The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-17
U. S. TROOPERS
RES0URCEFUL
IN BIG BATTLE
Doughty Warriors From U.
S. Don't Need Officers to
Lead Them.
SEVEN ATTACK so OF FOE
Trench Diggers Join in Fray:
Mississippi Private
Bags Six.
SEVEN ATTACK so OF FOE
BY RAYMOND 6. CARROLL.
Special Gable Despatch TO The srS and TIE
Public Ledger.

Special Gable Despatch TO The srx and the
Public Ledger.
Copyriokt. 1915; all rights reserved
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE,
July 16.--As illustrating the natural
resourcefulness of the average Amer
lean soldier. and the way he thinks and
acts for himself when his officers have
been cut down or he has become sepa-
rated from them. / am sending the brief
accounts OF their experiences in Mon
days fighting given me to-day by a few
Of our enlisted men.
These men saw action with the wholly
American units operating on the south
bank OF the Marne, east of Chateau
Thierry and at Vaux, and with French
American units south OF Chateau
Thierry
The following was told me by Private
Thomas Jones Of Wesrmoor. Pa:
There Is dam at the point where
! was stationed on the Marne. Follow
ing a terrific bombardment the Germans
had been sending over gas shells and
high explosive shella Then they started
across the river. There must have been
thousands of them wading through the
water. and to the right Of my company
there were others coming In boats Those
that reached the bank rushed the rail-
road running parallel with the river,
where our main defence lines extended
II was pitch dark and impossible for
us to hear or recognize our leaders, but
we fought for two hours before We were
ordered to drop back to prepared posi-
tons. Later on We counter attacked and
TOOK great many prisoners"
Lenderless Men Take Prisoners.
This by corporal Of Rhode Island
regiment:
i was with my platoon when ordered
10 counter attack. Almost Immediately
we lost our platoon leader and took
command. \ few minutes later ! was
hit myself. but told the boys to go on
and never mind me. They did. with no
one leading them. and came back with
twenty prisoners"
Private Meyer Saldman. who gave me
his address as ) Fifth street New York
city, told me:
Il was digging trenches between the
'e''Soo oiu tHc river OdHh WHtI L
took OF my gas mask long enough to
see that there were hundreds of Ger
mans crossing the river In boats. Two
companies OF engineers with US threw
down their spades and seized rifles and
We all jumped into the fight"
Ambulance Driver Lloyd Beaumont OF
Texas told how he became n fighting
| man when a soldier who was guarding
! German prisoners was dropped with a
piece Of shell and passed him his rifle.
Il was going out with my car empty
when a shell passed through the top OF
1t. .Stlll another shell exploded over &
party OF German prisoners on the road
In front OF me and one OF the guards
TELL wounded. He yelled for me to take
his rife. put him inside my car along
with the German wounded.s and with
| one other guard who was unwoundet
brought in all the other prisoners. The
enemy used tear and sneezing gas
| against our front areas and mustard
gas back of us. and when they came ir
in tho attack wore gas masks them
selves. Many OF them wore their mask,
when taken prisoner"
seven Men Fight Fifty.
Private William Renzweiller OF Sc;
Dill place. Brooklyn, gave an account o.
a fight put up by himself and six othei
American soldiers against n body o
fifty Germans. The Americans had NJ
| leader. said he:
with my patrol l got down to tn,
river at 10 o'clock the night before tn