The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-10-03

He would not go back for treatment
then, and when daylight came, n was
too late, because we were practically
cut OF by artillery fire behind the front
line trenches.
When daylight came, the artillery
fire opened up right on US, and the
Germans had advanced their lines into
some trenches formerly held by us and
hardly forty-five yards away. We re.
ceived bombs and shells right I'm our
faces. A Tunlsian in our company got
crazy, and ran back over the parados.
lie ran few yards. then stopped and
looked back at us. ] think he was
coming 10 his senses, and would have
started back 60 us. Then the spot
where he had been was empty and n
second later his body from the chest
down fell not three yards from the
parados. I do not know where the
top part went. That same shell cut .
groove In the low hilltop before II ex.
ploded. He had been hit by a big
shell, and absolutely cut I'm two.
have seen this happen TO four men, but
this was the only one In France.
About seven o'clock. we received re.
endorsements, aud poured fresh troops
over and retook the trench. No sooner
had we entered IL, however. than the
Germans turned their artillery on us,
not even waiting for their own troops
to retire safely. They killed numbers
OF their own mon IN this way. But the
fire was so heavy that, when they coun'
ter-nttacked, we had TO retire again,
and this time they kept after us and
drove us beyond the trench we had
originally occupied.
We left them there. with our artil-
lery taking care Of them, and our ma
chine guns trying To enfilade them, and
moved to the right. There was n
bunch Of trees there, about like small
woods and as we passed the Germans
concealed in IL opened fire on us, and
we retired TO some reserve trenches
We were pretty much scattered by this
time. and badly cut up. We reformed
there. and were Joined by other Of our
troops. in small groups-what was left
OF squads and platoons and singly
our captain had got IT a fifth time
meanwhile, but he would not leave us
as he was the ranking officer. He had
a scalp wound. but the others'were in
his arms and shoulders. He could not
move his hands at all.
But he led our charge when we ran
for the woods. We carried some ma
chine guns with us as we went, and
the gunners would run piece, set up
fire while we opened up for them, and
run on again. Some troops came out
Of trench still farther to the right
and helped us, and we drove the Ger
mans out of the woods and occupied II
ourselves.
From there, we had the Germans In
our old trench almost directly from
the rear. and we simply cleaned then
ont. think all the vows were kept
that day, or else the men who made
them died first.
l was shot through the thigh some
time or other after the captain got
back. II felt just like a needle-prick
at first, and then for n while my leg
was numb. A couple Of hours after we
took our trench back. started out for
the rear and hospital. The wound had
been hurting for some time. They car
ried the captain out on stretcher
about the same time, but he died on
the way from loss of blood. Fresh
troops came up to relieve us, but our
men refused TO go, and though official
ly they were not there In the trench,
they stayed until they took the cap
tain away. Then, back to billets-not
bullets, this time. believe that we re-
ceived an army citation for that piece
Of work. but l do not know, as 4 was
ITO be Continued)