The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1918-11-21

troops, in small groups-what was left
of squads and platOOnS and singly
Our captain had got it fifth time
meanwhile, but he would not leave us
: as he was the ranking officer. He had
, scalp wound, but the others were in
his arms and shoulders. He could not
move his hands at all.
But he led our charge when we ran
for the woods. We carried some ma
chine guns with us as we went, and
the gunners would run piece, set up,
fire while we opened UP for them, and
run on again. Some troops came out
of trench still farther to the right
and helped us, and we drove the Ger
mans out Of the woods and occupied it
ourselves.
From there, we had the Germans in
our old trench almost directly from
the rear, and we simply cleaned them
out. I think all the vows were kept
that day, or else the men who made
them died first.
/ was shot through the thigh some
time OF other after the captain got
back. 1t felt just like q needle-prick
at first, and then for q while my leg
was numb. A couple Of hours after we
took our trench back, started out for
the rear and hospital. The wound had
been hurting for some time. They car
ried the captain out ON a stretcher
about the same time, but he died on
the way from loss OF blood. Fresh
troops came up to relieve us, but our
men refused to go, and though official
ly they were not there in the trench,
they stayed until they took the cap
tain away. Then, back to billets-nOt
bullets, this time. believe that we re-
ceived an army citation for that piece,
OF work, but do not know, as was.
in the hospital for a short time after
ward. do not remember much about
going to the hospital except that the
ambulance made an awful racket going
over the stone-paved streets Of Etaples,
and that the bearer who picked up one
end of my stretcher, had eyes like dead
fish floating on water; also, that there
were some civvies standing around the
entrance as we were being carried in.
The first thing they do in the hos
pital is to take off your old dirty band
ages and slide your stretcher under a
big electric magnet. A doctor comes
In and places his hand over your
wound, and they let down the magnet |
over his hand and turn on the Juice.
IL the shell fragment or bullet in you
is more than seven centimeters deep,
you cannot feel the pain. The first |
doctor reports to the chief how deep |
your wound is, and where it is situ-
you. where you lie, with your clothes
still ON, and asks you to take the
pressure"
Then they lift you ON a four-wheeled
cart. and roll you to the operating the
alter. They take OF your clothes there.
l remember I liked to look at the
nurses and surgeons; they looked so
good in their clean white clothes.
Then they stick hollow needles into
you, which hurt a good deal, and you
take the pressure. After a while, they
begin cutting away the bruised and
maybe rotten flesh, removing the old
clotn' pieces of dirt, and SO forth, and
scraplng away the splinters Of bone.
You think for sure you are going to
Oiee0 TO death. The blood rushes =
through you like lightning. and il you ,
get a sight of yourself. you can feel .
Eourself turning pale. Then they hurry i,
you to your bed, and cover you over :
With blankets and hot-water bottles.
Ehey raise your bed on chairs, SO the =
,loed Will run up toward your head.
ma after while, your eyes open and
ne doctor says, "Oui, oui, il yiyra - =
meaning that you still had some time =
o spend before finally going west.
The treatment we got In the hosDital
vas great. We received cigarettes. to- .
acco' matches, magazines, and clean =
lothes. The men do not talk about =
helr wounds much, and everybody -
rles to be happy and show it. The .
ood was fine, and there was lots of it. !. =
DO not think there were any loc- =,
ors In the world better than ours. and r.
ney We're always trying to make
n1ngs easy for US. They did not rim =,
ne dressings OFF your wounds like -,
ONE OF the butchers do in some OF orr q
lspensaries- that I know of. but took q
lem OF carefully. Everything was ~
cry clean and sanitary, and some Of :"
le hospitals had sun parlOrs. which ;.
ere well used, you can be sure. u
Some OF the men made TOYS and to
lncy articles, such as button hooks ~
nd paper knives. They made the his
andes from empty shell casae ar -
'fapnei' or pieces OF zeppelias, o. "