Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-11-08
THE ll9TH IN ACTION
Tommy Daniels Tells Of His EX.
pefienceS
ACROSS The Won HINDENBURG Line
The Old Thirtieth Was Filled With
the "Joy Of Battle" and Went After
the Germans In Way That Thrill.
ed the World.
Of The Yorkville Enquirer

Correspondence Of The Yorkville Enquirer
Camp Sewer Nov. Tommy Dan.
iels was top sergeant in Company +
18th infantry Of the old Thirticth Di-
vision when he came to Seyier more
than year ago. had been in his com
pany a couple of days when he saw to
il that was made company clerk. We
occupied the first tent. nc and I. and
We became fast friends. He was Il
wonderful little chap. as tough as q
pine knot. a skilled boxer and nc had
Il good head. He was about twenty
six years old and think he had lived
about one hundred and twcnty-siX IN
that time. He had becn TO Europe q
couple of times before he got into the
army and there was no other place on
earth worth while that he hadn't been
to. 1t was pretty cold at Sewer along in
December last. Tommy and ] used
to break of n table or Il chair leg or
something else IL coal was short, and
kindle a hot fire during the cold nights.
Then we would sit there half the night
and fight the world war on paper. At
the same time we would discuss the
Huns and tell one another what we
were going to do to 'em II we ever
had the chance. Tommy used to show
me how he was going over the top
His eyes would burn with strangr
fire when he showed me.
Well, he has had his chance to go over
the ditch more than once. and nc has
made good. He's a lieutenant now and
| know he's a cracker jack too. He
has written n letter telling OF the work
Of the 18th Infantry Of the Thirtieth
and it is real interesting. Here 1t Is:
At $50 a. m. September 90. our ar
tillery put down a creeping barrage.
We had assembled quite large num-
ber of guns for this work. and II was
some artillery show. To begin with,
in the dawn of the early morning
light, and exactly zero hour. the men
went over the top in perfect waves
and held close to the creeping barrage.
Soon the barragc lifted and we car
ricd the first line trenches with rush.
Soon the second enemy line and then
the third The men in the first waves
fought down to the village OF B, and
soon cleared 1t up. An hour later, by
dash we were astraddle the Hinden-
burg defense system, an hour later a
second village was taken by our men.
and late in the afternoon We reached
our objective, depth Of two and
half miles.
This fight will 90 down in history
and well can the people Of the three
states remember the honor to their sons
and brothers who fought and glori-
ously died on this field of battle. Never
had | dreamed of such bravery-the
place was alive with machine guns
thousands of them. Many of the men
were cut off from their officers but
this did not stop them. for they rushed
machine gun nest after machine gun
nest, taking them all. leaving nothing
behind but dead Huns and shattered
guns.
Capt. Zeno Hollowell Of Goldsboro
and his company were shut of and
for three hours were subjected to n
rain of machine gun bullets. When
one of his men grunted and rolled
over, two of his comrades sprang up.
caught him around the shoulders and
walked off TO the aid station with him
Indifferent to the regular hail OF bull
lets. They went through without a
scratch. Captain Hollowelrs gas mask
and glasses were pierced with bullets
but he was only slightly wounded.
One man captured ninety-six prl-
soners by himself. II was stin. hard
fight for all and 1t was well fought
We lust received warm congratula-
tions from our division commander
General Lewis.
We are back now for rest and it's
rather like what Mark Twain said
about pulling a tight fitting shoe of
n sore foot. Australian and English
officers OF much experience who pass
cd over the field after the fight, said
that it looked impossible. The natural
terrain, rolling wooded hills. a vast
net of wire and perfect trench system
with thirty and forty foot dugouts in
sured Jerry, as he thought, a line that
would never be broken. And little
did he think when he provoked the
United States into war that the .fanks
would be the ones to break 1t. Young
Roland Cox and Marion Daniel were
killed in this fight. They died bravely
leading their men on. Sam Hummell
was killed later in the day valianuy
fighting in the stiffest part Of the line
7 was talking to officers Cox and Hum
nell Just before zero hour. They were
happy and jovial and looked forward
to the fight with much anticipation
One of the coolest bloodiest things
| observed during the battle was that
while hundreds of Boche prisoners
were passing down in groups the Hun
did not cease his artillery fire in that
direction and on account Of this saw
hundreds of his men killed by his own
artillery fire. On this road l also saw
four Boche prisoners bringing In an
American wounded and on stretcher.
A German shell fell right in between
them. killed all four Germans but by
a miracle the American escaped in
jury.
The most remarkable thing was the
wounded. | saw men with legs and
arms Off and laughing and smoking
and not the least sign Of pain on their
faces. One 16-year-old lad from Fay
etteville. who smuggled into our out
fit. had a leg carried away. He was
laughing when they brought him in
and he said. "a cigarette and a drink
of water is all I want" was talk
ing to the surgeon that day after the
fight. He told me that he had never
seen men with such grit-that there
was not a groan from a single man
He stated also that one man was
brought in with his arm and shoulder
sbot quay He said Doctor. tell me