Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-11-14

interesting w SAAN
is the following letter received from
CORPORAL V. A. Gibbons. AS all re-
call he vert from Baraboo with
Company A his two brothers also
being in the war He is a son of Mrs.
w. L. Horn of Kenosha, "a former
resident of this city The letter
follows:
In France
France s October 1918
After spending three long months
in a hospital, living the life Of
gentleman with all the attention and
soft beds that go with such life, it
was more than music to me to hear
that | was to be discharged on, the
following day. You can imagine how
| felt ] was to see my brothers and
all the rest of the old company. The
only thing that bothered me was the
thought that | would have to spend
the 4th of July in Saint AignOn, the
replacement camp. So that night l
did not sleep we'll, regardless of the
nice bed9 I was anxious to get on my
way and the next morning found me
very early for breakfast.
Anxious to Get Back
Arriving at the replacement camp,
I inquired at once if it would be pos
sible for me to get back to my old
company and received the satisfact-
DRY reply that I would.
The next five days we're devoted
to gass drills; in fact | had so much
of it that [ was willing to be gassed
in order to get a rest Finally after
what seemed weeks of waiting |
received the good news that l was
to leave that noon FOR the front.
There were at least forty of us who
boarded the train, all smiles and as
happy as could be, at that time. We
little realized what a lot a fellow
takes in when he says, "to the front"
After riding for two nights and the
same number of days we arrived in
the town of at that time divisional
replacement battalion. Upon learning
that | was a painter | seemed to be
in instant demand and finally landed
with the third Army Corps Head
quarters at the town of just behind
the lines. My dream Of seeing the
old friends was shattered and | had
to settle down to the calm and quiet
duty of painting road signs. | soon
learned that a headquarters troop
is like a band of Indians, always on
The move.
She'll Expiodes
Our first move brought us over on
the Western front. We travelled all
day the 14th of July, which was the
Fete day Of France l don't believe
[ have ever seen such a display of
flags as France produced this parti
cular day. We were received every
where with cheers and songs. July
the 18th was a much larger day to
me, in fact it shall always live in my
memory for it was my first time
under shell fire | had just finished
my morning wash and was returning
to the billets when the first shell
struck exactly in the center of the
street, and not more then twenty
feet from where a bunch of Ameri-
cans wre shooting a game of craps.
AS | have stated this was my first
ime in such a place and to this day
/ do not know what thoughts ran
through my mind | do remember the
street coming up in my face and
shutting out the light of day for
few inmates. After the excitement
had died out | started feeling my
self over to see what damage had
oil
find was a scratch on the little finger
of my left hand. Upon inquiring, I
earned that two others had received
bad scalp wounds; outside of that
Fritz had gone to all this bother for
nothing. Of course the street was
ruined and | can truthfully say that
the water tower on Cheeks Hill could
be buried there with ease The night
of this same day gave me another
thrill l had always 1onged to see an
1ir raid my mind is changed now, as.
ones mind often does. That night
lad my chance, and want to say that
sound. At first we thought the Huns
they are not half as funny as they
we're Smelling the town again. but up
see the powerful searchlights stretch
ng their honey fingers far into the
sky in search of BocheS' machines.
The anti-aircraft guns were putting
up a continuous barrage, along with
he occasional put-put-put of machine
guns. So this was war. 1t was not
my style of fun, anyhow, and rather
han be caught in building with a
bomb, friend and took walk down
along the river Early that morning
the barrage that started that great
offensive for the allies was turning
the blackness of night into day, and
the noise resembled that of constant
hunder At that time none of us
knew what the meaning of all this
aoise was, but later found out, as you
shall see. Again we moved, this time
Fight up next to the lines, and it was
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