The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1918-12-19
REV. CHEsLEY BOWDEN SENDS
INTERESTING LETTER
Aix-Les-Bains, Savoie, France,
Nn,.nr,hnr 1e 1ntQ

Aix-Les-Bains, savoie, France,
November IS, 1918.
Dear Mr. -Taylor:-IIow goes the
battle at home? AS the French cry
here, ''Il est fini." We are not very
sorry either, I am glad to report
haven't much time to write, so /
must be brief, but want to tell you
about our home place and a little
Of what has transpired since June 5,
when | last wrote you
The Covington quartette, who were
to make the world safe for the Dem
ocrats," Graves, Mcbride, Ashworth
and myself, have played decisive
part, and now duet is left, but the
other half was only slightly hi
and are expected back shortly. Nc
Bride got too much gas and shrap-
mel splinter stuck his hand-not bad
only scratch; while Ashworth, in
the first battlea real, sure-enougA
scrap (no, it wasn't, either, for We
couldn't catch em)-got machine
gun bullet through the thigh. He will
be all right soon ! dressed him on
the field, and saw that place in
the ambulance was his. But the
good-byes are hard when shells are
breaking and the ambulance road is
under fire. Graves and | are intact,
however, after thirty days of "war"
as Sherman defined it.
When the last letter was sent we
were in Northern France, near Able
vile, in Miannay, living in barns
with pigs and chickens (it's good
we weren't eolored troops) as well
as mules and cows. Our beds We're
anything that was soft.
In the last letter mention was made
Of sleeping on the floor. Many have
been the times when a floor, espec-
tally with a shed over it, would have
been dearly appreciated. Our stay
was five weeks in Miannay. During
that time we had three air raids.
Some bombs Jerry dropped when
lights found his plane punched holes
ten feet deep and thirty to forty
feet across. 1t is not SO nice to
sleep during an air raid. The Brit
ish anti-aircraft men we're protect
ing us, and most every night brought
enc down.
In June we went across France,
after drilling and practicing. A nice
three-days' journey was ours in box
or cattle cars-carry cows one place,
bring soldiers bach In a car where
only eight horses ride, thirty-six men
are placed, and a few days ago forty
nine rode in one. Comfortable?
"C'est la guerre." Three days are
longer time than you ever dream
ed Of We unloaded in Toul The
booming Of cannons made me feel
like heart disease was prevalent. In
one week we were on a little rail
road going to the front lines. And
did you know ours was the first Of
the national army in lines? My bat
TALON was first. But the first Of
April to the first Of July wasn't
SO long, and yet we were faced by
Austrians and Bavarians Crown
Princes shock troops After two
weeks stay-or nearly three-the
first of war was seen, although it
was only on patrol over No Man S
Land, or DEVILS Lane Of the World
We happened to meet no Boches, 1t
reminded me Of an old-fashiuned rab-
bit hunt, except that I had a rifle
with long knife on the end of it.
A shotgun is carried, too, sometimes.
One of our captains was captured
later, and he had shotgun with
three shells. Two big ferries were
carrying him in A plane came over
and he fired one shot at the plane
and two at one German, broke his
gun over the other and finished him
with field glasses. then came back
and took command.
Just a word about the national
army. The Rainbow division was
tickled to rejoicing when they found
they could fight by our side in Ar
gonne forest. They said "them draft
ed devils don't know any danger"
One citation was given when we went
over the top. A thousand yards or
more was to be covered before reach
ing woods on the hillside, where Jerry
was. 1t was 4 o'clock in the after
noon. Sun shining? No, it was
very dark and cloudy raining when
wo started. But Immediately out
bursted the sun in all its oriental
splendor, and the valley was lighted!
Yea, an omen! Over we went, no
barrage, chased Jerry off the hill
with two companies, or 400 men.
Another company was to flank us,
but did not appear. We got criss-
cross machine gun fire. Then when
we were thought to be well in the
forest, over came a heavy barrage
from Jerry. But we were out by far.
He thought he was hemmed in. -Four
hundred gave up, and the rest fell
back nearly five miles, And we were,
the remnant Of us, back a mile, but
plenty of reserves were on the way.
Then take the whole national army.
What could they do? But we are
now on leave, and were told to for-
get the war. 50 when get home !
shall ten more Of how Germans can
run.
A rest at Aix is ours. Pefhaps the
most noted bathing place in the
world Situated as it is, on Lake Bour-
act, in the foothills of the Alps, it's
1. -