Evening star., 1918-07-12
PREFER WAR PLAN
OF: GRANT AND LEE
American Soldiers in France
Like Fighting "0ut in
the Open"
HELP TO BEAT BACK FOES
BY HERBERT COREY.


WITH THE AMERICANS ON THE
MARINE. June 4-'This Is the sort of
war that Lee and Grant and Napoleon
fought" said a pleased American on
the Marine today. out in the open.
you known. marching and fighting
like white folks. No more Of that
damned hiding in dugouts and being
shelled"
1t is open warfare with a vengeance.
The German masses have been thrust
forward toward that road which con-
meets Chateau Thierry and Soissons-
look it up on the map if you have not
already marked it with the blue PEN
cil-and have been trying to get
across the Marine. Their columns have
been filtering down every little valley
and through every wood and nave
been crossing every hill.
Resisted by the French.
The French held them, with that
loose and resilient line, which mas
been the salvation of France on the
Marine in 1919 as it was in 1914. The
French line gave way. taxing i.s
price as it fell back. AT last the time
came when Gen. Foch decided that the
boche had gone far enough for the
time. Later on, perhaps, more ground
may be given. No one here is IN tne
secrets of the high command. For the
moment the boche must be stopped.
Hold along this line" he may nave
said. putting his pencil point on the
map. Try the Americans here.
American marines Were sent IN
near Torcy-find that little piece on
the map to the north and west OF
Chateau Thierry and on the hills at
Veuilly American infantrymen were
sent to help hold the river crossing
at Jaulgonne. Other American units
were in practical if not actually in
tactical liaison with these groups
more to the south. The largest force
of Americans which has faced the
enemy in France as a single body
was assembled on the line of the
Marine.
Position OF the Americans.
Today the Americans are holding
the nose of the snoutlike salient
which the boche has thrust into the
pleasant countryside of France. here
in the bends of the Marine near Cha
teau Thierry. Not the tip of the nose,
perhaps. but rather to the north and
west of the tip. That snout simile
rather appeals to me. On the map.
as the German thrust is outlined to-
day, you will find that it resembles
the nose OF savage dog. The Amer
leans, if one may continue an un-
pleasant s.mile, are the ring on that
nose.
The lines of the jaw on either side
are the lines of the salient The
French have pinched in and held
tight at the hinges of the jaw, SO
that the boche seems today in a po-
sition which mayor may not-be-
come dangerous Before this is read
the situation will have been ended.
If that snout thrust cannot be con-
elsewhere or else put the full weight
of his shoulders into this effort and
try to heave through by way of Cha
teau Thierry to Paris.
Says French Are Good Little Guys
These French are surely the good
little guys to u.s. one American re-
ported to me today. "As soon as they
find out we are Americans-say. Bo.
We can get all they got
Yesterday the correspondents at a
distant point on the American line
heard that certain American units had
entered into the fight on the Marine.
Such facts are held in secrecy in war
fare. We knew. that these units had
moved hastily. and we had guessed
their destination, but we knew moth
ing for certain. Last night the word
came that we might proceed to their
camp. where they had already "estab-
lished contact" with the enemy. That
is a censor-devised phrase. The in
tention is to indicate that they had
been fighting, without coming out
clearly and saying so.
We motored all night. At o'clock
we reached the little village of Cleay.
The roads were silent. except for an
occasional staff car roaring toward
the rear on some message of urgency.
Here and there the ox-carts of refu-
gees had been stranded by the way
side The oxen were still under the
yoke. Once we stopped to watch
some threatening manifestation in the
sky ahead and a creaking at our ell
bows called our attention to the oxen.
They were chewing. their cuds by the
wheels of the car. A woman sobbed
on the great cart which bulked
against the dark sky.
Fighting Like DEVILS
At Cleay an American Red Cross
truck hammered in. looking for a
deliver certain goods The driver
could not speak a word of French.
He had the name of his destination
written upon a bit of paper. BY
some hook or crook. aided by the
perfect se1f-confidence of an Ameri-
(dH ldCe W I6te Will all emergency,
he had managed to get this far on
the right road. We gave him COM
pass bearings from Cleay. He said
$50 long. fellows. Much obliged" and
was on his way We went to sleep
in chairs in a deserted barroom. The
whole town seemed deserted. save for
a mysterious man who smoked a pipe
in a window and a French soldier
who was watchman, and the dis
heveled owneress of this bar.
You are fine, you Americans" said
the bar lady. You have great cour-
age
What the Man in the Window Said
The man in the window, smoking
a pipe. said in English which bore
the taint both of London and Paris
upon it:
You Americans are doing extreme
1y we'll My word. hear very many
pleasant things Of YOU
The French soldier-watchman came
to awaken us at 4. He gave US the
clue to these compliments:
The Americans are fighting like
devils on the Marine. Like American
devils"
He shook hands all around.
During the previous night the sky
ahead of us had been continually
1ightened> by the flashes of the guns.
Half a dozen times the searchlights
no cwanf he ekv FOR opanv mas