The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-10-24
NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN.
DR.. T. G. Stone, of Aiken, Writes of
Horrors Of Battle.

DIR. T. C. Stone, of Aiken, writes as
follows, the letter being printed in
the Aiken Journal and Review:
Somewhere in France.
We have been taken out of the
lines, and arrived last night in our
"rest billets," where we will reorgan-
ize, and then go back on the firing
line. The men are all lousy and
ragged, and 1 am now trying to de
louse'' them and get them in better
sanitary condition.
We have been through the horrors
OF hell itself; men and beasts we're
falling all around US, some slightly
wounded, some MORALLY wounded
and others torn to atoms, a horrible
and gruesome sight, and before they
could all be buried the stencil be-
came fearful. The Boche, Of course,
were left till the last and in some in
stances maggots had almost done
the job for us.
The experience as we went for
ward with artillery eight and heavy
infantry, cavalry and tanks, all on
the run, and getting into position a.
rapidly as possible, with the Boche
pouring shells from their artillery,
bombs from the planes, which came
within a few hundred feet OF u
heads and fired upon our advancing
columns direct with their machine
guns, was an experience never to be
forgotten. 1t was grand, glorious
and the most inspiring scene / have
ever witnessed. The dead and the
dying were piled by the wayside-in
many instances we rode over them.
The Boche prisoners were coming
back by the thousands and the up
roar and the din of the battle was
fearful.
We were pretty severely gassed
just before we were taken out of the
lines-I was dressing a number of
wounded-we were in the open, the
place was being terriically shelled
and men WERE tumbling all about us,
when suddenly gas shells began to
pour in. I had neither time to seek
protection O to put on my mask,
but fortunately got through it all
right.
Our boys did magnifcently, and
America has reason to be proud OF
them. In one instance a large tree
was snapped off at its base by a
shell, and as it. fell it pinned several
OF the men down; a number of the
boys rushed to assist them but only
in time to receive the effect of a high
explosive which tore them to pieces.
Others rushed Immediately to take
their places, and this was the spirit
the men displayed throughout, and
many a poor fellow has made the
supreme sacrifice and now lies asleep
beneath the sod, there forever his
bones and ashes to mIngle with the
dust Of France.
We captured many guns of all cal
ibre, many supplies of all kinds. l
have a number Of medical supplies
i found in a large ave where we
captured 40 Germans with a colonel
and his staff, some surgical instru-
ments, bandages, gauze, pads, am
pulers of morphine and atrophine
(keautifully gotten up), an oxygen
tank and r%espirator, we're among the
things We got.
The Boche left in great haste, as
was evidenced by the fact that they
left a great many supplies and a
number of their dead in the dressing
station. I have a German helmet, a
gun and a field telephone which
got from the dressing station.
I wish I had time to write full
details of this offensive Cor counter
attack in which we took such an
important part-the entire move
ment centered on our division, which
was on the left flank of the Boche
salient. We took them entirely by |!
surprise and for a time they were
stampeded, and when we came up to
the point where our artillery fire
was concentrated, n could not
blame the poor devils for stamped
ing. I never saw such destruction
and such havoc, the forest was COM
demolished, big trees three
feet in diameter were absolutely rid
died, many being completely sever
ed at their base and piled in all di-
rections; there was hardly a tree lett
standing intact; a small village was
completely ~pulverized, there vas alb
solutely nothing left but a heap of