Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-12
AMERICANS EAGER
At BATTLES CALL
Soldiers Who Had Seen War
in Trenches Suddenly Order
ed to Stay Huns.
UNDER FRENCH COMMAND
BY HERBERT COREY.

by HERBERT COREY.
JUST BEHIND THE SOMME FRONT.
April 11.-Tomorrow, perhaps, the
American regiment to which 1 am at
taehed will be ordered forward to play
its part in the fight on the Somme.
This narrative must be somewhat per-
0onal in character. 1 Rave been at
tached to this regiment for the period
i of the present emergency" to quote
from my letter of assignment. My
knowledge Of what is going on will be
largely confined to the activities OF this
regiment 1t may be assumed to be
story in miniature of the American
share in the greatest battle in the his
tory of the world. for the duties as
signed to the various units will prob
ably be Identical. They may vary in
fortune.
I have been peculiarly fortunate in
my assignment, for this organization
American Army. That is the spirit that
runs through it from colonel to cook.
Officers and men have their chests out
and their chins up and are gallantly
looking forward to what may come. 1
think 1t may be said truthfully that
they are anticipating it with pleasure.
They have had their share Of the filth
and fighting of the trenches and know
Now the word is to be that by which so
many brave Britons have died:
Over the top and the best of luck"
More open-order Fighting.
The natural beginning for this story
il with the renewal of Offensive opera
tions by the Germans in March. At the
ha ma hn1dir0
what had been known as the quiet"
sector in the Vosges and Lorraine dis
tricts Of France. When the time came to
relieve the units which had been in the
trenches 1t was announced that they
were to be given a brief rest and then
turnsd In open-order fighting.
More of that Long Island stuff"
growled the Disguised men.
soldier into the full confidence of the
high command except upon occasion. No
one told Buck Private that he was to
brush up on the theory and practice of
going forward under fire across the open
because the time was approaching when
he was to be one of the tremendous
army the allies were gathering. He did
not realize that the open-order training
American STAFF was to justify itself. In
20 dicAtions are that from now until the
end Of the war the fighting will be at
: least semi-open in nature.
6uQQeulJ IuS pl6nS OIL framing were
changed. Certain units which had had
experience in the trenches were return
Cd to them after the rest which was
their right. The sector in the VosgeS
which the Americans had been holding
was retained and new sector occupied
in the Lorraine country. Another bit of
the line was taken over near Verdun. A
. general shift resulted, by which French
troops were released from trench serv-
ice, their places being filled by other
French soldiers and by the partly train
ID Americans. The American units
which were honored by being chosen
were those which had a skeleton frame
work of the old Regular Army. Seven
eighths Of the men are recruits. perhaps,
but running through the body are the
wires of the old organization. In it's
day and for the duties asked that old
army had no superior.
Under French Command.
AS has been previously announced in
the cable dispatches. the American
Army at this juncture went under
French command. The American or
sas aar OF
the French line. From now on they
will be treated precisely as are their
comrades in the horizon blue who will
Tight elbow to elbow with them. To-
day we went on French rations Our
transportation department will be sup
p1emented by French transports. IL
needed. Yesterday the French general
of whose army We are part reviewed
us. 1t was not a formal parade-a
march past"
II want to see your men and your
animals" he demanded.
He gave his orders sharply, as be-
comes an officer taking over the COM
mand Of new troops. He came from
somewhere around Joplin" as one Of
hcer said. He wanted to be shown.
The Americans were strangers to him.
and he wished to sample their quality
When he was through his face beamed
He shook our colonel by the hand:
Magnthque," said he. Then he added
in careful English: Very good"
1t 10 NO horn blowing when say that
be better than the French expected
The removal from the sector where the
Americans had been training to the
present one. where they are to be
held until they are needed, was per-
fectiy carried out.
mander found 1t necessary to move the
hour of departure thirty minutes ahead
Men, and mules. and wagons and guns
were on the cars forty-five minutes
ahead Of the time set
The trip on the troop trains to this
sector needs no detailed discussion. All
such trips are more or less alike The
most vivid recollection j retain of the
part saw was that the open doors
of the little box cars were always filled
with husky Americans who all seemed
in good spirits. At every stop ven
turesome souls leaped out to kid their
comrades in the neighhoring cars. Then
came trek by wagon which was
rather toilsome.
SHOWS FRIENDLY SPIRIT