The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-09-19
cET 10 YIcNEuLLEs RY DAYLIcHT.


This order from the majorgeneral Of an already "a
nous American division to one of his brgadiers forms
the basis for one Of the most dramatic and thrilling
stories of American participation in the war. It is the
final step toward wiping out the st. Mihie salient
Acting under the order, the men, led BY an infantry
colonel and signal corps colonel personally represent
ing the general marched and fought through Bots de La
Montague all night long in pchy darkness and inter-
mttent rain. The two colonies, Captain Obert and
chauffeur reached Vigneues at o'clock Friday morn
ing. They surprised the Germans so completely that
the quartet alone captured number Of prisoners En-
tering house, they found entire machine gun
sleeping. They awoke the boches and informed them
they prisoners.
Then followed a remarkable march of victory. The
little lie cerc of the village Of Rupt-en- Woeyre
celebrated by ringing the church bells for the first time
in four years When the Germans seized the village
shortly after the beginning of the war they carried off
three hostages whom they later murdered Since then
the village had lived sorrow But on Friday with tears
streaming down his face the cure asked the American
majorgenera if he might ring the bell Permission
granted He pulled the bell rope until he was nearly
exhausted
/ spent Sunday with the division which made what
will be famous the march to Vigneues. Then went
over the roads, through massed and tangled wire and
deep trenches where they advanced The greatest
expanse of front which the Americans attacked
the southeastern side of the salient This is the story
Of the advance the west SIDE told for the first time
On the night prior to the attack the Americans spent
hours in the RAIN cutting Of wire through which
to advance The barrage started It was terrfcay and
blightingly destructive.
Then the "jump off"
It raned most Of the day. Stiff resistance was en-
in the woods but before evening the detectives
were reached line standing northeast of Dompierre
General Pershing, who directing operations,
dered the division to reach VigneuIles. The major
general transmitted the order to his brgadier The lat
ter promptly assured him he would be there The men
Of the regiment assigned the task ate their supper
standing by the roadside in the rain Then they pushed
on through more than six klometers (nearly four mes
of tangled woods. The resistance was slight at first
due to the surprise resulting from the audacity of such
a movement.
The two colonies, the captain and the chauffeur made
good progress down trench road AS they approached
Vgneuiles burning house lighted up boche supply
train close by. The quartet captured it. The main body
of the regiment began arriving shortly afterward and
mopped up some more The entire outfit "breakfasted
on the boche. Supplies dragged from the boche
wagons boche cooks prepared breakfast and boche bread
coffee and jam served by boche walters.
AS evidence of the completeness of the cleanup, the
trophies included motor trucks gun caisson train
of "a light machine guns, storeroom commissioners in
Guiding barley, wheat beer and distilled water; thou
sand packages of unopened mail ton of dried fish,
movie machine several hundred rifles II horses and two
Mercedes automobiles with officers enclosed).
A German major, not knowing the location of the
American lines drove innocently into the doughboys
hands. Another officer stopped while fleeing when he
was fired on. Both automobiles are now in American
service
When Vgneulles taken the top of the salient
closed The happiest Americans in France were those
holding the town They knew another division was also
headed toward that point and that the junction there
would mean all the remaining boches would be pocketed
Pushing out from Vigneules, two observers took 80
prisoners Another American brought in II. He was
slightly wounded the way in and the prisoners car
ried him the rest of the way Prisoners taken in this
say that when the barrage bursting about them
Thursday morning their commanders sent word not to
worry there would be attack in such storm.
Shortly afterward doughboy stuck his head into the
door of dugout shouting "cOme out of there, youse"
Boche supplies scattered everywhere in the newly
conquered villages through which passed yesterday
Near one village saw some enemy tanks. They were
merely made of netting and stove pipes were sticking
out for guns But at distance they appeared like real
tanks.
Everywhere evidences of the long boche occupa
ton. There permanent stone memorial fountains
and elaborate cemeteries with numerous carved head