Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-21
FIRST ARMY'S RECORD
IS NOT DUPLICATED
Conflicts on Argonne Front Far
Moro Severe Than Chateau.
Thierry and st. NIihicl.
RAIN SINCE DRIVE BEGAN
Damp Air Seems to Clog the Lungs
and Elakcs Ono Feel rs il Heart
Was Pumping Rainwatcr Through
tho Veins.
ny pAMoN nuNYoA.

oil tho American arms, there can be no
recorded, no such exploits. no such
fighting as has been douc by Pcrshing's
First Army on the Argonnc front dur
ing tho past three weeks.
Beside IL, Chatcau-Thicrry and the
st. Mihicl salient were mere incidents.
II is "A modern battle of the wilderness
enormously enlarged, spread OUT over
more time anu territory and dotted
Eerc and there with an .,ntlc,am or "A
gettysburg.
II has been three weeks OF unrcmit-
ting h: In tact, the comparison IS
knows what IL is like except that IL
IS probably warm. Many thousand
Americans now know the -Aisounc uniy
too we'll. They know II is never warm
there.
God only knows where the sun has
gone. 1t has been raining continuous
~ since the drive star: "a. ina: was
on September 70. 1t is always cola.
The rain is timely woven ana ciaIn.ny
as a funeral garment. II has way OF
soaking through The skin ON into the
uody OF man until his very heart
seems TO be pumping the rainwater
along the veins instead OF blood. IL
Wcts all the world Failing from :hc
trees INTO the grass raindrops CLEAN
damply under dripping sky. over
head hangs gray. coowebby vapor.
II is most oppressive. 1t seems TO
clog the lungs and make breathing Diff
ticuIt. 1t is smothering. chilling, de-
pressing fog. y man gets to banker
ing for jast one blast OF clean. tresh,
warming sunshine.
Dawn comes about ) o'clock these
mornings As soon as the first streaks
OF light begin splitting the thick mist.
John Soldier lifts himself out OF his
FOX hole which he has dug and into
which he hastily plastcrcd himself
when he scooped out in the wet ground
with shovel or bayonct even II
tin mess plate.
SOLDIER COMES OUT or
HOLE MATTED WITH MUD
II affords some protection from tho
shells and machine gun bullets; not
much. but some. The soldier comes out
OF his, hole matted with mud The rain
does not stop when the battle pauscs.
1t goes on through the long. dreary
night, tricklins into the fox hole"
turning II into wallows.
The man pulls himself out with a
noise like yankiDG Il rubber boot out
OF the mud. lie has had no sleep: no
guniirc for a lullaby. He has it,;c
TO eat except his field rations which ne
carries when he goes into battle. Al
ter the first day few men have much
of that left. II is Il tough enough Job
Juggling extra ammunition and other
equipment without bothcring with eX-
ira rations. Wha, he has is sure to
be wet.
Sometimes they arc able 10 get grub
up to the men on the first line during
battle. but not often. With dawn
Their FIRE has been only intermittent,
during the night. Now tho shells fall
spiashing into the watery fields. rails
ing Eeish,crs Of mud; Maehi IN, bullets
The line goes forward. Ills clothes
ciinGinE to him like cold. flmy cpl
dermis. his feet slipping in the mud
at every step.
The American acc is the American in
infantry. Foot b. foot. yard by yard. It
moves. The men take cover as best
Then they advance some more and dig
Then the advance some more and dig
in. 1t is slow work II is deadly work.
They are moving on against tho fire
from the German guns. which thick cnS
the air like the very mist.
CAMPAIGN IN ARG0NNE
KITCHEN WORK or WAR
This campaign in tho Argonnr is the
kitchen work of the war. i, is sheer
drudgery. There is nothing spectacu- /
lar about H. 1t compares 10 tho aver /
age great battle in point OF glamor as
painting In the Argonne, all glamor
is pretty well dulled by mud Vet ii
is :. very great battle. 1t Is ono OF
the most important Of the war. The
German view OF it is indicated by the
terrific resistance they are making. /
They pour in their crack divisions daily
fantry They used their veteran sol
diers against the lads who little over
"A year ago knew practically nothing |
OF soldering.
The veterans have orders TO hang on
a, all costs. Day by day. however. /
the boys from the American cities and
this war by the Americans can DO
figured by inches. Punches OF seasoned
soldiers are coming down the roads
from the front almost every hour OF
the day. minus their guns. with Ameri- !
can soldiers herdiug them along the
road TO their cages. You can sec them
81. tl,n1
Americans have gained about ten miles
on a front of twenty miles Every
mile was a mile OF bitter resistance.
1t is rolling. hiliy country over which
they fight. There are frequent stretches
Of woods, so thick il would be impos
s'hle to ride bicycle through them
where whittlesy's lost legion made its
immortal battle. was part OF the coun /
try covered in the onrrstion,,
New York's Seventrscventh Division /
took much of tina, forest, They had
TO dig out there by the very roots. !
Little towns occur at FREQUENT inter
are mere wide places in the road as a
rule. They ar: spots which present
scenes OF terrific struggies-.-sc /
which will he hard TO locate after the
Of every day or so. 1t Is daily |
affair. 1t has developed almost into |
The soldier gets out Of fox holes"
in the morning, picks up his rife and |
goes to fighting methodically as !
working man back home picks up his !
dinner pail and starts for his daily :
job. Both knock of at nightfall. In
stead. Of a warm d.i:ner. however. the |
solaier crawls into another rocking |
fox hole
That is. unless he is dead and buried
on some camp hillside OF France or |
wounded ana on the way back to the
hospital i'm a jogging truck.
a man may put In several days at
the very front Inc. Then he goes back |
fo- a short lest Fresh divisions arc
always moving in. while worn divisions !
are coming out. The Americans have
so perfected tho machinery Of war for
this drive ,ha: everything moves auto.
rpatically. |
Long lines of ghostly hclmctcd men
suddenly appear out Of the mist on
the roais which feed tho battle from,
and as suddenly disappear again
They march silently Their heads |
are bent forward against the rain.
OCCASIONALLY an officer n1uttcrs a low |
command. but there is little talking |
among tho men. This Is especially iruo |
arc coming out there is apt TO he more {
congregation The tension is relaxed. |
besides they arc returning to some
thin. 10 Cat, dry clothes and warm |
beds. The saddcst part in tho coming |
on t. hA raht -