The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-12-19
SAYS SAVED CIVILIZATION
CAPTAIN CRAIG TELLS OF HERO
ISM OF 3Oth DIVISION.
Hartsville Officer Says Privates, Cor
porals and Sergeants Won Vic
tory Over Germans.

Greenville, Dec. 14.-One of the
first real narratives of the heroic
work of the Thirtieth Division in
France and Belgium was brought to
Greenville by Capt. Robert E. Craig,
of Hartsville, commander of Com
pany L, One Hundred and Eighteenth
! infantry (old South Carolina Ma
tional Guard). Captain Craig was in
Greenville for short time en- route
to the base hospital at Biltmore, N.
C.. He landed at Newport News, No.
vember 27, and is suffering from
bronchial asthma which he contracted
in the trenches.
In conversation, Captain Craig told
of the wonderful work of the South
Carolina, North Carolina and Tennes-
see men of the "Old Hickory Divis-
ion'' in the war and expressed regret
that he was not able to be with them
on the memorable date when they
completely shattered the Hindenburg
line. "You have never seen such
courage, such absolute loyalty as
these men displayed and they accom-
plished a feat that generations will
herald he said. "When they come
home they are entitled to our best,
for they are none other than the saw
iors Of civilization
First Service in Flanders.
The Thirtieth Division, upon land
ing in Flanders, was first billeted at
Mont KENNEL, said Captain Craig.
This sector had seen some of the
bitterest fighting of the war during
the first two years and presented a
very desolate scene. At the time the
Thirtieth arrived the British were
daily expecting a heavy attack by the
Germans and the sight of the stall
wart Americans greatly encouraged
! them. The division remained here
for some time and when the attack
neyex came, they were moved up
nearer the front.
Captain Craig said that his battal-
ion was the first unit of the Thirtieth
to enter the trenches, which was late
In June. The division was first under
shell fire on Independence day, July
4. AS soon as the men were in the
trenches they began to take great
delight in picking off snipers. The
very first day men from Company L
killed two enemy snipers.
On July 20, just a month after his
entrance into the trenches, Captain
Craig contracted malady which was
thought to be trench fever. Physi-
clans later contended, however, that
he must have been gassed in some
way as he contracted bronchial asth-
ma. He was sent from his company
to the American base hospital in
France. He remained there until
November, when he was sent to Am
erica.
Captain Craig paid a high tribute
to the courage and bravery Of the
enlisted men. when the histories
of this war are written, the honor for
victory should be given to the pri-
Yates and corporals and sergeants,' y
he said. ''They are the men that
have done the fighting. They are the
bravest set of boys in the world and
every person in the United States
should honor them. / never saw a
yellow man in the Thirtieth Division.
/ never saw man in old Hickory
wall when he was wounded. | have
seen men shot through the limbs hold
their wounds and ask their comrades
for cigarettes. You can not beat men
who fight like that. I would be will
ing to wager that for every casualty
in our division there were five in the
enemy's."
Captain Craig told of the heroic
act of Sergeant Gardner OF his COM
pany. During an attack early one
morning Sergeant Gardner was lead
ing his platoon just behind the creep
ing barrage when they suddenly ran
upon machine gun interference. The
German gun was hardly 20 yards
away. Sergeant Gardner, instantly
realizing the peril, drew his revolver
and in four clean shots annihilated
the machine gun crew.
Hartsville Company Suffers. :
Although Captain Craig was in the
hospital at the time of the big drive
which broke the Hindenburg line, he
heard many thrilling details Of the
fighting from comrades. He said that
his company went into battle with
236 men and came out with Sc of it's
original personnel. They went over
the top 19 times in 21 days and never
failed to gain, their obiectives.