The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-09-19
Advancing Foe Had Surprise Of
Life When He Found Ameri-
cans in Line. H.
GRAPHIC STORY IN LETTER
Tells of Our Troops Heroic Resist
ance in June-Held by Many Off
y GERS to Have Saved Paris
r From Huns.

account of the lighting near Chateau
Thierry, in which American divisions,
including the marine brigade, took
part, early in June, was made public
recently by the navy department. 1t
is in the form of long letter from an
officer of the marines to Major Cen
eral Barnett, commandant Of the
corps, and the story told is of peculiar
significance, as in the opinion Of many
officers here it was the stand of the
Americans along this line which saved
Paris.
The name Of the writer is not dis
closed. The Americans were rushed to
the line in motortrucks to support the
hard-pressed French. On June the
marine brigade deployed in a support
position, the battalion commanded by
Maj. Thomas Holcomb hurrying into
the line as the men climbed out of the
trucks. The Germans were coming on,
and June the French dropped back,
passing through the American lines.
''We had installed ourselves in
house in La Vote Chatel, little vii
lage between Champion and Lucy-le-
Bocage," the letter says. "From one
side we had observation of the north
and northeast. They came out on
wonderfully clear day in two columns
across wheat field. We could see the
two twin brown columns advancing in
perfect order until two-thirds of the
columns, we judged, We're ia sight.
Foe Slowed Up by ShrapneI.
The rifle and machine gun fire was
incessant and, overhead, shrapnel was
bursting. Then the shrapnel came on
the target at each shot. The white
patches would roll away, and we could
see that some of the columns were stila
there, slowed up, and it seemed perfect
suicide for them to try
Then, under that deadly fire and a
barrage of rifle and machine-gun fire,
the Boche stopped. It was too much
for any men.
''That men should fire deliberately,
and use their sights and adjust their
range" he says, twas beyond their ex-
perience. 1t must have had telling
effect on the morale of the Boche, for
1T was something they had not counted.
on. As a matter of fact, after pushing
back the weakened French and then
running up against stone wall of de-
tense, they were literally up in the
air. and more than stopped. We found
that out later from prisoners, for the
Germans never knew we were in the
front line when they made that at
tack. They were absolutely mystified
at the manner in which the defense
stiffened up, until they found that our
troops were in line"
The letter tells in detail of the days
Of fighting that followed. 1t describes
a daylight charge against a machine
gun host and Of scouting raids up to
June 6, when the whole brigade swung
forward to straighten out the Lire. This
action resulted in the capture of Bel.
leau wood.
Hit Three Times, Still Fought on.
Major Sibley's battalion of the Sixth
marine regiment led the way here. with
Holcomb in support. The woods were
alive with enemy machine guns. That
night word came back that Robertson,
with 20 men of the Ninety-sixth COM
pany, had taken Bouresches, breaking
through a heavy machine gun barrage
to enter the town. Robertson, fighting
with an automatic in either hand, was
hit three times before he would allow
himself to be taken to the rear.
Speaking of individual acts of bray-
cry the writer says Duncan, a COM
pany commander, before he was NOW
ed down had his pipe in his mouth and
was carrying stick" Later he adds.
Dental Surgeon Osborne picked up
Duncan and with a hospital corps man
had just gained some shelter when
shell wiped all three out"
Private Dunlavy, killed later, cap
tured an enemy machine gun in Bour-
esctes, which he turned on the foe
with great effect, while at another
point young Timmerman charged
machine gun at the point Of the bayo-
net and sent I'm IL prisoners at clip"
When the enemy made stand at
one point In the woods Sibley's bat
TALON was withdrawn and for an hour
and fifty minutes American and
French batteries hammered the wood.
Hughes, with the Tenth company, then
went in, and his first message was
that the wood had been cut to mince-
meat. .Overton, leading the Seventy
sixth company, finally charged the
rock plateau, killing or capturing every
ghnner and capturing all the guns,
with few casualties.
The Eighty-second company lost all
its officers. and Major Sibley and his
adjutant, Lieutenant Ballamy, reorgan-
ICED it under fire and charged ma
chine gun nest at the most critical time
In all the fighting.
81 wonder if ever an outfit" the let
ter said, went up against more des-
perate job, stuck to it gamely, with
out sleep, at times on short rations,
with men and officers going off like
flies, and wonder if in all our long
list of gallant deeds there ever were