The Washington herald., 1918-08-11

doubt have an important bearing on
the credit situation in America.
I heard later that at that stage some
one said: Maj. Sibley ordered that
and another man said: Where in hell
10 sibley?' Sibley was 20 yards away
at the time and q hush went down the
line when they saw him step out 20
lead the charge. And when the word
got around that dead-tired. crippled
outfit that the Old Man was on the
line. all hell couldn't have stopped
that rush. With all the stories that
I've heard about IL, wonder II ever
an outfit went up against a more oes-
perate job, stuck to IL so gsmely with
out sleep, at times on short rations.
with men and oficers going on like
flies. and wonder IL in all our lonS
list OF gallant ceeds there ever were
two better stunts than the work OF
sibley and Holcomb.
Counter Attacks By Score.
''Since the 10th. while the nghting
has not been of that savage hand-to-
hand variety. we've been in there, the
two regiments, always advancing.
never giving an inch. alta cking and
smashing counter attacks by the lit
eral score. They've had i've and part
OF a sixth division versus our brigade
and half the time three divisions at
once. One OF them. the Tventy-eishth.
Is one OF their finest.
They've had reliefs for a few days.
the battalions. for it's a battalion war
now, and many people would have
hardly called IL rest. II was the best
MA ae hTff ha A.
, shelled at timeS there was no chance
10 scrub and wash clothes, and IL IL
rained no shelter except ponchos and
little dugouts that were soon flooded.
But every time they went back into
the lines. dead tired, but with a spirit
| that made any task possible. There
were times when IL seemed 20 me.
with my talk over the phone. their
official and unofhcial messages and
their reports Of casualties. OF bom-
bardments and gas. that they must
have reached their limit and could not
hold. But they held like grim death
without a whimper. and got away
with II.
We're still in Cthis was written on
June 80, and the line now takes in
all the woods from our right. which
Sibley is now holding. up TO the left.
where the French are. In one night.
on the Goth, Shearer moved his line
| forward for the Fifth and sent in So
| prisoners. The next two nights Key
! ser. on the extreme left. for the Fifth
moved his lines and took up the posi-
tions assigned without a loss. and
sent patrols 800 yards ahead without
resistance.
@BeaueouP Put-put-put.-
They Cthe Germans) have had the
| fight knocked out Of them and admit
! il. The artillery has done wonderful
work at all times. The last big draft
OF prisoners had been cut OF from
supplies for three days by our fire. One
man in the Sixteenth Company, Leon
ard, captured and held in the front
lines, brought. in, unarmed. a captain.
four lieutenants. and seventy-three
Germans unarmed. Another Marine.
wounded and found in a dugout by
Shearers men. had had his fun when
1 they hammered questions at him. in
smattering OF German. French and
English. When they asked him how
our food supply was he said Bon
Besucoup chow When they wanted
line on our machine guns they
asked, 'Combein put-put-put?' and he
I
put The prisoners vary a lot, some
fine. big chaps. andfmany look like
retired farmers, undersized, or run
ming down TO II. At first they thought
we were Canadians, but the last lot
say all the Germans know We have
about 900 and they say they don't
want to hght US. that we give them
no rest and our artillery Furnishes
them terribly. We've found lots OF
letters, and diaries and the diaries are
interesting. They start or with the
'Gott-mit-uns' line and boasts Of what
they will do TO the big Americans.
Then they tell OF lying In the woods
under a terrific FIRE and about the big
Americans who seem TO know no fear.
Then they end-a complete story OF
disillusionment.
II know you will be interested in
what gallant work the ofhcers and
men are doing. The men have learned
that the oficers will lead them any
where and the men worship them.
And the officers will talk you to q hn-
ish any time about their men. But
they've hit US heavily on officers. for
they had TO fight with q reckless
bravery to carry the day.
"I don't believe there ever were
battalions where ofiicers and men had
such q common feeling OF strong love
and affection and mutual admiration
for each other. They were brothers
In arms In the fullest sense Of the
word ana II ever anyone asks why
our officers and men cannot adopt the
French attitude OF oficer and rnen
comradeship. you can tel them that
tho~e day in the lines simply were the
medium through which the constant
care. the faithful performance OF duty
and the live interest that our ofhcers.
notably the platoon ofioers, had
shown from the ouantico days in
their men were Translated into as per-
feet q comradeship A. could exist be-
tween men saw them towards the
end out In the woods, and found
them out there serenly confident. their
faces showing the strain. but the old
/ spirit unconquered- And found
them either clean shaven or shaving.
and Turner. Hughes old sdjutant.
then acting as CARROTS adjutant, a.
Hughes had Just been evacuated
gaEsed. could have walked into the