The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1918-10-25
Letter From Rev. A. F
Vaughan, Now Chap
| Serving With The
Boys ''Over There

Dear Frank:
l do not know !, zen I can fnisl
this letter or mail it, as / am writ
ing under difficulties too numerous
to mention. At the present time
am sitting on my bunk in a German
dugout that they hurriedly aban
doned during the drive last week
By my side is very sick man, suf-
fering from trench fever. German
shells are bursting all around US and
we are a bit careful about poking
our heads out, as that shrapnel is
no respector Of persons. I came to
the 359th Regiment on the day of
the big drive and have been busy
with burial parties ever since. All
over "No Mans Land" that is liter
ally torn to pieces; through barbed
wire, in the rain and mud, we have
worked from early morning until late
at night, not only burying our own
dead, but Germans as well, until it
seems impossible to go another step.
Often the bodies have decomposed
to such an extent that we are forced
to wear our gas masks to bury them.
The clothes have to be searched, the
identification tag secured in order
to make a proper report. Most of
the work of that sort is over now and
all of our boys have been buried
the best we could. My stretcher
bearers carried a decomposed body
over a mile the other day so that we
could place him by the side of his
own companions. It makes my blood
run cold when / read their letters
from the home folks and often they
would have messages to the folks
back home in case they were killed.
No one can realize what this terrible
wal means unless they have seen
something of the things l have wit
messed within the past ten days.
But our men are wonderful fel-
lows. They went itno that battle
stood up like real men end fought
and that alone seemed to puzzle
the Germans. French and British |
soldiers are more careful, they crawl |
on the ground to escape the machine |
guns, but our fellows went over with
a rush and the Germans beat it with
all their might ten miles to the rear,
leaving behind a few gunners and
'nipers to carry on their deadly work.
We got a great many prisoners and
most of them seem happy to be
caught. They seemed scared at first,
IS they were told that the Americans
would kill them. Insteadk of that
hey were given chocolates and Gig
arettes and then began laughing and
;alking like school boys. We found
some luxurious dugouts, some of
hem had soft easy chairs, pianos,
electric lights and other modern con-
'eniences. However, they are under
hell fire and we have pretty busy
ime keeping away from the shells.
I have been out with my men to-
lay-can't hold services-but it is
,reat to talk with them. They are
mainly Southern men and are glad to
ave Southern man for their chap
ain. l have charge of one battalion.
Up to the present time I have not
'een sick at all, not even a bad cold,
nd, believe me, it is cold at times.
am out in the rain and mud, have
lot had bath in two weeks, or
hange of clothes. Fact is, have not
lad my suit of clothes off but once,
n twice, in that time and do not
NOW where my other clothes are.
During the battle everything was
catered promiscuously and we may
lever see thing of our belongings.