrty-eight hours without moving.
waiting for the order TO go over
while Fritz keeps peppering away at
you with what seems TO be all the
heavy and light artillery and all the
machine guns and rifles in the world. |
Then when the order comes to go
over you climb out OF your mud hole
and charge across no mans land with |
fXed bayonsts and engage In friendly |
little tuSsle with about twenty Boches. |
It's a nice pleasant little fracas, be- |
lieve me. You are clad IN a steel kelly
and a gas mask and those masks are
about as comfortable as a boil on the
neck.
Six shells for One,
But" said the speaker. while the
Germsns pour a continuous stream Of 1
shells and bullets all day and uight, for ]
every sheh they send. we send six back |
to them. We, of course, have become !
used TO trench conditions. They are
bad, but they can't be improved a. IL
Is impossible to arrange any system Of |
drainage that will keep out the water. |
People call France sunny, well, n
don't know where they get that sunny |
stuff. 1t rains six days a week and |
does double duty on Sunday, so that |
one has to innure himself to outside |
moisture, there is absolutely nothing !
doing in a dry way IN France"
The morale of the American forces |
in France Is the highest OF any OF the |
allied armies. according to Private |
Aowrer. The men absolutely refuse |
to become discouraged or in the least |
grouchy. He says that the territory /
just back of the fighting lines, Occu /
pied by the Yankees, is a bit or the I
United States transplanted. Every |
game played here is provided for |
there. Baseball, Is. OF course, the !
principal outdoor sport, holding !
place next to potting Germans.
In speaking OF the news that filters |
through to the United States, he said: !
Whenever you see a statement that
the Americans have taken over a new |
sector or engaged in a battle, you can !
bet your boots that it's the old First
division This division has been the (
buffer between the enemy and the !
American army on many an occasion" [
Men Are FataIIStIc.
Asked as to the spirit OF the men /
in the face Of the continued dangers /
to which they are subjected by their /
close proximity TO the enemy, he said /
''The boys are Chinese in their fatal I
ism. They firmly believe that unless /
so fate so will IL they will not |
be sent west" In this connection !
however, he was careful TO explain I
that the men were imbued with a COM /
plete confidence In the existence OF a /
fgrh Il fa.A q 4. IL