The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-08-31

N. D. Officer, Wounded, In
Command of Company
AS Captain Falls
ALWAYS FORWARD,
4 THAT'S THE ORDER
Yanks Fight With Great
Skill and Unequaled
u Bravery, Says Lieut..

one OF the most dramatic
stories of the war from the' pen
of a man who has been through
the thick Of battle, is by Howard
Huston. OF Deering, N. D., once
CRITICALLY listed as KILLED in ac-
ton" but who writes from a
; hospttal in Paris that he still is
in the land of the living. Lat
Huston's narrltfVe Of his own
mart in a recent campaign gives
q most interesting insight into
life on the field OF battle as seen
through the eyes of an ofricer.
It was included in letter that
he wrote to his parents at Deer
ing. Here it is:
(By 1t. Howard Huston.)
when YOU are in the hospita,
there is much time to write leILeIs
and I'm writing several long ONES
which, II they were compared WouIu
he found very similar TO-DAY wan.
to tell you in an intimate way :
little about our war over mere.
,r-,1esstb @ censor will let 1t pass fof
81 was published in our A. b. r,
9naper lust as l wrote II and shall
d
write it to you. ,,,,
When the battle stretches away
along a front Of more than Sixty
miles: when a battle which marks
=. turning point in the history OF
the world is being fought, no uVlns
man can tell it's tale. But one VINO
has been in the thick OF " can
tell at least what he has seen anu
! heard. 80. - 81.
afternoon before we knew we were
going into an attack. From the
I colonel came the order:
GAN companies draw reserve ra-
aions. ammunition and have an carry
g,,pner" We knew it meant a move
and Guessed the rest. Then to me
came an unexpected order, you VIII
command Co. M. Be ready to march
out at 8:15." -ao,.
of March?" -,
ment. Order Of third oactahoh' MI
H. / and K companies"
Dn YOU see what that meant? We
1ad +ba regiment. At S:15 we start
al It had rained all day. The roads
were muddy and slick and narrow.
We travelled all that night, hiking
fifty minutes of every hour and rest
ing ten. I shall never forget that
NIGHTS march. / don't think coula
ever tell about 1t as 1t actually was
1t was dark; so dark you could. only
see tive yards, ahead. And was
in front and must set the pace for
the regiment.
pace lieutenant"
.Ninety-five, sir, the men are
earryiuey heavy loads"
( Right" he said. but we've got
TO get there. Make it no."
yves, sir, very well, sir" and the
pace was quickened.
1T seemed as If all the soldiers
from all the nations in the world
were moving, moving, moving some
where. French lancers, French OF
any uniforms. Jackos and dough-
bows. ioughboys. Horses snorttng,
drivers coaxing, cursing; doughboys
laughing, tanks, ammunition trains,
I ambulances, supply trains, mules,
horses! water carts. wheels, wheels,
wheels, guns, guns, guns, all creep
ing along in the mud and dark ana
rain: all creeping over little rotten
twisted country roads that climbed
hills and dipped into valleys; roads
all cut up with shellfire and that
hadn't been mended since Joan Of
+ Arc advanced along them. There
never was such a jam since the
world began-all in darkness. We
could hear, we could feel the night
mare of confusion. We couldn't see
|ff except when a flare of lightning
LIGHTED up the whole country just a
second and then went out leaving
the blackness blacker than ever.
Like Grimm's Forest.
In a woods the next morning, a
sort of wild, enchanted forest-it
was like the places in Grimm's Fairy
Tales-we- got little rest and a
little water. 1t came from the wat
er carts and we filled our Canteens.
Those of us who had any sense drank
81 very little and kept the rest for
use later on. 1t was here that the
captain Joined us and I took charge
OF my platoon again. 1t was about
noon when the order came to move
on again. It came hurriedly; g. note
from the major The captain was
out on reconnaissance with two pla-
ICONS. / was there with the other
two. 1t meant hurry so we chuckled
everything but ammunition, reserve
rations guns, gas masks and rifles,
sent a messenger to the captain and
started on.
I don't remember much about the
march, we were all so tired. l saw
one lieutenant, game as he could be,
stumble and sink down three times
before they laid him out by the side
Of the road Gle was with us the
next morning: he came up during
the mighty About p. m. we reached
q place behind our lines where we
had TO stop. There we let the men
rest and eat Eat One can of bully
beef for six men and they had eaten
nothing for a day and a night! That
was all we could spare. They laid
down right where they We're and
slept. Shells were dropping every
where We were lucky, only three
men were wounded.
Just as night fell we got our or
ders and maps If we could only
have eight hours for a little breath
ine smell and a chance to study the
maps and the country ahead Of us.
1stIf surprise was the game and when
THAT'S your game there's no time to
lose; no time to put things in or
Zero Hour 4is5.
zero was 4:35. 1T was now mid
night. There was much to do. We
must get to our place. We We're
to be I'M the front line and hold the
right flank position. We went IN
Two KlLEEs5F = ~ ASAe@AAo = AA4ASt A4StAE
fenantl platoon was on the left;
mine on the right. The other two
Supported us in squad columns.
when we got in place, all ready TO
20. Ii was 4.25. Ammunition, every
thing, already to 70 over the top.
over the platoon for a last word.
Not sit Of fear anywhere. Every
one was ready. / called to my run-
nef ard told him to stay with me.
FEe dia, God bless him, ais long as he
cbuld. All along the line as far
ae YOU could see the Germans were
singallimg for artillery blue flares
and white and pink. 1t stretched
away SO far that knew that all
right BIZ must be q big advance