The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-05
ON TIE FIRING LINE.
Fulton County Boy IN Sixteen Days Of
Hardest Days Of Fighting. Had
Some Experiences.

sister, Mrs. Gaily Chambers,
Corporal Cyrus C. Covalt, Hqrs.
Co., 1O9th u. S. Inft., Am. E. F.,
son of j. H. Covalt, formerly Of
Thompson Township, we are
PERMITTED to publish the follow
ing
To-day is the first chance I've
had for long time to write home,
and | am only allowed paper for
one letter now, so you may pass
this on to Daddy.
l am well, and altogether. |
suppose you know more about US
from the newspapers than we do
ourselves, and | have no doubt
that you are scanning the casu-
atty list each day with more than
ordinary interest; but | am thank
full to say that | have just come
out of sixteen days of the hard
est fighting in the history Of the
war and find myself sound, and
all together. Many of my best
friends, however, have gone
gloriously doing their bit. My
best friend and "bunkie" o.
many months-Bob Hunsworth,
Of Roxborough-wss seriously
wounded, and another, killed
besides me, the first day of the
battle, July 18th. | have been
unable to find in what hospital
Bob is, or whether he is living.
But, believe me, we aveopen-
ed the eyes of the Crown Prince
and the pick of his army. In
cidentally, our regiment. tn e
109th, has done most brilliant
work, and made a name for it.
self against great odds. Perish
ing's Iron Men" they call US;
and when you see the list of
Philadelphia, Scranton and Okla
homa boys, just figure six dead
Prussians for each one of US and
you will know what these hills
are covered with tonight.
War is awful-a thousand
times more horrible than any
outsider can imagine; but after
the first baptism of fire, fear
leaves and we get mad. The
first deaths fill you with horror;
but when your best friend falls
against you, and you feel his life
blood splashing in your face,
there comes a desire for venge-
ance quick and awful. After
a few escapes from machine gun,
shell, etc., you get the feeling
that your keeping is in the hands
of another more powerful than
any War Lord; and all the skill,
craft, and endurance of the mill
tary training you have had,
comes and whispers DO your
best"
The Bosche is whipped here in
this sector, and he knows it; but
while retreating, he does his best |
to kill. We gave him no rest
day nor night and he is in terror. |
With all his craftiness and |
treachery, he has gained but
little-and that little, at an awful
cost to him..
Here is just one Of their tricks:
Two stretcher- bearers wearing
the Red Cross, carried a litter,
covered with a blanket, across
our line of fire one day. and we
ceased firing until they were
safe behind a hedge. A minute
later a machine gun opened up |
there, and when we took the hill, |
there lay these two bogus first
aid men by the gun which they |
had carried into position on the |
stretcher-the men being expert |
machine-gun men wearing the |
Red Cross as a guise. / mention
this incident to show you what |
we are up against.
individually, the Huns are |
whimpering towards when cap
tured, and beg for mercy with
tears in their eyes; and we grant
it-poor fools that we are. The
prisoners say they had been told
that the Americans were half
Indian, savage, and would kill
the German prisoners and scalp
them.
We have been pitted against
the pick of the German army,
and have beaten them. They are
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