Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-10-14
HURRAH! HURRAH!
Sergt. Hopkins Writes
of Gallant I'd Maine
French and English Said 26th Div.
Couldn't Do It, So the Yankees
Went in and Surprised the Huns,
Giving Them an Awful Licking

Went in and Surprised the Huns,
Giving Them an Awful Licking
The following extracts from letters
from Sergt. Harry r. Hopkins, Sup
ply Co, 1913 Inf. American Expedi-
tionary Force, to his mother, Mrs.
Mary A. Hopkins and his brother
Fred, tell much of the inside" of the
recent offensive in which the 26th
Division had such a creditable part,
that has not been seen in print.
Sunday, Sept. rs. 1918.
WE'LL what do you think now? Oh.
boy, it has been the biggest scoop of
the war and l suppose all America is
rejoicing today. Just to think, tax
ing the amount of territory we did in
that short time-and the French and
English said it could not be done,
said 1T could not be taken. l was
mighty skeptical about it myself: in
fact | wrote you a few days before
that thought we were going up
against the toughest proposition
ever. But we slipped one over on
them. They did not ever surmise we
were anywhere around and when we
started we caught them asleep. We
captured high German officers before
they had chance to get out of bed:
also capturing supply trains, autos,
as we'll as a supply depot with all
kinds of food. l have some of the
food now in my kitchen here in the
woods. as well as a wagon that we
hauled it in on: potatoes, dried fish
and jam in barrels.
And prisoners! Say, I used to think
when | read about SO many Of them
being taken that it was all bull" but
I've now seen thousands, among them
out now. l hope it will be over when
they are the happiest bunch in the
world at being captured by the Amer
leans.
IL was just as I wrote you before.
The French and English have been at
IL so long and hurt so much that thew
were weary. The Americans have
never been hurt and had the mistakes
OF the Allies to profit by, consequent
~ they knew no fear. Just as ono
1ankee colonel said at Chateo,,
Ahlerry IN July when the French
wanted him to retreat: Retreat. He'll.
I've just got here" And we went in
ana licked h out of them and tbev
are still running.
aont think this will last the win
Ter through: think the next three ~
TOUR months will decide it: altbo,,o,,
OIL course it may go until spring. The
Soohei over the better, for year over
acre beats any five at home.
10 not know what hospital .1obn
.Meo. Dept. 103d Inf is at, but he ;s
y. X. wherever III is. He did his hit
early in the summer and he cot n
mighty hard; so if he can onIv s+.,,
out now, l hape it will be over Y,ha,
he gets back.
F1ne weather is followin, .,o
weeks of rain, cold and ,,,d ~
wet through all the time AMI ~
chance to dry out, for we couIdn.t
ilsht hres in the woods, as it would
De dead giveaways. TRAVELLING ~
night and hiding in woods hv A.,
You can imagine it was some ioh -
conceal 10000 to 10000 men-hut NC
evidently did. for they didn't know
we were coming.
There were number of Austrians
on TINS front and they are a hungry
looking bunch; though the Huns did
NOT look so bad. The Austrians ouit
coio' The Germans would have mt
up scrap had they dared, but If ,y.s
such surprise to them. they did not
nave time. They have occupied this
territory since 1914 and the steel and
concrete dugouts they had were reg
ular homes; even electric lights ara
telephones in the officers Quarters
and the civilians were prisoners j.,
the villages. the women doing the
work and being obliged to live with
the German officers and soldiers. The
poor devils did not even know Ameri-
ca was In the war, so you can i'm
aslne their surprise and how bannv
IneE are today to he f,az