The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-09
YANKEE DRIVE ON,
USING MIST BARRAGE
Gain in Argonne - Rescue
"Lost" Battalion.
Bv the Associated Press.

W TIL THE AMERICAN ARMY NORTH
| WEST OF VERDuN, Oct. s.-The American
troops continued their advance east OF
the Argonne until late Monday night
After the capture of ChateI Chehery they
gained further ground. The advance was
aided somewhat by the use OF smoke
! bombs and heavy fog. A platoon of
mfnehwerfers was captured
During the night patrolling was ac-
| tive. There was intermittent artillery
! firing during the night on account Of
movements behind the enemy lines.
The American lost" battalion In the Ar
gorne Forest was rescued at 6 40 o'clock
yesterday. Though II had encountered
terrific opposition II was found to be vir-
tually intact. few of its members being
killed or wounded.
The lost battalion, whose whereabouts
was mystery for some time after its
disappearance in the attack along the
edge OF the Argonne. comprised several
hundred men, under the command Of
Major Charles Whittlesey. Completely
surrounded by the Germans, they made
their stand with their pistols and riies
1 and a few machine guns as defensive
weapons.
| When relief reached them their stock
OF cartridges was almost gone. and the
| lack OF sustenance and the effects OF the
dampness of these fall days. from which
the trapped infantrymen had no blankets
! to protect them.
The relief expedition encountered great
difficulty In aiding the rescued men.
some OF whom were so weak they had to
be carried. Medical supplies and food
| are being rushed to their aid.
The lost battalion" pushed ahead
IaytN IA hAr yhAF NhA rot
American attack to the west Of Verdun
began. They were surrounded In all
probability because they were not used
to forest warfare. Their advance In too
widely separated columns gave the en-
emy a chance to infiltrate behind them
without being seen.
! AZ soon as the members of the bat
TALON missed the troops to the right and
| left of them they tried to find them, but
! their efforts were checked for the time
being by the rain and terrain conditions.
Then began series Of ingenious means
| to give the men relief so that they
! could hold out against the assailants
ringed about them until their comrades
could forcibly come to their relief.
Many times in the course Of the day
airplanes few over the section Of the for
| est where the Americans were believed
4 TO be and messages were dropped for
I
on hand probably had become exhausted
cuniingly devised parachutes. used to
bring up ammunition, were then released
| above the forest which concealed the
| wheres bouts OF the troops from the eyes
OF their anxious searchers
According to one report there were
| from three to four hundred infantrymen
| In the surrounded unit. all of whom
had advanced without their. packs. Thus
4 n hansl vi r.
ally dependent for food upon what the
aviators were able TO bring them. II
IL feared. however, that little II any
| OF this food, including hundreds of
packages OF chocolate. reached the
trapped infsntrymen, the parachutes
drifting northward and the supplies they
bore presumably falling into German
hands.
The Americans suffered severely from
the cold. as the temperature for the last
! few nights has been near the freezing
point.