The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-08-02
ACTS OF HEROISh
IN France

With the American Army on the
Marine. July 23.-'We rushed the enc
my machine gun position" This line
appears in a report made by an Am
erican company Captain to the Colonel
OF his regiment to day. Let me try
and picture what the cold and color
less line meant, for I saw what II
meant.
Our line is on the edge OF a wood on
the northern slope of hill about $50
feet high. In front stretches a yellow
wheat field. maybe a kilometer or less
In width. Beyond 1t rises another hill.
In the nearest edge of the woods is
a German machine gunner. who has
been amusing himself by sending a
stream OF bullets raking along the edge
Of the woods held by US. This position
is in sort of clump OF trees, with a
slight clearing almost surrounded be-
fore the thick wood begins.
We have tried shells and rifle fire
without success. The spot is marked
for vengeance when the Americans
make the advance scheduled. The
Germans have generally withdrawn
ard the gunner seems to have been left
there to protect their retreat
/ OfoSf SOWGo 70 StoNdUCe.
The order comes TO advance in a
few minutes. With their eyes on that
clump our men get fixed in direction.
A moment later and the line OF men, in
diminishing formation, some rs feet
apart. crouching slightly forward, their
rifles ready. step from the edge OF the
woods and start through the wheat,
above their waists. The machine gun
stops. They go. There is no firing.
They are half way across the field. A
few steps further and with a sound like
a steam hammer the machine gun cuts
loose. Our line drops TO a man. The
machine gun stops. They start again
with four or five missing. and the ma
chine guns rat-a-tat begins again.
Again they drop, and when they start
one or more are missing. One and
then another drops out and sinks
among the wheat stalks. Again they
drop and again they start. Now there
are only a few left, and they drop
down and seem TO stay down.
But there is a disturbance in the
wheat stalks. From three directions
other thin brown lines move the same
way toward the machine gunner, while
our snipers take pot shots into his
clump OF bushes.
But the German is brave. At every
opportunity his gun spurts bullets at
the advancing Americans.
Americans Close in.
Now our men are close upon three
sides. Suddenly they leap up, crouch
ing little to get more shelter from the
!, wheat. and go at the clump OF BUSH
es. They know the German can get
some, but cannot get all.
From hundreds OF yards off a Ger
man sniper picks off two OF our men
but no other Germans seem to be near
II Nearer and nearer the men get, when
20 or more rifles and the officers au-
tomato begin speaking.
Rat-a-tat goes the machine gun
! with our men seemingly upon it, Their
suddenly as IL started, the tai
ceases. Our men scatter about the long
edge of the woods and others move
across the fields to join them.
learned later that the American Of
eicer had shot the German through
the head at short range with his au-
tomato pistol. There was no kane
rad in that Germans system
Stretcher bearers brought back the
wounded from that wheat field. Some
: Of the Americans who had fallen hac
no need OF stretcher bearers
Stories Of American bravery and dis
regard OF peril in the last weeks fight
ing are SO numerous that it seems I'M
fair TO others to recount their feats.
Stories of Heroism.
( There are two or three that seem SUI
Y preme
i During the fighting north OF Chau-
teau Thierry well-known physician
hailing from West Virginia, a Captain
a in the ranks, was in charge of a GER
tain hospital corps.
Word came that behind an embank-
ment, sheltered by a line of thin woods
: were IA Germans guarding 40 captur-
ed American wounded. This point
was a kilometer behind the German
front line.
Il His stretcher bearers were all busy
so the Captain got eight privates in
charge OF Corporal. supplied them
) with stretchers, and went to get those
! American wounded who had been sew
en- hours without medical aid The
erstwhile dignified practitioner, AZ
years old, crawled ON his stomach
with his squad past our front lines
Germans and the wounded captives.
Crawling close to the group, the
Captain stepped boldly into the open
and demanded the surrender of the
Germans.
The enemy began shooting despite
the doctors Red Cross, whereupon the
Corporal and his eight privates opened
, fire on the Germans, killing eight. The
other six surrendered.
Act as Stretcher Bearers.
The captured Germans and the Am
orleans who could walk acted as
stretcher bearers for the more serious
ly wounded. Americans insisted on
being allowed TO carry on a stretch
er a wounded German, saying he had
saved their lives. According to the
Americans the German guards were
going to kill them all, but the wounded
: German persuaded the guards to agree
TO wait until nightfan for the execu-
J ton.
Led by the Medical Captain the cav
! alcade with 40 wounded, lay on the
! side of the wood until dark and all got
, back to the American hospital safe
lily.
Next day the doctor was killed by a
German sniper, and therefore 1 am not