The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-05-02
HAIC'S RETREAT IS
WILDLY PICTURED
Storm of Shell Fire Described by
Illinois Officer.
HUN SLAUGHTER WAS GREAT
First Lieutenant Petit Of Ottawa, In
Letter to His Father Gives Details
OF Battle In Which British
Fought at Great ODDS.


Fought at Great ODDS.
The thrilling story ~ the Ilaig re-
treat in the terrific battle In Plcardy is
most Interestingly detailed by First
Lieutenant Roswell T. Petit. VI. o.
r. c., Of Ottawa, H., in a letter to his
father Or. ]. W. Petit of the Ottawa
tuberculosis colony and published in
the Chicago Tribune For nine days
the American officer was IN the thick
est Of the fighting. and during the re-
treat Of the British fifth army from
before st. quentin. His account Of the
battle thrills with the stress Of the
herculean conflict, as II was detailed
Immediately after he had passed
through the terrible experience and be-
fore his impressions had been dulled
by time. His letter:
Lieutenant Pettips Letter,
March 30.
Dear Father Now that the show IS
over for me for the time being and
have time TO breathe and sleep and eat
and write, I'll try and tell you about
the battle Before you receive this
you will have had the whole story from
the papers, but / know you viii be
interested in knowing what did in the
affair.
OF course, the things saw were but
an Infnitesimai part OF a gigantic
whole and II would be impossible for
me TO give n correct description of the
battle And as | write this, / do il
with no knowledge whatever Of what
has been going on even few miles
from me
have not seen paper in eight days;
I have received no mail aud the only
Information we have received has been
by word of mouth. and most Of what
we hear must be wild rumors. For ex-
ample; The French have advanced
20 miles n Verdun the Amprl-
cans have taken Ostend and are on
their way 70 Zeebrugge, and a great
naval battle has been fought In tho
North sea.
All know is that on this part Of the
front the Germans attacked us I'm over
whelmlng numbers In places ten divi-
sons to our one, that they suffered
terrible losses. but finally broke
through our lines Of defense. one after
another and fighting for the most part
4 rear guard action. we have retired
about T. miles In straight line
For a week before the battle started
we had been expecting IT. We were
ready 10 move on 30 minutes mo-
tjcr. | had been out with combatant
rs well as medical officers ON tours Of
reconnaissance, definite methods Of
evacuation of the wounded had been
worked out, and our plans of counter
attack been made After four or five
days Of waiting, the storm finally
broke.
The Boche opened mp on us at ga. m.
March q, with the heaviest bnrrage |
have ever heard. STAND to-" was
sounded, we turned out dressed and
had all our equipment packed In 30
minutes. Then we sat down and
waited for orders to move The bar
rage kept up continuously. sometimes
heavier and then OF less intensity.
sometimes II seemed 10 be 10 the north
Of rs and then suddenly il switched to
the south
Our balloons were up ms soon rs II
was light and the uirpIanes were buz.
zlng over our heads The ground mist
gradually cleared and the Germnus
put n hHll Of shrppncl on our camp
and We an took cover but three men
we're hit. Why It is a fellow always
feels safer with q roof over his head.
even II he knows bullets and shrapnel
and pieces OF shell will 20 through
boards aud corrugated iron Just like
paper.
Ordered 10 Move.
our orders To move finally came and
we marched or 10 the brigade assem-
bly, point several miles away This as.
sembly point was In little bunch OF
trees about the Size Of Allen park aud
h"hInd and separated from larger
wood IN front In the larger wood
there was o battery ~ heavy artillery
ald shells were dropping Ia there two
~ three 70 minute and II was heavy
sun too
Sometimes they overshot the Big
wooi and shells were landing In The
open around the little wood where MY
brigade had it's assembly point As
we approached our little copsc We
could make all this out from some dis
tnnce away and It wasn't u pleasant
seuss tion 10 feel that We were march
Inc straight into a.
An the battalions arrived and Ia that
litle copse there must have been al
least two thousand men What n
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