The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1918-09-18
Lieutenant Stevens
Writes from front
SHE'S STRENUOUS SERVICE IN
FRANCE; TELLS STORY
OF FIGHT.
In a Quiet Sector.
August, 10th, 1918.

1 last wrote home and doubly SO must
it have seemed to you who have
thought me recuperating from
wounds or gas received at the front.
By your last letter / see the news
that you no longer consider me on
the hospital list.
No | can not yet swagger around
wearing gold chevron on my right
arm similar to the one for service
theoretically on my left. am still
wearing the latter in my pocket not
having found a tailor to sew it on
it's proper place.
But l have had experience in the
last month or two which | value much
more than any chevrons be they for
service or what not.
| am planning on narratiug herein
the events of the past few months
and insure no censor will object.
1t promises to be long one there
fore and so it should be to make
amends for my silence.
l have none of your frequent let
tiers before me except those receiv-
ed in the last mail as I lost them
while at the front. This will be most
ly recent history and will take me
long past my retiring time.
That hour has become a regular
and fairly early one the past two
days and / am establishing new re-
cords in this line. There were days
when ] was establishing records in
the opposite direction staying up
night and day snatching sleep in
surprisingly small amounts.
l never realized how long / could
sleep. Last night went to bed at
eight and pounded my mythical pill
low until the rattle of muskets COM
ing back from dinner awoke me at
P. M. today. The night before
did the same.
This evening I feel like going to
a dance, although this is not the place
| would select from which to start
for anything gay like that.
In the same way which boarding
school girl reads a novel / am start
ing in on my narration.
We are now in the sector first oc-
cupied by the Americans and it is
a fine one. Very little firing and since
it is an old one (six months) it has
a few things that are peculiar to
American ideas of comfort and clean
illness.
In the latter respect I think of a
dis-infecting plant (delousing sta
ton we call it) not far from here
where we can go (officers included)
and be completely freed of the ver-
min. A good bath and clean undergar-
ments if necessary.
The sector is supplied with Y. M.
c.. A. and Salvation army posts which
serve real doughnuts and pumpkin
pies although l have seen none of
the latter. But the best of all is the
strange tranquility of the place.
Peace and quiet reigns supreme
and furloughs and leaves will soon
be on, but before l take and enjoy
a leave of any length | feel | must
get to some town of respectable size
and purchase few things made nee
essary by my long absence from
civilization.
What with the wear and tear at
the front and the loss of much of my
paraphenalia one early morning
expect to completely clean out some
big department store.
l have not been paid for three
months so will have plenty of francs
From our sector near Chat. Thier.
ry from which l last wrote you that
we were shelled considerably anC
where the Marines and 23rd Infantry
of our Division did such good work
we hastily pulled out one night anc
took a reserve position some miles
back From then on we were on the
go continually always in the dark al
to our destination.
This place was where | had m!
last bath where / and 1t. Wilbur
jumped in the Marine for few min
utes swim.
l emerged clean but spoiled it al
by putting on the same dirty clothes
From there we marched back way
and then started north for we knew
= not where and landed short distance
south of scissors. That was mem
orable trip.
We were on our way for tee sur
prise counter offensive General Foe
was planning against the Germal
drive near Chat. Thierry. All his con
centrations were done hurriedly an
in the last few days. The trip doe
not look long on the map but tn
last half was made with difficulty.
The night we pulled into our echlol
which was eleven kilometers from
our Battery positions we were fou
hours in going two kilometers. TIL
traffic was enormous and awning. /
is only after witnessing it that on
can grasp what an attack Of an
size means.
And this traffic was nothing t
that between the echelon and the bat
terry. The night of the attack, it start
ed at 4:35 in the morning was bring
ing up ammunition. started BAG
to bring up my eight caissons 9
eight that evening. I got over tn
eleven kilometers by five the mex
morning. On the way 1 encountere
all the American Infantry advancin
along the road to the attack.
Tanks, ammunition, trains, truck!
and limousines, in three solid line
: strung along for miles with the in
fantry squirming in between.
Continued on page 81