The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-11-08
WRITING TO 0DROTHER, GRAPHICALLY
DESCRIBES YANK DRIVE OF SEPTEMBER 18TH
Declares That Infantry Goes So Fast That Is Difficult For
The Artillery To Keep Up

lone of the most interesting and
graphic descriptions by local man
of the great allied offensive which
started on September 12 is given in a
letter from Lieut.. Clifford Ernest.
chaplain In the United States army,
to his brother, !. o. Ernest of Wooster
avenue. Extracts from the letter fol.
low:
This is Sunday y. m. and ! am glad
| to have time enough to write to you,
| the first since our battle with the Ger.
mans began, of which you, of course.
have already read. but ! cannot relate
TO you more concerning the place or
time. came out all right. but with
a great deal more experience than
that with which went into the fray
| had all the experiences that 90 with
the warfare of which you read over
here. My latest experience is that
hN'O SoOCiOS, anu hISut tuCy pcs
tered me so could hardly write to
my wife. changed uniforms and
bathed from head to foot and still I
have them. Then this morning,
discovered that also have fieas, so
am buggy" However, without the
louise, my warfare would not be com
plete and l couldn't say that was
real veteran.
1t was on my birthday that our
drive began, at | o'clock at night.
had just crawled into haymow with
q major to get some sleep and had got
settled down and began to feel warm
underneath the hay tive had travelled
all the fOrepart of the night in a
beating rain) when the barrage broke
over and before us. Our ambulances
were just moving up into place when
IL began. ! can't describe how ii look
ed or sounded, except that the hay.
NOW in the midst of rain and dark.
ness became as light as day, and the
beat and roar of the big guns was
deafening. This lasted until II o'clock
that morning. The douhgboys had
advanced beyond their schedule and
prisoners began TO file in past MS by
the hundreds.
One of our hospitals had moved up
to the front to take care Of the first
from the field, and one ambulance
company and dressing station was al.
ready out there. The colonel sent for
me that afternoon. When ! arrived
In front of the artillery to the first
field hospital the wounded were al.
ready being prepared for transporta.
tiOn to the bases back of the lines
where there was no danger. Some
had died on the way in to the field
hospital and others died after arriv-
ing; some bled to death or are so
weak that they can't stand the strain,
others are so badly mangled that 1t is
Only matter of time till they "go
west" Pools of human blood and
stacks of bandages, clothes ripped
and torn from the boys lie about
stretchers or litters soaked with
I,ldDd faces bandaged by first aid
b0YS. arms and legs shot and torn,
hRhdaged and soaked with blood do
not now make me turn sick ! am too
much interested in the care and COM
fort to be given these poor fellows to
think of anything else.
Sleep departs and no one wishes to
do anything else than to care for the
wounded so long as the boys are ad-
vancing, and the casualties are being
brought In. When the physical man
becomes exhausted then we drop any
where. Experienced doctors and
medical attendants stick tight and
have seen them utterly out of COM
mission, but willing to work on. I
light cigarettes for the wounded who
are conscious, and who smoke, also
go from one to another and help get
them ready for the surgeon.
Burying the dead with the detail
Is my military duty. You might call
me All undertaken when battle is on,
but have many other duties with the
living boys. Last Sunday was too
busy to know that the day was Sun
dey. until In the evening when out
Mirying the dead, fellow asked me
about services. | felt inclined to re-
; buke him when we were SO busy TAX.
! ing care of the boys. and thus doing
our religious duty, hut ] didn't. | was
really rather glad. for had il not been
for this, would never have known
that it-was Sunday.
Well, from Thursday until the next
Wednesday we fought, and then the
ADVANCE was sufficient, and our boys
so tired that we were relieved, and
we are now behind the lines in rest
camp. Our losses were small Ia com
patison with our gains, so we rejoice
but do not boast, for we owe it all
tOHhose lying out there on the battle.
H<4I ,.thA hau n