The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-10-10

Dillon county as there are quite a
number OF Dillon boys with the En-
gineers:
Marion Starr
Headquarters. 42nd Division,
AMERICAN EXPEDlTIONARY
FORCES, FRANCE
August 18th, 1918.
To the Officers and Men of the 42nd
Division:-
"A year has elapsed since the forma-
ton OF your organization. 1t is
therefore fitting to consider what
you have accomplished as a combat
division and what you should pre-
pare to accomplish in the future.
Your first elements entered the
trenches in Lorraine on February
21st. You served on that front for
ITO days. You were the first Amer
ican division to hold a divisional sec
tor and when you left the sector June
21st you had served continuously as
a division in the trenches for a lon
ger time than any other American
division. Although you entered the
sector without experience in actual
as to win the respect and affection Of
the French veterans with whom you
fought. Under gas and lombard
ment. in raids, in patrols, in the heat
of hand to hand combat and in the
long dull hours of trench routine so
trying to a soldiers spirit, you bore
yourselves in manner worthy of the
traditions of our country.
You were withdrawn from Lorraine
and moved Immediately to the Cham
pagne front where during the critical
days from July 14th to July Is, you
had the honor of being the only Amer
lean division to fight in General Gour-
aud's Army which so gloriously obey
ed his order. I'VE will stand or die"
and by its iron defense crushed the
German assault and made possible
the offensive of July 18th to the
to take part in exploiting the success
west of Reims.
From Champagne you were called
north of the Marne. Fresh from the
battle front before Chlons, you were
thrown against the picked troops of
Germany. For eight consecutive
days, you attacked skillfully prepared
positions. You captured great stores
or arms and munitions. You forced
the crossings of the Ourcq. You took
Hill 212, Sergy, Meurcy, Ferme and
Seringes by assault. You drove the
enemy. including an Imperial Guard
Division, before you for a depth of
flfteen kilometers. When your in
fantry was relieved, it was in full
pursuit of the retreating Germans and
your artillery continued to progress
and support another American divi-
sion in the advances to the Vesle.
For your services in Lorraine, your
division was formally commended in
General Orders by the French Army
Corps under which you served. For
your services in Champagne, your as
sembled officers received the personal
thanks and commendation of General
himself. For your services on the
Ourcq your division was officially
complimented in a letter from the
Commanding General. 1st Army
Corps. Of July 28th. 1918.
To your success. all ranks and all
services have contributed, and l de-
sire to express to every man in the
command my appreciation of his de-
voted and courageous effort.
However. our position places a bur-
den of responsibility upon us which
we must strive to bear steadily for
ward without faltering. To our COM
rades who have fallen, We owe the
sacred obligation of maintaining the
reputation which they died to estab-
lish. The influence of our perform
;ance on our allies and our enemies
cannot be over-estimated for we were
one OF the first divisions sent from
our country to France to show the
world that Americans can fight.
Hard battles and long campaigns
lie before us. Only by ceaseless Wig
ilance and tireless preparation can
we fit ourselves for them. urge
you, therefore, to approach the fu-
ture with confidence but above all
with firm determination that SO far
as it is in your power you will spare
no effort whether in training or in
combat to maintain the record of our
division and the honor of our coun-
try.
CHARLES T. MENOHER,
Major General. U. s. A. Army.
n