The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-02-20
The Confession of a German Deserter


inrc-c"ni"nts will arrive today and in
It lew days "" may send picture postal
rardS - your homes from Paris.
must confess that most Of us be
i4'v"d ia tlis II ia" time" that "" would
soon H.. in i'ari&. other bodies al
troops arrived! from all sides. We had
marched severed hours when news came
80 us hat Ni,ry had boon rr;ak"n hy
the French aad that they had seized n
tremendous .,iruun, Of military store,
captured the iuSpiiais together with
their medical units and patients. and
hat The sanitary companies ais" had
lH"i! made prisons r.. NJ aD"ul =
n'c!uck III n" afternoon We arrived n
~" nights which Ind h"c-I pointed out
t. us carly in The u,"rch b. "ur captain.
W. ROW pc:an IL understand that
something had gone wrong. Streets
w.r" flli"i with troops from All
hra;rl"s Of service. trying To use 'h'
,,,a! along winch W. were maTrhiAE.
I:.,n- u;l,u.!.ug.,rcd. We wrr" crowded
backward! EMMY muritlrn columns
raced hr lis in no order whatever. They
YER, followed by rrnje"n and other sup
riy wagons. II" greatest contuS"n
raignci everywhere. Ev"ry miHut"
added 20 lnn. congestion until tinaliE
there was Il dead halt. The drivers OF
some wagons left tir C,-lE"$trd :1"T-
tons hv ,r1v"rSinr the fields. when
had been SnakcH ~ hclYy rains S"N-
rral wagons turned OVER ana others nc
came Embedded in the mud. The horses
wcr. uuhitrhcL from th"s" ana III"
wagons left behind. The waGEonrrS
mounted .h"~.. hrr$cS a7ul drove on Tor
..t,inE everything IL "n- wild panic
stricken race f"r safety.
r.,.- ,..Ic ~ mud In ndrd an
arr.r t. nrir captain. W" We're halted
=, 4 ficld close to the road. There We
were l.r,n,itrd IL stack our guns. ana
rest. As SO lay st this point we watch
I'd tho raSSi-,g columns. field Kitchens
nun!tinn trains. sanitary columns ana
field postal wagons racing hT III one
grand carnival If ConfuSIuil
> Every wagon carried w"u'Id"d men.
Their faces indicated clearly what tor
lures they were enduring aS thrN Wrr"
bumped along over tn" unSpeakahlc
roads; upon havy tricks sun INC!
,yrrr anxious to 70 ahead n whatever
cost They feared tti" fat" which w"u'n
hcf;LIl them should they fall int" th'
hand; II !h"ir Ilcr"ii''%$ enemy. "hi'h
,yn,,lI show them tn" Same c"uSld"ra-
,;,r wh;rh ,h.v themselves hal "ff"r"d
IN rrrvious encounters. III wh!'h Inc!
TOOL; No French wounded mon prisoners.
Ey,pinG came or ard with l. i"rrcn-
,:,I r,,u W. lay in the fields. weary
au,! chilled through yet Il" one az our
ruIt moved for "" wrr" utterly "N''
rom. b. exhaustion. Artillery u'''t(h
,r.r;s uow began !" arrtE" Hu; IHW o.
.i,.,, had their required numh'r OF SIX
rur& Many hGl only ,hr'"'. others TWO
and 4 few prnr'",i.'d WIN OIL! ono I''l"
niece At one time i whole row 81 't'"'"O
81 gun carriages PASSED "ith""t "iH
Guns mounted upon them "iEl'c''I'
These batteries hah managed !" $'F'
.hai- horses hu' were compelled :" ahhh-
A., ,l,ir guns "a tho French Some
carriages werr drawn by "nly Nv" 20
frur horses Instead Of tn" Required SIN
.rL,-,, cnv. ,aSsrd before us Sornc ID
r,arriTiccnt au;rmohi!"s the appearance
~ which Won the admiration o: every
body.
All. exclaimed many Of tn" soldiers.
..th, general staff Duke Alhr"rAt OF
Wur.rmb,>rg and his friends.
n,scortrnt and murmurs Of rebellion
won; through our ranks. f.EHrEp"HE
was mad and tho Iccursod i"rrrhi Il
ran had no tendency 70 IiSh"n 'u!
su;rits. They hav" directed inc S!'"S"-
rrr of thousands und now they Iho'"'
SWAY" sad one man. while we lay neI'
in a mcrass in the rain We are ''O'
considered. =, ,.o
,o1 ma, ver been told. We were lef' ~
;''I- - mr. swamp until ton o'clock thai
ni~h, The troops continued [" .l""
b.Tk In great dis"rGaniZcd contingency
Machine gan companies passed VII"
1.,,,,tv wagons. having lost their gum
Thn numbering OF the cannon EraouA''F
cam, nnar-cr from tho west. mo h''S,
o,nnr- tbs highways became greater a"'
Tho panic spread. adding % inc h"''"' :
~ tho night. Fug!tivcS Wandered 'r"','''
~ tho darkness through the streaming
min irving 10 lead their wives "h''
cbiJdr.n. to safety. only to flnd ucn u
undcr tho wheels oC tho WAGONS.
wounded were also manElHd ny COZ
P,,cous cries for help w"r" hcnrd 'N'!f
where Under the STRAIN al III"
rho ruads became badly broken uP Az"
nil along their sides ahanu"h'" >''''' 40
Of every desert pti"n lay.
We started forward II about ) O'CLOCK
t. ,ho morning and soon we were with
~. roar guard Infantry regiments
,,,,. r,.,r..lv fragments o: their :"-h"'
..,r,n arrived In . fearful condition.
,rho c,!Iicrs had thrown away th'i'
l.,.,so,,,ts and every unnecessary NJ ti't1
,vhIch nigh; 10 an !mp"dim"Ht :" I'c''
speed. ,,,,r
R.fore long the first enemy shTtpn"'
n.,rst over our heads. which resulted III
nm eyer faster marching. IA" r"'t
usrd during the "irSt march ""nta'n'"
doom shell holes which were fIil"" win
winter, In tho heavy darkness men rex
into these water holes. Thoroughly
a-.nch,d W. continued our march. NJ
a,tcn,ion was paid to obstacles ~ TN
u.or OYER which We We're constantly
stumbling. Speed was the only aim
rp.a6 men and horses lag in the middle
OF the, road but no one took pans u
remove them
At dawn We arrived at ttt1o vIilH,'
rhnro We halted. W" took possession
and established as strong temporary
! defense rs possible in The nnl" permit
| +ed Our position was "StahliSh'.'! b.,
| hind 4 cemetery wall. New troops con
ttnued 70 arrive. but Ill were ha'iiy dis
or-an,Zcd Cavalry. mounted artillery
and machine gun dctachmemtS followed
| 7'h,s had some sort ~ formation am
| yvhilo ,hcr>a waa some disorder AM
| naric which characterized other units
Ir,s missing here. They ais" shove"
evidences of having suffered losses but
nothing in comparison 10 ours.
(Continurd Tomorrow