Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-12-25

called Ancemort, where we took a
train to small town called Pontbion
here to get back into shape, but did
not stay long. We moved out in a
few days and rode through the out
skirts of Paris to the city of Pom
toise. We hiked from there for two
days where we were billeted for a
few days and drilled again. 1t was
then that the Germans had made
their fartnest advance against the
British and held Montdider and were
near Amiens, which was near where
we were. When the Germans made
the drive toward Paris between Sois-
sons and Reims, we were ordered up
to support the French there. We rode
all day and part of the night in
French trucks, passing back through
Pontoise, past Paris and through
Meaux. Before we got to Meaux, we
commenced to meet the French peo-
pie who had been driven from their
homes by the German drive. This
was the most pitiful sight / have
seen. There were old men and wom-
en- and children, some sick and hardly
able to travel. They came in every
kind of conveyance, bringing all they
could with them. Many were walk
ing and seemed about to drop. We
left the trucks back of the lines and
slept two hours in field, then start
ed hiking. Here we came in contact
with the French soldiers falling back.
That night we slept close up to the
battle line, with the Germans advanc-
ing towards us. The next day we
were given extra rife ammunition
and moved up closer, where we lay
in a ravine for day and half. Our
business was to man the mortars, but
they had not come up yet, neither had
the one-pound guns. so we were or
dered up to reinforce an infantry
pressed. The French had fallen back
of us and French officer told me the
Germans could not be stopped but
we went up. and got into pits beside
the infantry, where we lay for two
days without food and only one can
teen of water, but the Germans new
er got any further. We were around
a farm house, and the Germans never
got to US, although they kept coming
over in large numbers only to be
moved down by our machine guns
and automatics. This was on the
left of the division composed of the
9th and 23d infantry and the 9Th and
9Th regiments of marines. We we're
relieved at the end of the second day
by the French at almost midnight,
when we went back to a~woods and
got something to eat and an hour or
two of sleep. On this morning the
marines made their first drive and
meters. We were pretty tired but
the little rest helped us and we were
ordered to follow up with ammunition
and rations. We had to 30 through
terrific barage from the German
guns, but delivered the goods with
the loss of only a few men. We car
ried ammunition and rations for
couple of days and then our mortars
arrived and we got some of them up
on our left. My corporal got wound
ed here and / was given charge of the
trench mortar with a crew of five.
We were here about week and then
went back to the woods again, but
were there only a day or two when
two crews were ordered into Belleau
Woods, where we stayed for a week,
under shellfire nearly all the time
and the smell Of the dead Germans
and marines was almost pnbearable.
there being no chance to bury them,
were here we held a seven-kilometer
front, flour or five miles) and our
one division was up against five Ger
man divisions, some of which were
the Prussian guards, Germans crack
troops, but the second division not
only held them but drove them back
several kilometers. Although we had
a lot of casualties the Germans must
have had many more and we took a
lot of prisoners. After about a week
in Beleau Woods we were ordered out
and it was on the way out got my
wounds. We stopped at small
town and the Germans bombarded the
place. Another fellow and I got hit.
I was taken to the field hospital and
operated on right away. was there
in the hospital at LaFerte for "a days
when the town was bombarded by
airplanes, but none hit the hospital
direct, but they blew up the rail-
way station, killing some women and
children. / was sent to Base No.
in Paris and remained two days.
was sent here, where I am now. My
division, the second, after leaving the
vicinity of Belleau Woods were i'm
the fights at scissors, st. Mihiel,
Champagne and Argonne and I only
regret could not have gone through
it all with them.
They have been at the front almost
since last March and now
they are one of the divisions chosen
to enter Germany. / have hoped to
be sent home before this but / am
pretty sure Of going out in few
days. We will be sent to Savennay,
near st. Nazaire, where we will wait
for boat to take US home, but this
will all take time so / do not know
how soon we will get there may
send telegram to let you know Of
my safe arrival, for most likely we
will land in New York. So after
little you can begin to look for that.
Pvt. Wayne w. French,
Base Hospital 13.
Ward %, A. p. o. 753,